The Impacts of Digital Technologies on the Political Economy - Essay Example

The Impacts of Digital Technologies on the Political Economy of the United s’ Movie Industry Introduction The American film industry ranks among best in the communication sector in the world. The industry not only attracts praises from the entire world, but also inspires a number of upcoming film makers. However, many independent filmmakers’ works do not reach the intended global market. Past studies show that most films do not penetrate into the international markets (Mortimer et al., 3; Kim et al., 193). Although many upcoming filmmakers often produce creative and high quality movies, they usually struggle to develop networks in a bid to attract customers. On the other hand, new movies by established film producers draw attention even before they are officially released to the market. As a result, the independent film makers have resorted to digital technologies and social networking sites to promote and distribute their movies. Owing to the current situation, this research paper investigates the benefits and challenges which are experienced by independent film producers whenever they are using the latest digital technologies to promote and distribute their films to their fans. The paper would emphasize the impacts of digital revolution on the independent filmmakers’ ability to reach international consumers. Research objectives 1. To understand the elements in the media industry that have affected the movie industry. 2. To understand the specific changes in the communications sector that majorly affects the movie industry. Research Questions 1. What are some of the elements in the media industry that have affected the movie industry? 2. What specific changes in the communications sector majorly affect the movie industry? 3. Are these changes positive or negative? What should be changed? Justification of the topic The role of technology in the film industry cannot be ignored. Technology changed the operations and activities of the film industry in a major way, altering the way people interacted, the nature of the operations, and the marketing strategies for the films. However, the specific area of film affected has always been debatable with researchers focusing on the social aspects of the technological effects. Focus on the political aspect of the film industry environment is important as it helps create even more insights for the people. Literature review Kim et al 194 states that the digital technologies in the United States of America have enhanced communication and modernization in most of the sectors. In the film industry, the digital technology has yielded both positive and negative results in equal measure. Digital technologies have reduced the live shows for the films. Most of the films are bought on digital media instead of people attending the live shows (Kim et al 194). According to Kim et al 194, the purchase of the films on digital media is enhanced by a number of factors. First, the ability to produce digital storages like hard drives has enhanced the portability of the films making people to buy and use them in home appliances. More so, the development of digital transmission in the United States of America has also enhanced the reduction in live shows. Digital televisions are widely used in the United States of America with the people preferring the televisions with the hard drive and digital storage (Kim et al 194). The digital technologies have enhanced development of celebrities among the people in the United States of America. Before the age of digital technologies in America, the actors were mainly known to the people who watched them in live shows (Kim et al 194). However, there was little attraction to the actors with most people concentrating more to the content in the films (Kim et al 194). However, with the digital communications, the actors and producers are known to more people. Nonetheless, the development of personalities in the media was motivated by a number of factors. Emergence of iconic actors in the field started developing before the onset of home screens expanded the reach of the actors. However, the greatest step was the recognition of acting as one of the income generating activities in the country and inclusion in the television programs. The development of digital communications in United States of America also enhanced the culture of film production and improvement in the quality of films in the country. With the development of the internet, American movies were watched and consumed in many countries across the world. With the audience increasing, the level of criticism and suggestions on improvement also increased (Kim et al 195). The British, Germans and French sent their suggestions regarding the American films, which challenged the film industry in America to develop to attract more people to their programs. More so, the internet exposed the Americans to the content from other countries including the Mexico and Japan. The Italians also started advancing in the film industry. Such factors forced the film industry in the U.S. to improve on the quality of films that they produced (Kim et al 195). The American citizens also sent their views. For instance, people insisted on inclusion of local and diverse cultures in the films. With such suggestions, the film industry in the U.S. grew tremendously, leading to increased quality of film products in the U.S. The development of digital technologies in the U.S. enhanced the consumption of television content in the country. The film content provided an advanced entertainment on the American televisions. Television film in the U.S. was not a popular practice until the digital communications became strong in the country. However, the development of television film simply meant that the people enjoyed more content on their televisions, and broadcasters received more recognition (Kim et al 196). An example is a situation where new television channel shows films while the others do not. This was a case mainly at the first uptake of the films in the television industry. The quality of the films was not very high. However, the viewers, having enjoyed the films, shifted towards the televisions showing films. This compelled the media to consider film as a major part of their broadcasting (Kim et al 196). The development and advancement of digital communications and technologies also advanced research in the film industry in the United States of America (Kim et al 194). Most of the film producers became highly informed on the current trends in the country due to the advancements in digital technologies. On a smaller scale however, the research also created generic films with any films having similar content. The internet, for example, provided a great tool for understanding the society and its diversity. In a society where uptake of diversity was a primary requirement, the internet provided a good starting point for the producers and directors to gather content. The information also included feedbacks and views from the film consumers to help develop on quality. Online feedback started to generate improvements and quality checks on the films which went a long way in ensuring that the producers delivered great quality content. Besides, the internet became a marketing tool for most of the producers. The content for the films could soon be bought from the internet of livestreamed at a cost. That widened the reach of the films in the digital transformation era. The social aspect of the film industry in the U.S. was highly reduced in the onset of digital communications. The political aspect of the films included their ability to connect with the people and address matters that they witness or suffer in their daily lives. However, most of the developments could only be enabled through constant interaction between the producers, actors, and the fans. However, with the digital technologies advancing in the U.S., it left very little opportunities for the people to reach out to the citizens and know what their exact needs were. At the same time, the fact that there were more efficient ways to get the films like livestream made matters worse as it killed the essence of the social rapport. Mortimer et al (14) notes that many advantages and disadvantages came with the reduced social interaction in the film industry. Peace and integration became hard to encourage especially due to the fact that people had limited forums to interact and understand each other. Tolerance would no longer be encouraged due to lack of forums to address such issues. The media industry was reduced to entertainment especially the film industry as the content could only be home consumed and not institutionalized. A major setback in the development of the digital technologies, as they authors note, was commercialization of film and little emphasis on talent band quality (Mortimer et al 13). As more digital platforms searched for films for their content, the film producers had few options except turning to people who lacked the talent to produce films for money. This greatly affected the reputation of the industry while at the same time helped the industry to grow and reach more people. Research Methodology This research will mainly use quantitative methods in data collection and research analysis. Research methods include questionnaires and interviews as the primary sources of data. Interviews will involve the main players in both the film industry and the digital technologies sector. Questionnaires will be used to collect information from people, but to analyze the overall political environment of the film industry in the U.S. The research will employ stratified sampling as a technique of evaluating the contents of information gained from the primary research. It is important to note that different people will give varied views, although the content is related. Thus, they will be grouped into strata with people of the same characteristics being pooled together and one selected to represent the group. This would help in collecting information relevant and diverse at the same time, make analysis much easier. Study and inference from previous researches help in drawing conclusions about the data that will be collected. The methodology of the study will be systematic and grouped in the following stages. First, the information will be collected through the primary sources and sampled. Information from the secondary sources will not be ignored as well. Secondary sources of research include magazines, newspapers and the internet. Sampling of the information will then be undertaken to help in analysis of the information and drawing of conclusions. With the information analyzed, the results and conclusions will be drawn from the research. The paper would use previous researches to examine the political economy underlying the independent filmmakers’ struggles to market their products. The previous researches would help to identify the main changes in the history of the United States’ film industry because of the digital revolution. The paper would also send questionnaires to both established and upcoming filmmakers who are using the digital technologies to promote their products. Thereafter, the paper would use the information collected to develop framework that independent filmmakers can use to successfully distribute their films. Results and Analysis From the research, it is imminent that the digital technologies brought both advantages and disadvantages in the political environment of the film industry in the United States of America. On the positive side, the digital technologies created cohesion and generated publicity for the characters in the films. This widened the reach for characters and created them as icons and role models in the society. However, this also put them in the lime light attracting journalists who reviewed their personal lives and watched their actions and decisions, reporting them to the people (Kim et al 194). The actors became household names with the onset of the digital communications. By virtue that the films were aired on digital platforms within reach of the consumers, the players in the film industry could boast of a wider reach which benefited the political environment in the industry. Focus on market optimization was also achieved in the political environment from the development of digital technologies. The research also reveals the effects of online digital platforms in the development of a film culture, which also enriched the political environment of the film industry in the U.S. With the need for convenience in access to the films increasing, different media developed including online platforms and live streams. This widened the reach of the films enables more people to download and watch them on digital platforms like tablets and laptops. As such, the costs of marketing the films reduced as the people could access them on their own. However, the digital technologies created many challenges for the political environment in the film industry in the U.S. The black market for the films widened including piracy. The film pirates could access them on digital platforms and sell them at lower prices. This hugely lowered the earnings of the industry, although it did not dampen their efforts. The introduction of new legal and social rules in the film industry was also inevitable as there was involvement in a new area which needed new checks and balances. Online film portals also developed with the development of the digital technologies and their infusion in the film industry. In order to guard against piracy, the film industry developed registered and recognized portals used to access the films, thus directing people to central points for the films. Conclusion In the industry, many upcoming filmmakers often produce creative and high quality movies. Moreover, they usually struggle to develop networks to attract customers. On the other hand, digital technologies have reduced the live shows for the films. The social aspect of the film industry in the U.S. was highly reduced in the onset of digital communications. The film content provided an advanced entertainment on the American televisions. Television film in the U.S., was not a popular practice until the digital communications became strong in the country. However, the development of television film simply meant that the people enjoy more content on their televisions and broadcasters receive more recognition. On the positive side, the digital technologies created cohesion and generated publicity for the characters in the films. This widened the reach for characters and created them as icons and role models in the society. Annotated Bibliography Mortimer, Julie, Holland, Chris Nosko, and Alan, Sorensen. Supply responses to digital distribution: Recorded music and live performances. Information Economics and Policy 24.1 (2012): 3-14. This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of distributing digital goods such as music, movies, software, and books via the Internet, mobile phone applications, and other social networking cites. Mortiner et al. further examines the impacts of sharing digital music files on recorded audio and videos sales as well as the demand for live concert performances (3). The researchers found that whereas digital technologies allow artists to gain access to international markets easily, they pose offsetting effects on the artists. This is because the digital technologies facilitate the creation of more products than buyers. For example, the digital technologies present cost effective techniques for production, promotion, and distribution of films and music to the intended market. According to the article, the supply of digital videos is higher than their demand. Mortimer et al., cite that technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Youtube have not only revolutionized the film distribution, but also changed the way consumers watch movies. The research further revealed that the technologies increases competition in the entertainment sectors thereby giving established artists advantages over upcoming producers (5). Therefore, this article would help to compare the challenges experienced by upcoming film producers in their quest to gain recognition in the market that is controlled by those artists who are established. The article also offers insight into the extent which technology has revolutionized the US film industry. Kim, Jilm, Yoo, GilSang, Sung, Jungsook, Jung, SoonYoung, and Lee, WongGyu. Plans to Promote a Film Industry Ecosystem by Analyzing the Industry Structure. RNIS: Research Notes in Information Science 12(2013), 193-196. This article analyzes strategies for creating value in the film industry. It examines interactions among individual components and stakeholders in the entertainment sectors. The article presents proposals on techniques that filmmakers should use to plan, produce and modify their movies. According to Kim et al., digital technologies exert much influence on the film industry (193). The researchers believe that the technologies help the filmmakers to create strong networks and allow exchange of information among the producers, online marketers, consumers, and monitor market trends. Therefore, the article would provide information about the characteristics of film industry and effective methods for establishing film distribution networks. Work Cited Kim, Jilm, Yoo, GilSang, Sung, Jungsook, Jung, SoonYoung, and Lee, WongGyu. Plans to Promote a Film Industry Ecosystem by Analyzing the Industry Structure. RNIS: Research Notes in Information Science 12(2013): 193-196. Mortimer, Julie Holland, Chris Nosko, and Alan Sorensen. Supply responses to digital distribution: Recorded music and live performances. Information Economics and Policy 24.1 (2012): 3-14. Read More

 

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