Impact of Technology on Employment in Film Industry - Coursework Example

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON EMPLOYMENT IN FILM INDUSTRY Introduction There have been significant technological advancements in the film industry over years. The technology growth has given rise to many impacts both negative and positive in the film industry. The results have greatly influenced the employments patterns in the industry. A lot has been done to research on the technological impact on the sector of employment in filmmaking. However, there has been much controversy on whether the technology is influencing more positively or negatively in the job part. The focus was on the UK film industry. The UK film industry has been highly impacted by the technology growth (Briefs, 2008). There have been many employment opportunities, which have been created by the industry. The recent years, the industry has seen great growth technology-wise, thus creating many jobs since 2007, when there was the introduction of the FTRs. It has also boosted the exhibition and distribution sectors with a major change and has since remained to be a major contributor to the economy through employment provision (Christensen, 2010). In the year of 2013, there was a release of the many UK studios and UK independent production activities. Due to these productions the UK film sector has become major employer player. Since 2009, the employment has risen by twenty-two percent in the film industry. The economic contribution has generated strong fiscal to the Treasury, and high tax levies have been sourced from the employees who are earning their living from the film sector. There has been a major technological improvement in the film industry. For instance the introduction of the high-end TV, which have seen the rapid growth in the employment sector in UK (Holt and Schell, 2011). There has been an improvement in the quality of the drama production and leveraging spends in attraction and enhancing creative works. With the ever-rising 3D technology in making films, many aspects of film viewing and production have changed significantly. Many employees in the film industry have been affected to some extent. The 3D shooting can be very cumbersome while recording the footage at different angles, and may be time-consuming, but the positive impacts the technology has come within terms of job creation cannot be underestimated. Every aspect of the new technology in filmmaking requires personnel. Thus, more individuals are employed in the sector. The sales of the DVDs and CDs also give the nation some boost in its economy and the sellers of them earn their daily through these business. The production of films is a long process, which involves a number of individuals. With the new technology, quality products are made. These processes of production require personnel who are employed in the film industry in shooting and camera filming. This aspect has led to job creation to the ones who are involved in the film production. Many more individuals are required in the marketing of the films and other products of the film production. The marketers of the products earn their living through the activity of marketing. Thus, the new technology has had a great impact on the society in terms of creating employment to a greater population. Film industry has also had promote their products in order to make the public aware of their goods and with modern technology the activity has been easy as compared to the ancient times (Impact of the new technology, 2009). The promotion of the products has been faster and effective with the development of the new technology. The technological change has had a great impact on employment on the film industry. It has had both negative and positive effects on levels of employment. There has been employment creation due to many upcoming outlets of the film production products. These outlets should go hand in hand with modified or original content, which is modified which results in higher employment in both distribution and the production (Kelly, 2015). Again, many employees have been displaced specifically through automating many processes and generation of images by use of computers and ever displacing musicians through digital mixing synthesizers and track layering. There are also more platforms created by the change of technology, as there are many opportunities of being employed of the both technical and talented personnel in some sectors. These sectors include TV production and independent film, production of the portable and internet devices and interactive games. Background The UK film industry has grown to become a substantial industry, which currently is employing forty thousand workers. The worldwide and growth of the reputation of the sector in terms of the script writing, acting and film production has increased every day. UK is a major film player in the international film production (Lampel and Nadavulakere, 2009). The studio location and infrastructure of UK film industry are recognized all over the word. More than three-quarters of the employment opportunities in the film industry in UK are located in London. A substantial number of employees often in UK who work in the film industry. A lot is normally done in the film production especially in the production of modified shows like the ones, which are viewed in mobile phones. This aspect illustrates how the new technology has been of great impact in terms of employment creation. In various subsectors, the overall employment has increased in areas like electronic media. However, the gains in employment are uneven for different occupations due to the introduction of new technology, which is saving the labour. Some of the labour saving technologies are; radio and TV broadcasting where one person can operate an automated system, which is equivalent, work of six or more employees (Lord Nelson of Stafford, 2009). The film industry in UK has grown steadily over the last twenty-five years. Many areas of the film production have greatly grown, on the side of the exhibition, there has been a number of cinemas, which have been, established the film viewing. These cinemas require personnel to operate them. Thus, jobs are created in this way. Again, the film industry has been greatly affected by the piracy, which has been pulling the industry backward. Committees have been constituted to address the menace, but they have not gotten to the root of the matter. Study objectives and scope The particular technological impacts focused in the research are those, which affect the employment either positive or negative. They include Different phases of film production. Distribution of the films. Exhibition of the films. Research Methodology The data was obtained from various film companies (Wüstenhagen and Wuebker, 2011). The comparison was made between data obtained from different film industries. The impacts of technology on the employment in UK was compared the case studies of the information obtained from the film industries considered. The data that was targeted was the one before the advancement of technology and the one after technology advancement in order to get a clear trend of the impacts posed by the new technology development. The other data was obtained from the labour offices, which keeps data of the employment in the country (Mason, 2010). The data collection focused on the data of the new outlets and distribution centres of the films and video games after and before technology advancement. The obtained data was tabulated and the analysed to show the impact of the impact of the new technology on employment in the film industry. Case Studies Case Study 1 In the Aardman film company in UK has been growing with the technology. For instance, the film industry in Aardman Film Company has been the heart of filmmaking (Stein and Evans, 2009). The industry of filmmaking in Aardman Film Company has been greatly affected both positive and negative in terms of the employment of the personnel in the industry. In the year of 1997, the employment in the film industry took its toll in the in Aardman film company. Due to the recent technological developments, the employment rate in the same State has declined. This scenario has happened because most of the jobs and activities were automated and computerized (Moss, 2013). Though there was a significant decline in employment in the film industry, the Aardman film company remains to be a major employment sector (Nisbet, 2008). There seems to more benefits, which accompanied the technology in the film industry as compared to the negative impacts. In Aardman Film Company, with the emergence of new technology there has been mass production of the films, which in turn has resulted in greater demand for marketing. There is also an aspect of distributing and promoting the films, which require personnel to perform the work (Tinkcom and Villarejo, 2011). Thus, many individuals have been employed to distribute and market the products. The film industry employment has been boosted by the new development of the technology though some individuals lost their jobs, where they earn their living due to the use of the computerized machines. The technology has in another dimension resulted in greater demand of personnel, which is more beneficial than the former. Earlier there was no mass production but the advancement of technology has resulted in the greater production and more jobs have been created. Case Study 2 In DNA, Film Company in UK, the employment has gone high, as the advancement of technology has improved. The employment opportunities came from the increased retailing, distribution and outlets. There has been mass production in the recent past of films and video games. This improvement has led to many employees hired on a short-term basis that usually earn their living through the same (Research on learning and media, 2008). In addition, other employees were hired on a permanent basis. In DNA film, a company many workers were required in the post-production and production sector. Other employment opportunities, which have come with the development of technology in DNA Film Company, are in screen industry where more workforces were in demand after increased production. There were also broadcasting and distribution sector, which employed more personnel to cater for the increased production (Sigala, 2011). Film exhibitions also increased which led to many operators needed to operate them. In some other sector, there were some negative impacts as some individuals lost their jobs due to the automation and computerization of the systems. The employment patterns have improved as the marketing of the mass production of the films, and video games are necessary; this requires personnel to market the products (Sorensen, 2012). Case Study 3 In Cloud Eight film production in UK, there has also been a great change in employment of personnel in the film industry. Like in other film companies, in Cloud Eight there has also been mass production due to automation and computerization of the systems (Ringing in the changes: Introducing: Learning Media and Technology, 2009). The number of exhibitions has increased, and the distribution and promotion activities have consequently increased, which led to the employment of more personnel to perform those activities. The retailing of video games and films has also gone high, thus increasing the number of outlets. In 2009, the company reported the highest number of employees it had ever managed to hire since its inception (Turnbull, 2010). Results Analysis The survey, which was conducted, showed that in UK film industry, has offered many employment opportunities to many individuals. The respective turnover for the video postproduction turnover was slightly lower as compared to the turnover of the visual effects and graphics. Owing to the great improvement in UK’s film industry in the recent past has posted good trend in the film industry in terms of employment (Sigel, 2011). There has also been great growth in the video and television programs, motion picture and other film-related programs. These sections have had to cause demand in personnel for operations and planning. In the year of 2008, the employment in the film industry accounted for over twenty-two percent. This value was a great percentage of number of people who were benefiting from the improved technology. There has a noticeable increase in that percentage every year from 2008 to 2012. The study showed the increase in the number of employment opportunities associated with the technology increase in the film sector. Another data was sourced from Company House, for the companies, which operate under with video games. It showed that the emergence of the new advanced technology resulted in the increase of employees in the sector of the publishing and development, which was a big boost to the congestion of the unemployed group in the society. From the survey done by the four large companies of the filmmaking, the results showed that there has been a great improvement in employment provision to the public (Selwyn, 2011). The workforce is essential in film production in various aspects. Thus, the expansion of the film industry has resulted in too many job opportunities that were taken by the public. The results of the data, which was collected from the different companies, also showed that the employment in the film industry was higher in the sector of creative than the non-creative sector. The creativity is very crucial in the filmmaking in order to make some uniqueness in the products. Many employees who were employed were part-timers. The creative workforce was needed for the purposes of the development and the enhancing the industry. The non-creative workforce was needed for the purposes of the administration and publishing (Selwyn and Oliver, 2011). The non-creative personnel were less than the creative personnel were because their functions are limited as compared to the creative workforce. As the chain approach is concerned, the video and films produced are in digital or physical forms, which require to be distributed. The distribution of the productions requires personnel, many individual find their jobs through distributing them. The video sales give the retailers their earnings thus creating jobs for them. Conclusion Based on the whole discussion of the results of the impact of the technology on the employment of the can be clearly noted to have greatly changed the economy of the country. Many employment opportunities have been created by the advancement of the new technology in the film industry. Many job opportunities have been found in the distribution of the products of the film companies. Distribution is a key component in the film industry as it facilitates the content delivery to the viewers. The production of digital films has assisted in combating piracy in the film industry. With the influence of the technology on the film industry, there has been mass production. These productions required a greater number of individuals in the sectors of marketing and the promotions. Mass numbers of exhibitors and distributors were required as the mass production of films was attained by use of the new technology. Again, for movies to fetch the good market it required that the marketing and production should be done timely and to reach great extend of the world. For these tasks to be done effectively, more personnel were required. Technology has brought many newer things there has been a negative impact on the side of creativity of the people. The role, which people used to play in creativity, has been rendered meaningless. The other negative impact, which the technology has created, is the loss of jobs to the unskilled personnel. By way of evaluating the positive impacts of the technology on the employment on film, industry has been greater as compared to the negative impacts. References Briefs, U. (2008). Computerization and employment Annotations concerning the relationship between technology, productivity and employment. Computers in Industry, 2(4), pp.259-266. Christensen, C. (2010). The innovator's dilemma. Holt, T. and Schell, B. (2011). Corporate hacking and technology-driven crime. 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