Thursday 2 May 2013

AS Media Exam - Institutions

In your Institutions essay you need to make sure you are making consistent use of specific examples to support the points you are making, and that you evaluate the benefits and disadvantages to film institutions and audiences.

Look at the examples below:

The big budgets of conglomerates like Disney also give a huge advantage with attracting audiences.  Disney is easily able to afford new technologies like digital 3D, and can afford to develop technologies that encourage audiences to purchase their products such as Second Screen.  3D is not only advantageous because it can't be pirated, but it also adds more of a 'wow factor' to the experience of watching films in the cinema, and has been used successfully by Disney in releases such as Tron: Legacy and Alice in Wonderland.

Synergy has also had a significant impact on the US dominance of the film industry.  This is the promotion and sale of a product across the various subsidiaries of the media conglomerate.  For The Walt Disney Company ancillary revenue has become an important source of revenue through the sale of DVDs and merchandise.  Disney used synergy to promote the release of Toy Story 3, holding a Toy Story on the Disney Channel before the release of the film.  This would encourage people to go to the cinema to see the film, but would also increase the number of people watching the channel benefiting both parts of the company.  Synergy helps major conglomerates to maintain their oligopoly of the media market, as smaller, independent companies are unable to maximise revenue or promote their products in this way.

Topics for Section B of the AS Media Exam