The film industry really kicked off in the 1930’s in North America, during the ‘golden age of Hollywood’. At this point, just about the only way to go see a film, was to go to the cinema. Cinema really peaked at around the end of the second world war when people would treat themselves by taking the family out to the cinema. Soon after this however, cinema took it’s biggest hit... television. Focusing on the UK, television really boomed around the time of the Queens Jubilee. What this meant for the film industry was that people didn't have to leave their homes to catch a glimpse of a moving picture, so as a direct result of this, there were significantly less people going to the cinema. As ever, the film industry continued to hold onto what they had. They continued to make bigger, better, and more dramatic films that the experience of just couldn't be repeated at home. This is the only thing that kept cinema and the film industry afloat, and was entirely necessary as films began to air on television. Cinema would continue to take a further blow as VHS was released in the early 80’s, So you would think the same would happen as DVD’s, Blu Ray and downloads are released, but this is not necessarily true. But even if cinema is grasping onto what it has, how is the film industry as a whole Being affected by technology?
Film industry relates to all things, from the production companies to the actors themselves, and from film festivals to the editors. This allows for a lot of change in a lot of places. To start with a recent example downloads and streaming; Downloads and streaming is a very modern medium to watch a film on and is almost entirely done by those aged between 15 and 35. When downloading films was first introduced it was primarily pirate copies, and striked uproar through the news. The downloaded piracy was said to be the end of films and cinema but in evidence really had little effect. However in the last few years, more and more options and ways to legally download and stream films have become apparent. They are now so common and easy to use that sales for DVD’s and DVD rental are dropping. As a direct result, every day we are seeing rental shops like blockbuster and the now extinct choices are closing up shop. Infact, since 2004, video rentals have dropped almost 500 million in revenue. Now, although some of these effects of downloads and streaming may seem dramatic, in 2011 downloads and streaming held only 5.5% of the annual film viewing for the UK. This does seem awfully low but when considering that the platform has only really been in swing a few years and DVD only holds 14.2%, it actually seems quite a lot.
When looking at the annual film viewing in the UK, one area rises far, far higher than all other platforms; This is Film on Television. Film on Television holds a huge 77% compared to the second highest, DVD, at only 14.2%. A lot of this is to do with convenience and a lack of cost. As I mentioned earlier, TV’s came in around the time of the Queen’s Jubilee, and films began to air not long after that. There are entire channels dedicated to films, thanks to the digital switchover, such as Film4 and others. Speaking further on the matter of digital; Since 2000, terrestrial and digital channels have had an almost opposite correlation. As more digital channels are introduced, the audience for feature films on terrestrial channels has constantly dropped. Of course, at the exact same pace, the audience of feature films on digital channels has risen. Film on television is also the most consistent in terms of revenues. Whilst rental has risen and fallen in the last decade, film on television has stayed roughly the same, having almost precisely the same revenue in 2011 as in 2001. Although television may have been a slug in cinemas side, overall, television has had possibly a positive effect on the film industry. It has created a certain amount of revenue for a film after its release in cinema.
Now, television may have had a dramatic effect on cinema in the 50’s but, during the late 80’s, cinema managed to stabilize its place in the film industry. Cinema is currently on a gentle increase, this is due not only to cinema having found its niche but to a load of other techniques and occurrences. Since 2001, box office gross has gone from just over six hundred million to over one thousand million. One reason why this may be is 3D; 3D has been on the rise since the release of films like ‘Beowulf’ and ‘Fly me to the moon’ but, 3D was really popularised by the film ‘Avatar’. However, 3D is thought to have reached its peak in 2011. There is predicted to be less 3D titles this year (2012) but, if nothing else 3D has been fantastic publicity for cinema. Whether people loved or hated 3D it was a speaking point and was often a subject throughout media such as magazines. Surprisingly, Cinema only generate 3.4% of annual film viewing in the UK, this figure may seem low but cinema is still a vital part of a films process. If a film goes straight to DVD, without advertisements for theatrical screenings etc, people would not know of the film, nor would there be hype or a suspenseful wait between box office and public release. Films would not get nearly the attention they need in order to thrive without a cinema release. So, for this reason its important to continue to release technologies such as 3D, to keep cinema in the publics eye.
Finally, I believe that the film industry since it’s birth, has been constantly evolving and changing due to new technologies and will continue to. Whether films are being shown in a cinema, on a mobile phone or the next big thing, the film industry will adapt and cope. Films will always supply jobs, because people will always enjoy watching films. So technology, yes it affects the film industry, but it will never damage or really improve it a great deal. All it really seems to do is make it films more and more convenient.
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