How technology has affected the film industry

How technology has affected the film industry

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.

The Dark Knight Rises - Process

The Dark Knight Rises

Filming a conversation

Filming a conversation

There are a number of techniques used when shooting a conversation, these can be to help the conversation flow smoothly, to create various effects on the audience or even to simply set the situation. These techniques are ones used in just about every film you see, however, they are by no means rules. You should cater the techniques you use to the theme and content of the conversation and scene. 

It seems sensible to begin with camera  angles and shots. A standard conversation will consist of two mid shots, sometimes over the shoulder, and a wide shot containing both characters and the environment, this would often be used as the master shot. Here is a fantastic example of this from the film Drive. By using the 180˚ rule we easily get a sense that the two characters are speaking to each other. The wide shot below is used as a master shot in the scene and is returned to, to keep the audience aware of the geometry and the action happening in the scene. This can be to show how close or far the characters are from each other.

On the left; Our protagonist, unusually framed to the right suggesting a lack of control in the conversation.
In the centre; The antagonist of the conversation is framed to the left, in this case this suggests control over the protagonist and the conversation.
On the right; The wide shot, also the master shot. Our protagonist is framed much closer to us creating an emotional link, whereas the antagonist is positioned down the hall as he makes his way towards us accentuating his threatening role.

There are of course many other shots and angles you can use to continue to develop and add to your scene. A close up can really help to add emotion to a conversation, particularly useful if there is something you want to put across without dialogue. Also, cut aways are a fantastic tool. A cut away is simply cutting away from the characters to see an object or a close up on some action such as picking up a cup. A useful and effective way of using a cut away is to use a 'shot to reverse shot'; This is used when a character looks down at an object, we then cut to see the object and then cut back to the character. Using low and high angles is also a fantastic tool in telling a characters position of power in a conversation.

Moving away from specific shots and angles, a fantastic way to demonstrate tension in a conversational scene is to use tight or loose shots. The difference between these two can be quite dramatic as you can see below. The shot on the left is an extremely tight shot, this can make the audience feel that the character is under pressure and has no where to run. Whereas on the right, the shot is very loose, this can have the opposite effect. 

You can achieve a similar effect to this within a conversation with a subtle dolly movement towards or away from the character e.g. moving from a close up to a mid to create a sense of distance from the character.

When directing a conversation you must keep in mind a number of things. The first of these is the progression from one point in your story to another. The purpose of a scene in any film is to take the viewer from the current point in the story to the next. Because of this, your protagonist at the start of the conversation should be in a different place personally, or have gained power or changed status by the end of it. This proves a challenge when directing actors; you must try to give them an idea of how they should be feeling throughout, without directly telling them a specific emotion or expression. This is because you want the actor to have a natural and believable response to the conversation, without simply trying to comply with what the director has said.

Keeping this in mind, the director must have an order in which they want the shots ordered in. You must keep your priorities in order when doing this, it is very helpful to create a shot list to keep things flowing. When ordering your shots, priorities the shots that tell the story and progress to the shots that tell the details. A sensible example if you have one camera is:

1. Master shot

2. Protagonist MS 

3. Other characters MS

4. Pick ups and other

If you have two or multiple cameras a sensible order is:

1. Master shot + Pick up

2. Protagonist MS + Other characters MS

3. Other

Another element you can consider is lighting. Lighting can create an entirely different atmosphere. You will of course have to cater the lighting to your scene but, having a standard three point light set up can create quite a friendly rom-com kind of style where as a harsh light on the side of a person's face will give it a dark and dramatic feel. The lighting you choose will effect your whole scene giving it one feel or another so it can either make or break a scene. The same can be said for sound; Sound is remarkably important, particularly in a conversation as it is quite reliant on audio. An audience can cope with sub standard imagery, but if a film or scene has bad audio people get very distracted. There are a number of uses to sound, of course you will want to strive for clear dialogue but, there are all sorts of creative uses too. Music will change your audiences feel toward what is happening, for example if you use dramatic orchestral music over a conversation the audience will think it is dramatic whereas if you use summery happy music, the audience will think it is just that. There is also diegetic sound to consider. This is sound that is not actually part of the environment but can seem as if it is. Diegetic sound is commonly used to subtly make the audience feel a certain way about an action or event. In a conversation, if tension is building up to a climax, you can in the background use the sound of an approaching train and as the scene climaxes have the train hit its brakes.

When editing a conversation it is good to keep in mind the beat of the conversation. Rather than cut to see who is speaking every time a person opens their mouth, try to think what is most effective in telling the story. If one of the characters says something and another reacts without speaking, show that, even if the other continues to speak. Also keep in mind the progression of the scene, use the most appropriate footage to where the drama should be at that point. A fantastic example of both of these is this short film called 'The Alienist'

You do not have to stick to any of these techniques, film making is about creating something new and expressing your own identity but, it is difficult to create an effective conversation without using any of them. Many film makers such as Tarantino, Terry Gilliam and Rian Johnson all break the rules of conversation, but only some. If you watch their films you will see many of these techniques used, as well as many of them broken. But what you must always do when shooting a conversation, is to cater your style and techniques to the subject and content of the conversation.

-Joe

Anna Karenina

Anna K