How is Digital Technology Changing the Film Industry?

The film industry has been around for over a hundred years, and over that time, there have been two major advances in technology; silent movies began to show with sound, and monochrome film has eventually brightened up with colour. Although technology hasn’t improved for a number of years, eventually the digital revolution came, and suddenly footage was shot by digital cameras rather than cameras with film. Editing techniques and the use of CGI (Computer Generated Images) began to take place instead of sets, backdrops and in some cases, the actors. These have allowed us to create footage that real life cannot do, for example Avatar. Almost everything was shot using green screens and CGI to produce sci-fi imagery because Pandora (the place in which Avatar is set) is a fake place, and with the digital technology we put up with today allowed the editors to create Pandora. With these techniques, it has evolved the film industry magnificently by making the movies much more exciting for the viewers, especially teenagers since CGI is most often used to achieve breathtaking action that will let the audience go head over heels. This has increased the popularity of cinema due to the ability to produce varieties of different genre film, which has made the film industries very successful indeed. Furthermore, digital technology also involves speakers that surround the cinema as well as its impressively big screens that stretch across the large walls. To increase the high definition of the footage shown on the screens, they have invented cameras that are able to shoot footage suitable for IMAX for the best experience. Over the years, the cinematic experience has improved significantly, and by pulling in the audiences to watch the distributed movies, it has magnificently made the film industries very successful across the globe.

In relation to digital technology, during Skyfall's production, multimedia technologies were involved to produce the film, thanks to the big budget. For example, special cameras that shoot suitable footage to show on IMAX were used during the filming. This enabled to increase the excitement amongst their targeted audiences, like the Bond fans, because it allowed them to enjoy the 23rd Bond movie they have all been longing for in extreme high definition. Furthermore, to achieve the action that only James Bond can do would require the use of CGI, which fortunately SONY can do due to its capabilities of its power, so the sense of realism amongst the impossible in combination with high definition footage has allowed the movie to meet the audiences' expectations. After having watched the movie, people are most likely to pass on by word of mouth about the great experience they had when viewing the movie in IMAX, which will potentially pull in more audience that will undergo same strategy as the first audiences. With this advantage, the producers gross twice as much in comparison to the ordinary ticket expenses, which allowed Skyfall to become its media conglomerate the top most grossed movie, having earned $1,108,000,000 from box office worldwide.

As well as footage, sound has also experienced change over time. It has transitioned from analog to digital, also improving the experience of sound. It has given the film industry the abilities to produce composed score and use it for their movies, which can also be stated as separate media converging together to produce the final result. Again, looking at Skyfall, due to digital technology, it was easy for the producers to record the theme song 'Skyfall', performed by Adele, in high quality for later use in the film. Additionally, this allows both, the movie and the song, to promote each other, so that when the audiences hear the song, they are encouraged to watch the movie in order to get closer to the storyline that is hidden behind the lyrics, or if consumers watch the movie and hear the song used in the first scenes of the film, they will potentially want to buy the song because of the fame the singer herself has as well as the support from the many fans worldwide.

Unfortunately, not only has cinemas been affected by the change in technology. Amongst the multimedia technologies there is TV, which has also experienced many digital changes. Quality is also one of the greatest features we can now have today, like the wide screens that can show in high definition with the support of high quality speakers. This leaves us with the decision to make whether we attend the cinema or watch at home because most TVs nowadays are able to achieve same experiences for the audiences as you would be sitting amongst the crowds in cinemas. Although, the exceptions of the most recent movie being shown in cinemas first will pull in audiences, the word of mouth spreads, which can make others who are less likely to attend cinemas wait for DVD  or Blu-Ray release to watch the movie at home with the similar features as those of a cinema.

Smart phones have become ever so powerful to the society we live in today, however it is often feared that the movie industry is participating in a major shift in the production, distribution, marketing and consumption of a film. Additionally, sites that allow users to share their short videos, such as YouTube, are grateful to the shift in technology for showcasing their talent and becoming increasingly popular amongst the countless millions of people. As well as that, social networking sites also have provided their customers with apps available for download for their smartphone. In doing so, users could gain access to the latest updates anywhere they can get hold of Internet. This means any latest posts on promotions on films such as Skyfall and The Woman in Black meant that the customers got informed, and what makes it effective is the fact that smartphones are now owned by millions of people worldwide, and promoting films on social networking sites used by numerous people means quick promotion. Advantages, such as being able to share or like posts, allow users connected with each other to also receive the news on the films, so the advertisement is passed on from user to user amongst the humongous online community, allowing the information to spread. Thus, if impressed by the audience, increases the visits to cinema to watch the movie due to the promises of excitement the marketing have sacrificed.