What is the impact of New Technologies on the Film Industry?

In the film industry, conglomerate production companies use new technologies

differently to independent companies, this is usually linked to the budgets they allow
of their films. For example Hollywood production companies get to use the latest new
technologies as their budgets are not limited; however an independent company
such as Warp Films, a British company, have not thought about using new
technologies or advanced products as they do not receive enough funding for it to
make an impact on their films.

With 3D this theory is shown; Hollywood have had several successful 3-dimensional
films such as ‘Avatar’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Toy Story 3’. Working Title, who are
conglomerate of the American production company, Universal, have recently started
to use 3D and have so far released one film worldwide ‘Nanny McPhee and the Big
Bang’, this has ensured that Working Title’s name has been heard of and they can
continue to make an impact with new technologies on the film industry. As Working
Title are conglomerate, they can afford some types of New Technology but not
others, this is because they receive direct funding from Universal, even though
Working Title are a British production company. Warp Films are completely
independent so they receive funding for films from businesses such as, The National
Lottery or the UK Film Council; this limits the new technology they can use. For
example in ‘This is England’ they had such a low budget that they limited their
locations to very few pre-fabricated sets or existing locations and mainly used natural
lighting unless it was necessary to do otherwise. This contrasts hugely with
Hollywood production companies as they can afford to build their own sets, props
and costumes and some are even custom made.

In editing and post-production stages of the production process, different companies

use different programmes; Hollywood and other American companies have enough
money to use the most up-to-date software. For example, for Avatar, 24 different
programmes were used to create the most extraordinary settings and characters for
the animated sci-fi film. In British films made by Working Title and other companies,
the editing software is good quality but isn’t always ‘the best’, they use ____
frequently, which allows basic editing but nothing too advanced to make an impact
on the audience; similar programmes would also be used in television.

The links between 3D and new editing software create the most high quality imagery,
however CGI also has a role in making the clearest motion pictures. CGI is literally
known as Computer Generated Imagery, this is used in animations to make them
sharper and more realistic, but also used in stunts to make the audience believe
what they are seeing on screens. Examples of where CGI has been used in the past
are, ‘Cars’, ‘Toy Story’, ‘The Incredibles’ and many more Disney Pixar films; CGI
would also be used in action films such as ‘Kick-Ass’ and ‘Transformers’.

Hi-Definition has been progressing in film and television over the years, and in the
past 2 years HD televisions have been introduced to the market, this has made a big
impact on Hollywood films as they use HD as a bonus effect now which causes them
to sell more. HD has many advantages, such as better quality images and sharper
colours and shapes; however there are also some disadvantages, one of which is
that viewers can only experience HD at its best if they have HD televisions or Blu-
Ray DVD players. iMax cinemas also showcase the latest HD and 3D films, this is a
different experience entirely but also costs a lot more than seeing the film at a
regular cinema, it can sometimes be double the price of a 2D ticket. This all links
back to the original budget of the film and how much money is made in marketing
afterwards, this is how new technology can be afforded.
Cameras are all different and are progressing and improving within film at all times.
In 1999 the biggest change happened with cameras, the film roll improved and the
invention of digital filming was brought into the film industry. This made the
production process a lot easier as the film could be uploaded straight onto a
computer for post-production editing. The change in cameras also increased the
number of frames per second from 24 to 68. Examples of different cameras used
within film are: HD, silicon and 35mm, these all give different effects and come at
different prices; so it’s simply down to what the company can afford to give the best
impact on their reputation and the audience reaction. Hollywood can afford to use
the latest HD and 3D cameras whereas Warp Films would use the least expensive
cameras, such as hand-held and maybe even still use the 35mm roll in some cases.
Working Title have been known to use a wide variety of cameras, most recently
being Hi-Definition. Advantages to using the latest cameras as the speed it works at,
how easy it is to distribute, and the quality the audience receive.

Ultimately more and more production companies are starting to use new
technologies to appear advanced and make their films memorable to the audience.
The film industry is always developing and always will be so in the future there will
be even more new technologies making an impact on the industry.

Jess Pardoe