Prompt 3

Q. Technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production,
distribution and marketing and at the point of consumption.

Ans. The movies I examined are the Hollywood blockbuster, Pokémon Detective Pikachu,
released on 10th May 2019, and the British Independent film, Wild Rose, released on 12th April
2019, since I believe they will provide a much richer assessment of the technologies that have
been introduced in recent years. On one side I have a live-action hybrid movie, Pokémon
Detective Pikachu. Based on the 23 years old Pokémon franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri, the
movie serves as a loose adaptation of the 2016 video game of the same name. Directed by Rob
Letterman and written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Derek Conolly, the movie is the first
live-action, video game adaptation. Unsurprisingly, the movie involved the use of a load of
technologies, including VFX, CGI and an extensive number of animations. The movie, no
wonder, had a budget of $150 million to support this heavy technical convergence and earned
$433 million at the box office. While, on the other hand, I have Wild Rose, a musical-drama film
encircled around the life of Rose-Lynn Harlan, played by the Irish rising-star, actress Jessie
Buckley. Produced by Faye Ward of Fable Pictures, and supported by Film4, BFI Film Fund and
Creative Scotland, the movie did not require as much use of advanced technologies for its
non-fiction genre, such as CGI, as in the movie Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Also, because it
had a budget of less than $50 million. Yet, with a relatively moderate set of technologies
involved for a realistic portrayal of an everyday lifestyle and drama, the movie was still able to
earn $7.1 million at the box office. Two utterly different media styles, from a fictional live-action
animation to a nonfictional, drama-musical movie, this exemplifies how new technologies have
changed and diversified media conventions, in their approach towards realism.

Technology has allowed media institutions to develop and improve the quality of films, make
them more complex and dynamic. In terms of production, we have new technologies such as
silicon imaging done by digital cameras, SFX (special effects), VFX (visual effects), CGI
(computer generated imagery), digital filming, and 3D, editing software, digital hand-held
cameras and red cams. The traditional use of film reels has been replaced by digital filming, as
a response to these newly introduced technologies. However, both the movies I analyzed,
displayed a convergence of both traditional and modern technological assets. Pokémon
Detective Pikachu, for example, was shot on 35-millimeter film, for its live-action scenes, while
also incorporating the use of CGI for its fictional aspects. Whereas, for the movie, Wild Rose, a
few scenes were shot on 35-millimeter film, but the rest was shot with a digital handheld
camera. Such as the moment in the film after Rose-Lynn comes back from America, a very
quick shot of her watching her kids watching TV. It’s a close up on a 35mm anamorphic, so that
the audience feels like they’re right there with her and feels all that emotion as she reflects on
her children.
The use of 35-millimeter film, for Pokémon Detective Pikachu, instead of digital added a
grittiness to the movie. It was filmed on location in Scotland and England as much as possible to
ground the more surreal elements in a lived-in reality and since it's a detective movie, Ryme City
was given a noir feel, cool and dark colors with plenty of shadows and neon lights reflecting off
wet streets, all this was made possible by the use of new technological resources. They had CG
animals in the foreground or integrated into the background of a real environment. One of the
crucial factors that involved a convergence of digital and CGI was props. While you still see
these semi-inflated props in a few shots, the rest are CGI. Another challenging scene for the
animators that mixed real props and CGI was the Torterra forest. Most of the first shots were
filmed in a real valley in Scotland to set the scene, but they created massive rigs for the actors
to move around on, which were later also combined with CGI. The veteran cinematographer
hired, John Mathieson framed Pokémon Detective Pikachu, in Anamorphic 2.40:1 aspect ratio,
using Panavision Panaflex Platinum 35mm cameras. These were fitted principally with
Panavision E- and Anamorphic lenses but supplemented with Anamorphic Wide-Angle (AWZ
T2.8, 40-80mm) and Anamorphic Telephoto (ATZ T3.5, 70-200mm) zooms, as well as spherical
Panavised Cooke 10:1 and long Russian Elite zooms. As for the 35mm film stocks, Mathieson
selected KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219 for the mainstay of the film’s
studio-based scenes, and VISION3 50D Color Negative Film 5203 to capture the day exteriors
on location-based shoots, especially the rural ones. During the test and prep period, VFX
supervisor, Erik Nordby shot a range of film-grain patterns under different lighting conditions,
which were scanned at 2K and used in post-production by the different VFX vendors to help
create a seamless blend between the live-action, synthetic CG and VFX elements. There was a
small degree of greenscreen to shoot, but not as much as one might expect from a live-action
animation movie, as a lot of the time they shot in real locations.
The technological requisites in the post-production were more intriguing. It involved heavy
usage of photorealistic CG animation and visual effects, comprising some 1550 shots, to bring
the fictional cartoon and game characters into reality. They were delivered by multiple VFX
companies, including the Moving Picture Company (MPC) as the lead vendor, along with
FrameStore, Image Engine, Rodeo FX and Instinctual VFX. MPC Film had over 600 people
working on the project. The VFX team spent an entire year designing the characters before the
filming even started. Starting with the original 2D anime characters and video game models as a
base, they gave immense consideration to animal biology, as well as real physics and specific
proportions for the characters’ movements and studied the fur patterns on animals like rabbits to
make them look more natural. They grabbed clips of bulldog puppies frolicking and playing with
each other, to animate the Bulbasaur creature to match that. Mewtwo was modeled to look like
a muscular child, but his movements were heavily influenced by cats. With Mr. Mime they used
recognizable, synthetic materials to make up his form and to model his movements, they
actually hired a real-life mime from New Zealand named Trygve Wakenshaw. Some of his
scenes were rotoscoped from his actual performances.
Since Pikachu is the star of the film, they spent a lot of work on his facial features. Facial motion
capture is the process of electronically converting the movements of a person's face into a
digital database using cameras or laser scanners, which is then used to produce CG computer
animation for movies, games, or real-time avatars. Because the motion of CG characters is
derived from the movements of real people, it results in a more realistic and nuanced computer
character animation than if the animation were created manually, such as in the case of
Pikachu. In addition to voicing the character, Ryan Reynolds, the Deadpool movie protagonist,
performed Pikachu’s expressions through facial motion capture. They attached a camera to
Reynold’s head and captured 80 different expressions, comparing them to the cartoon Pikachu's
range of emotions, which were very limited and created a hybrid set. The non-talking voice of
Pikachu was provided by Japanese actress Ikue Ôtani, who voices the Pikachu that appears in
the long-running Pokémon anime series. They shot several takes with the puppets, for scenes
with the fictional characters, so the actors had something to work with. For some secondary
characters, they just made texture balls with swatches of fur. To get accurate reflections in the
Pokémon's eyes, they also took 360-degree images of the set and mapped them back into the
orbs. The result of all these techniques and attention to detail kept the Pokémon true to their
original form while at the same time immersing them in a new, more real world for fans of the
franchise to enjoy. The use of the film grain samples, the CG and VFX elements blended so well
with the live action and really supported the gritty detective look of the story. Technically, they
had some of the most high-end visual effects in the world, used in this movie, and the results
look alive and completely photorealistic.

The movie, Wild Rose, although didn’t involve any CGI or photorealistic animations, also had
some high-standard, quality modern technological devices used. Shot in RAW 4K anamorphic
and framed for a 2.39:1 2K extraction, Wild Rose was predominantly shot handheld. The team
used T2.2-3.5 Hawk V-Lite anamorphic glass, all on a RED DSMC2 Monstro 8K. Music on the
film, including Jessie Buckley singing at various shows, was always recorded live. This was
important for creating a feel, light and texture of the real location, opposed to using Blue screens
that could've otherwise enhanced the creative side of the film. Planning the cinematographic
style, in this way, was a challenge for the production team as they always had to ensure
accuracy in framing, relighting the shots, throughout the progress of the film, in restrictive
spaces like the council estate in Glasgow. The film mostly resorted to simple editing software.
These included, ‘Cine Grain’ which is an editing, VFX and coloring software, ‘NLE’ (Non-Linear
Editing system), ‘Nuke’ which is a digital compositing and visual effects application and ‘Flame
suite’ which is also a 3D visual effects (VFX), finishing, and color grading software, as well as
‘Resolve Editing Toolset’ for cutting and trimming shots. The use of Cine Grain, throughout the
whole film, kept a fair amount of contrast and texture. The saturation was pushed to
complement the vibrancy of the music on the film, especially once they got to the scenes in the
US where Rose-Lynn was fulfilling her dreams. It also helped to darken or lighten several shots
from a party scene which was shot over a whole day, but needed to blend to look like it took
place at twilight. They were only initially grading the feature, but to help with delivery for
production they became more involved with the Conform and picking up VFX shots. Resolve’s
editing toolset allowed them to trim some sequences and keep up with the updating VFX shots
from their Nuke and Flame suites, without having to round-trip to another NLE.

Technological advancement also means that films could be distributed over an online delivery
medium, such as the internet, thus bypassing physical distribution methods, such as paper,
compact discs, and VHS. The transmission and delivery of films to cinemas electronically,
where the image is stored in a computer server and projected onto the cinema screens, has
also become possible. This has caused the cinemas to convert to digital film screens, that
means films will be uploaded from a server and be projected digitally. Digital technology can
now be stored, transmitted and retrieved a huge amount of data and the quality of the film stays
the same as it was recorded. This means that worldwide distribution of films is now much easier
and cheaper than before and can also be converted into different formats. Such as the film,
Pokémon Detective Pikachu, which had a worldwide release. In Japan, it was released on 3
May, 2019. The US premiere was held on May 3, 2019, in New York, along with featuring a
yellow carpet. Shortly after, it was released on May 8, 2019, in Europe, on May 9, 2019, in
South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia, and on May 10, 2019, in
China, UK, Ireland and Canada. The film Wild Rose, however, was a restricted release, so was
only released in the UK on 12 April 2019, by Entertainment One and in the US on 21 June 2019,
by NEON. It was shown at major and independent cinemas in Glasgow: Cineworld, Odeon,
Showcase, Vue, the Grosvenor and the Glasgow Film Theatre. It was delivered in P3 for DCP
cinema delivery and REC709 for broadcast and DVD.

Marketing of films is also one of the most affected areas of technological advancement in the
entertainment media. Previously, film posters and trailers were the only sources of marketing
and advertising a film. But as technology has advanced, so have the marketing methods.
Traditional methods have either been replaced or revamped with modern use of technology. Bus
advertisements have now moved from screen printing to digital printing, newspapers have been
replaced with magazine posters to target specific readers, radio adverts have been augmented
by podcast interviews of the stars and makers of the movie, as well as VCRs that have already
been replaced by DVD or DVR players. Not only these, but the prevalence of internet and social
networking sites have also provided a fine means of marketing, such as through official
websites, blogs, press and previews, online competition and ratings, phone apps and gaming
etc.
For the marketing of the film, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, multiple marketing platforms were
used. Besides two teaser posters, produced by Legion Creative Group, and the Art Machine
marketing agency, respectively, the film also had a Real3D poster and Dolby Cinemas Posters
released. The film's first official trailer was released on November 12, 2018. Warner Bros.
revealed versions of the trailer in English along with dubbed versions in Spanish, French, Italian
and German. It soon became the top trending video on YouTube and a top trending topic on
Twitter, while inspiring numerous internet memes and reaction videos. Within 24 hours, the
high-concept trailer amassed more than 100 million views across multiple online and social
media platforms. A second trailer, featuring an appearance by Mewtwo, was released on
February 26, 2019. The Pokémon franchise’s parent company announced it would be releasing
a whole new line of products tied to the movie, including new card games, apparel, toys and
more, all scheduled to come out about a month before the movie hit theaters. Beginning in
mid-February, Warner Bros., the film’s distribution partner, started running paid ads including a
TV spot that showed the basic premise outlined in the trailer. While the movie itself wasn’t at
SXSW (South by Southwest) in March, Warner Bros placed posters for it there that featured a
Snapchat code that, when scanned by users with the app, unlocked an Augmented reality (AR)
experience featuring the main character. Nintendo, joint-venture with the franchise, also
announced two new games, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, in late February as part of
the overall renewed push around the franchise. The popular mobile Augmented reality (AR)
game Pokémon GO got in on the action, with maker the Niantic Lab announcing it would add
movie-themed levels for people to play. Promotional partners for the movie, including Casetify,
Pillsbury, Burger King, 7-eleven and google marketed the film through their own relevant market
sources. For example, 7-Eleven introduced photo filters featuring the movie’s title character and
an augmented reality experience that had Pikachu roaming around stores and Google launched
the POKÉMON Detective Pikachu Playmoji pack for its augmented reality Playground app on
Android devices, allowing people to insert Pikachu and other characters into the real world.
Outdoor billboards and online ads featured similar artwork to the posters. AMC Theaters hosted
advance screenings the week before release to help generate some word of mouth among
audiences. Those happened around the same time the studio promoted the movie’s New York
City premiere with a series of social updates following Pikachu’s trip to the red carpet. More
Pokémon hijinks were on display in an extended commercial a week before the movie was in
theaters. While the movie is focused on Pikachu in particular the campaign has nodded to the
vast array of creatures and more that fans of the franchise have been obsessed with for more
than two decades. Warner Bros. has offered Ryan Reynolds himself the central focus of the
campaign, because of his bold personality and popularity among the audiences, as being the
Deadpool protagonist, using the actor’s personal YouTube and other social media profiles as the
platforms on which to launch various commercial, artwork and other materials. On May 7, 2019,
for example, a Warner Bros. YouTube channel named ‘Inspector Pikachu’ uploaded a video
purporting to be a bootleg recording of the film, when it only depicted Pikachu performing
aerobics to upbeat 80s music. Reynolds aided in the prank, posting on Twitter as if he was
alerting Warner Bros. and the film's official accounts about the alleged bootleg. The video
received 4.2 million views in less than a day. In this way, the final video published where
Reynolds takes the approach of a social media influencer is meta, in that he’s poking a bit of fun
at the concept even though in reality that’s exactly what both studios have counted on to help
reach audiences.
However, for the movie Wild Rose, there were not many examples of technological usage in
marketing, since being a restricted release with a comparatively low budget, the film had to rely
on smaller media platforms such as social media, posters etc., for the marketing of the film.
NEON released the official trailer for the film on 21st June 2019 and got 2 million views on
YouTube. A Facebook page named 'wild rose movie' was made along with an official website
wildrose-movie.com. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on
8 September 2018. It screened at the BFI London Film Festival on 15 October 2018 and at
South by Southwest in March 2019. Facebook page for Entertainment one also posted about
the upcoming movie Wild Rose. During the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, where the
movie was screened, Buckley promoted it by performing a couple of sets, in character, in the
city. Another exciting opportunity was when she was invited to play, again as Rose-Lynn, with
Kris Kristofferson.

The prevalence of technology has also affected the exhibition and consumption of the movies
on a massive scale. The Internet is itself a hub, which brings together multiple different media
aspects used to create a film. It allows the film to be published on paid websites such as Netflix
or to be rented through iTunes. It also allows the trailer, posters, interviews, blogs and the
official websites to promote the film. People can access these sites for free on their own
electronic devices. Films that have a huge anticipation months before their release are able to
build the hype by teasing the audience on these sites. Some other examples also include file
sharing, fan sites, online articles, blogs and previews, where audiences can learn more about
new movies and remain involved with the marketing progress of the film as its consumers. For
example, with the movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, each of the film’s posters, trailers and
commercials were dissected by fans and commentators, as they sought to find some clues to
the, intentionally done, mysterious imaging in the posters and trailers of the film. This activity
was encouraged on the movie’s official website, which offers a magnifying glass visitors can use
to explore the theatrical poster to find all the hints and clues.

The introduction of digital screens and 3D has also improved the viewing experience for the
audience. Film institutions are now converting film classic into 3D, to gain twice more profits on
the same movies available in 2D. In this way, institutions attract mass audiences of different age
groups and types, since young audiences may be attracted by the technological experience the
movie would provide, while older audiences may not. The movie, Pokémon detective Pikachu,
was hence available in both 2D and 3D. Being a live-action CG animated movie, it was bound to
target more younger people and fans of the original Pokémon franchise, games and anime.
Whereas, Wild Rose, did not require 3D viewing, because of its realistic genre.
Other technologies that have entered the theatrical grounds of the industry includes digital
screening at theatres. Some of the new technologies used for screening in the film, Pokémon
detective Pikachu, included RealD 3D, a digital stereoscopic projection technology, which is
currently the most widely used technology for watching 3D films in theaters. Worldwide, RealD
3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately 1,200 exhibitors in 72
countries as of June 2015. Dolby Vision projection system that was used for screening of the
film at Dolby Cinema, are capable of delivering up to 14 foot-lambert on unity-gain matte-white
screens for 3D and up to 31 foot-lambert for 2D, a substantial improvement on current
generation 3D systems which deliver in the range of 3 to 4 foot-lambert for 3D. The result is
improved brightness, color and contrast compared to traditional xenon projectors. The film was
also shown using 4DX motion-theater technology, that provides a 4D film format, which allows
films to be augmented with various practical effects, including motion seats, wind, strobe lights,
simulated snow, and scents. 4DX theaters are operated in 65 countries, including Wanda
Cinemas, Cineworld, Regal Cinemas, and Cinépolis. It was also available on ScreenX, which is
also a panoramic film format which presents films with an expanded, dual-sided, 270-degree
screen projected on the walls in a theater. As of 2020, this theater technology is installed at 316
theaters in 34 countries. However, the movie, Wild Rose, did not incorporate such advanced
technologies for its screening. It was only shown at major and independent cinemas in Glasgow,
such as Cineworld, Odeon, Showcase, Vue, the Grosvenor and the Glasgow Film Theatre.

Another way audiences can access film media is through streaming online content, through
sites like Netflix, lovefilm and blinkbox. Audiences can download film apps, games and quizzes,
as well as cinema apps and other information about certain films, on phones and tablets so that
they can use them on the go, they can buy/download different music and games off iTunes.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu, for example, is available for digital viewing on AppleTV,
PrimeVideo, Vudu, Movies Anywhere, Fandango Now, YouTube and Microsoft, through
subscriptions. The Disc is also made available on Amazon, Walmart and Target. It was also
available to stream for free on HBO NOW and HBO GO, Warner Media owned websites, as well
as Hulu for subscribers. It was available on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD. Whereas, Wild
Rose, was also available for rent and buying, on Microsoft, AppleTV, Amazon, Playstore,
YouTube, Fandango Now, Vudu, Redbox, AMC and DirecTV and also on Hulu, on subscription.
It is available in both HD and SD, for a better viewing experience.

In conclusion, with the advent of new technologies, media institutions have gone through a
massive change, while also affecting the consumption patterns and trends of the potential
audiences in the process. Audiences are able to access media products at various media
outlets and platforms. This has allowed media institutions to expand their technological
expertise, to capture most audiences. For a Hollywood blockbuster, like the $150 million worth
movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, this was much easier, seeing that it had big companies
working together for the project, with vast cross-media holdings, which in all are affected by
technological advancement. The movie was, hence, able to be vastly distributed and marketed
using new technologies. However, for an independent film, like the less than $50 million movie,
Wild Rose, the recruitment of modern technologies in the distribution and marketing was difficult
and mostly unnecessary for its realistic genre and restricted release in some countries. My
assessment, with the comparison of both movies shows that the use of modern technologies
allow institutions to boost their gross incomes and improve the film experience for its audiences.
The availability of more options for audiences to watch from, has also increased the competition
for media institutions. Therefore if media companies are to stay competitive they would have to
stay updated with the newest technologies.