Friday, 27 April 2007

Feedback #2

This is an improvement - well done. I am still concerned that you don't have enough quotations or depth and also need to consider issues of piracy, synergy with gaming industry and CGI / production issues.

Thursday, 26 April 2007

1.Sixty seven per cent of the UK online population has tried some sort of digital activity, for example reading blogs.
2.Due to modern technology advances, it is possible for any person to produce their own films. It is unlikely to find a household that doesn't have at least one person owning a digital camera, recorder, or a mobile phone which enables them to film a video.
3.In 2004, one in four people had downloaded a film illegally.
4.84 per cent of households with internet access have a broadband connection.
5.At CES 2006, Microsoft announced that there would be an external add-on HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 game console; this was released in November 2006.
6.HD DVD is currently in a format war with rival format Blu-ray Disc.
7.Digital cinema is distinct from standard video and high-definition video. In particular, it is not dependent on using television or HDTV standards, aspect ratios, or frame rates. Digital projectors capable of 2K resolution began deploying in 2005, and in 2006, the pace has accelerated. HDTV and pre-recorded HD disks will put great pressure on theaters to offer something better to compete with the improved home HD experience.
8.Digital Cinema Distribution (DCD) is the process of transmitting the DCP to theater servers via different methods that may include: hard drives, LTO data tapes, DVD-ROMs, or satellite.
9."There are many demands on people's time nowadays and people are able to get movies in all ways - on iPods, online, etc. But theatres will continue to work to give people the experience they want and can only get by seeing a movie in a theatre." - Dan Glickman, Motion Picture Association of America
10.An increase in various home entertainment systems, as well as an improvement in the quality has meant that more people would prefer to watch films from the comfort of their own home, and are able to watch films exactly how they want to.
Due to modern technology advances, it is possible for any public citizen to produce their own films. It is unlikely to find a household that doesn't have at least one person owning a digital camera, recorder, or a mobile phone which enables them to shoot a video.Journalism has changed a great deal in the recent decades, due to the introduction of blogging, where citizens are able to post comments or reports on events that have happened and are deemed as newsworthy. Journalism has also been changed by the advances in digital filming that have taken place. When 9/11 occurred, no professional footage was available of the event taking place because it was unexpected. However, there were many sources of video footage of the event and aftermath due to citizens using their digital camcorders or video mobile phones.After 9/11, there were many speculations that the event was not actually a terrorist attack. There were alternative explanations for what the "real" cause of 9/11 was, and who did it. The cospiracies pointed towards President Bush being behind the attacks. Many people did research and created their own documentaries using digital camera recording explaining these conspiracies, but it was not possible for them to be aired on television because it was against President Bush. However, due to internet companies such as "Google Video", documentaries were able to be uploaded and broadcasted to the general public and it wasn't long before thousands had seen the documentaries.The main conspiracy sourced from "kid and his laptop", beginning to make the documentaries. However, when the popularity of the documentaries began to grow, "Loose Change" was formed, including four members and they now have their own official website with their slogan being "Ask questions. Demand asnwers". The main priority associated with the publication of their documentary on the internet was to inform people of what they believed to be the truth about 9/11, and it is just as easy for anyone else to do so. To watch the "Loose Change" 9/11 documentary click here. It gives a good idea of how easily home video footage can be broadcast to almost anyone, the democratisation of filmmaking. No longer does it have to be film directors that can broascast their filming to the public, but any citizen who would like to.

Monday, 23 April 2007

Should be people buy HD TV's and DVD's or stick with what they've got?

Obviously it will be a harder decission for people with a smaller income to upgrade and to keep up with technology, and there would be less hesitation for wealthier people.
Also satellite companies such as sky have introduced HD channels which require a separate subscription which would urge some people to upgrade.
Apart from a much better viewing, having the latest technology is a status symbol for some people, which is why they would keep up with technology.
Ultimately these developments are just new ways to squeeze more money out of us. Bluray disks are almost double the cost of a standard DVD so is it worth buying?
There is also a converance into home entertainment systems, such as playstion 3 and xbox 360. These consoles will be HD and bluray which would encourage people to buy one rather than a bluray player.
What will happen with the increasing threat to cinemas with the constant development of home cinema systems?

Home entertainment has come a long way in the last 10 years. We have had the introduction of DVD's, LCD and Plamsa screen TV's and the ever better quality of dolby 5.1 surround sound. Now there is the introduction of HD TV's and HD and Bluray DVD's giving more and more realism to the cinema expearience.
With the latest technology in your own home, why spend up to £8.00 for a single ticket to see a movie at the cinema, unless the cinema could offer you something you wouldn't get at home.
The first pro why people still go to the cinema is the you get to see a film roughly 6 months before it would come out on DVD if you are keen to see the film.
Secondly is the feel of the cinema - Popcorn, Huge screen, loud sound.
But now the popcorn and other various snacks are highly overpriced which puts some people off goin.
With the introduction of digital distribution, this could badly effect cinemas and the film industry as people will be able to download the latest films in HD format and watch it at home, without even leaving the house. Also with internet file sharing sites, people are able to download the latest films, sometimes before they are even out at the cinema, with little risk of getting traced.
Should film directors change to HD digital from celluloid?
There are pros and cons for both HD and celluloid, both with different qualities. Most directors still prefer to use celluloid as it gives the film the organic look, where as HD offers a more crisp clear look.
The pros for using HD are it can help production by

  • More creativity on set and using digital visual effects and sound.
  • Digital filming reduces production costs.
  • Surround sound - more complex ways of recording and replicationg layers of sound.

But the downside to HD film is that it doesnt have the organic film of celluloid.

It can help distribution by

  • Developing surround sound, introducing more 3d technologies and use large screens.
  • There would be much faster acecss to the films as they would be downloadable directly to the cinemas rather than waiting for a real of celluloid film.
  • With celluloid the quality of the film decreases over time as the film gets worn and damaged, but with HD the film will always be the highest quality.

The down side to this development is the it would be very expensive for all the cinemas to upgrade to HD screens, which would push up ticket prices and decrease the number of attendance. With this new digital distribution from the internet there is an increased risk of piracy on the availibilty of the HD digital file at the time of the box office release of a film.

Wednesday, 18 April 2007

Feedback on research #1

Oli, this is a start, however this lacks detail and focus. You will find it very hard to revise from these posts. Summarise, don't cut and paste. There is not enough detail here.