Essay: What impact does media ownership have on the area you have studied?

In this essay, I am going to explain how media ownership affects the film industry. I am going to use two British films to support my analysis; the films chosen are Skyfall and The Woman In Black. Both of the films were released in 2012 and were both successful. However, the production, marketing and distribution were handled differently for both films. Sony Corporation (one of the biggest multinational conglomorates in the world), was behind Skyfall's promotion and distribution whilst Eon Production handled the film's production. Skyfall received over $1billion in the box office whilst the budget was over $200million. Sony, being a massive media conglomerate, had a massive impact on Skyfall's success. For instance, Sony had the money to send the filming crew on various places such as Turkey or even China. This might have had an impact on Skyfall's global success as the inhabitants of those countries might have been informed of the filming taking place, which helps promotion.

Indeed, Sony possesses dozens of subsidiaries which operate in lots of different sectors such as entertainment and video games (cross media ownership). This enabled a synergy to occur in Skyfall's marketing strategy. When Skyfall was released, its theme song was also released in the same month by Columbia Records, which is a company under the ownership of Sony. Adele was chosen as the singer and that choice might have enticed Adele's fan base to watch the film. As well as that, the Sony Xperia T and the Sony Vaio (both Sony products) could be seen at some point during the film (product placement), which allowed Sony to advertise their own brand without paying anything. Owning subsidiaries in different sectors like Sony allows the company to reach markets effectively.

For the case of The Woman In Black, Its film production company (Hammer Film) is not part of a media conglomerate and didn't get help from one so they had a handicap. However, their main key to success was the presence of Daniel Radcliffe, a renowned actor from Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe was invited to many chat shows around the film's release time to promote the film. They had a budget of $17,000,000 and they got over $127,000,000 in the box office. The film became successful partly because of partnerships Hammer Film created to promote the film. Indeed, they partnered with Alliance Films for the distribution over in Canada, partnered with CBS Films for the United States and Momentum Pictures for the UK.

However, media ownership can affect the film industry negatively. Indeed, as the competition might not be apparent or even threatening to media conglomerates such as Sony or the Walt Disney Company, this might lead to slow innovation. It also can affect independent film companies, as they are less likely to succeed due to a highly competitive market.

Therefore, media ownership affects the film industry positively as well as negatively. Massive companies can practically help any film achieve success thanks to their power on mass media. However, independent film companies can have a harder time achieving success as competition is almost constant due to conglomerates.

How did the PRODUCTION and MARKETING/DISTRIBUTION of "The Woman in Black" influence its success at the box office?

The reasons as to why The Woman In Black was so successful was due to its effective promotion:

• Daniel Radcliffe, a well-known actor from the Harry Potter series, was cast as the main character which means that the film's audiences will already include his fan base 
• Momentum Theatrical arranged to have six seconds cut out, sound level reduced and lighting enhanced in some of the shots in order to qualify for a 12A certificate, to appeal to Harry Potter fans
• Hallowe'en competition, which consisted of finding the scariest ghost story and allowed the promotion to be more effective
• The Sun home page featured The Woman In Black advertising attention-grabbing banners and posters which enabled visitors to be aware
• Social media campaign: Twitter, Facebook pages"
• Press advertising (cross-media convergence)
• Radio advertising (cross-media convergence)
• The film being based on the play and novel of the same name, might attract fans of the novel/play
• Interviews by Daniel Radcliffe on TV, magazines...
• Soundtracks
• Merchandise (cups and t-shirts created)
• Competitions (HMV)
• Out of home advertising (6-sheet, large format)

How did the PRODUCTION and MARKETING/DISTRIBUTION of "Skyfall" influence its success at the box office?

The reasons as to why Skyfall was so successful was due to its effective promotion:

• The Skyfall debut is the 50th anniversary of Dr.No and the Bond Film series which could have hinted that this film was bound to be a special one
• Adele singing the theme song might have attracted her fans
• Sony, one of the most influential media conglomorates was behind the distribution of Skyfall
• Daniel Craig, a well-known actor, was cast as James Bond, which could have attracted his fan base
• James Bond is a popular and successful ongoing franchise
• Screened in IMAX venues
• The Sun, a popular British tabloid newspaper, had posted a 60-second TV spot for Skyfall which premiered on ITV, one of the most popular networks in the United Kingdom
• 4 TV spots were created for Skyfall that were broadcasted in the UK and US
• Being partly filmed in China, the most populous country in the world, people in China would have been informed of Skyfall and subsequently went to watch it at its release
• During the Olympics 2012, there was a short film starring Daniel Craig and the Queen, which could have contributed to its success

The Woman In Black / Skyfall Facts

Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates. 

As of March 2010, Sony Corporation has made 92 acquisitions while taking stakes at 56 companies. The company has 83 divestitures since 1983. Sony's biggest acquisition to date is that of Columbia Pictures, valued at U$3.4 billion at the time of purchase.

Media Conglomorates

A media conglomerate, media group or media institution is a company that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet.

Examples of large media conglomerates:

Representation of gender

Our next focus area will be the representation of gender. This is an interesting and demanding area and, to fully engage with representations of gender, you need to be aware of gender stereotypes.

Gender stereotypes are simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. 

Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others. When people automatically apply gender assumptions to others regardless of evidence to the contrary, they are perpetuating gender stereotyping. Many people recognize the dangers of gender stereotyping, yet continue to make these types of generalisations. We see gender stereotypes regularly being reinforced in television drama.

Traditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry and have children. She is also to put her family's welfare before her own; be loving, compassionate, caring, nurturing, and sympathetic; and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. 

The male stereotypic role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive, competitive, independent, courageous, and career‐focused; hold his emotions in check; and always initiate sex. 

These sorts of stereotypes can prove harmful; they can stifle individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth. 

The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that children learn gender stereotypes from adults. As with gender roles, socializing agents—parents, teachers, peers, religious leaders, and the media—pass along gender stereotypes from one generation to the next.

An example of gender stereotypes is shown in this extract below:
The women wear make-up which includes bright red lipstick. Another stereotype is the pilot being male.