Indie Rights YouTube - Nelson Madison Films - Case Study

"We produce and distribute indie films. DELIVERED is now available everywhere. Let us help you distribute your film. "

Bringing you great indie films. Digital distribution by filmmakers for filmmakers. Let us put your film on YouTube Rentals, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Playstation, Amazon VOD, SNAG and Roku. Indie Rights is the distribution arm of Nelson Madison Films.

Links

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Youtube


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Example Trailer

They distribute all kinds of film styles and genres -

They mainly distribute film trailers for independent films, however they also share horror, documentary, drama, comedy, short films, children's films, and educational videos for art, history, careers, food and science. 

Online Film Distribution

What has been the impact of the internet of media on online production?
Youtube

Youtube now allows for pay per view rentals for movies. More importantly, for independent distributors. Ester Brym made the film 'Butterflies' in 2008 which is a documentary concentrating on the fame of Youtubes stars that distribute their content for free. This feature is also available for independent filmmakers such Ester, who contacted YouTube about distributing her film using the pay to view feature on YouTube, however at the time this feature was not fully developed on YouTube. Her film received than 3000 views an accounted from $6000 from using the pay to view feature in 2010,  and has since received more than 180,000 views as a free to view YouTube video.

Ester filming for Butterflies

An example of a film available to purchase on YouTube, for £3.49 you get the film for 24 hours in DVD quality. 

Independent film distributors
OrchardMovies is a great example of an independent film (and music) distributor on YouTube. They are the official distributor of the Zane Grey films, as well as sharing many trailers for different types of films. The videos all have Google Adsense adverts which will produce some revenue for Orchard Movies, however YouTube will take a larger percentage of the revenue earned.

Independent film makers

YouTube allows independent filmmakers to produce films and share them for free. Examples of filmmakers include Black Box Productions, Neumann Films, and Rougue Division Films.


Youtube partners

This is the link between YouTube and distributors which allows them to give a unique style on their channel and provides adverts.


Selling Films

New Media Studies 24/01/2013

Web 2.0 - How has online media developed? How is consumer behavior and audience response transformed by online media in relation to the past?


Change acceleration -
'A media landscaped defined  by horizontal connection rather than vertical delivery' - this basically means media isn't being forced or pushed to us as the consumers, we are pushing it to other people (recommendation)

Video games - Two games that have become popular through word of mouth include popular titles such as Angry Birds by Rovio or Draw Something - in general the app store by Apple allows prosumers to push their own apps into the market instead of the apps being pushed to them. Independent games on Xbox market place or Steam are very popular.

Film - Film went from being viewed a lot in the cinema, to online alternatives such as YouTube, Netflix  and LoveFilm which allow the consumers to watch films from their computers and create films of their own to be pushed out to other people. The online films can easily be shared to social networking websites after they have been watched.

A popular channel on YouTube at the moment is for distribution of independent short films that are being screened at the Sundance Film Festival. A selection of 12 short films are available to watch, to give people a taster of what is to at the film festival. View 'The Screening Room' youtube channel by clicking here.

Convergence - What has been the impact of the internet on media production? To what extent has convergence transformed the media?

Prosumers - 'now, it's not so easy to see where one media ends and another begins, or where the producers end and the consumers begin' - this basically means the line between producers and consumers has become very small, which is why they are known as prosumers, which means they are consuming the media whilst at the same time producing it by themselves for other consume.

The convergence between the internet and the industries show how people can become producers by using the internet.

Videogames - LittleBigPlanet allows you to create your own content and share it online to other users.

Films - Youtube allows you to share your own films from cameras because of the easy access of high quality filming equipment and sharing methods. You can then comment on other films on YouTube to continue your involvement so that the independent film community can see your work.

Technological Determinism - How is consumer behavior and audience response transformed by online media in relation to the past?

Is basically technological change as the main reason for historical or social changes. Everyone now searches on Google which creates the term 'I'll just Google it' which changes our social outlook on things. Whereas previously we would go to books such as an encyclopedia or dictionary.

Videogames - More people play online with other people, and talk to other people rather than just playing single player campaign modes on your own. This shows that videogames have become much more sociable as you are talking to other people. The rise of Xbox Live party chat allows you to create a virtual chat with many people whilst either playing the same game or even different games. It's now become a natural social action to create a party chat with others instead of just playing on your own. This also happens with Steam chat.

Film - Before the internet there was a book with every film inside it, with a short synopsis of each film, the year it was made and the director, all in alphabetical order within the book. The online age has changed this because now people will use the Internet Movie Database IMDB to research films and their reviews, trailers and ratings.


Herbert Mercuse

Web 2.0

What is Web 1.0?
Mostly a space for web browsing and reading from 1993 - 2003.
'It's hard to define Web 1.0 for several reasons. First, Web 2.0doesn't refer to a specific advance in Web technology. Instead, Web 2.0 refers to a set of techniques for Web page design and execution. Second, some of these techniques have been around since the World Wide Web first launched, so it's impossible to separate Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 in a time line. The definition of Web 1.0 completely depends upon the definition of Web 2.0.'
Web 1.0 sites are static. -  A web page that doesn't update.
Web 1.0 sites aren't interactive. - Users cannot interact with the website but only view it.
Web 1.0 applications are proprietary. - Users cannot view the source code for the website.

What is Web 2.0?

Enabled ordinaries to write, post and publish content without the need for special software in 2004

Web 1.0		Web 2.0
DoubleClick	-->	Google AdSense
Ofoto	-->	Flickr
Akamai	-->	BitTorrent
mp3.com	-->	Napster
Britannica Online	-->	Wikipedia
personal websites	-->	blogging
evite	-->	upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation	-->	search engine optimization
page views	-->	cost per click
screen scraping	-->	web services
publishing	-->	participation
content management systems	-->	wikis
directories (taxonomy)	-->	tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness	-->	syndication

What does Chris Anderson say about Web 2.0?
There is unlimited demand for everything and anything. It provides a mass of niche products sourced from all kind of producers and distributors. Web 2.0 can open the door to flexi-choice consumer led sales model for twenty-first-century media.

What is the Long Tail?
A book written by Chris Anderson explaining:
"Our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail"

Previous methods of distribution for industries include CDs, Movies at cinemas which all have limited 'shelf space'. Chris Anderson has found that the internet has an unlimited 'shelf space' for distribution.

What does Andrew Keen think about Web 2.0?
'todays media is shattering the world into a billion personalised truths, each seemingly equally valid and worthwhile' The anonymity of web 2.0.

What does Keen say are the problems of anonymity?
He is against Web 2.0 and thinks that a nobody can be a somebody in an instance.

How far does Web 2.0 embody Tim Berner's Lee's original intention for the internet?
Tim Berner Lee conceived it to be a pool of human knowledge that would enable remote individuals to embark on common projects.

What is P2P and what impact does it have on the music industry?
Peer to peer file sharing software allowed users to search for unlocked music libraries. This allowed for free downloads of music. This became a major concern for the music industry as it gave people the choice of not buying music.

Web 1.0 & 2.0

Media in the Online Age

What is Web 1.0?
Web 1.0 was the first edition of the World Wide Web (WWW). From my research I have found that any website built and released during 1991 to 2003 was considered to be part of the Web 1.0. A Web 1.0 website will only be accessible to edit the information on it by the domain owner, which means sometimes information may become out of date fairly quickly. Web 1.0 websites are usually eCommerce such as Play.com, which allows people to purchase CDs and DVDs and have them delivered to their homes without them actually having to leave their homes. 

What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is used for created websites which are more interactive for the user, making the information on it available to edit and for information to be added. Examples of Web 2,0 websites are social networking websites such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Linking Web 2.0 to one of my case studies, a filmmaker can upload their films to YouTube for free without the domain owners permission, this makes distributing films very easy in the modern age.

The simple video below explains the advantage of using Web 2.0 over Web 1.0 - 


What does Chris Anderson say about Web 2.0?
Chris Anderson is an entrepreneur and is the curator for Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED). Anderson says that he thinks Web 2.0 is 'dead'.

What is the Long Tail?
The long tail represents websites which aren't as popular as the top websites. They could be online shops that stock niche products, which is why their popularity is much lower than the websites within the 'head' on the graph shown below. 

What does Andrew Keen think about Web 2.0?
What does Keen say are the problems of anonymity?
Andrew Keen is a British entreprenur and author. He is against Web 2.0 and feels it is a '"grand utopian movement" which is affecting professionals. Basically he feels anyone can become noticed using the internet, he says the 'self-taught filmmaker, the dorm-room musician' and any other creative amateur can use the internet which empowers them to get their work seen. He thinks that the level between amateur and professional has now become the same, affecting the work of professionals as stated before. So people who were once before 'anonymous' with their talents can now become seen by everyone.

How far does Web 2.0 embody Tim Berner's Lee's original intention for the internet?

What is P2P and what impact does it have on the music industry?
From my knowledge from my ICT course, P2P stands fo 'Peer-2-Peer', and in ICT terms a P2P computer network is one where all the data is shared between multiple machines. Relating to the above question, I guess that a lot of people are 'sharing' their legally downloaded music files to their friends and family, who have not purchased the rights to own the music. This is affecting the music industry because the songs aren't being purchased the way they should be. This could be said for with downloaded films, I guess people illegally rip DVD films and upload them to illegal film streaming websites for people to watch for free.

Questionaiire

Videogames:

1. Where do you buy your games?
2. How did you used to buy games?
3. Why do you buy games from there?
4.Where do you see distribution in the future?
5. Have you ever produced something on a game and shared it online? For example creating a mod or created a level on a game.


Film
1. Where do you buy your films?
2. How did you previously buy films
3. Why do you buy films from there?
4. Where do you see distribution in the future?
5. What would encourage you to illegally stream or download a film online?
6. How often do you go to the cinema?
7. How often would you legally download or stream a film online?
8. Have you ever produced a film and shared it online?

Administration of HMV: Encouraging Film Piracy?

One of the most popular entertainment shops in the UK, 'HMV',  have been threatened with administration since their failure of selling during Christmas 2012. The administration of the shop has been blamed on the internet, and how prices are always cheaper on the internet.

''Retailer has struggled in the face of growing demand for digital downloads

Company had a poor Christmas sales period despite 35% sales reduction

Almost 300 stores and 4,350 staff face uncertainty as negotiations unfold

Administrator announces gift cards will not be accepted in stores

CEO Trevor Moore - former head of Jessops - insists company will be saved'' - Daily Mail

Something that is causing trouble about the administration of HMV is that none of the shops are accepting gift vouchers, even though they were being sold during last Christmas and for another two weeks after. People are not allowed refunds on the gift vouchers, or any other product from the shop.

A lot of people still prefer to buy DVDs and CDs from HMV because they prefer having physical copies of the product, something that they can pass to other family members or friends, unlike what they can do with online files. 

My own opinion is that cases like this are encouraging the online illegal viewing of films.

The image below shows how HMVs prices are what contributed to their failure as a highstreet shop. Any example for why they failed to sell enough DVDs is that the price of The Amazing Spiderman is £14.99 in HMV, £9 from Amazon.com and £9.58 from independent sellers on Play.com. People would  prefer to stay at home and order the DVD than have to travel to a HMV shop to purchase it.  

Click here to see the Daily Mail article on the administration of HMV.

Rise of Steam - Video Games

Steam is an online distributor on the PC that also acts as a social network for gamers to play with eachother. Steam is the equivelant of Xbox Live on Xbox 360 or PSN on Playstation 3.

Steam has recently launched 'Big Picture' which changes the steam UI into a console style design specifically designed for TV's. However this required you to attach your computer to your tv and this could be time consuming and too much effort for gamers.

At E3 2013 Xi3 created a gaming PC called the Piston which is funded by Valve, creators of Steam, and allows you to utilise Steams big picture mode with a small gaming pc. It's size is the main attraction being a quarter of the size of a regular pc. The Piston includes a controller and will provide competition for mainly console gamers. However PC gamers may not be as reluctant to swap keyboard to controller and perhaps the lack of power the Piston contains. But according to techrader 'there's no reason the Steam Box can't be modified and upgraded. It's an open system, meaning many Steam Boxes will let you pull out your graphics card and replace it with a shinier version when the time comes.'

The Steam box prices are also supposed to be cheaper than buying a gaming pc which should attract a wide audience on a budget.

This could attract online console gamers to joining steam's online community.

Audiences would love the idea of sitting in their living rooms using a controller to control their console and download games in seconds. Steams online community and number of games is much larger than PSN and Xbox Live and EA Store doesn't have the usability of steam's big picture living room style UI.
We could then see people completly abandon the physical copies of games by buying their games from steams online store. However this requires reasonable pricing and internet speed which is what the future holds. We already see a rise in this market and steam are trying to utilise this by combining big picture mode with a steambox console of their own.



http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/why-valves-steam-box-is-a-console-killer-1124160
http://www.cnet.com.au/valve-xi3-and-the-steam-box-should-consoles-be-scared-339343035.htm

Example Answer Research

We had a look at a past student essay on media and the online age to discover the case studies within the essay and the ways marks were gained in the essay. The student recieved a level 1 mark with 16/50 marks.

Key terms - There are a lack of key terms in this essay, we feel the words the student have used are of a basic level and do not match the criteria of an A2 media studies student.
Convergence: The combination of different technologies into one product. Examples for the online age would be videogames converging with the music industry to create game soundtracks or the film industry to create cinematic game trailers.
Globalisation trading:
Technological change: The constant change of technology, for example video game graphics becoming better definition or the technology used to produce a film becoming more technologically improved.
Package of combination: We believe that this term is simply the same as technological convergence, just a less sophisticated way to say it.


Social Networking -

Case study - The case study is unclear, however we believe it is about the development of how people in the contemporary age receive and send information and news.

Film -
Case study - The case study is about age restrictions and certifications of films, and how easily accessed by younger audiences age restricted films are on the internet. The student talks about violent film trailers such as Baise moi and Eat Me and also states how easily pornography is to access.

 

Section b media onlineage-16 marks from Media Studies

How has online media developed?

How has online media developed?

Distribution of PC Games

Recent distribution techniques for consoles and PC.

The Present distribution technique for games alongside physical copies

The full timeline of distribution of games with future reference

Link to the timeline of distribution

Impact of digital downloading on the video game industry

Impact of digital downloading on the video game industry


Electronic arts have suggested that 100% of there games will be only avaliable as a digital download in the near future. It is also been suggested that the number of digital sales is going to surpass the number of physical sales for the first time and this is due to the number of new online distributors that are avaliable such as 'Steam' and the 'EA Store'(Origin).



There is a unique strategy that EA had taken to attract many new customers to their online store. This was to only release the PC version of Battlefield 3 on their store so that customers have to create an account and explore their store. This creates millions of customers to a new distribution technique that they may not of noticed before. EA is trying create direct competition with Steam with online distribution and Activision may follow with the same strategy with Call of Duty.

This competition makes indie games struggle as they can't create this capital of distribution but with steam at the throne of the online games industry, it's they're only hope.

Competition for distribution is great for the audience because this means lots of new distributors in the future which allow for easier methods.

Impact Of Digital Downloading on the video game industry

Prompt Question Link:

How has the online Media developed?

Impact of illegal downloading on the film industry

A video of David Meyer talking about the impact of illegal downloading on the film industry



The music industry was heavily effected by online media age of illegal downloading from websites such as limewire, pirate bay and utorrent. Legal downloading also effected the industry because people were not buying physical copies of the music any more.

As a result, David Meyer believes that the film industry will be next and thinks they can learn from the problems of the online age in the music industry to help build a suitable business plan for the film industry.

He also mentioned how quickly superstores such as Walmart and Blockbuster went down after the idea of renting films was stopped due to the illegal downloads. However he mentions that downloads can be slow because of big files and that compression types are getting better which allows people to download the films quicker.

There are multiple types of film formats such as: 3D, HD, 4K and 48fps. To download special formats such as 4k you require a very high speed internet that most people don't have.

The illegal downloading of films leaves to recent events such as the administration of the popular entertainment retail shop HMV, as less people are purchasing physical copies of films and music.

How is consumer behaviour and audience response transformed by online media?

Understanding of Online Age: Film, Videogames

http://xkcd.com/802_large/

The size on the map represents volume of daily social actions (posts, chats etc..) based on data gathered over the spring and summer of 2010.

Film - Bradley Stearn

Youtube - Is represented on a fairly large country on the map shown above. YouTube us a popular platform for distributing independent and mainstream films to a large audience. YouTube was a revolutionary break through for the film industry because it allows independent and micro budget filmmakers to share their films for free. With the growing popularity of independent film channels on YouTube, some filmmakers have started making a living through making videos for their channel. Examples of independent filmmakers that I am aware of that make money though Google Adsense on their videos include Neumann Films, and Westhavenbrook Productions. Mainstream cinema can also use YouTube to distribute their films through film trailers and with behind the scenes videos to build a hype around their film.

Because of the digital age of filmmaking, it has become very cheap to produce short films and videos for YouTube. This has resulted in many new up and coming filmmakers being noticed for their films.

Twitter - Twitter is also great for distributing films. It all links in with Youtube with the option to share videos directly from YouTube to your twitter account. 

Facebook - Film companies can set up pages for their films and build an audience to share everything to  do with their films. They can share behind the scenes images. Pages are free to set up which means anyone can produce a page to market their film, be it big budget productions or micro budget films, audiences are very easy to build up on a facebook page.

Forums - A good way to share YouTube videos to get more views and reviews on a film is to share it to a forum related to film production or the topic of the film. Doing this will allow more people to view your film, which means more people will comment and review the film, and hopefully share it to their friends and family if they enjoy the film. The whole process will make a YouTube film more popular, as the more websites that has a film embedded on the more people will come across your film.

Video Games - Jack Sandham 

Youtube - Video games on youtube can be advertised by the means of game trailers. Game trailers is a new form of marketing for the industry and this is because of the internet. Previously new games used to be advertised by traditional billboards and posters and now this is combined with online trailers by using a simultaneous release. 

Youtube is also used for the consumers to become prosumers by creating there own content by using a game engine that is open for modification. An example of this is Crysis Editor which allows you to create your owns maps. Consumers can then upload their content to Youtube by advertising their content. Machinima is the word used to describe content or films created by users that is using a game engine.

Youtube also holds consumer videos by direct upload from video games. This could be a good goal in FIFA or a good race in Dirt Showdown.

Twitter - Twitter is useful for video games to attract audiences to upcoming games to the market. This could be via global institution twitter accounts or even developers tweeting about new games. Twitter can also be used for information about patches of a game and DLCs for a game. Finally Twitter can be used to provide direct feedback to the developers by replying or tweeting to them.

MMO - This is a whole new section to the game industry that relies on the internet. MMO stands for massively multiplayer online (game).  This is basically a video game that is completely online all of the time and allows you to interact with other users and the same time. An example of this is 'World of Warcraft' which is an online game in which you play as a character that you create and evolve in an online world. Without the internet, the success of the video games industry for global institutions an for the use of multiplayer games would have been poor.

Forums - Forums are commonly used for feedback on common issues of a game for either developers or other game users, just incase other users have experienced the problem.

Online Phrases

1. The Long Tail - Large number of occurrences far from the central part of distribution
2. Tim Berners Lee -  Inventor of the World Wide Web
3. Web 2.0 - Second version of world wide web which includes the use of Blogs, Wikis, social networking.
4. File Sharing - Sharing user files on the web to other users by means of Google Drive, Box.
5. Distribution - sharing the product to an audience
6. Remixing(on Youtube) -  Some people let you change your YouTube
7. Film Piracy - The illegal watching, filming and sharing of films that are copyrighted and have not been payed for.
8. Digital Technology and Change - Ever evolving change in software, computers that is digital
9. Social Networking - Facebook, Twitter, viral marketing on social networks.
10. Second Life - online virtual world for social activities.
11. Convergence - joining of multiple products
12. Convergence Culture - When the audience becomes the user and can archive, annotate and change content.
13. Music Downloads - Downloading music online from iTunes, online
14. Memes - Pointless things added by people.
15. Identity Online

Initial Ideas - Media in the Online Age

Film Industry -

How have online media developed?

Past -

• More people used to go to the cinema to view films. Tickets used to be fairly cheap.
• I used to watch more films on the television. An example would be watching the Channel 4 Sunday evening film with my family every week
• We used to use VHS tapes to watch films. VHS could also be used to 'tape' films from the television to watch later.
• DVD took over VHS

Present -

• Online - a lot of films are watched online using the internet nowadays. There are many ways to watch films online including the online rental of films using paid services such as Netflix or Lovefilm or YouTube Film.
• Issues with film being so popular online include the piracy of film so that people can illegally view films for free. Debates are how online film piracy is affecting the film industry.

What has been the impact of the internet on media production?

• Less DVDs are being bought in highstreet shops which are causing them to shutdown. An example would be the lack of people renting DVDs from Blockbuster which caused the majority of the shops to completely shut down. HMV are also struggling and are loosing a lot of money. 
• With the internet being so easy to use and access nowadays, it has become easier for independent filmmakers to market their films to larger audiences. 

How has consumer behaviour and audience response transformed?

• Film viewing has become more personal - watching films on portable laptops

To what extent has convergence transformed the media?

• Film and music industry 

Videogames Industry -

How have online media developed?

Past

• Tv Consoles: Sega Megadrive, Nintendo 64, Atari 2600, NES.
• Portable consoles started to develop: Gameboy(Most Successful)
• No Online Consoles avaliable until Playstation 2
• PC games on Windows
• All offline singleplayer and multiplayer games

Present

• Online games on Handheld, Home Entertainment systems and Pcs
• Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft being global institutions in the market.
• Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360
• Nintendos handheld range: DS, 3DS.
• Sony hand helds: PSP, PSGo, PS Vita
• Microsoft: Windows Phone using Live
• Cloud Gaming
• Onlive Streaming
• Steam
• Multiplayer with friends on the internet
• Internet Flash games with high scores uploaded.
• Mobile Gaming on phones, tablets.

What has been the impact of the internet on media production?

• There is a lot of competition now due to the proliferation of consoles, games and the technology convergence of the media products. Most games are now expected to contain online capabilities with further distribution of DLC's in the future.

How has consumer behaviour and audience response transformed?

• Previously you wouldn't find online ratings of a game like Amazon or Critics reviews for a game. Now you can find a lot of reviews of a game from different views because of criticism.
• Makes game more lazy due to wireless technology converging with the consoles
• Productions change due to what the customers want/say. This brings DLC's and patches from user response online on forums.

To what extent has convergence transformed the media?

• Convergence of internet with everything.
• Convergence of video games with music, film and internet to provide the user with all three. For example PS3 and Xbox 360 were originally gaming consoles but are now seen as home entertainment centers situated in the living rooms of family homes.
• Convergence of film and games provides us with video trailers on YouTube.
• You can now quickly access all media types from the internet. This provides the user with reviews on video games online within minutes whereas previously you would find them in magazines.
• 
  

How has technology changed the way we watch films?

This video talks about how new technology has changed the way we view films. In the past the best way to get your independent film viewed by a large audience was to have it screened in a cinema. Cinemas provided large screens with fantastic surround sound which enhanced the viewing experiences. However with the new technology of portable laptops and the internet, films can be viewed from any room in a house, making it easier and more comfortable for the regular film goer to watch more films. This was also a benefit for the film makers as video sharing websites such as 'YouTube' and 'Vimeo' allow them to upload and share their films to thousands of spectators instantly and for free. With the conversion from shooting onto film stocks to digital film, it became much cheaper to produce films which resulted in more independent filmmakers emerging. Films can also be rented on the internet using paid services such as 'Netflix' which allows you to stream a film over the internet. However films are also pirated over the internet on websites such as 'Putlocker' that allow the illegal viewing of films for free. With it being so easy to view films for free online, less people are going to the cinema and the debate on how they are ruining the film industry is released.