Audience and Institution Practice Essay

5. In relation to the media area you have studied, discuss the ways audience consumption has changed over time.

               Over the years film has undergone a lot of change. However perhaps the most dramatic of those changes has occurred relatively recently with advanced technology. New discoveries and inventions have dramatically changed the way films are consumed, especially in recent years.

                To start off, one way that film has evolved in recently is in the way it is marketed. While in the past, movies may be advertised through posters, or TV ads, recently there has been a big shift towards online advertising. According to the article How Tech Has Shaped Film Making: The Film Vs. Digital Debate is Put to Rest by Charles Matthau “Distribution through YouTube has been the most common form of marketing.” An example of a movie that used the internet to market their movie is Jurassic World, who aired their trailers on the internet. This is a very effective way at advertising as it can reach more eyes. Another way of advertising could be making a video game, another new from of marketing. A movie that used this to advertise could be Spider-man. A Spider-man game was released prior to this movie, and it was good for getting people excited for the movie.

                Another way that the consumption of film has evolved, is how it is presented to those who don’t see the movie in theaters. In the past, the only way to watch movies at home was through DVD or there was a possibility a film would air on TV. However, with the recent boom in streaming services, streaming movies has become one of the top ways movies are viewed.  Because of this, practically every major movie that has been released has gone up on one of the many services. An example of this is Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, which was released on YouTube, Vudu, Netflix, and many other services. This allowed more people to be able to watch the movie and has made it so seeing a film in theaters isn’t pretty much the only option. Also, Blue ray is a recent invention, that is similar to a DVD, but some movies use Blue ray discs instead of DVDs as another way of watching a film from home. An example of a film that used Blue Ray is Beauty and the Beast (2017). Film has become a lot more accessible over time.

                There are many other ways that film has progresses. For example, movies can be recorded for much cheaper through digital cameras. Also, editing has is much easier, and better than ever before. Finally, with everything being shot and edited digitally, it is much easier to preserve for future generations. Overall, film has become much more accessible and appealing to potential viewers, this has allowed the film industry to continue growing and evolving.