Comm 345 exam 2
Explain "platform release" and "windowing"
Platform Release (a type of windowing): If the movie becomes popular it will be "promoted" to larger theaters in more cities Windowing: Releasing new products on a staggered schedule
What is the difference between a predictable and complex distribution market?
Predictable: Distributors have more control over what media an audience can choose Complex: Audience has more control over the media material they consume
describe how a television pitch works?
Producer pitches a show idea then if the network likes the script they pay for a pilot to be shot If they like the pilot and have a place in their schedule for it then the network pays for about 70% of the production cost Production studio covers the rest Studios therefore lose money for the term of the original network license
What are the 4 elements of the structure of distribution and aggregation.
Producer, distributor, aggregator, consumer
online agency model.
Publisher determines a retail price for a product (eBook) Publisher makes deal with aggregator (Apple) to sell product at retail price Aggregator makes agreement with publisher to keep a certain percentage of each sale
wholesale model of economics
Publisher sets a recommended retail price for a product (e.g. a book) Publisher sells that book to a retailer at "wholesale" price This is usually about 50% of the retail price Retailer then charges whatever it likes
consumer
Purchases and uses the product
What's the difference between a "real" and "constructed" audience?
Real: Those who actually show up at the theater to watch a movie Constructed: an audience imagined by the media creators
5 processes in the Circuit of Cultural Production
Representation Identity Production Consumption Regulations
What kinds of jobs/roles do industry executives do?
Responsible for institutional support Development and circulation of media products Could include standards and practices
What was the "payola" scam in radio?
Several record companies bribed radio station disc jockeys with money and drugs to play and promote their records Alan Freed
What's the difference between a single media good and a continuous media good?
Single - have 4 types of costs Continuous media - worry about production or marketing/distribution costs
What is/was a Nielsen family?
Used to measure television ratings Would send letters to ask families if they'd use a box to record what the family was watching
early 1800s newspaper
Usually targeted to a political party Aimed at the "elite" Newspapers were very expensive Written for the educated class
What is technological utopianism vs. technological dystopianism
Utopianism - Technology will help bring about the ideal human society and existence on earth Dystopianism - Technology will create a society where machines and computers have dominion over humans
What is "remediation"?
When newer media has an effect on the presentation of older media
How has "crowdfunding" changed practices involving artists and industry executives in the digital age?
allows artists to exclude industry execs and reach a more niche audience Often leads to more work for the artist
What is casualization?
Workers hired for a single project When that project is over, workers are let go Allows for workers to thrive in "crunch time" But also allows for long stretches of down-time
What is a tentpole game?
"Tentpole" games are ones developers believe will be sure-fire hits even before release
Single Media 4 types of costs
1. Development costs 2. Production Costs 3. Marketing & Distribution Costs 4. Overhead costs
"cost-plus" system
1. Network pays the studio the cost of production, plus a fee for the producer 2. Network effectively "owns" the show now 3. Network recaps any future rewards from the show's licensing
How is limiting a consumer's options good for the aggregators?
1. Selling is more predictable, therefore, more profitable 2. Helps consumer make easier choices in a crowded media marketplace
how much the average video costs to develop?
3rd party creators (not affiliated with a publisher) Possibly up to $1.5 mil to develop and design a prototype Average console game costs in hundreds of millions Average tent-pole game in hundreds of millions Especially if there are licensing fees for people or brands
Describe the star system that has since replaced the studio system?
A few established actors/ actresses/ directors are indispensable Necessary for a hit movie Gave rise to agents
What is a dual-revenue stream?
A mixture of advertising and direct-payment (subscriptions)
What is a surrogate consumer? How do they "push" content?
Aggregator that predicts what consumers will want to buy and then displays it prominently
What is disaggregation?
Allowing consumers to access any media product on any platform at any time
What is "market research"?
Any research conducted by a media industry before or during a product's development
How can online aggregators reach a more "niche" audience?
Applications scan news sites for specific content Then distribute that content to one central location Can customize these aggregators to fit your needs:
Identity
Attributes, characteristics one possesses by being associated with a product
Who was Netflix's original competition when they first appeared in 1998?
Blockbuster
How did the DMCA of 1998 provide "safe-harbor" to those who might be sharing videos illegally?
Burden was on owner of copyright to search for violation As long as "borrower" removed material in good faith there would be no penalty
Why did cable TV reach "critical mass" in the 1990s?
Cable tv was in more homes
1830s newspaper
Cheaper Written for lower education and literacy levels Fewer "serious" stories (political material) More human interest stories (crimes, love)
What is "selection"?
Choosing which media products to carry
Production Costs
Costs associated with the actual making of the media product
What are some examples of both "creative" and "craft or non-creative" practices?
Creative: Directors, actors, set designers "above-the-line" workers Craft: Construction, graffers, crew managers paid per job
what is the difference between cultural determinism and technological determinism?
Cultural Determinism: People determine how technology develops Technological Determinism: Technology controls the people and societies that use them "adapt or die"
Differential promotion
Distributors showering praise, money, publicity on just a small number of the products they buy believe these have the best possibility of becoming a hit
How has Nielsen collected ratings for television shows over the years?
From diaries to TV top boxes Up until 2007, only measure "family" viewing Then came to college campuses Radio - listeners asked to keep a weekly log of what they listen to Now have portable "people meters" Like beepers/pagers
How does Wolff argue that the early internet was a "continuation" of mass media up to that point in the early 90s?
He claims most media was already free "Mass" media was supposed to be cheap so more people could enjoy it Early internet was "free" Accessible via phone line
Consumption
How do consumers use the technology?
According to Wolff, how did the TV/Internet model become flipped as it relates to how both practiced advertising?
Internet was now a cost and as supported Tv was becoming less dependent on advertising
What made cable TV so much more popular than broadcast TV? Was it just the greater number of channels available to consumers?
It was a "better" broadcasting Fewer fuzzy images More "sophisticated" material (sexual situations, more complicated characters, plots)
Wolff claims Netflix and TV are similar and that Netflix actually has many more differences with other digital media. What are some of these differences he discusses?
It's not free Not user generated Not social
Producer
Makes the products
explain Wolff's argument that Netflix is bringing elements of TV to digital, not destroying TV.
Netflix pays both CBS and Fox about $250 mil each to stream their shows, it's expanding TV
how costs are funded in independent films
Not produced/distributed by major studio Usually a smaller budget than studio/company products Often have to find "finances" for projects, producers work out deals with financiers
Discuss some strategies the distributors and aggregators use to maximize profits.
Overstocking Differential promotion
How do "secondary markets" help a studio make up for the money they lose in the production of a TV show?
Studios can recover deficits by selling successful shows to secondary markets
How does "deficit financing" work in the TV industry?
Studios must be smart when licensing their mega-hits Studios must also keep in mind what both national and international markets might find entertaining
How was "pirating" the "kick-start" to YouTube?
That's what people were originally using it for but TV Execs didn't want the video industry to turn out like the music industry Viacom sued YouTube wants they got more power when Google bought it YouTube rebranded to have more user-generated content = the YouTube star
Distributor Who are the distributors? What is their primary role?
The "middlemen" They buy from the producer and distribute to the aggregator
What are "upstream" and "downstream" windows?
Upstream: windows occur earlier in time Large theaters, where the public will pay the most money to see a product Downstream: Later in the distribution process, when consumers can pay next-to-nothing to watch a media product (ex. Netflix)
According to Wolff, how did YouTube evolve into television through the failures of professionally-produced YouTube channels, and the successes of the advertising model and "home-grown" YouTube stars?
The YouTube audince wanted YouTube stars And the chance to become stars themselves But the advertising model stuck
Representation
The attributes and characteristics of a product a company focuses on when trying to sell it
Production
The cultural impact of a product i.e. Where it's made, How it's made, Overall processes of production
Why do these tentpole games cost so much more to develop?
There are licensing fees for people/ brands ex. Madden and other sports games
how costs are funded in video games
There are only a few video game publishers There are even fewer platforms
Why are gaming consoles, relatively speaking, fairly affordable?
They don't make their money on the consoles they create And the companies want every household to have a gaming system to buy games for
How did Netflix first begin streaming movies? Through a licensing agreement with what channel?
They licensed movies through an agreement with Starz
Regulations
Those enforced by government and the self-regulations enforced by the company
Who are the "creators"? What influences how much power a studio gives to a creator?
Those responsible for creating the vision or content of a show Executive Producers are often "creators" The power isn't absolute Often negotiate with studio execs The more success, the more power is given to the creator
How did cable companies and phone companies compete over Internet service in the 90s and early 2000s?
cable companies started to control internet service, they advertised their service in particular ways The promise that broadband would be faster than DSL (digital subscriber lines- carried over phone lines) Cable companies were also able to introduce bundling as we know it today Phone companies used Fiber optics services But, wireless won out. Fiber connections were too expensive
Overhead costs
costs required to maintain media institutions that manage and finance the product
Development costs
costs sustained from planning a project
Describe how the newspaper model changed in the U.S. from around 1800 to 1830
early 1800s: Very narrow, specific audience ("niche") 1830s: More mass-produced/ broader audience
How does product placement work in video games?
early 80s had video games where the video game itself was product placement (Kool-Aid Man video game) Now you see it on characters and in the scenery
Aggregator Who are the aggregators? What is their primary role?
engage in "selection" they sell to consumers
how costs are funded in continuous media like TV shows.
funded through "cost-plus" system
Marketing & Distribution Costs
money paid to advertise/promote a media product
Where do console creators like Sony and Microsoft make their money in the gaming industry?
off licensing fees (about 30% of total game cost)
Overstocking
producers create a large number of products increase possibility of a mega hit
What are the "standards and practices" people responsible for?
responsible for evaluating and assessing media Determine if a particular show is "safe" for airing
What was the studio system?
studios controlled all aspects of movie-making Vertical Integration
What are practices?
the roles of individual workers in the media industries.
