1. The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice.

The production company is usually the company which owns the film. The company are the ones who fund everything to do with the film like location costs etc. The bigger the company, the bigger the budget they can spend on creating the film as they have the money to do so. This means they, generally, are more successful as they can include more and splash out on set, cameras, costume etc. Another reason as to why these types of films are a success is because they follow the pattern of Mark Kermode’s rules, which are: 1. A newsworthy budget, 2. Spectacular visuals, 3. NOT be a comedy and 4. Include an 'A list' star. Big production companies have the money to pay ‘A list’ stars and are known to make great films so they budget will be high, leading to success.

Walt Disney is an example of one of the biggest production companies in the industry. It is one of the most successful companies in the world, and is seen as one of the best for producing family friendly films. Disney has produced successful films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King and Finding Nemo. Disney make such a huge success at the box office, not only because they create incredible films, but because the public assume their movies will be good so they and go to the cinema to see them. This is why companies can have larger budgets as they receive large profits.

Heyday films produced their first film Ravenous in 1999 which had a budget of $12 million but only made $2,062,405. This film clearly didn’t make a good profit unlike films produced by Disney and Sony. This soon changed when they produced their second film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001. The budget for this was $125 million which is massive compared to the $12 million spent on Ravenous. This is because other companies such as Warner Bros and 1492 Pictures were involved, raising the budget as they (especially Warner Bros) were already successful companies. This film made a huge $974.8 million at the box office. Heyday Films made more money from this, as well as the rest of the series which was equally as successful as the first. Heyday Films also made money from other films such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and I Am Legend. The company got bigger and bigger, primarily known for its success from the Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 was the last Harry Potter film in the series. It was released in 2011 with a budget of $250 million which was shared with part 1 of the film. By this point, the Harry Potter fan base had grown, and everyone was excitedly awaiting the final film. The popularity of the main actors/actresses Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint had grown over the 10 years since they first began filming in 2000, forming them into ‘A list’ stars. This film fitted all of Mark Kermode’s rules, as it had a large budget ($250 million), ‘A list’ stars, it wasn’t a comedy as it was the most serious film, and it had incredible visuals which he raved about on his interview with BBC Radio 5 in 2011. The public knew this would be the last film to be made which meant they went to the cinema to see it as it would be the last chance they get.

The box office figures for the Harry Potter series were:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: $974.8 million Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: $879 million Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: $796.7 million Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $896.9 millionHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: $939.9 millionHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: $934.4 million Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: $960.3 millionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: $1.342 billion

2. The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 is based on the 7th book in the Harry Potter series, produced by Heyday films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the final half of the 7th book, making it the last film in the series.

Harry Potter began from a series of novels written by J. K. Rowling. The first novel (Philosopher’s Stone) was published in 1997 and the last novel (The Deathly Hallows) was published in 2007. By this point, 4 out of the 7 films were released and the 5th was being released that same year. The Harry Potter film series had the advantage that the novels were so adored that everyone wanted to go see the films. This boosted the marketing process and made it easier as they were already successful because of the books. As well as this, new technology was being formed which allowed people to connect with the films online. New technology enabled the public to download images and trailers, as well as join fan sites such as ‘Pottermore’ to connect with the author herself.

The 7th book (the Deathly Hallows) was written as a whole. However, it was too long to form into one as a film. So the production company, alongside J. K. Rowling, cut the book in half and created 2 separate film scripts. This had been done a couple of times before with different movies, some of which weren’t successful. There were many discussions going on when this was revealed as to whether they would pull it off, but they did; and it made part 2 even more successful.

It is important for companies to keep up to date with technology as they may end up advertising on old devices instead of new ones which thousands of people have; causing them to lose money. Keeping up to date allows companies to market well enough that millions of people see what they are trying to promote, which works at their advantage as more people will see the advertisement and would hopefully go see the film.

3. The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange.

3D:

3D is a motion picture that increases the illusion of depth perception. It is where two cameras are used to film a scene from two different perspectives. It is also a computer generated image. Special projection hardware is used to complete the illusion of depth such as glasses to use during the film. 3D films are not limited to just feature films, it can be adapted to be used in different aspects of media. 3D film didn’t have much of a success until the 21st century where its popularity grew as it was used in large block buster films such as Avatar and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Blu-Ray:

Blu-Ray is a digital optical disc data storage format which is of a higher quality than a normal DVD, and also features better audio quality.

Downloadable Content:

Downloadable content is additional content for video games and films, such as soundtracks and additional accessories for characters, like a new jumper for characters in the Harry Potter PS2 games. This can be done through any downloadable content provider like Google and iTunes.

How did these affect the distribution of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2?

All of these had a huge effect on the success of the film. Deathly Hallows part 2 sold 2.71 million Blu-ray units ($60.75 million) in three days, and It

also sold 2.83 million DVD units ($42.22 million) during its debut. It had sold 4.71 million Blu-ray units ($99.33 million) and 6.47 million DVD units ($88.96 million) by July 2012. The film was also released as part of the Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection box set, which was available on DVD and Blu-ray. It included all eight films and new special features. $72.8 million was made on the opening weekend from 3-D showings, which made up 43% of the total opening weekend gross which was $169,189,427 in the US.

4. The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for audiences and institutions.

Since films were first created and released, different companies have had different ways of enabling their audiences to watch their film. Common ways now are to watch things on DVD/Blu-Ray, Video on demand, downloading and online streaming; as well as visiting the cinema. These ways are usually cheap which is important as many people may not have the funds to be going to the cinema all the time, so they can rent films from websites like Netflix, Lovefilm or even buy them in shops on DVD/Blu-Ray. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 was released in both 2D and 3D. It was also released on DVD and Blu-Ray, but it wasn’t released on websites like Netflix as it was a high enough budgeting film to make enough profit. Usually films that don’t do too well are released online to make more profits.

5. The importance of technological convergence for audiences and institutions.

Technology allows people to view films differently, whether it is on their phone, laptop or television. The Internet acts like a hub for many aspects of film. On the internet you can find posters, YouTube videos on films, cast/crew interviews, trailers, websites and the list goes on. The public are then able to create their own mini films containing this information as a form of fan art and extra publicity. As well as this, people can watch films in a multitude of ways, by using a range of hardware’s and software’s. Also, it is important that smaller companies work together to produce posters, soundtracks etc. as larger global companies get a larger audience due to their popularity.

6. The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions.

Harry Potter has been marketed in multiple different ways. The first of the series was published in the UK as The Philosopher’s Stone, however it

was marketed in the US as The Sorcerer’s Stone. This was because American citizens thought that children and teenagers wouldn’t read a book with ‘philosopher’ in the title. Rowling herself suggested the Americanised title, but later revealed she regretted it as she wished it would remain as British as possible. The official posters in the UK had a different film release date to the rest of the world. This was because Harry Potter is a British film so it was released earlier in the UK.

7. The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.

Usually, I wait until I see the trailer of a film which interests me; then I go to the cinema to see it. I also go see films with my friends when it’s a rainy day or we want something to do. Depending on what the film is, I may wait until it is released on DVD to view it, or I wait until it is released on Netflix. As of recent, most people (especially the younger generation) wait for films to be released online so they can watch them at home. However, older members of the public and those with children usually take trips to the cinema as a way to have something to do at the weekend or in the evening.

I did go to see Harry Potter in the cinema with my family when I was of the correct age to go see it. However, the ones before I watched when they were released on DVD at home with my family as I was underage to see them at the cinema. DVD’s enable younger viewers to watch films at home (with their parents) so they aren’t missing out on the film. In my opinion, it is better to go see films when they are released in the cinema because the big screen and surround sound makes it better. The adrenaline from this also makes the film more exciting. Scary movies are better at the cinema as it is shown on a larger screen and the room is pitch black dark, creating a tense atmosphere before the film has even started.