Unit 3

Unit 3: Awareness of Converging Digital Technology in the Creative Media Sector

1.1: Describe the uses of digital technology within the creative media sector and the relationships this has created between industries in the sector

Digital technology within the creative media sector is used in most areas today. Over the past decade or so technology has grown massively. For example, the only way you could listen to music in the 70's was by tape or radio. Nowadays, music is accessible in a variety of different ways including downloading music onto your phone and listening to radio stations on the computer. Mobile phones have changed dramatically also, as they only were able to make calls and were the size and weight of a brick. Today phones are getting smaller and lighter as technology advances with thousands of different uses other than just making phone calls.

Digital technology now plays a crucial role in mostly everyone’s personal and working lives. Certain technologies have been created specifically for use in the creative media sector. This can include the ability to record, capture, edit, display, enhance, present and distribute products.

The competition between technology companies such as Apple and Microsoft is excellent because it helps to drive out improvements which ensures both companies are bringing the latest technology to the consumer.

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Final Cut Pro/ iMovie

After you have transferred the video and audio files to a computer system, an editing software package is needed to piece it all together. Final Cut Pro does that. Designed and distributed by Apple, this software package is easy to use but is complex at the same time. Serious editing professionals use Final Cut as well as aspiring filmmakers because of the simplicity, convenience and the amount of tools included. After you have finished editing you are then able to export the final product into suitable file format like a .mov file which can then be distributed over the internet. 

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Apple also has a free editing program called iMovie however, that piece of software doesn't nearly cover the scope and depth of video editing that Final Cut offers. That only provides basic editing but is more than suitable for people who are novices and just want to have fun with an editing package. iMovie is available as an app on iPad's and iPhone's as well as desktops and laptops. This shows that Apple has software that is accessible to people who use all their different devices.


Adobe Photoshop

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Photoshop is a photography based software package and is one of the leading products in the design sector. It can be accessed be anyone but it is used most by designers to create website graphics, 3D models, artwork, photo enhancement along with many other things. When Photoshop began, it was a simple tool to be used by designers but as popularity grew and rival companies started to make their own versions, it has grown into a massive, complex and endless piece of software.







Streaming Websites

Streaming websites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant are extremely popular because they provide an online streaming service to those who sign up. Once signed up the person can then browse a selection of genres and watch hundreds of films and TV shows. They can also be downloaded on a portable device. This is a good example of converging digital technologies as you have that ability to watch Netflix on your TV, tablet and game consoles, making content available at the click of a button.


1.2: Describe key intellectual property and copyright issues, related to digital technology and content creation

Intellectual Property (IP) is a legal term and refers to the creations of the mind. Examples of Intellectual Property are music, film and TV, literature and other artistic works including inventions. A content creator who has an IP in place is protected against possible copyright crimes.Well-known companies like Coca Cola or Nike have the © (Copyright) or the ™ (Trade Mark) or the ® (Retail) which means that company is copyright protected. An IP address can be held by an individual (author) or by an organisation (film company) so there are no restrictions with how many people can have the rights to an idea. 

 Furthermore, it prevents people or rival companies from stealing their ideas and passing them of as their own. Many people edit and alter an original idea such as an image so it is unrecognizable from the original but this is still in breach of copyright laws. If they do steal a company's creation then they could be sued, how much would depend on whether the intention was to sell and distribute it. The effected party will be compensated if it is proven that the accused party has breached the copyright infringement act. It may be necessary for the case to go to court and in some situations a custodial sentence may be the outcome. Under UK copyright law there are some allowances to use copyrighted material if it is for educational use. Nowadays many schools, colleges etc hold copyright licenses which permits them to printing out extracts from copyrighted books to give to students and allows them to show a recorded film to show to the class so long as they have the relevant and appropriate licences. 

Apple vs Samsung provides healthy competition.

2.1: Explain what is meant by "Converging Technology"


Converging technology is when you take two or more technological products that were previously used separately for different tasks, and merge them together to make one ultimate technology framework.

There are many examples of converging technology such as how we use smartphones. Smartphones are not primarily used for making phone calls anymore, but instead they are used to browse the web, watch movies, listen to songs, download apps, text etc.

2.2: Explain the impact of converging technology on the workforce within a specific creative media industry

Converging technology has a massive impact on the way a particular workforce completes specific tasks. If it wasn't for the invention of computers and other such devices many jobs like web design would not exist. But because we do have them and because we use them heavily we therefore rely on them to carry out the jobs we want them to do.

Take web design, for example, 20 years ago, the thought of creating a website from scratch was extremely difficult with only experts being able to know how to do it do it. Nowadays, you have the opportunity to take a course in web design at college or as part of an apprenticeship. Or you can teach yourself by watching YouTube tutorials. It is important that the website you create responds and reads well on other technical platforms such as on phones or on tablets so that you attract attention to as many people as possible. Once you have an audience however, it is important to keep uses interested. They do this by adding regular visual and audio content (videos, music) so they are not just reading scrolls of text. There is a high demand for skilled web designers to design and regularly update a company's website.

3.1: Describe the changing expectations of audiences and consumers within a chosen creative media industry

With the advancements made in the technology of smartphones and tablets, demands for faster internet connection from consumers is present. Customers expect to access media content on the go, 24 hours a day via these platforms and still hope to get a strong internet connection wherever they are. As you might expect, this has a knock on effect to the TV industry. There are many other examples I can talk about however, the evolution of how we access and watch TV has changed dramatically in the past 10 years.

Production companies such as BBC and ITV have provided catch up services (BBC IPlayer and ITV Player) to allow consumers to watch their favourite programmes when they want, where they want. 10 years ago this was not possible and the only way you could watch a program that you missed was to record it before transmission or failing that, wait for a repeat of the program. So there is no longer a need for analogue television since everything is moving to the digital age.

The reason why these types of streaming services took off was because I think there was a high demand for shows being available as soon as possible after the first transmission. An additional advantage for catch up services is that sometimes they provide exclusive videos or behind the scenes for people who want to watch how the show was made.

             

3.2: Describe examples of how ideas for multi-platform content have been used to reach new audiences and generate revenue

When designing and building a website a creator must consider what platforms the clients want to be visible on. Basically, the big question today is what browser compatibility they are going for. Is it the most up to date browsers such as Google Chrome or Firefox or perhaps Internet Explorer or Safari. Perhaps you want your website to be compatible on all platforms however, this will cost more money and will take more time to do.

As well as this, the creator must consider whether they want their website to be viewed on smartphones and tablets. It essentially comes down to you and your personal preference or business model. Do you want to have a fully functioning mobile website, completely different to the original site, targeted at people who would get the most use out of it when people are on the go? Or do you want it to be a stripped down version of the desktop site, which may be a bad idea depending on how much data there is to generate which would therefore require a fast internet connection.

A website creator can generate income if there is a large interest on his site. The more people who view his website and the more noticeable it gets they then may get offers from advertisers or even sponsors depending on how popular the website is who want the creator to advertise their stuff on his/her website in exchange . Many people however, don't set out to make money from their website. They do it because they went to help, inform or express and it is something that they are interested in.

Multi platform content has evolved in other areas of industry like the gaming industry. The ability to browse the internet and watch movies all while playing a beautifully crafted 3D game on a console is extremely attractive to consumers. The Xbox One was designed to be an all in one entertainment system rather than just dedicated to games.


    

 

3.3: Describe examples of commissioning processes and funding opportunities in relation to converging technology

Commissioning is the process of planning, documenting, scheduling, testing, adjusting, verifying and training that operates as a fully functioning system. An example would be the commissioning process for TV. Large organisations such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 all have strict guidelines when it comes to commissioning. A lot of programmes that you see on TV will have originally been an idea from an independent production company in which they have developed. Many broadcaster welcome ideas from independent production companies however, they have to be sure the idea is new, original and exciting meaning they do not breach copyright laws. The APC (Appliance for the Prevention of Copyright) exists to encourage the free flow of ideas and proposals and to provide confidence.

If the broadcaster is confident in the idea this is what might follow; review proposal, develop proposal, agree commission and finally initiate the project. There are a few funding opportunities such as self-fund, grants, donations, partnerships and a loan (Bank).

4.1: Explain opportunities for exploiting converging technology

Due to consumers now relying on smartphones more and more, the main opportunities tend to be in app ads. By using geographical locations to highly target consumers, advertisers are able to recover data pertaining to consumer led trends.

4.2: Research and plan a test for an identified opportunity and 4.3: Carry out planned test and evaluate and present the findings

This sub-element will be answered using the "Summer Concert" presentation used in Unit 2.

We were assigned a project to research and develop an idea to a potential client. As a group we decided that a Summer concert would be a great idea and an opportunity to unite the local community and hopefully achieve a profit at the end of it.

First, we researched the venue and catering costs as well as how many people we wanted there. A marquee seemed the obvious choice so after constructing a table containing the best prices (including catering) and sizes (9m/12m), we decided on the 9m by 24m because that would be able to manage 300 people, buffet included.

In order to find out whether 300 people would turn up to a similar event in Hartlepool to test whether our opportunity would be worth the expenses or not. Our results found that these small scale concerts prove very popular with local communities, enjoying the live local music. We also found that there was a large security presence there with even a couple of police officers patrolling the venue. This helped us to agree that we would need a higher security presence than originally thought.