Discuss technology

Learning Outcome 1 (U24): Understand the products that are produced within and across media industries

P1: Describe the media products for an identified industry sector 

P2: Explain the use of converging technologies with an identified sector 

The term convergence is when a company uses a lot of different media technologies that are at their disposal such as Digital cameras, laptops, mobile phones, social media as well as television and film ads this way they can not just advertise but interact with their followers. Convergence mean all these different technologies work together and allow the media production and distribution to be more efficient

Technologies that can be used in this stage are Microsoft teams which allow for video conferencing to plan. This works with other technologies as it can be downloaded on multiple different devices such as laptops or Tvs and even mobile phones this convergence of technology means it is easily accessible to a majority of people. this works hand in hand with Microsoft word so you can forward documents as well as have video conferences making the whole pre-production stages easier as the technologies are all available on one platform. 

technologies that can be used in the production stages are digital cameras which have converged with mobile phones for low budget filming as you can film and forward the piece to all relevant people all on the same device. This works with boom mics as they can be plugged into the devices making it much easier in this stage as the technologies needed can be found in only a few devices making it easier to film to a good quality without wasting time obtaining lots of different technologies 

Technologies that can be used in the post-production stages are sound mixing and editing as the convergence of technologies means this task is no longer as hard as there are technologies such as final cut pro which it available on multiple devices which allows for visual tweaks as well as sound this makes the whole process easier as it is all available on one piece of technology as a final cut can be downloaded on a whole host of devices.  

M1: Discuss how the industry has utilised developments in technologies

The media industry has utilized developments in technology's to help make marketing and distribution much easier. One way this has been done, is through the development of the smart phone and streaming services which both work hand in hand as streaming services can now be downloaded as apps on smart phones giving them a large amount of platforms with multiple different audience's. this has made it so much easier for audiences to access products as there is most likely going to be at least one or more device for them to access the advertising for the product. Wether that be through their tv, phone, playstation/xbox, computer or tablet all of these devices are connected to the internet meaning they can access the media by many different means and a wide range of media all on one single device.

 Disney+ campaign is mainly aimed at teenagers and children, this audience is the most active on devices such as YouTube and social media by using these websites they can further appeal their brand to the children using these platforms on multiple different devices they most likely have in their home. 

The development of technology has changed both pre-production, post-production, and production stages in the industry. One way the pre-production stages of development have changed is it is now much easier to organize and plan as there are now programs such as monday.com which can easily help to organize deadlines and tasks needed to be completed in order to get the production off the ground. This can then be used alongside other software and technology such as video conferencing like Microsoft teams and an outlook calendar to make this stage very efficient and organized. 

Production stages have also been affected by this as you do not always need to be present as you can now do things via email or zoom this has been especially important during the covid-19 pandemic. As people can not always be present but this does not mean it all has to come to a halt as people can use the technology widely available to complete this without needing physical presence. Some of the major changes include better digital cameras, sound recording devices, and graphic design software. These can combine with very sophisticated black box devices to make the creative process much easier and cheaper then ever before. 

Post-Production has also been affected as technologies such as email and smart phones mean people can edit and tweak the media through programs such as final cut of photoshop and then instantly forward them to the appropriate people this all means the post-production stages are now considerably faster and easier to complete because of these different technologies converging. 

The industry has adapted to this. Examples are Coca-Cola and Disney+ as they have utilised the many different platforms they can be accessed from especially through black boxes such as smart phones they intertwine their different accounts by doing this they can take their audience from their social media to their video advertisements on YouTube. They can also use their big followings such as Disney who have amassed millions of followers and they use this to promote across their whole brand. They also use sponsored posts and hashtags to get their brand trending such as #disney+.

Technology has also immensely changed how advertising is done as it is now much easier to expose people to ads through platforms such as social media and interactivity such as QR codes taking people straight to the relevant pages from wherever they may see the cod such as in a magazine allowing all of the different advertising on platforms to converge into one and all help each other. 

 Technology does not only help with the post production phase it can also be very useful in both pre production and production one way it can help with pre production is people can use their mobile phones for emails and they can access saved files as well as being able to back everything up so there are very few risks of losing all of the work. This technology allows for smoother teamwork as the whole team can be kept in the loop and get instant access to all of the info out there. 

As well as in the production stages where technology can be utilized as they can now use one device for multiple different projects reducing costs as a laptop can now be used to create picture ads as well as video ads which can then be instantly backed up and sent to all of the relevant people. There Is also less of an issue with locations as you can use green screens as well as zoom if not everyone can be present physically.