LO1 Task 1 : Media products in the Audio Visual Industry

In this report I will be looking at the Audio Visual industry and how conglomerates and independent companies operate in contrast to each other. My case studies for this therefore will be 21st century fox an international conglomerate which operates across a variety of media platforms such as Film, Print and Tv with big name subsidiary companies like Sky and 20th Century fox and in contrast to that - WARP a Sheffield based independent company who specialise in films , home to cinematic greats such as Submarine and Four Lions which work alongside conglomerates to distribute their products due to not being vertically integrated.

OWNERSHIP -
A conglomerate company serves to operate across a variety of media platforms and does so using its subsidiary companies- 21st Century Fox is no exception to this, in particular film and TV they use

both horizontal and vertical integration to produce, advertise and distribute their products to a mass target audience. This means that when 21st century release a film under the subsidiary company 20th century fox, it uses 20th century fox home entertainment for the audience to consume the product through DVD - in order to get the consumers to buy these products or view them in cinema they use horizontal integration with their subsidiary's such as Sky , The Sun and The Times to advertise the production. In contrast to this independent companies do not have the access to subsidiaries therefore commonly struggle to get their production into mainstream viewing without joint venture. WARP have done this quite successfully over the years in particularly when producing and distributing Submarine, WARP worked alongside Red Hour to distribute the film, Red Hour works with both New Line Cinema and 20th Century Fox. Because of their inability to distribute on a large scale Independent companies such as WARP generally specialise in one type of media - in their case film whereas conglomerate companies such as 21st century fox have the capability to provide products for an array of media types, print and Tv just to mention a few, however, do so in a way which is accessible for all what with transatlantic broadcasting. 21st Century Fox for this reason target a mass mainstream audience as their capacity to distribute allows the production of various shows appeals to all, however, this isn't the case for independents as most commonly they will appeal to a niche audience such as those interested in MOD culture with WARP's 'This Is England'.


ADAPTATION -

The fault in our stars was first a novel published in the January of 2012, this went on to sell 10.7 million copies and topping the best sellers list in several countries. The novelist John Green has a mass following of young adult readers what with 2.3 million followers on Twitter alone, due to the fact that it became so popular in the UK and US the book was then published in nine additional languages. Two years after this 20th Century Fox adapted the book to a film which received a mass following within days of the premier, the film was labelled a 12A to appeal to the same age rating as the book whilst also giving the opportunity for those who were younger to become a part of this viewing
craze. The film made $307.2 million at the box office due to the huge following the novel already had which made 21st Century fox's adaptation all the more successful. What with 21st century being an international conglomerate the film was available with numerous subtitles which again widens the target audience - cleverly the production company behind the adaptation chose to cast actors such as Ansel Elgort which provides an ideal self (Carl Rodgers, 1980) to the male demographic whilst still appealing stereotypically to the female what with the romantic storyline.

BRANDS-

The Simpsons franchise is fronted by 21st Century Fox, over time this has become one of the most recognisable brands globally and as result has a range of different products which span across a variety of media platforms. The original televised series started in 1989 and over the years became widely popular with families all over the world - in lieu of this in 2007 20th Century Fox premiered 'The Simpsons Movie' which brought in over $500 Million US Dollars at the box office demonstrating the strength of the brand and the ability to work across media platforms. Alongside this came a multitude of other media products such as 'Tapped Out' - an IOS compatible app designed to target the millennials who became accustomed to the franchise at an early age. Other strains of video games such as 'The Simpsons Hit and Run' released in the early 2000's shows how the brand became highly sought after as it became cross compatible with other Softwares not associated with 21st Century or any of its subsidiary companies. To successfully appeal to the mass target audience, 21st Century crafted The Simpsons in a manner which is desirable to all the family. Its animated appearance draws in those of a younger age, whilst the crude humour is easily recognised by those over the age of 18. As a result of this, age appropriate products have been made to be consumed by the target audience, such as Duff Beers (featured in The Simpsons), remote control cars, clothing and homewares. The success of this is all down to the way this conglomerate uses its power and horizontal integration to self-promote its own products via subsidiary companies such as Sky - Recently, despite the ageing of the series, Sky has released a fleet of its service vehicles with Simpson's decals.

21st Century Fox also has other successful brands similar to The Simpsons such as 'Family Guy' - Unlike The Simpsons, even though still appealing to the masses has a restricted target audience due to the time of day it's episodes are broadcast (post-watershed) and sexual content. To entice a related demographic, Family Guy uses a similar narrative formation around family life which is why it is seemingly popular with those who watch The Simpsons. The programme was first aired on Fox in 1999 and consisted of seven episodes and from there onward has flourished into the household name we now know today - from this has developed a brand which spans across multiple media platforms, the most recognisable of these being social media which gives their audience a chance to keep up to date with all aired episodes and allows them to set reminders for these when they become available. These pages also offer the opportunity for users to follow links to the official Family Guy webpage where merchandise is available to purchase. 21st Century Fox as a conglomerate is able to work alongside other companies as well as their subsidiary's to promote and produce products and have done this successfully with the Family Guy Franchise when allowing TinyCo a subsidiary of Jam City to create 'The Quest for Stuff'. This is an IOS compatible video game which proves that this brand is able to exist upon its ability to work across media platforms as a result of the parent company.


AUDIENCE PLEASURES-

Both of the above brands in some way shape or form appeal to their audience demographics by using pleasures - Rick Altman (1999) suggested that all media texts provoke a certain type of pleasure whether that be emotional, Visceral or intellectual. Within both media productions the scripts and accompanying screen play are humorous which bring on an visceral response for the viewer - this is then associated with this programme and makes those who watch it wanting more. Particularly with Family Guy the type of humour used attracts a certain demographic meaning the type of visceral pleasure differs from that of The Simpsons - In addition to this because of the adult humour that can be seen in both of these media texts as Altman suggested, there is room for emotional pleasures which make the viewer aware if something is in some way controversial.

Both these brands provide uses and gratifications for the audiences they are attempting to target, an integral part of these storylines is to show the reality of American family life all be it dysfunctional- Families all around the world resonate with this and in turn use it as a way to satisfy a need whether that be reassurance that all families are not perfect or simply the humour it brings.