Q & A

 What did I learn from Emma Stakes and her Little big music presentation? 

•  The key to getting what you want out of the music industry is through your publishers, working with the artists and most importantly doing the most you can by yourself. 
• You can be found and established through your social media. 
• Making sure to get global offers on your products and artists so that they are spread on a global basis. 
• Take a  wide variety of artists randoms and big artists such as Ed Sheeran or Ellie Goulding. 
• Look after the whole team that is developing the project don't just focus on the artist, focus on the songwriter etc. 
• You work with your artist to build their organic public image that represents them well.
•  You've got to start from somewhere, you need a small pre-existing fan base.
• If you make a remake of a song and get a license for it you still get paid a masters for the creation using that song. Much like one kid she had who took 'Put your records on' re made it and made a huge sum after being discovered on Tiktoc.
• 100million streams makes you $500K. 
•  You can organically hope it trends or you have to do as much as you possibly can to make it trend , use hashtags, post on multiple platforms etc. 
• Magazines & marketing 
• Tap into a local network if you don't have the funds.
• Build a release strategy 
• Synthetic vs Organic it is hard to tell which one is more successful.
• Don't have a set plan you use to tackle every artist do what fits the person at hand.
• keep with the trends. 
• Find investors 

Original 'Put your records on': 

Remake :

Logos

 

What types of logos are there?

Logos are what we use to brand something, it is what we use to recognize a band or singer, etc. 

1. Lettermark logo 

A lettermark logo is a typography-based image that is made up of a few letters, usually a company's initials. The lettermark is all about simplicity. By using just a few letters lettermark logos are an effective at reducing any brand that has a long name. An example of this would be NASA, this is an abbreviation for National Aeronautics and Space Administration which is harder to remember. 

2. Wordmark logo 

A wordmark logo is very similar to a lettermark logotype, wordmark logos use a specific type of font-based logo that focuses on a business' name alone. A good example of this would be coca-cola. Wordmark logos are best suited to brands with a distinct name, that is catchy or memorable. 

3. Pictoral marks 

A pictorial mark is an icon or a graphic-based logo. An example of this would be apple or Twitter etc. These are usually very simple designs that are very recognizable.

4. Abstract logo marks 

An abstract mark is a specific type of pictorial logo. These logos are usually constructed by abstract geometric shapes that represent a business.  An example of this would be Pepsi. Logos like this allow people to create something that is completely unique. 

5.Mascots 

Mascot logos are a type of logo that includes an illustrated character, normally the character is colourful and sometimes cartoonish, and normally this character would be made to look fun. This logo design gives your brand a spokesperson. Examples of this would be the KFC, Kellogs, etc.   

6. Combination mark logo 

A combination mark logo is comprised of a combined wordmark or lettermark with a pictorial mark, abstract mark, or mascot. These logos combine the two in some way, examples of these would be Lacoste, chameleon, etc.  

7. Emblem logo 

An emblem logo consists of a font inside a symbol or an icon; badges, seals and crests. These logos are usually seen to be traditional however they can make a striking impact, often many schools choose this type of logo. Examples of this would be Starbucks, the Harvard logo, Standford logo, etc.

MIKA

Mika's current logo : 

My redesign of Mika's logo: 

I chose MIKA because he is a very out-there artist with huge quirks, his music reminded me of a burst of colours especially his song Lollipop, and with this, in mind, I believed incorporating huge amounts of colour was very important. 

PINK

Pink's current logo: 

 My redesign of Pink's logo : 

Pink is a very out there feminist artist who is strongly opinionated, when redesigning her logo I believed she needed something that screamed this, but also something that was patriotic. This logo design combines the different aspects of Pink, that I believe she represents. It's a bold logo. 

Kings of Leon 

Kings of Leon current logo : 

My redesign of the Kings of Leon logo:

Kings of Leon have a very bold name and I thought it would be interesting to combine a strong animal with them such as a crocodile, a crocodile is a bold animal which also represents the Kings of Leon's music.

This is America, textual analysis

History of the music video 

- 'This is America' music video was released in the US on the 5th of May, 2018 to coincide with Donald Grover's hosting of 'Saturday Night live', which is one of America's most known TV shows.

- The genre of this song is hip-hop with an added element of Afrobeat which was done completely intentionally. 

- The song did not have a specific previous announcement before its release instead it appeared online while Glover was live on TV during his SNL performance. 

Who is Childish Gambino?

- Childish Gambino is the stage name of Donald Glover who is a musician, American actor, rapper, comedian, writer, and producer. 

-As Donald Glover, has multiple mainstream Hollywood movie credits, including playing the young Lando Calrissian in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story '. He also voiced Simba in ' The lion King' remake. 

- Donald Glover is also known for successful TV work in the US and is a double Emmy and double Golden Globe winner for 'Atlanta', a show that he stars in and created.     

Contextual analysis 

 In the opening scene of ' This is America,' it shows a mid-shot of a man strumming a guitar alone to choral sounds. In the first few minutes, Gambino shoots the man, who has been tied up and has a bag over his head. Straight after Gambino shoots him he passes the gun to another man, who safely wraps it in a red cloth as the man who got shot gets dragged away. This scene follows the lyrics of the chorus: ' This is America, Don't catch you slippin' up'. The weapon is treated with more care compared to the body of the person who was just killed, this reflects the gun culture in the US.   

Guthrie Ramsey, a professor of music history at the University of Pennsylvania explains that 'the central message is about guns and violence in America and the fact that we deal with them and consume them as part of the entertainment on one hand, and on the other hand, is a part of our national conversation, ' Ramsey continues by saying ' You're not supposed to feel as if this is the standard fare opulence of the music industry. It's about a counter-narrative and it really leaves you with chills' 

Ramsey continues to talk about the lyrics and more of the meaning behind the song he talks about the main scene where a choir is present ' He's talking about the contradictions of trying to get money, the idea of being a black man in America, It comes out of two different sound worlds. Part of the brilliance of the presentation is that you go from this happy major mode of choral singing that we associate with South African Choral singing, and then after the first gunshot it moves right into trap sound'. I personally believed this was a very impactful transition of sound as to make a strong statement on how America is seen as a place of hope and freedom but it changes so quickly into a land of violence. 

Childish Gambino is seen to be dancing with children in what I would argue to be the second scene, during this a lot of illegal activity is going on behind them, such as violence, gangs, etc, with what seems to be the police not visible, just the car being there, this could be argued to be a metaphor that America ignores it's problems and focuses on this rosy picture by ignoring and covering up the problems. 

Gambino throughout the video is seen to be shirtless and wearing bland coloured pants which could be representing his freedom and the fact that he is human, and that it can be anyone.

This video was very cleverly made and created a lot of interest, the video itself got shared multiple times over multiple different media's as it had so much to say about the cultures of America and how scarily people related to it, it was clearly presented that people related to it through the comment section as well as people commenting on its impact, this video created so much hype articles were written on it including an article written by the Times. 

 

Ramsey's perspective of the kids dancing while violence was going was that ' the dancers could be there to distract viewers in the same way black art is used to distract people from real problems plaguing America' he continues by saying ' it's better to absorb the video as a whole because America itself is a country of very strange juxtapositions.' 

This section was a key example of the juxtapositions as the kids and Donald glover seem to be happily dancing whereas the society behind them is falling apart with crime and violence I believe that this is another example of a political statement that suggests that America will gloss over the actual impacts of societies problems and not address and fix the damages that are being caused. This video depicts the idea that America only shows the public what they want them to see and try to cover up it social, political and racial problems. This mid panning shot really expresses this idea as it shows the masses of action and destruction behind them while blurring out their faces presenting their irrelevance while dancing with the children who are seamlessly unaware of the situation as they are happily smiling and dancing with Donald glover, the mise on the scene suggests the children are unaware of the circumstances they are within. 

In this close-up mid-shot Donald pulls out an imaginary gun and it is at this point that everyone runs away from him, this is an interesting perspective as it builds upon the racial stereotypes created in America as the assumption is that Afro-Caribbean boys are more likely to commit crime, therefore everyone believes by his movements that he has the intention to kill, cleverly the costume and mise on scene demonstrates him to be fully natural only presenting the colour of his skin using a plane grey background to accentuate it which supports the idea that he is suggesting the racial stereotypes that exist. 

At the ending of the video, the man is seen to be running away from the cops and the lyrics that accommodate are 'You just a black man in this world, you just a barcode', which can be assumed to be an example of one of the main current issues in America of Gun violence and police brutality, especially with is relevance connecting to the George Floyd incident. The shot presents Donald running away in fear in a dark space which could be reflecting of the fear and unknown that exists with the justice system in America. The lyrics express how people in America are not respected as lives but rather as a number in the societal system.    

Artists and Albums

 Why are album artworks still important? 

Albums are still important as they tell us more about the multiple different songs that one artist has done compared to music videos that only represent one particular song. Album covers show us the tracklist, the title of the album, the artist and or band name, which studio it was made in, the legal information, and warnings if necessary.

The first album cover of Stormzy was...

 Gang signs and prayers.

This album cover represents the genre of music is rap through the darkness of the image and that gangland culture represented by the balaclavas being worn in the background. This album cover represents where Stormzy came from and where he is today as he is present in the center of the image. By the name of the album, we can see that the label has tried to make Stormzy into more of a man of God, comparing his past to how grateful he is to be where he is. Giving Stormzy the image of a man of God also makes him more relatable to the audience as when he initially started he did not need a certain reliability because all he was trying to do was take his first steps in his musical carrier, however now that he has made it as a successful artist he needed a relatable point of interest for his audience. 

His music video and album come together as they show different elements that create the artist's image. His music is now more varied which match a wider audience and also shows that he has aged with the time and his music videos represent this as they show him under different lights and example of those would be own it and his performance of 'Blinded by your Grace'.

   

So why are albums still relevant?

Albums are still relevant due to the fact they tell the unique story of what and who the band were in a specific era and or moment of time. This is something that music videos don't portray. Albums also don't need to create some deep meaning or political view in order for people to like it or notice it, it gives the artist a chance just to represent themselves. Albums also make it easier for artists to get bookings, as it shows that an artist is willing to invest in their carrier as creating an album can be time-consuming and a financial strain.

first vs now

 Stormzy 

In Stormzy's first video 'I'm back' the label, IMTV reflects Stormzy to be rap and grim singer who is down to earth and trying to make his way in the music industry. In the video, we can see that it is low budget as the camera uses a random blue cheap filter over the top of the whole thing, and it is being shot in the outskirts of London on the streets this tells the audience that he does not have a lot of access to material capital, therefore, is just shooting his shot. Stormzy's second video carries the same theme and location however the camera used is of better quality and this video allows Stormzy to make his mark the video was called 'Shut up'.

Stormzy however has made huge leaps in his musical carrier in a short space of time, recently doing huge collaborations with bigger artists such as Ed Sheeran. Stormzy was also given the opportunity to perform and the 2020 brit awards, which was a huge step in his musical carrier.

In his most recent music video, you can see huge changes even through production as his music videos contain high-quality shots as well as huge lighting and backing crew. We can see that Stormzy has also moved away from grime and has moved closer towards rap which was most likely a decision made by his label and manager.

Andrew Goodwin

 Music video theory 

Andrew Goodin's music video theory breaks down every music video into eight different elements:

1. links between the music and the visuals: This refers to the idea that whatever is shown on screen resembles the beat of the song. An example of this would be if a video is upbeat the dance will reflect the rhythm of it . This is also the same in regards to the editing of a music video. An example of this would be if a song is very slow the cuts between shots may also be slow. 

An example of this would be ....

In this video, Sam Smith's dancing matches the rhythm of the song as it speeds up his dance movements speed up.

2. Links between the lyrics and the visuals: This refers to the idea that the video represents the lyrics of the song. This is done very often to illustrate the lyrics, using props or actions in the mis en scene. 

An example of this would be .....

At the beginning of this video, it talks about letting down guard, due to love, which is presented in the video throughout such as when they are in the bank watching each other and not paying attention (letting down guard) and one gets shot.

3. Display of the typical genre conventions:  Music videos may represent their specific genre of music in their music video, for example, a rap genre may show low angled shots, money, and bling. 

An example of this would be ....

 Lose your self by Eminem uses multiple long angle shots as well as represents gangland culture, commonly shown in the rap genre.

4. A variety of intertextual references: This is when a music video makes references to another media text. For example, Writings on the wall, as it references Spectre.

5. Notions of looking: This refers to the idea that the singer is directly looking at the camera in the video to create the illusion that they are letting the audience in, therefore making them feel more involved. 

An example of this would be....... 

In the song Human, the singer looks directly at the audience throughout to portray his message clearly and strictly.

6. Voyeurism:  Voyeurism refers to the idea of looking at something for sexual satisfaction, women are more commonly used in this way through the use of camera angles and fragmented body shots. An example of this would be 'Earned it' by the weekend this song would also go under intertextual references.

7. Demands of the record label: If the artist works for a particular label, they may be required to do certain things in their performance, this may include close-ups or a certain setting which would be done to keep up the artist's image.

Pitbull has kept an image of himself to look fun and free like he can do whatever he wants, this image of the artist has been maintained by his record label.

8. Andrew Goodwin believes music videos are broken down into three different areas either performance-based, narritve-based, or concept-based.

Performance-based is when the video shows the actors dancing or playing in a band to the song, essentially going along with the rhythm. An example of this would be...

Narrative refers to when the video is portraying a story or a certain message across to the audience. An example of this would be ... 

Last but not least, concept-based this refers to the video presenting an idea which is displayed in the mise en scene, it doesn't have to relate to the music.

Star theory - Richard Dyer

Richard Dyers star theory refers to the idea that celebrities are goods manufactured by institutions. Dyer believed that celebrities are constructed to represent 'normal people' blown out of proportion. He believes that they are made out to look like they are experiencing real emotions in order to relate with the audiences and sell products such as films or music. Celebrities are made to fit the era , by this I mean they are adapted and re designed to grow with their audiences. Dyers believes stars are constructed and trademarked, he believes they are constructed through music videos, films, magazines etc. 

Richard Dyer's star theory suggests three main features that make a star. 

1. The star as a construction 

Stars are shown in a multitude of different ways, their images , how they are shown through advertising television, magazines etc, have been created by their management to create an image for the artists.Images can and will vary to make them stand out, they can either be presented to be down to earth or highly ' out there' and unpredictable. These different aspects and different ways of selling their artists, presents them in different ways to their audience, meaning they will attract a different type of audience, this is all dependent on what type of audience they are trying to target. 

An example of this would be Ed sheeran compared to Avicii. 

Ed Sheeran is presented to be down to earth and just a man on his guitar singing, this image presents his music being written from the heart and having a different genre compared to Avicii and this can be shown simply by the image of the artist. In this photo even the outfit is down to earth and not drastic. 

 

Compared to Avicii who is made to go all out which is also presented in his songs. Even in staging their is a clear difference between the two artists , Avicii being more extravagant. 

2. The star as a commodity 

Richard Dyer believes secondly that stars have been constructed by their record label to appeal to ther target audiences. This means that the success of the artist would be shared success between them and their label. Different types of magazines, featured bands or artists on the front cover as their image becomes the commodity that will attract the target audience to by the music or magazine.Stars are created to make profit, therefore labels find patterns between artists to make sure the artist is successful this explains why so many different boy bands are very similar.

3. The star as an ideology 

This is what the band or artists represents and or believes in, this can be used to fit the target audience or to gain a larger audience. An example of this would be groups who follow Avicii's belief that you should live the life you want. 

Avicii as my example 

Avicii is a star who is a cross between down to earth in his lyrics however he is extravagant when it comes to his performances. 

Avicii's Instagram however is very down to earth, he comes across as a very humble guy. 

Social media post

1. Talk about why social media is important as part of a marketing strategy

• Engagement (why audiences watch and consume the account):
• Tell a story (showing some sort of behind the scenes of them making their music)
• Promote (using the social media to promote their album/merchandise/tour etc)
  

Social media is hugely important as it is a form of marketing, new artist have platforms like intagrams where they can post their skills and voices and then this potentially gives them the possibility to be scouted out for. Social media can also demonstraight and introduce different ways in which up and coming artists can be found out an example of this would be shows like the Xfactor and Britains got talent shows like these allows artists to be found and recognised by people  who can sign them onto a contract. People like Simon Cowell can find people on these shows that he can sell the story of such as how they became up and coming stars as well as this gives him the posibility to manage stars that may then eventually create Simon Cowell revenue.Using social media is the  easiest way to give the artist the posibility to sell themselves as most of the time new artists don't have the material capital to fully advertise themselves therefore using social medias such as Instagram allows them to have a free platform that can send their music worldwide. 

With the character i designed last week ,I decided to create them a fake Instagram account to demonstrate the differnet uses of advertising online. 

 

• Engagement (why audiences watch and consume the account): To demonstrate engagement i made a an Instagram post taking about how the artist was inspired by a bigger country singer, the idea behind this is that the artist will pull in a small group of fans who are also inspired by the same country artist , this gives the artist something to relate with, between him and his fans.When using social media you can also add multiple hashtags which allow for more people to discover the artist as your post will come up under that category, therefore if someone is searching a specific word such as country, your post has the possibility of being discovered, this means you product will be reaching a wider audience.

• Tell a story (showing some sort of behind the scenes of them making their music)

To demonstrate, telling a story I posted a photo of some cowboy boots as this fits with the genre of music as well as allows the singer too refer to the post as taking their first steps into the music world. In the bio of the post on social media an artist is able to express themselves, this also makes the audience feel as though they are a part of their journey which falls under participatory culture. Engaging the audience allows an artist to have a solid primary fan base who will follow the artist throughout their carrier as they want to feel as though they have been their throughout the artists rise to success. 

• Promote (using the social media to promote their album/merchandise/tour etc)

As previously mentioned, social media can be used to promote, e.g promoting a new album or promoting the release of a new song. In my example I posted a photo for the release of a new album.  This therefore promotes my product and deveoles a hype for its release meaning that there will be a fan base ready to purcahs the product upon its release. 

All of these aspects are used to engage and connect with the artists target audience, using social media is a way to do this which is why it is a key element to marketing as it gets the artists product out to the world drawing people into the idea or the product itself.

What is the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy in the film industry?

  What is the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy in the film industry?

Q1: What am I being asked to write about?

essay plan 

I am being asked to talk about media technology, as the question is essentially asking what is the importance of advertisement in different forms of media, the question also asks about media ownership and its synergy what are the benefits of having a synergy in the film industry. 

Which areas am I being asked to focus my answer on?

marketing, distribution, exchange, production (synergy), exhibition. 

Q3: What is my overall view/opinion on the question? (this will form your conclusion)

Cross-media convergence is a reference to media ownership but also distribution as it explains the process of distribution between different types of social media platforms. In the question, I have been given you could also argue that it has something to do with media technology within the answer as you may be able to refer to different platforms of media as well as the different forms of technology used to present its distribution, having a synergy can also allow for a bigger expenditure on these areas as there is more support given to the company allowing for more risks to be taken. This question is not specific to a certain area instead it solely asks for the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy, Why are they there and how do they help? 

Opinion/ overview: The significance of cross-media convergence and synergy is that they allow big companies to take bigger risks as they have a bigger safety net this corresponds to Warner Brothers, however, Belstone pictures do not have as big of a safety net to land on as they don't work in a synergy. Cross-media convergence mainly being about media ownership allows for big companies to extend their influence and power even further and therefore dominate the market across all areas. Due to the existence of synergy and cross-media convergence, the film industry is made very difficult for independent film companies meaning they have to approach things such as marketing differently excluding big financial risks. 

Step 1: Introduction.

Paraphrase a very general introduction by using the information in the question. 

The significance of cross-media convergence and synergy in the film industry is immensely important. Contemporary film is dominated across the world by Hollywood films, making the 'Big Six' studios, and this includes conglomerates by which they are owned and highly powerful and influential in the film industry., therefore having, a wider range of accessibility to big actors over different social media platforms ( de la Gadot, Instagram) filters, Nasscar, etc. Cross-media convergence and synergy play a huge role in maintaining their brand dominance in the Market.  Whilst this is positive for the big companies and the audience, this leaves a huge challenge for the smaller, independent companies, the two types of companies, therefore, depend on the significance of their marketing between cross-media convergence, the scale of the companies synergy will also depend on their production and exchange as with bigger companies they have the ability for horizontal integration, meaning their product will have more people working on it meaning it will go further and therefore reach a wider audience. Independent companies without synergy or cross-media convergence will only access a limited audience compared. This becomes extremely challenging for set of circumstances for smaller film production companies to operate within.  It can then be argued that the overall significance of synergy and cross-media convergence is that the bigger the company the bigger the benefit of this, however the smaller the company the more challenging this becomes to compete with, as it can limit the range of availability to audiences.  

Step 2: A section to set the scene and introduce your case study examples

• Introduce Warner Bros Pictures as an example of Hollywood industry
• Place WB Pictures in its company context i.e. subsidiary, AT&T now own Time Warner who own Warner Bros, biggest media conglomerate, etc
• Introduce Wonder Woman (or Joker or other) as example of the type of high concept, tentpole movie they make
• Now turn your focus to information relating to WB and your examples which is relevant to the question being asked.
• Gal Gadot's Instagram and other medias' using the WonderWoman filter, Snapchat, and Facebook filters, behind the scenes as they allow the audience to feel as though they are apart of the process also known as participatory culture
•  Within their marketing they did product tie ins with Dr Pepper in America and sponsored a female Nascar driver, this catches the attention of an even wider audience as well as develops a ripple effect
• By doing all these different forms of marketization Warner Brothers Pictures are hooking the next generation of Wonder Woman fans as they are constantly being exposed to her, their use of current technology is long-lasting and fast spreading as they are taking advantage of the influence they have on their fans, e.g passing on Warner Brother Pictures content to other contacts of theirs, causing a big spread.
• As Warner Brothers Pictures are well known they have the contacts and material capital to make a deal with streaming services and theaters of where they want their film to be shown and as their films are on high demand bigger companies such as IMAX will request to have their film shown with them.
• Using streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon prime and most recently HBO allows for more people to view the film as the audience can enjoy watching their new releases in the comfort of their homes, due to current events (COVID-19) Warner Brothers is following in the footsteps of one of the other big 6

When referring to the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy two good case studies to include would be Belstone pictures which is a small independent film company and Warner Brothers Pictures as part of AT&T who now owns Time Warner. Warner Brothers Pictures is an example of a Hollywood industry film. Warner brothers are the biggest media conglomerate it, it is a subsidiary as it is owned by a bigger brand. A good example for cross-media convergence would of been Wonder Woman, which was a high concept, tentpole movie they made to allow for a big income to therefore release more films. Due to Gal Gadot being a famous celebrity she was able to use her fan base to advertise WonderWoman, she used a Wonder Woman filter to allow for her fans to feel apart of the film which goes under 'participatory culture, Warner Brothers being such a huge synergy with multiple people holding them up allows for opportunities and actors that small independent filmmakers don't have access to, the fact that they are not alone allows for more risks to b taken. Warner Brothers Pictures also have access to more funds allowing more access to different types of media convergence including Nascar, using different forms of advertisement on different platforms means that their product is reaching a wider audience. This also allows warner Brothers to hook the next generation of Wonder Woman Fans, Warner Brothers also did product tie-ins with brands such as DR Pepper in America, this again allows for a wider reach of their product. Using these different types of platforms and having the support to do so allows for their product to be passed through different contacts causing widespread which leads to the success of their product this shows the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy as without this you will not have the access to greater success as they deliver the job of marketing their product and ensuring that the company has the material capital and team to hold the company up when experiments/risks want to be attempted, it gives the company more freedom and creativity compare to an independent company that does not have the same amount of access.

Step 3:  A section giving details and evidence relevant to the set question i.e it is a question about cross-media convergence and synergy you would discuss, for example: 

company structure, Warner Bros Pictures as part of AT&T who now owns Time Warner, and what this allows in terms of cross-media convergence and synergy in

- production: DC Comics and Warner Bros Pictures making ‘Wonder Woman’ is an example of cross-media convergence. It’s also horizontal integration as both companies are owned by the same parent AT&T. We now await ‘WW1984’ and a 3^rd film is planned, plus a spin-off (google it!) so franchise model is being applied to maximize profits.

- distribution: mostly handled across the globe by Warner Bros Distribution, a different arm of the same company, so profits stay within the company and no revenue going to outside distributors

- marketing: global marketing campaigns across all platforms (traditional to online/social media viral marketing). Having a huge network of media companies at your disposal obvs makes this easier and more effective.

Cross-media convergence and synergy, can also be demonstrated through the company structure, Warner Brothers pictures is owned by AT&T who now owns Time Warner having this strain of brand working under the same ownership, otherwise known as synergy allows for more to be complete in a smaller time frame as there are more people available to work on different aspects otherwise known as horizontal integration, it also allows for a brand to have a safety net having a synergy or a conglomerate allows brands to take risks that could financially not recover and allows them to be bailed out by one of the other companies in the same chain, this allows more risks to be taken. Having more names under the same brand allows for more access to cross-media convergence as it allows for a wider group of people to scout for the best platforms to present their product. Another example of cross-media significance would be in the production of wonder Woman paying for the rights to use a character from DC Comics and Warner Brother Pictures using this to create 'Wonder Woman', this would also go under Horizontal integration as both companies are owned by the same parent company AT&T. To Maximise profits Warner Brothers pictures is turning WonderWoman into a franchise with the accessibility of cross-media convergence that Warner Brothers has access to the widespread of the films franchise will hit globally as WarnerBrothers has the material capital to afford the different types of cross-media convergence. The distribution for Warner Brothers Pictures is mostly handled across the globe by Warner brothers Distribution, a different part of the same conglomerate, this allows the company not to lose revenue that would have gone out to outside distributors. Warner Brothers Marketing global campaigns are done across all platforms ( cross-media convergence) social media viral marketing etc. Warner Brothers having this huge network of media companies at their disposal allows for the product to be more effectively marketed as well as it makes it easier for the company.

Step 4:  A linking section, bringing in your comparison example. Establish that obviously not all film companies operate at this level and this global dominance makes it very difficult for smaller, independent companies to gain any attention for their films

Step 5: A section to set the scene and introduce your second case study example

• Tank 432 as it was done with little marketization and technology as they did not have the same amount of material capital as Warner Brother Pictures
• As Belstone did not have the same level of hype behind it they did not develop any behind-the-scenes of Tank 432 and therefore also did not have the same amount of pre conversation of the film.
• Introduce Belstone Pictures as an example of a new and very small British independent filmmaker 
• Place Belstone Pictures in its company context i.e. totally independent, small scale, struggle to secure funding, only two films released so far but others in production and development
• Introduce ‘Tank 432’ as an example of the type of low budget, low concept, genre movie they make – why did they start with such a genre film (horror)?
• Now turn you focus to information relating to Belstone Pictures and ‘Tank 432’ which is relevant to the question being asked.

Another company worth mentioning when referring to the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy is Belstone Pictures as they are a small independent film company that does not more in a synergy and therefore does not have the safety net that WarnerBrothers Pictures has when creating a film and therefore they can take the same amount of risks as Warner brothers can take limiting the creativity that the company is given due to funds. Belstone Pictures has only released two films so far but is working on a third. Tank 432 was the first film Belstone Pictures introduced and it was an extremely low budget film as they struggled to gather funds, they started by making horror films as horror films are one of the most popular genres and they do not require a lot to be made and effective. Tank432 was done with little marketization and technology as they did not have the same amount of material capital as Warner Brothers Pictures, this meant they had a lot less cross-media convergence which means it reached a smaller audience range meaning many did not know the film existed. The fact that Bellstone Pictures was not working in a synergy meant they did not have access to bail out if it was unsuccessful therefore leading to bigger risks when it was being created. As Belstone did not have the same level of hype behind it they did not develop any behind-the-scenes of Tank 432 which meant the film did not have any participation culture, as well as the film, did not have the same amount of pre-release film conversation. 

Step 6: A section giving details and evidence relevant to the set question i.e. for cross-media convergence and synergy you would discuss, for example: 

For a Film company like Belstone pictures there is already a struggle to attract investment just to make the film so little chance of cross-media convergence and synergy and without these aspects the film is likely to do worse as it is not accessing the marketing and advertisement in for a wider/ bigger audience to see their film, without a synergy there is no safety net for the company making their job more challenging. Without pre-sold elements, the film is not as likely to be as spoken about and gather the same amount of hype as the Warner brothers this is due to the fact that Warner Brothers works in synergy as well as has a wide cross-media convergence therefore before the film is released there is already an exciting fan base prepared to view the film. If a company cannot market its film properly then they are not as likely to be as successful as it won't reach a wide enough audience. This is the significance of cross-media convergence and synergy without these two fings companies are not stable and they can go unnoticed if the cross-media convergence is underused.  

Step 7: Paraphrase/summarise your entire argument making absolutely sure you relate back to what the question is actually asking you and answer it!