Arguments and Contexts Essay Plan

"The introduction of the digital cinema network in the UK in recent years has greatly extend audience choice." How far fo you agree with the statement?

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Mock Essay

"To what extent does internet piracy pose a threat to the film industry?"

The following essay will explore to what extent internet piracy poses a threat to the film industry. The first point that can be determined, is that the rise of piracy has had a negative impact on Hollywood and the film industry. The main reason being it loses them money and people are more inclined to stay at home and watch films. In my opinion, a way to look at piracy in a positive light is that it allows audiences to view non-mainstream films; with this in mind, if less people are going to the cinema, the film industry is not prepared to take risks on new styles of film. This keeps the production of films with simplistic and formulaic narratives, disguised through the use of CGI and special effects. This becomes apparent with ongoing franchises such as Die Hard and Fast and the Furious, where more films are made as they have a guaranteed audience.

In order to explore fully the impacts of piracy on the film industry, a context that must be looked at is technology. The main technological factor being the resurgence of 3D technology. This can be seen as an attempt to increase cinema attendance, offering a quality that can not be received from pirated movies at home. This is on the basis, sites such as Megaupload can not be used in order to stream and download movies of a 3D quality, also raising complications for those who do not own 3D polaroid glasses. Being promoted as an exclusive experience, the multiplexes have raised the cost of ticket prices and added the extra cost of glasses, to view a film in 3D. Due to 3D’s use in multiplexes currently, it is hard for directors not to try and integrate it into their movies in the hope of them achieving a film that is successful at the cinema. This could involve changing parts of the narrative in the movie, in order to incorporate 3D. From the critics perspective, the main purpose is to make a profit and it doesn’t do much to improve the standard of the film being made. The critic known as Mark Kermode also has a fairly negative outlook towards the idea of 3D. 

Another context that can be discussed in relation to piracy is social context. With people being able to view vast amounts of films online for free, they develop a greater range of film knowledge and understanding. This raises the expectations for films, establishing a desire for movies that have a more complex narrative and meet the needs of the postmodern audience. An example of where smaller films have been released to larger audiences is the film We Need To Talk About Kevin. The internet acts as a resource to easily gaining access to free films, without paying anything. A reason why people choose to do this is because it is more affordable and easier than having to travel to the closest multiplex for a screening; especially when it can all be done from the comfort of your own home. The main impact piracy has on the multiplexes is the decrease in cinema attendance, hence the resurgence of 3D as previously stated when referring to the technological context.

The final point that the essay will explore is the economic context relating to piracy. This links strongly with the 3D technology used, on the basis the studios and directors use a lot of money in order to incorporate the technology; alongside the multiplexes which spend money in order to accommodate the technology in their facilities. This is all done so that it will be economically profitable in the long run, gaining profit through the rise in ticket prices and extra costs of glasses. A film that acted as a turning point for most films now to be filmed in 3D is Avatar. Due to it’s success, films have begun to stick to the same features, replicating similar plots and focusing more on being visually pleasing than the narrative. This links in with the creation of several sequels, on the basis the original film was successful. In doing this, appeal is also gained through the use of the same stars and directors.

In conclusion, the response by the film industry to counter the ever growing use of piracy to view films, was the establishment of 3D. The selling point being it offers a much higher quality than home videos. In order to meet the expectations of the audiences now, I believe the film industry should go back to focusing on making better films with a richer and more risk taking plot, as well as keeping the audience’s interest not just through making the film visually pleasing, but intellectually satisfying as well. It is likely to remain the case however, films will continue to be made in the same way as it generates profit from a guaranteed audience.