The document provides tips on essay structure and discusses various topics related to the film industry, including conglomerates versus independent films. It recommends including discussion of both the institution and audience in exam answers. It then outlines a typical 5-paragraph essay structure with an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and optional conclusion. The rest of the document offers potential topics and points about ownership, local and global audiences, digital technology/hardware proliferation, technological convergence, and synergy/cross-media convergence as they relate to mainstream and independent films.

1. Section B Essay Structure Tips

2. Institution & audience
• Remember in any exam topic you must discuss
both!
• If you get ‘ownership’ or ‘technology’ don’t
forget to write about audience!

3. General Essay Structure
Structure Comment
1 Introduction
-briefly answer the question (state your stance on the argument)………
2 Topic 1
-state your points/arguments
-explore both sides of debate (in a better answer)
3 Topic 2
-state your points/arguments
-explore both sides of debate (in a better answer)
4 Topic 3
-state your points/arguments
-explore both sides of debate (in a better answer)
5 Conclusion (only if you have time)
-wrap up your points in essay
-you can offer your own personal opinion on essay question if time

4. • Ownership
• Local & global audiences
• Digital technology/proliferation of hardware
• Technological convergence
• Synergy & cross media convergence

5. Ownership
Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3
Main Topic Hollywood conglomerates still dominate film
industry and have loads of money & power
In contrast, indie film industry struggle to
complete with conglomerates
Changing and evolving industries
Things to discuss -horizontal and vertically integrated (have
more control over everything)
-have loads of money (capital) so if films
flops it doesn’t matter
-diversification (huge conglomerates expand,
expand and expand…..more profit and more
control)
-appeal to mass audiences for high profits
-have huge budgets for:
…..big actors, directors,
……huge marketing campaigns (below and
above the line)
……spectacular special effects and high
action
……often franchise films
-----synergies with other companies
-compete with conglomerates as most (mass)
audiences watch mainstream films
-often they don’t have capital that
conglomerates have, rely on public funding to
fund projects
-don’t have money for marketing campaigns
(have below the line advertising instead)
-can’t make elaborate and spectacular films but
often simplistic/raw nitty gritty portrayals
-make films for arts sake and
awareness/education for niche audiences
-growing with expansion of technology (faster
and cheaper to make films with digital
technology………easier to exhibit in cinemas who
have digital projection (paid for by digital screen
network)
-is mainstream
-indie film industry growing ………people bored
of fake special effects, rinsed out franchises
and predictable stories/characters
-conglomerates have picked up on this and
often buy out indie distrubution companies
(working title)
-conglomerates also distribute indie films
(slumdog, juno, etc)
-indie films are starting to act like
conglomerates having big budgets , marketing
campaigns and spectacular CGI/actions etc.
(hunger games)
-proliferation of hardware……..technology
advances in distribution and exhibition people
can just watch films at home (and quality is
good) (technological convergence)……..this is a
threat to conglomerates

6. Local & Global audiences
Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3
Main Topic Hollywood conglomerates still dominate film
industry and have loads of money & power
to get to mass audiences
In contrast, indie film industry is for niche
audiences ( perhaps more local) but compete
with conglomerates
Changing and evolving industries
Things to discuss -appeal to mass & global audiences for high
profits as they are horizontal and vertically
integrated (have more control over
everything)
-have loads of money (capital) to spend on a
variety of things to make it appealing to
mass audiences:
…..big actors, directors,
……huge marketing campaigns (below and
above the line)
……spectacular special effects and high
action
……often franchise films (stick with audiences
as they grow up)
-----synergies with other companies
Global audiences =
…….shot in different countries (locations)
……..website to different parts of world
……..DVD in multiple languages
……..social media marketing
(global)……(connected to synergy/cross
media convergence)
-test screening – do this to know if audiences
understand and like the film……..
-compete with conglomerates as most (mass)
audiences watch mainstream films
-often they don’t have capital that
conglomerates have, rely on public funding to
fund projects or from private investors
-don’t have money for marketing campaigns
(have below the line advertising instead such as
film festivals to create buzz……….this sometimes
can get it’s appeal to global audiences (via social
networking too!)
-can’t make elaborate and spectacular films but
often simplistic/raw nitty gritty portrayals
………often these stories and subcultures are
specific to a region which is appealing to local
audiences (ex east london)
-growing with expansion of technology (faster
and cheaper to make films with digital
technology………easier to exhibit in cinemas who
have digital projection (paid for by digital screen
network)……..easier to get to audiences
(arthouse cinemas such as tricycle , picturehouse
or curzon)
-of course many filmmakers and production
companies dedicated to making indie film to
reflect realism and celebrate artistic
expression and freedom (provide alternative
from mainstream and for niche audiences)
--conglomerates have strategies to keep niche
audiences (buying out indie companies
(working title)……or distributing indie films
(juno, american pie, paranormal activity)
-indie films are starting to act like
conglomerates having big budgets , marketing
campaigns and spectacular CGI/actions etc.
(hunger games, life of pi)……..for mass and
niche!!!!!! (clever way to make more money!)
-indie industries still have loyal audiences who
value the unique and different (and how like a
good simple story)
-local and global audiences can consume films
easier from proliferation of technology and
technological convergence – at home on DVD
or buy on itunes (big or small films), PPV,
lovefilm etc.

7. Digital Technology/proliferation of
hardware
Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3
The role of technology in
relation to mainstream
films
-production
-marketing
-distribution
-exhibition
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
The role of technology in
independent films
-production
-marketing
-distribution
-exhibition
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Changing industries (how
conglomerates are doing
different things to save the
industry….buying out,
distributing
(distributing small indie
films that perhaps don’t
have money to get to mass
audiences)
(or indie films acting like
big blockbusters!)

8. Technological Convergence
• Same as technology but focus on how it has
expanded (faster, more efficient from 35mm
and film/prints

9. Synergy & cross-media convergence
Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3
Mainstream Indie Changing industry