Shrek 2 dvd

Shrek 2 dvd

The Shrek 2 dvd doesn't just contain the film, but also special features , such as interviews with the cast, more than 15 games and music videos from scenes in the film.

This bonus feature to the dvd increases consumers interactivity, as they can get involved with activities relating to the film, such as 'Save Fiona' and 'Find Puss in Boots' and also 'Vote for your favourite character' in the singing competition 'Far Far Away Idol'. The interviews with the cast encourages the audience to feel more connected to the film, as they are familiarising themselves with the characters (actors providing the voices) therefore their relation to the film is increased.

As the dvd targets mainly children, working with their favourite characters to complete game tasks and other special features helps to build their interactivity with the film and also makes them feel more involved. Children are also more likely to find greater enjoyment in visiting 'Shrek's music room' than most adults would. However, the film maker's commentary and the technical 'Sneak Peak from DreamWorks Animation' allows adults to see that it is a childfriendly dvd, and also encourages customer loyalty as they will be satisfied to buy their children other dvds from DreamWorks Animators.

The quote 'Created exclusively for the dvd' makes consumers feel as though they are gaining a lot more from buying the dvd and provides the audience with a sense that the special features were created especially for them in order to increase their interactivity.

On the dvd home menu, there are a selection of choices for the audience to pick from, such as

• Play the film
• Scene selection
• English subtitles
• Widescreen viewing

By being able to select which scenes to watch, this is a non-linear viewing style, which replaces the linear viewing of films on video tape or at the cinema. However, the optional widescreen viewing tries to create a cinematic experience for the audience, and the addition of subtitles makes it easy for younger children to follow what the characters are saying.

Key Concepts of Theory

Proliferation - extended choices/features to the dvd

Interactivity, Non-linear, flexibility/convenience, vertical intergration

Playstation 3

Playstation 3

The Playstation 3 has been labelled by Sony as 'cutting-edge' technology and a 'revolutionised system'. It's sleek and stylish design makes it an attractive product and a 'must have' as the latest gaming technology.

The features of this product are very beneficial for consumers/gamers, as the advanced technology provides a wider range of options to use the PS3 for and the high quality makes it a more immersive experience for the audience. The features of the PS3 are:

Remote Play - Consumers can play games across the PS3 and PSP via Wireless. You can play music and video files, as well as accessing the Internet.

PS3 system Home Menu - Photo, Music, Video, Network and Friends. You can also use the Slideshow and Photo Album, which creates a montage of your images. The Home Menu is very simple and easy to use, keeping consumers content and also looks very much like an internet selection page.
Music and Video - Can listen to music or watch trailers for movies and games.

It is the replacement for Playstation 2, and a competitor with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii.

Games - Has a huge storage which is great for storing files but also saving games.

The High Definition imagery make games more realistic.

The characters are, imaginative and believable. The visuals of lifelike worlds and vivid characters form realistic and immersive gaming.
Blu-ray Disc - More data can be squeezed onto a Blu-ray Disc (BD), even though it's the same size as a traditional DVD, which makes it ideal for High Definition.

Real time processing - the graphics, sound, physics are worked out as events in the game actually happen - in 'real time', which again make the game seem more realistic.

Accessories -

S VIDEO cable

Component AV cable

HDMI cable

AV cable

Blu-ray disc remote control

SIXAXIS Wireless controller

This is also known as Vertical Intergration, as the additional products encourage consumers to invest in them to benefit their gaming experience, therefore Sony make more money.

AUDIENCES

The main target group are teenage males and young male adults, as these are the audiences who mostly invest in gaming products. However, an interview with one of Playstation 3's producers said that the product is also aimed at Playstations fans/devotees, as they are likely to invest in the latest Sony technology due to customer loyalty. The product also targets working males who are fairly wealthy, as the Playstation 3 is quite expensive, but also because the stylish and sophisticated design makes the Playstation 3 an attractive product to young, stylish men.

INSTITUTIONS

The main profitting institution is Sony, their product is mass marketted and very popular, but they also advertise their other products such as PSP and accessories to work with the PS3.

EA Games are also benefitting, as their games are being marketted on the website.

CONCEPTS of THEORY

Personalisation, Quality, Convergence, Vertical integration

Making a Film

Digital video cameras and home editing software

The digital video camera is small, light, portable, affordable (ranging from £150 - £400) and their quality of filming is of a high standard. The digital video camera is becoming increasingly more popular and widely available, which is beneficial for ammateur film makers and for home use, where digital video cameras are replacing the old fashioned camcorders, which were much larger and combined the camera with a VCR tape.

Examples:

Panasonic NVGS27B Digital Camcorder:

30x optical zoom

Small - fits comfortably in one hand

Joystick control - easily operate all basic functions with one hand

Icons representing different features are displayed on the LCD monitor

JVC GRD728EK Digital Camcorder:

28x Optical Zoom (800x digital zoom)
2.7" LCD Screen
Auto light
Widescreen recording
Image stabiliser
DV output
Long Play
Camcorder Weight: 410gms

The digital video cameras (DV), capture and store video in digital formats known as DAT (digital audio tape) When footage is made using the digital video camera, it can be edited on the computer or embedded into multimedia documents, such as Youtube, by connecting the camera to a computer using a USB lead.

By being able to connect the camera to a computer, consumers can upload the footage and then create short films or video clips using

editing software like Ulead VideoStudio or Adobe Premiere. This is a great and convenient way for Amateure film makers to produce short films, as the software and digital video cameras are affordable and easy to use. They can then upload their films onto independant film websites like http://www.ifilm.com/ or www.fxhome.com. The other benefits of being able to upload videos onto the computer are for audiences to post their videos on popular video site YouTube, where they can share and consume the media, but also once the footage is uploaded onto the computer, it can be burnt onto a dvd and consumed via the tv using an audio-video cable.

The digital video cameras target a wide audience, as it can be used for hobbies, such as producing films or for leisure, such as filming holidays and families. The portability makes it convenient for carrying the camera around and they are also very light. Most of the modern cameras are of extreme quality in sound and picture and contain additional features such as special effects therefore the consumer feels as though they are getting more for their money.

CONCEPTS of THEORY

Portability, Miniaturisation, Personalisation, Quality, Diversification

Vertical Intergration - by purchasing a camera from compnaies such as Sony or Panasonic, customers are more likely to maintain customer loyalty and purchase other products from the same company.

iPhone - Converged Technology

The Apple iPhone

What is the iPhone - The iPhone is a multimedia/internet enabled phone defined as a 'Revolutionary mobile phone as the phone converges most of today's modern technologies:

Widescreen iPod
Internet device with wireless connection
Camera
Touch screen controls - virtual keyboard and buttons
Select the order you listen to voicemails
Text and multimedia messaging
Bluetooth

The iphone is a Quadband GSM phone. The new phone means that consumers have nearly all the latest technologies converged into one small, handheld device, making it an extremely beneficial purchase. The iPhone is replacing the Smartphones, previoulsy created by Sony Ericsson, which acted as the complete personal organiser. However, the phone probably won't replace iPods, as the iPod is so popular among consumers and they enjoy having the device separately, but on the other hand, with the iPod combined within the phone, it isn't neccessary for consumers to need both the iPod and iphone.

The convergence of technology in the iPhone, allows consumers to store and watch music, videos, tv shows on the 3.5 wide screen. The internet features Safari , the most advanced web browser on a portable device, which includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search. You can read a web page while downloading your email in the background. The keyboard is predictive, so it prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones. The iPhone's large memory also allows data to be stored according to the consumer's priorities e.g. music or photos.

AUDIENCES
The target audience for the iPhone is probably teenagers and young adults, who are already familiar with using many of the phone's features, such as the i-pod and internet. The phone also targets Apple's loyal consumers, as their expectations of the 'revolutionary phone' will be achieved due to the wide success of the iPod. The phone is also popular among working adults, as they can keep organised using the phone's personal organiser whilst listening to their favourite music or watching video clips at the same time when travelling to/from work.
INSTITUTIONS

The institution involved in this product is Apple, and they will receive huge profits from the iPhone as it is stylish, attractive and a revolutionary new technology. The iPhone is likely to take in huge profits, not just because it is the latest 'gadget', but due to Apple's successful reputation as seen in the iPod. There has been lots of distributing of the phone, the first advertisement taking place at the Academy Awards - a hugely popular ceremony. They also used celebrity endorsement to market the phone and showed clips of them answering the phone on the Apple website.


CONCEPTS of THEORY

Immediacy, Portability, Personalisation, Quality, Flexibility/Convenience, Convergence, Vertical integration.

Fan Website

Gilmore Girls Unofficial Fansite

A fansite is a website created and maintained by fans or devotees interested in a celebrity, show or a particular cultural phenomenon, such as a movie, comic, band, or game.

Fansites may offer sepcialised information on the subject e.g.

• episode listings
• biographies of cast/characters
• pictures or screensavers
• download or watch trailers/cast interviews
• links to similar fansites
• the chance to talk to other fans
  

The majority of fan websites feature things such as discussion boards, polls, and news, which helps consumers to feel involved and also keeps them up to date with the product/subject. Television fan sites, such as Eastenders usually contain storyline plots also known as 'spoilers' in the discussion forums.

A fansite doesn't replace anything, but it gives fans the chance to create and devote their own website to their interest. The fansite I looked at was made by fans of an American TV show called 'Gilmore Girls'. The website has a navigation section, where it offers:

Main Cast & Characters Episode Guide Recent News Show Spoilers Images & Photos
Weekly Ratings Featured Music Message Board Chat Room Fan Extras Show Fashion
Fun & Games Mailing List Gilmore Girls FAQs Related Links Link This Site Site Info. Contact

The website is involved with Google, as it markets the site with search engine links. This benefits Google, as consumers are encouraged to use it to search more into the programme.

AUDIENCES

The site targets niche audiences and the homepage has loads of posts from fellow fans, who leave comments about the show and themselves. There is also a forum, in which fans can take part in discussions about the show. There is also a 'Shout box', where viewers leave their name, email address and their 'shout' (comment). They can also add an icon, which is personalisation. Fansites create a community/bring together niche audiences, who can share their opinions and interests in the site topic. The fansite i looked at features 'Show Fashion', which is enticing for the audience as they can copy their favourite characters styles. The amateur sites often offer a lot more than the official sites, although the layout and design is a lot simpler.

CONCEPTS of THEORY

Interactivity, personalisation, Diversification, Narrowcasting

Podcast

Heart Breakfast podcasts

A podcast is a media file, often from a radio show, such as interviews with celebrities, which is distributed over the internet for playback on portable media players and computers in a non-linear format.

The term "podcast" comes from the combining of the name of Apple's portable music player, the iPod, and broadcast, as often when downloading a podcast, it plays on iTunes.

The podcasters' web sites offer direct download or streaming of their content automatically.

It can be looked at that podcasts may replace radio, as consumers are able to download episodes of radio shows, without having the listen to the whole show. For example, the Heart Breakfast podcasts enables listeners to download the 'funniest bits' of the show, as well as interviews with celebrities. Viewers have to subscribe to the website in order to get the latest podcasts 'delivered' to their computer, and Heart describe it as 'It's a bit like getting a magazine delivered to your door, but with audio'. However, in order to subscribe, you must first download the programme iTunes, which markets the Apple institution as they have teamed up with Heart to deliver to consumers to latest technology. The programme iTunes also has a wide range of podcasts that are free and due to them covering a wide range of subjects/topics, they can appeal more directly to niche audiences.

The easy access of podcasts makes it appealing to many audiences, particulary teenagers and working people. As it is easy to download podcasts and then transfer them to an iPod, there is a large appeal to teenagers. They are also in control by being able to skip through parts of the podcast they don't like (Non-linear), where as they wouldn't be able to do that on the radio. The appeal of podcasts to working people is that they can listen to shows they may have missed.

CONCEPTS of THEORY

Proliferation, non-linear, immediacy, flexibilty/convenience, personalisation

Vlog

A Vlog is a blog that includes a video. Whereas Blogs are used as online diaries where other viewers can read what the consumer has written, Vlogs combine an embedded video or video link with it. This can be of a video that they have made themselves, or celebrity videos, such as music videos.



This is the music video for Ok Go's 'Here it goes again'. It is placed on YouTube for free viewing, where viewers can leave their comments and responses, with a link to their video page and it also has the time of how long ago the comment was posted. This enables the consumer to keep a track of how often their video is viewed and how popular it is by the number of responses.



YouTube is the most popular Video blogging site, as it it used by millions of people world wide. It's free access, easy to use and immediacy make it very popular among consumers and the site targets a wide range of people, from children to adults. Consumers can upload videos they have created or clips that they have recorded on their phone onto the YouTube site, which allows many people to view their video and give them feedback, by leaving comments below.

YouTube is a particularly useful site for aspiring film makers, as it is a convenient way to get their videos noticed. There is a channels section for Commedians, Directors and musicians, and these are members who post a series of videos, making it easy for them to get noticed. The site also arranges the videos into different catorgories, making it easy for viewers to find niche channels or you can search for a video if you know it's title.

Consumers can freely watch the videos on YouTube, but they can also sign up to the site, where they can then upload and watch 'My videos', save their favourite videos, and create playlists. A community is created by consumers finding, joining and creating video groups to connect with people with similar interests, where they can comment and reply on eachother's videos.

As well as being able to watch and upload videos on the site YouTube, the website now allows consumers to upload and post videos via Myspace - a popular website among teenagers. To be able to upload videos however, you must sign up to the site, but this is free and easy so consumers aren't desuaded.

MEDIA TEXTS or CONTENT
Email, video embedded codes

CONCEPTS of THEORY
Interactivity, personalisation, diversification, online surveillance, narrowcasting
Democratisation - YouTube is used worldwide