How I consume and produce films - Essay answer

How I consume and produce films
(Improved)

The cinema is a theatre where films are shown for public entertainment. I do not actually visit the cinema on a regular occasion, in fact I probably only go there to see a movie a few times a year. When there's a film that's recently been released that I'm dying to watch, me and some friends will gather up and go see it. There has been some movies before that have been released, but not in my local cinema which causes trouble as it means I can't go and watch it. I think for a film to be extremely successful it should be released in practically every cinema. One of the major advantages of the cinema is the popcorn and tango ice blasts. These food and drink products are main attractions that I sometimes look more forward to than the actual movie I'm going to see, and i'm probably talking on the behalf of some others here also. I am aware that the prices are ridiculously high, but these are what allows the cinema to gain most of their profit. Movie theatres make 85% profit at concession stands. In America, Warren Miller, a senior equity analyst for Morningstar who tracks the theatre chains, says that "Of each dollar spent there, roughly 85 cents is profit". 

I have access to a satellite TV in my mum's, dad's, nan and granddad's house etc; everywhere. It's something that I regularly sit down and watch, however most of the time I'll miss my linear TV programmes and therefore watch them online instead on sites like BBC iPlayer, 4OD, ITV Player and Demand 5. So I probably end up watching more television online than I do when it's actually aired on TV, which is called smart TV. This allows members of the public to watch miss shows online if they have access to the internet. Industry statistics from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) show that around 96% of homes have a television set in the UK. However, this does not capture viewing on other devices such as laptops, tablets or mobile phones. The experiences are different, because those who own a portable device such as a smart phone are able to watch  a tele programme on the go when waiting for a bus for example. This however is a much poorer quality of embracing television because your eyes will be strained trying to watch something on such a tiny screen. In 2003 there were 2.03 television sets per UK household but by 2012, this had reduced to 1.83 sets, according to the TeleScope report. Although sales of traditional TV sets are in decline, smart TV sales have increased by 211% over the past two years and 11% of UK households now own a tablet device. A little more than Britain, 96.7% of American households now own sets, down from 98.9 percent previously. One reason for the decline is poverty: some low-income households no longer own TV sets, most likely because they cannot afford new digital sets and antennas.

My satellite TV at home has a few film channels on them, such as Film 4, Movie Mix and Movies4Men. Quite popular films are played on these channels which will attract an audience that are interested in movies. My mum owns a DVD player for the TV downstairs which will perhaps be used when guests are over, otherwise it will just continue to collect dust unless we have a social gathering. I do not own a DVD player because I have a disk drive in my laptop which is where I'll play any movies I own on disk. I usually watch movies on my laptop alone as I like this method because you can have the screen in front of you on your lap or you can lay the laptop at a certain angle that suits your position when watching it, instead of worrying about others trying to watch the same screen as you. On most occasions, if I don't have the movie on disk I'll watch it online on sites like Megashare and Putlocker. These sites are free with no download so it's a lot more practical than having to pay for or download movies online. They also come with no hassle because you can just type in the film you want to watch, click it and enjoy! This provides such an easy and relaxed viewing experience, and who doesn't want that?

Internet is key for me. It allows me to complete research for a-level homework, use social networking sites, watch online streaming television, youtube videos etc etc. I am able to access the internet on my phone, my laptop and my tablet, where I am usually indoors. I do not need the internet when I'm outside because this often means you're meeting people or having a day out; internet shouldn't really interrupt these occasions, therefore I access it in the front room or my bedroom when I'm at home. For most people they can get free internet on the go, and will therefore use it in and outside the house. Those who go online "mostly via desktop" are now a tiny minority:

- Mostly via Desktop: 11% 
- Evenly Split between both mobile and PC: 28%
- Mostly via mobile: 37%
- Only via mobile: 23%

eMarketer expects 4.55 billion people worldwide to use a mobile phone in 2014. This will increase the amount of online streaming occurring on the internet as everyone who has a smartphone has access to the internet. The only downfall of the internet would have to be it's faulty connection and broadband speed at times. Sometimes the internet i'm using will die for a while, which means that if I'm watching something online it will buffer. Buffering plays a large contribution in why I eventually end up buying a movie on disk. Recently I became addicted to a movie that I could only watch online, but because it decided to start buffering I chose to actually buy the movie as a DVD. This avoids becoming annoyed with the buffering symbol half way through a movie you're loving. I think that being able to watch movies online for free is a positive thing. It lets people see if the movie is worth buying, and they may even purchase it for friends or for family members. So you could say that this method encourages more sales for that certain film. A DVD is practical as you're able to take it round friends houses to enjoy with company. You can't sit round a computer with a bunch of friends watching a movie. So using a DVD in a TV is so much more efficient. I often watch movies with my friends as this is something we'll do when staying round each others, but this doesn't change the fact that I also watch movies alone. If I'm interested in a movie online, I'll check it out; friends or no friends.

I have access to a video camera but have not posted an online video for people's entertainment. There is, however, a lot of inspiration on the internet that makes me want to film my own videos: YouTube. I am subscribed to some YouTubers on this social networking site who create entertaining videos for all types of different individuals. More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, and over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube which is almost an hour for every person on earth. 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, constantly increasing YouTube's content and the competition amongst its community. Mobile phones make up almost 40% of YouTube's global watch time which relates to the percentage of people who go online via their mobile devices. An example of some videos I watch on this social networking site would be an English fashion and beauty blogger Zoe Sugg who is best known by her fans on YouTube as Zoella. Her channel is mostly fashion, beauty hauls and monthly favourites, therefore attracting practically every female on Earth; me being one of them. There is a variety of male and female internet personalities on YouTube who attract such a large variety of audiences, and there is most certainly something for everyone. YouTube never fails to disappoint.