The significance of the proliferation of hardware and content for institutions and audiences. By Megan Jones

What does it mean? It is how technology’s evolved and improvements have affected the ways in which films are made and distributed today. It also shows an understanding of how technological improvements have impacted the viewing experience, at home and in the cinema. Examples such as 3D movies, special effects, Blu-ray, etc.

Film Technology change There have been several changes in technology in the past 20 years - from DVDs & flat screen TVs to cameras, cell phones, etc. Technology of western civilization doubling every 18 months, thus meaning technology is getting more advanced every day. In film technology we are now able to produce computer-generated imagery (CGI) much better than we did centuries ago. It is the application field of 3D computer graphics (special effects) and this produces a more life-like feel to animation. Now we can also view films in 3D with 3D glasses, as well as being able to view it at home and it’s soon coming to our computer screens. An example of a movie that was released in 3D, at the cinema, was Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. High-definition (HD) is another example of how technology has improved, it is an increase in display or visual resolution that has effected television, video, audio and the media in general.

Digital Screen Network (DSN) The Digital Screen Network was created by the UK film council and Arts Council England, a £12 million investment that aimed to equip 240 screens in 210 cinemas across the UK with digital projection technology to give UK audiences a much greater choice. It allows audiences to have the chance to watch independent films that are not normally shown as they are hard to come by, as it costs too much to print film. Also, it gives more of a chance for the film to bring in different audiences. This is England is an example of a non-mainstream film that was screened across the country with DSN.

Budget Technology comes at a price and this means small indie filmmakers may struggle with having considerably low budgets. Film technology can be extremely expensive and range from over millions of dollars, pounds, etc. Independent film, or indie film, is a feature film are produced mainly outside of a major film studio. This also refers to art films which differ noticeably from most mass marketed films. They are often distributed by subsidiaries of major studios. They basically do everything for themselves rather than have experienced companies help. Alice in Wonderland cost a huge £158 million to make and their budget was £200 million whereas This is England their budget was £1.5 million.

To be a film maker Filmmakers are responsible for overseeing creative aspects of a film under the film producer. They decide pretty much everything to do with the movie, such as the script, the actors, financing, etc. As technology has improved since 20 years ago, and is still improving, it’s becoming easier to work in filmmaking. The use of computer animation, equipment, etc make it much easier for a person to learn quicker.