What I have learnt about the state of the film industry 2014:

The huge demand of the film industry has lead it to be one of the most profitable industries in the world. In 2012 the UK box office took over £1 billion. 646 films were release in the UK in 2012, with over 12 new titles being released per week.

Throughout the course of last year and much of this year I have learnt that the quality of production practices and marketing play a huge part in the overall success of films. The film industry pays out massive amounts of money each year to raise awareness and create a buzz about the latest upcoming films. With the emergence of New Media Technologies, the quality of the products are improving vastly, which is increasing the media consumption. Many film companies that have expanded over the years have grown in terms of finance resulting in them being able to use high-tech hardware, for example cameras which can shoot in 3D. This then results in it being exhibited and distributed to larger audiences, thus generating more profit. In addition to this 3D quality costs more therefore ticket prices increase again generating more profit.

In regards to marketing, the film industry is hugely reliant on the the quality of it's marketing and production practices. The film industry pays out incredible amounts of money to raise awareness and create a buzz about the latest upcoming films. Posters, flyers, trailers, advertisements, facebook pages, twitter accounts, interviews, articles, appearances, soundtracks and many more are all key aspects to the success of a film in the highly competitive film industry. In 2012 over £300 million was spent on prints and advertising by film distributors. New Media Technologies have also played a huge part in the success of films in this day and age. With the emergence of IMAX, synergy, convergence, apps, video games etc the film industry is able to get the most out of the technology we have to increase the success and quality of their films.

The release dates of films also play a big role in the overall success of a film. Saturday is the most popular night amongst cinema goers with about 24.1% contributing towards box office figures, closely followed by Sunday with 17.6%, Friday 16.4%, Wednesday 13.5% and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9.4%. The importance of knowing cinema going habits is very significant. With new knowledge of statistics etc the major conglomerates are able to determine the best days to exhibit their films. In addition to this, statistics on cinema goers and target audiences also contributes to the success of the film industry. 29% of cinema audiences are aged 15-24 making them the target audience for most films. More than half 15-24 year olds visit the cinema more than once a month. Action is the most poplular genre with 34.5% contributing towards box office figures.

However with just 4% of all film viewing being in the cinema the film imdustries are at a huge disadvantage. With piracy, streaming and illegal downloads becoming easier to access the film industry have to compete with the use of enticing trailers and successful marketing strategies in order to create a big enough buzz so that people can't wait to watch the film. When a film is becomes a DVD the profits do not alter that much. 14% of retail buyers bought a film they had previously seen at the cinema.