CMC/Synergy essay

To what extent has cross-media-convergence and synergy played a part in the success of the media texts you have studied?

Numerous media institutions allow the impressions of synergy and cross-media convergence make way into helping them excel in the process of marketing and distributing their certain forms of media to their audiences. As we are familiar with the list of the famous “Big 5”, the oligopolies from this list are contained with famous media institutions such as, Disney, Warner Bros, Columbia Pictures, Universal studios and Paramount Pictures. All 5 of these studios own multiple subsidiaries. From this, the 5 institutions work their way to be known as the “giants” of the media film industry. With the advantage of being able to conglomerate many subsidiaries, all 5 of these big film studios are able to have the ability of dominating any other film institution within its marketing statuses. 

An example that clearly portrays the process of conglomerates and their subsidiaries is the purchase between Disney and 21st Century Fox. In 2019, Disney had bought 21st Century Fox and its film and TV assets for $71.3 Billion. This purchase did end up to be one of the biggest media mergers in the history of media consolidations. With Disney being the largest and biggest shareholder in the industry of media institutions, they have a massive advantage over the distribution side when it comes to marketing their films. From this, Disney is allowed to take the advantage of horizontal and vertical integrations. Being a parent to multiple companies in the same stage of the film industry allows Disney to market and distribute their own films and productions much more easily. 

What also takes a big part of cross-media-convergence and synergy in the success of some media institutions with their films is their audiences. Through the years of the media industry and having its whole industry advance year by year, audiences and their perspectives have changed as well through the years. With audiences changing through the time, a lot of the big film institutions have grown their marketing skills and strategies to the extent of how their audiences are changing in their own personal views. Since Disney has such a big broad audience, Disney has said that due to the change and advancement in their different groups of audiences, they only market each of their individual projects to the correct audiences for them. Disney uses different channels to distribute each of their projects, with the right research on their audiences that they have done, they only market a certain film or project to the group of audiences they think suits it well.

What also helps with the audience's interactions with the films produced from big institutions like Warner Bros and Paramount pictures is Web 2.0. With web 2.0, audiences are allowed to interact with their favourite films or new films through other platforms other than the media industry. A great example of web 2.0 in the film industry is with the Dark Knight, produced by the Warner Bros company. Before the movie had been released, an organisation had released a whole website in secrecy which led into a whole fan based “tournament” in a way. Fans were sent videos, voice messages, emails and letters, asking them to do what they exactly say in order to reveal the big “prize” in the ending. This led to fans travelling to different countries, taking certain photos at certain places, obeying what their “leader” had told them. Fun parades and big marches were created by this move, all fan based, only real fans of the joker and the dark knight were really involved into this whole movement. As this portrays what web 2.0 is like, the film Dark Knight did excel and succeed in its marketing of its film. 

Another great example of the different extents certain film institutions go through to market their films is the New Zealand made film, What We Do In The Shadows. With this amazing film directed and produced by Taika Waititi, they marketed their film publicly on a well known spot in Wellington New Zealand. Changing the lettering of the Wellington sign located in Miramar, it was once shown as “Wellington” in a special type of design to display the well known fact of Wellington, knowing that it is very windy there. The sign was changed into the name “Vellington” due to the fact that the comedy film was very much based on a group of vampires. With this movement made by Taika and his production crew, this had brought more viewers and fans to their film. This was a great way to market and distribute their new film as it was displayed in a spot where it is seen everyday by everyone who drives, or even walks by the hill.

In conclusion, the different types of extents some media institutions choose to go through just to market their film out to the world is shown that a lot of their marketing ways do work. From sending out a viral website to the fans of Dark Knight to changing one letter on a very well known sign in Wellington, we are welcomed to understand the different ways and extents some producers and directors go to for their film to be very much known.