Technological Convergence

The introduction of new technology has helped change the film industry vastly by creating new ways of distributing, marketing, producing, exhibiting and exchanging films. This is England is an example of a film benefiting from technological convergence such as Film Four marketing the film online through the use of the web 2.0. Websites such as video streaming sites, social networking sites and online radio sites has created a larger appeal for 'This is England' and has created a more viral marketing affect which has created a larger 'word of Mouth' affect. The larger the advertisement, the larger the chance the film has in attracting its target audience, improving the chance of more viewers for the film and more profit for Film 4 and the other synergy companies in the production of the film. 

Though technological convergence has brought about a positive change in the film industry, it has also brought about a negative one which is 'piracy'. The web 2.0 is a major example of piracy due to how people can now go onto video streaming websites and download illegal films onto their computers without having to pay the original producer of the film. This has left the film industry in the U.K to lose hundreds of millions of pounds. Though there is new technology being created through technological convergence once again to halt the piracy of films such as new blue ray disks, which have a heavier encryption code then DVD's to stop people from pirating films. The negative side to this is that blue ray disks are not as popular as DVDs and so people will buy DVD's more then Blue Ray disks, due to how Blue ray films are more expensive and they need a blue ray player in order to play them which costs more then a DVD player. 

Digital Technology at the Cinemas  

• Fitting the cartoon is a European non-profit organisation set up to increase the animation of European films.

• Digital distribution is cheap, efficient and fast.

• Cinemas are now having digital equipment installed in them such as servers and screen projects to show films at a higher quality and faster pace.

• Traditional cinema methods are now being left for digital techniques.

• Advantages of digital complex cinemas are that films can be changed from one room to another without the physical removal of the film disks. Digital projectors never lose quality.

• 33mm films are old fashion methods of filming which easily got damaged when projected and the quality of the films would be lost due to dust in the film’s disks.

• 3D films are now being created at a rapid paste to entice film goes to come to cinemas, due to the rise in video game entertainment systems and home cinemas technology.

• Cinemas are trying to offer cinema goes realist experience of films through 3D technology and surround sound.

• Digital technology helps distributors save vast amounts of money through not having to create thousands of copies of the film on DVD or Blue Ray. People can digitally download the films.

This is England - Technological Convergence

This is England was distributed to cinemas on a printed 35mm (blowup), never made to be distributed digitally to play on Imax cinema screens. When the film was released for home cinema entertainment, it was released on video tape, DVD, then later on Blueray enabling the film to be viewed in high definition.