UK Film Consumption

What is the overall trend in film consumption? Growth/Decline

165.5 million cinema ticket sold in the UK which is a 4% decline since 2012.

As the charts shows there has been a decrease in the amount of people that have gone to the cinema, as seen in 1945 over 1,600 million people went to the Cinema, this could possibly be from the fact of the end of the war and people had money and time to go visit the cinema. One of the main reasons for such a decline in people visiting the cinema is the fact that TV has become something that people can consume a lot easier and therefore this means that the Cinema is a not a central place for entertainment, people can just receive it from watching TV and films on their TV at home. 2013 has accounted for one of the lowest years of film consumption since 2008 this could possibly be the advancement of being able to watch films at home a lot more easily and this has made people want to stay at home instead of going out to the cinema.

Who watches films in the UK?(age, gender, other characteristics)

In 2013, 15-24 made up the majority of the largest cinema admissions. A wide range of genres appealed to women, whereas action, comedy and thrillers were popular with men. Black and minority groups were over represented among buyers of cinema tickets, video rentals and digital films. Disabled audience who were over represented amongst video buyers. Dramas, biopics, musicals and comedies appealed most to the AB social group, with Quartet, Philomenaand Les Misérables attracting the highest above-average audiences. The Great Gatsby was the only non-UKfilm to attract a significant above-average audience. Family films, comedies and action films appealed most to the C2 and DE groups (Tables 15.10 and 15.11).Fast & Furious 6 and Despicable Me 2 attracted above-average audiences in both groups.

From this research it shows that young adults are the majority of people that consume films at the cinema, this is most likely caused to the fact that they have a lot of free time and have a larger social life then other age groups would. As going to the cinema is possibly seen as a social occasional this provides evidence as to why younger people are more likely going to visit the cinema. There is also evidence that Black people and minorities were over represented within going to the cinema this shows that there is a wider variety of films that attract larger types of audiences. Also disabled people were again over represented, this possibly shows that social changes such as better health care and also the variety of films are more appealing to this type of audience. As seen within class, films such as Rush and Gravity that possibly have a more mature nature to them are seen to be watched by the C1 group. Whereas in the DE social group films such as Fast and Furious 6 and Despicable Me 2 were watched by this group. This shows that films that are targeted at certain people are being watched by that targeted group.

Where/how do people watch films?

From this research it can be seen that people going to the cinema and renting films has decreased a lot in the years, renting videos being the most drastic as places such as BlockBuster that closed down in early 2014 would lead to n even more drastic fall then seen within 2013. Media such as Youtube and Netflix have increased a lot and this is seen within the charts provided, this shows that people find it a lot easier to watch films on their TV or Laptop at home rather then going out to rent a film or to go to the Cinema.

What type of films are most popular?

Through research it can be seen that the most popular type of film is children films such as Despicable Me 2, Toy Story 3, Harry Potter and Frozen all being one of the most popular films. This shows that the main people that influence the cinema’s rating are children and it is seen that even though 15-25 year olds are seen to be most popular, 15 year old are most probably going to want to watch these films and 25 year olds could include young mothers.

What role does technology play in the consumption of film today?

As seen within the chart the rise of technology such as YouTube, Love Film and Netflix have caused there to be a fall in rentals and cinema numbers as seen within the pervious charts. This possibly shows that the future for things such as the Cinema does not look good as people are seen to find it more easier and comfortable to watch a film in their own home. As seen the fall of DVD’s have also fallen, and this also provides the evidence that new media such as YouTube and Love Film are only going to become more popular.

Which audience groups are most lucrative?

The audience group that bring the most revenue to the cinema are ages of 15-25 year Old's which vary but it is seen to mostly be men that go to the cinema, although it is dependent on the film release at that time. They provide the most profit as said previously, these are the group of people that share large social groups and therefore means that going to the cinema is a social occasion that groups of people attend, therefore making up the numbers and making them the most lucrative group.

What strategies should be used to promote films?From the research produced I feel the best way to promote a film would be through social media, and trailers that most probably seen on YouTube. As technology as YouTube is becoming more and more popular this means the best way to advertise a film would be through the use of YouTube and social media so that it reaches a large range of audiences.

1. The importance of technology now and in the future & Compare the different methods of film exhibition in terms of cost and convenience. Which of the methods listed do you think will still exist in 20yrs time?

There are many different forms in which media can be consumed some are illegal and some legal. In the present day and age the most popular forms of consumption tend to be from online subscription services such as Netflix. This is due to an increase in technology being used in everyday life. This is also a more convenient way of consuming a product because it is more convenient way for people to watch a film. Instead of people having to go out to a cinema they can now just watch a film from the comfort of their own home meaning that it is more convenient for the audience members. The rise in online subscription fees has led to a decrease in the amount of admissions at the cinema this has shown that people would rather watch a film from their own home than at the cinema. This shows that things such as Netflix and other online subscription services are becoming more popular and this means that technology is very important to the future of films as soon people will expect all films to be available online and this makes technology important to achieve this. In 20 years time we believe that online subscriptions will become the dominant way to watch new releases of films and things such as the cinema and rentals will die out.

2. Thinking about film promotion, which of the ways of promoting films listed:

Attract the attention of young audiences most effectively?Promotion such as social media and trailers would be the best way to attract a young audience, as they are the most common cinema goers this means that trailers will be effective is persuading them to go and watch another film. Social Media is also something that younger people use a lot and therefore this means that they are going to be able to see the promotion and are more likely going to want to go see the film if their friends also like it.Do you think will still exist in 20yrs time?I think things such as promotion within newspapers and magazines will most likely die out as a young audience would not notice these things and therefore not have access to seeing the promotion.