Over the past few decades, digital technologies have transformed the way which media is produced and distributed.
Nowadays, the entire production process is significantly condensed through all the software and technology that is available. This is all owed to the proliferation of the internet and the emergence of web 2.0, which is much more interactive than its previous iteration, tying in with Shirky’s End of Audience Theory, stating that user consumers are no longer passive, but actually interacting with the media and contributing to it. In terms of pre-production, scriptwriters and other people have a wide range of softwares available to them, making the entire process faster as it is digital, allowing them to make quick changes if needed. In the past this was not possible, with everything having to be done on paper. In addition to this, with the rise of globalisation, which connected everyone in the world together, filmmakers can now collaborate with people all around the world, allowing major corporations such as the Big 5 (Disney, Sony, Universal, Paramount, and Warner Brothers) to work with the best of the best, adding to the prestige of their films. This collaboration is not just limited to this specific stage of production, but to the production and post-production stages as well.
Although digital technologies have changed the pre-production process, it has affected the production and post-production stages in a much larger way, majorly veering away from how it was done in the past. For example, films are no longer captured on physical film, but rather digital cameras, which is a rather recent invention. It was only during the 1990s that digital became more widespread, the first major film shot in this way being Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace. There are still many filmmakers who prefer film due to its texture and grain quality, however one cannot deny how digital has revolutionised the industry, and made things a whole lot easier. For example, the cost of producing a film now is significantly cheaper, as one reel of film would only capture around 10 minutes of footage before it needed to be replaced. Now, directors can leave the cameras rolling for extended amounts of time, allowing the actors to do a scene multiple times without having to break character. Some actors, however, found this transition difficult, as they now found themselves behind the camera for hours a day, sometimes with little to no breaks between shots. With digital, it is also easier to film in locations such as jungles, as camera crews no longer need to lug heavy cameras as well as the needed film with them. Sometimes, it is no longer even needed to go to such locations, as the actors could just be filmed in front of a green screen, having everything superimposed over it in the post-production stage. For example, in the first Avatar film, (directed by James Cameron and released in 2009), all the scenes of the Pandoran jungle were all CGI (computer-generated images), every blade of grass and every leaf digitally created. This film was also made using a 3D camera, which is supposed to mimic the way that the human eye sees things, adding more depth and a sense of realism to the film. Corrections to the mise-en-scene and performances of the actors can now be corrected on the spot, as the freshly-captured footage is reviewed on monitors. In the past, the reels of film used in a day of filming would be sent to be developed overnight, which would then be viewed the subsequent day at ‘dailies’. Only then would mistakes and changes that needed to happen be noticed, making it rather difficult for the director to produce the idea that he had in his head.
In the past, editing was a physical, hands on process, cutting and pasting the film together to create the desired sequence. Fancy transitions were difficult, and colour grading was a photochemical process. Now, everything can be done through editing software - sound, colour grading, editing, and VFX. VFX has opened up a whole new aspect of cinema, allowing for endless creativity, no longer limited by the limitations of physical effects. For example, a shot of a plane exploding would be done through the use of miniatures, tricking the viewer with camera and perspective tricks. Films such as the Little Mermaid (2023) heavily employed the use of green screens in order to create an underwater look. Despite the scope of possibilities that this offers, audiences are starting to experience 'CGI Fatigue', in which the CGI appears rather fake and almost ruins the experience of the film. However, in the latter half of 2023, there seems to have been a return to practical effects in films such as Greta Gerwig's Barbie, which employs techniques from the olden days of films and theatre, as well Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which used little to no CGI at all.
Advancements in digital technologies have also changed the way that films are distributed. In the past, the films were only released in the cinemas, and maybe on tape or DVD in the latter years of the 20th century. The finished reels would be copied and sent to cinemas across the country, where it would be played. James Cameron's Titanic wad played so much that it literally feel off the reel in pieces. This speaks to the nature of the film, which had the ability to break, with scratches having the potential to ruin the entire film. Nowadays everything has become digital, with films being shown on digital projectors. In addition to this, films are no longer just shown at the cinema, but also on online streaming services such as Disney + and Netflix. There are a whole range of these, such as SVODs and AVODs, which have experienced a rise in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. These now pose a threat to cinemas, as more and more people opt to watch the films at home. Most distributors utilise both of these distribution methods, doing a simultaneous release in order to maximise profits.
Without all these advancements in technology, Indie films such as What We Do In The Shadows would not even exist, as they funded their film through crowdfunding, and employed the internet to market their films through TradeMe and New Zealand dating site FindSomeone, and the NZFC would not be able to make advertisements such as the Hobbit in-flight video without some difficulty.