Sony Beck Essay Digital Media

Callum Smith

Digital Media Technology Continues to develop. How is this significant for media institutions and audiences?

Digital Media is developing by the day, More online music websites are hosting different artists and it is becoming more mainstream then buying an album. The new technology has made it much easier to listen to music for free and to also visually watch it. This is a big change for the music industry as now the physical product of music is slowly becoming extinct and sooner or later it will become a rarity too own a CD. Also before the digital revolution, being a prosumer was a very expensive difficult job as you would have to book a studio,  buy all the equipment, but since then it has all changed and now anyone who has a computer can do it from home, an example of this is the gorillas recorded a whole album using just an Ipad, also lots of people became famous uploading videos to youtube like Connor Manyard. This is a very significant change to the music industry as now the big record labels and small have to stay on top to carry on being successful with the new world of digital media, as of the past 10 years CD sales are going down and down and digital file sharing is getting bigger by the day, so to make sure they are still being successful they have to adapt to the situation and use this to their advantage, The record label is doing this by using technology to keep their music alive by putting it on different music sharing sites, Youtube, Spotifiy, Itunes. This is the main way to keep up to date with the new industry.

A good example of someone who has adapted to the new industry and is very successful is Simon Cowell and his partner ship with Sony, Together they use the X-Factor as market research, They use the audience of X-factor to tell them what is wanted and what they should do to make artists on the show a big hit to make the label money. The main thing they do is use old songs from the back catalogue on Sony Syco (Copyright free) And give them to the x-factor to change and tinker with to make it a more upbeat song to play to the audience, This has been many times and has been successful. For an example Meisha B performed a new version of Charles and Eddies Would I lie to you, The track was changed to a more upbeat modern, After this was played two big audience listened to it.  The teenagers who would then download this new song that goes straight onto itunes, spotify, youtube after the show ( Generating money for Sony and Simon) and the older generation who watch the show remembering the song from their child hood, Who will then Download, buy the original version of the song making it popular again, This is recycling music as in another 20 years or so they can do the same thing with the Meisha B version of the song. That is how they have kept up to date with the new technology genereation. And the argument with this is, Are they devaluing music by recycling it. A lot of people would say yes because they are taking the original meaning of the song and changing, there for de-purifying it. But some people say it is a good thing as people are enjoying and valuing old music that is brought up to the modern age. An extract from youtube shows how recycled music is becoming.

Carly Rose Sonenclar gave a soulful performance of Leona Lewis' version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

This is from Youtube and shows how the song has been recycled not twice but three times, From Jeff Buckley, To Leona Lewis then to Carly Rose Sonenclar.

Now another person who is using the new technology to stay successful is Beck, Compared to X-factor he is very different as a lot of people say he is creating the most pure music. What he does is writes sheet music, And gives it to his fans to interpret in there own way, This will create many videos and versions of his song being played by many different people creating a true fan base. This is also very original which the x factor isn’t as he is not recycling and is creating his own music to give to the fans. 

Sound evidence

Film Evidence

Thriller Individual Edit

This is my Thriller Opening individual edit, It is a rough idea of what the final piece should look like, I so far have colour graded, Cut it in chronological order and added some rough sound effects which are copyright free, Things i would like to do

Add muzzle flash with the gun
Add Sound to the wall being hit by bullet
Add extended Music soundtrack
Colour grade more accurately
Add titles with motion tracker

Spoiler Review 3

Butterfly On a Wheel (Shattered)

Personally this is the best thriller film i've watched, And if you have not seen the film and you are reading this, I feel sorry for you because you are missing out, This film really is a lot better the less you know about. The acting in this really is spectacular, The story line is great and last of all the twist is the best part, If you like a good twist on a film, Personally it doesn't get better then this.

The film is about a couple, Neil and Abby randall who have the perfect life, Perfect marriage, Financially wealthy and a lovely big house. Nothing is wrong with their relationship. They are going on a trip to a friends wedding and leaving there daughter in care of a baby sitter they hired from a company. As they are in the car talking about things, A man pops out the back of the car with a gun pointing to Neils head ordering him to carry on driving, and to listen to everything he says, They comply to everything as tom reveals he and the baby sitter are in partnership and he has there baby hostage in a different location, He threats to say within one phone call he could get her killed. He asks Neil how much money he has in his bank, Neil says a lower figure then what he has, And the man (named tom) say the exact amount he has in his bank and orders him to get it out. Neil is under a lot of stress at the bank and abby tells him to go back to the car with tom while she gets out the money, They get back in the car and abby gives him the suitcase full of money, as they are driving through a tunnel neil is begging to let them go now he has the money, Tom then open the case and shows a little bit of the cash in there, he proceeds to set it on fire, chucking it in the case and throwing the burning case of money on fire, Showing he is not in it for the money, After this they go to a restaurant and Tom buys the most expensive meal he can and tells them they have half hour to get $150 to pay for the meal or otherwise he will kill their daughter, Abby and Neil in a panic run around town looking for a way to get money, They end up selling her wedding ring for the money and give it to him. Tom then asks abby to do a favour by herself and to hand an envelope to a certain adress without neil, She walks away. Tom and neil are walking to the car when a boy notices Tom and walks over to him calling him Dad, Tom reassures Neil to not say a word of his daughter is dead. When the son eventually walks away Tom and Neil get into a car, Neil is very angry at tom that he is doing this to his family when he has a son himself and should understand, Tom gets angry at what he is saying and tells him to shut, They eventually drive on top of a car park, Across the car park you can see abby in a building holding the envelope waiting to give it to the man on the adress.  Tom tell Neil that in the envelope is a copy of his companies future plans and abby is about to give it to their rival company, Which will completely destroy his company making him loose his job. Abby eventually hands over the envelope. Neil is upset and angry that tom is doing this just to destroy their life. Tom tells them he needs them to deliver another package to a certain adress, While tom goes to get the package he leaves his mobile in the car, Neil takes the mobile and finds recent contacts and takes the number, He calls the number to find out it is a hotels number, Tom comes back and hands them the package, he sends them on their way, While they are not with tom instead of doing what he says they go to the hotel the number lead them too, While on their way they open the package to find out it is empty, When they get to the hotel they find the hotel room (where he thinks is the babysitter and his daughter are staying) When he enters he sees his daughters Teddybear thinking she's their, Tom is already in room and tells them not to mess around with him. He undresses abby infront of Neil, Neil gets angry and throws a punch, Tom then beats up Neil and throws scotch at him then slaps abby to the floor. He then takes abby and says to tom he has an hour to find them or Abby and his daughter will both be killed. They go away and Neil is by himself crying, He then runs to the nearest police station telling them whats happening, The police detective tells him his wife has already come in explaining the situation and its under control, Neil tries to persuade him that it wasn't his wife, As Neil still smells of scotch the Policeman tells him to come back the next day as he has been drinking ( Tom planned it). Neil is crying outside and does not know what to do, he thinks all hope is lost when tom pulls up with abby in the car, Neil gets in the car and clutches onto his wife crying. Tom is silent through the drive. He drives them to a little hut and pulls up,  He gets out the car telling Neil to come with him, Neil does what he says, Tom says to neil, There is someone in that house, I need you to go in there and kill whoever is in there with this gun, If you don't then your i will ruin your life and kill everyone you love. Neil takes the gun and points it at Tom, Tom laughs and says " Remember what happened last time you didn't do what i said' and walks back to the car. Neil by himself enters the house looking for the person he needs to kill, He discovers the person he is meant to kill is Judy,  A woman that Neil is having an affair with, Confused he sits down with judy, He then discovers Judy's husband Is Tom, And realises that Tom knows all about the affair and is getting his revenge, Neil becomes very emotional and tells Judy he has to kill her, he pushes her onto the stairs and holds the gun to her head, Tom walks in and tells him to do it, Judy who is begging to not be killed. Neil pulls the trigger. The Gun is not loaded and never has been, Tom says to Judy "He doesn't love you that much if he was willing to kill you" Tom throws Neil on the floor and is beating him up, Judy stops it, and Neil runs back into the car with his wife and drives off, His wife asks him what is going on and Neil lies and does not tell her about the affair but tells her that he was mistaken from a colleague at work and tom thought it was him having the affair. His daughter is at home and safe. When he gets home he goes downstairs after seeing his daughter, His wife Abby is downstairs looking at him. She tells him she knows all about the affair and the whole thing was planned with Tom, She tells him how this was her revenge on how she felt to know that even though he had a perfect life, He still chose to cheat, She tells him that in the suitcase full of money was only $50 and that the rest of it was paper, So he still has all his money, She then tells him how in the envelope was just blank paper so he still has his job, He has his daughter, His Job, His home. The only thing he doesn't have is her. The final line she says is "Who breaks a Butterfly upon a wheel? I do." This line is refereeing to a well know quote that means, Why would you go through so much effort to achieve something minor, For example she went through all the effort to plan the day, Just to break up with him. This film has the perfect twist.

Spoiler Review 2

Spoiler Review 2

Kiss the Girls

Kiss the girls is a thriller with actors Morgan Freeman And Ashley Judd, It is a phycological Crime thriller as it is about a Kidnapper that calls him self Casanova, Who basically stalks woman for months, Kidnaps them and takes them to a secret cave/Hideout which is well hidden deep in a woods.

Dr Alex Cross (morgan freeman) is a forensic psychologist who's found out his niece is missing along with 8 girls,  Cross is a very smart man and his only ambition is to save his niece as he believes she is still alive, Within the next week 2 girls of the 8 are found dead and have signs of being raped before murdered, Cross believes his niece is still alive among the other 6. Meanwhile a Doctor called kate is captured by the same man herself, She is in the hideout and she is being kept in a cell by herself, She calls out and hears the other girls voices. Kate manages to escape and survive after a tough long chase, she is in hospital for a few days after as she is was damaged in the experience. When she is mentally and physically well again, her and Cross both try to solve the mystery by finding and saving the women who are being kept against there will. They come across a few different leads and Cross ends up in the hideout having a chase scene with casanova ( you don't see him) and another man who you find out is a second killer who is part of the kidnappings, The man you see is caught and all girls are rescued, the real Casanova manages to escape, But they didn't know where he went so he was off the trail. Cross was looking through the evidence at home knowing that it wasn't all over, Then realises that Casanova had 2 different signatures on separate notes revealing who the real casanova was. Cross tries to call kate but her phone has been cut off. Kate is at home then a local detective nick is at the house as he tells kate she needs to be on watch to make sure she is safe. Nick turns out to be the Casanova and he is angry that she managed to escape, A fight scene occurs and she manages to stab him and hand cuff him to an oven. He yanks out a gas line and is about to spark a lighter to cause an explosion but is interrupted by Cross with a gun which he cannot shoot as the flare will cause a spark. He manages to muzzle the flare with a carton of milk killing Casanova and saving kate. Happy ending, This is a very good thriller and meets audiance expectations as it has a good twist, interesting story line and keeps them hanging.