Web 2.0

The interactivity of web 2.0 where people around he world do not only communicate but share information and concepts together to captivate a bigger audience. Examples such as these would include the movement of web 1.0 to web 2.0, s this could mean 'piczo' to 'facebook' or 'myspace' where you not only produce something but you are interacting and distributing ideas to others. This has given way also to digital downloads for cheaper prices for those who are 'time rich' and 'money poor' (piracy). For 'Slumdog Millionaire' because of the different types of distribution used to attract a big audience this has managed to proliferate the success of more films in the future for the same genre through youtube etc.

Synergies within Film4 Productions

'Slumdog Millionaire' was created through a joint production, or synergy, with Film 4 and Celador Productions as they were connected to produce and distribute the film. Although not as popular for films as Channel 4, Celador Productions is popular with the hit television quiz show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' which is one of the major themes and ideas in 'Slumdog Millionaire'.  

Slumdog Millionaire Cinema Statistics

The website Pearl and Dean offers information about the types and age of audiences that watched the film in cinemas. It showed that no-one between the ages of 4 and 14 saw the film in the cinema. 46% of the audience were aged between 15 and 24; 16% for 25 to 34-year-olds; 10% for 35 to 44-year-olds and 27% for people aged 45 and over. This shows that the majority of the audiences were young - nearly half of those who went to see the film were aged between 15 and 24.
The gender statistics shows that the film was slightly more popular with the female audience with a 56:44 ratio of females to males.

Pearl and Dean

Pearl and Dean is primarily known as a British Advertising film company and was founded in 1953 by brothers Ernie and Charles Pearl, and Bob Dean. It is currently owned by STV Group plc. The website www.pearlanddean.com allows film-lovers to access information about news updates about films and give information about each film such as the trailer, the film poster, a synopsis, reviews, cast and statistics about audience that went to see the film.

Pros and Cons of Technological Convergence

Advantages

• Social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Youtube help spread the awareness of films and their trailers through word of mouth and free viral networking.
• These websites allow uploads and comments made by ordinary people on trailers, clips etc. This raises awareness of the films increase in DVD sales.
• Blogs and fan sites allow discussions on films to generate a 'buzz'; some clips on youtube will be made into montages or edited with new music.

Disadvantages

• Young people are unwilling to pay because they are 'time rich and cash poor.'
• People are finding new ways of using technical savvy to find films and music to watch and listen to without paying for it. This is happening to music already and will be increasing on film usage.
• Pirate DVDs and free film downloads from websites are found as they have removed security codes.

Technological Convergence

Technological Convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. Convergence refers to previously separate technologies such as voice, data and video to share resources and interact with each other, synergistically creating new efficiencies. Today, we are surrounded by a multi-level convergent media world where all codes of communication and information are continually reforming to adapt to the enduring demands of technology, so we can create, consume, learn and interact with each other. This involves different types of media such as mobile phone applications, websites, digital downloads, high concept posters, online search marketing, fan and blog sites etc.

Box Office Success of Slumdog Millionaire

North America - After debuting on a Wednesday, the film grossed $360,018 in 10 theatres in its first weekend, a strong average of $36,002 per theatre. In its second weekend, it expanded to 32 theatres and made $947,795, or an average of $29,619 per theatre, representing a drop of only 18%. In the 10 original theatres that it was released in, viewership went up 16%, and this is attributed to strong word-of-mouth. The film expanded into wide release on 25 December 2008 at 614 theatres and earned $5,647,007 over the extended Christmas weekend. Following its success at the 81st Academy Awards, the film's takings increased by 43%, the most for any film since Titanic.

Europe - The film was released in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2009, and opened at #2 at the UK box office. The film reached #1 in its second weekend and set a UK box office record, as the film's takings increased by 47%. This is the "biggest ever increase for a UK saturation release," breaking "the record previously held by Billy Elliot's 13%." This record-breaking "ticket surge" in the second weekend came after Slumdog Millionaire won four Golden Globes and receive eleven BAFTA nominations. The film grossed £6.1 million in its first eleven days of release in the UK.

The release of Slumdog Millionaire

Fox Searchlight Pictures President Peter Rice and Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov announced that the companies would join forces on the North American release of Slumdog Millionaire. The project was initiated at Film4 who co-developed and co-financed the film with UK production company Celador Films. The film is produced by Celador's Christian Colson. Film4 chief Tessa Ross and Celador Films Chairman Paul Smith act as executive producers.

Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.

The distribution of the film sparked a lot of interactivity and exchange between movie-goers and Danny Boyle films, as this was primarily the intended audience. The internet distributed key concepts before the release of the film - the soundtrack is available on youtube and its own website has the trailer on it. Social networking sites have attracted people to watch the film through high concept posters which has generated a lot of buzz as they are becoming more and more popular. TV adverts for the film and DVD/Blue ray releases (around early June 2009) has caused exchange on youtube and have since created fansites and blogsites dedicated to film actors/actresses/directors involved.

Youtube has the trailers of the film and has attracted a large audience because of its mixture of eastern and western music music, the use of bright colours to make it visually appealing and connoting the array of emotions and twists in the film and the theme of rags-to-riches to make it relatable to some of the audience. Phone applications have been used through Apple iPod stores to attract those through creating games and competitions and again generating a buzz - a 'commercial tie-ins'.  The release of DVD and Blue-ray would have attracted another audience of HD films, which is already popular in America. Due to the time and development of media such as television, radio and cameras, this shows there is a revolution of how and when people can watch these films. The film was originally released as a mainstream idea and was primarily released to a limited audience, but was well received by North America an Europe so they released it to a wider audience 2 months later.

Vikas Swarup

Vikas Swarup is an Indian novelist best known for his novels Q&A and Six Suspects. His debut novel Q&A tells the story of how a penniless waiter in Mumbai becomes the biggest winner of a uiz show in history. It was critically acclaimed in India and abroad, being translated into 41 different languages. It was shortlisted for the Best First Book by the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and won many other awards. A BBC Radio Play was based on the book and went on to win two awards in 2008. Film4 in the UK had optioned the movie rights and movie title 'Slumdog Millionaire' and also went on to receive global critical acclaim.

Six Suspects has also been translated in many different languages and has been optioned for a film by the BBC and John Hodge, who wrote the script for films such as Trainspotting has been commissioned to write the screenplay.

Technological Convergence - Filming Process

     Slumdog Millionaire was filmed in several parts of India in order to make the production for the film a success. The crew found this to be difficult at times because they were filming in the real slums in Mumbai, so the chaos surrounding them may have caused the filming to be difficult. They needed to find a way to come up with a way to make the filming easier for Boyle, so they used newer digital hand-held cameras and therefore spending more time on editing to get good results. The silicon imagery created a very dramatic overtone and real-life feel of the film. This was a big risk as the budget was high for a film of the genre 'rags-to-riches' theme and is not a popular theme.