The Light At The End of The Tunnel (BREWED Magazine)

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

 

Trees are getting green, days are getting longer, weather is getting better… or at least we all hope so! The best time of the year is coming, but some IMEM students are looking forward to it with a special tickly feeling in their bellies… It is graduation time! Written by Lachezar Kamenov

 

The long-expected summer is on its way… finally. It is about time we took out the short pants, dusted off the flip flops, and put on the sunglasses for a real reason besides being “cool”. Of course having a few exams still left to be passed is not a detail to underestimate, but let’s say that the closer we get to freedom, the more motivated we get to be done with school at once. Every year there is a bunch of IMEM fellows, though, who have mixed feelings about this time of the year. For them the summer vacation seems to be like staring at the light of the end of the “tunnel” of college. Ladies and gentlemen, to you attention: the graduates!

After having spent four years at NHTV, some of the graduates-to-be definitely have collected interesting stories and impressions that must be shared with the coming generations. That is why we are sneaking a peek now in the lives of two IMEM girls doing their placement in Berlin. Let me introduce you: Maya and Megan.

Maya is doing her second placement at a booking agency for concerts and festivals called KKT. Having on her mind plans to become a booking agent or a band manager herself, she is for sure happy with where she is and what she is doing right now… and hopes this will be pretty much her future, too. Megan, also placed in Berlin now, is doing her graduation internship for the Internet stores AG, which is one of the leading e-commerce businesses in Germany specializing in bicycles, outdoor, fitness and living. She is in the SEO (search engine optimisation) department working on the company’s Dutch websites. Megan shares with us that SEO is an interesting, dynamic field that provides a lot of international job opportunities but still- she would like this to be her back up plan. She sees herself writing for fashion magazines and proudly admits her guilt: “Yes, I am that kind of girl.”

When I asked about the differences between their first internship in the third year and the current one, I get pretty much similar answers. Maya states that the level of professionalism now is much higher. Also KKT is way more successful than the company she worked before. According to Megan, her previous placement was “interns’ paradise” so undoubtedly now she feels more connected to the company, being surrounded with “normal” employees. Moreover, the bigger responsibilities also play an important role. They both underline the possibilities for future job they have now and, not to mention, the thesis still to be written.  The light is getting closer and closer but not there yet!

Speaking of thesis writing, I am curious to know what are these two scheming for their last academic effort. Maya hopes it will all end this June but before that she needs to make sure that her paper covers meticulously a not-so-easy topic. The subject she has chosen is “concert mediation and how the concert experience can be transmitted onto digital material”. Fancy! Megan, on the other hand, is heading towards a more marketing-related subject. She says she wants to explore “whether investments in Facebook marketing for fan pages of e-commerce businesses generate profit rather than only a higher page rank on Google”. Megan makes a side note here and tells that this is a topic of present interest for SEOs and finding a good answer to it will give her thesis and graduation an extra boost before the laidback summer holiday comes.

Now immediately comes up the question: what about life after graduation? Here we have some contradiction. Maya hopes to start working right away in the company she is doing her internship in now, KKT. She believes that the future of the music industry is all about concerts and live performances and there are hidden the great opportunities of tomorrow. Pretty ambitious I would say; not bad, not bad at all! Megan is more on the opposite side. Her near future consists of travelling, writing, and “making enough money to pay the rent and not having to cook (Amen for ordering food)”. She honestly puts behind the plans for career and family, and would rather check out places, meet people, and enjoy life to the fullest before being stuck with an ordinary life. Industry in the future- as long as people buy magazines and newspapers, it will all be fine!

The moment of truth has come! I ask the girls to give a short and straight-to-the-point summary of the NHTV years. Maya calls it “a wild ride”, where they learned a lot. She wouldn’t praise the level of communication but that also taught her lessons, especially how to make her way through the chaos.

Megan’s overview sounds more carefree- she will remember the “helium balloons and the chocolate fountain at the propaedeutic party”. She regrets not having enough useful classes on writing, though, but also has to admit that the people around her made the four of IMEM “a very enjoyable journey”.

After the chitchat with Maya and Megan I am left with quite the optimistic view of what is yet to come. Sure, there are going to be obstacles on the way; there are going to be “wild ride” experiences, good or bad; hopefully, there are going to be even more helium balloons and chocolate fountains, both literally and metaphorically. What should keep every IMEM student positive about this whole “thing” called education is the big picture where everything goes to its place and it was all worth it. But before that, let’s take small steps. First step: Summer 2012, hold on, here we come! And to our dear fourth-year-fellows:

Good luck and farewell!

Special thanks to Maya Sontheimer and Megan de Graaf

Summer Gadgets for Summer Geeks (BREWED Magazine)

Summer Gadgets for Summer Geeks

 

What up, you tech-people?! It is a well-known fact that once has become one of you, one can’t drift apart from staying up-to-date with the latest fashion in technology. So, prepare and beware of the new gadgets to invade your life during the so-so-expected season- when summer means freedom, and geeky means cool! Written by Lachezar Kamenov

 

Google Goggles

As a starter, a brand new innovation to watch out for! Google is preparing a new type of glasses that will project information, entertainment, and advertisement on the lenses. The fancy goggles are not to be worn all the time, but of course it is predicted and taken into consideration that a lot of people will get totally hooked on them and will not want to take them off! The purpose of the glasses, though, is to be used only when necessary as the lenses serve as a see-through computer monitor. Nobody will be able to see what you can see behind the glasses so this new gadget might get you some comments and strange looks because of your inexplicable body language… but hey, who cares with these goggles on?!

 

PS Vita

Let’s talk about games, shall we? After all, that is exactly what the ultimate summer geek-out is about… The new PS Vita by Sony shall be! Recently launched, the new PlayStation Vita has an impressive range of technical advantages, functions, and of course- games! The handheld has a great elegant look and gives you a great feeling when in your hands. Its highlight is the dual analog sticks which give the possibility to have the same 3D experiences as home consoles. The whole interface gives the feeling to have been designed specifically for the touchscreen which makes browsing so effortless. But that is not the only advantage of the touchscreen- it’s a 960×544 five inch OLED screen that provides great images. And a short note on the price- if you want to get the full experience and a few extra games, you will have to say “bye” to around 300 euros.

 

Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile Speaker

What’s the summer without pumping loudly all the summer jams? To your help, any time and any place, comes the Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile speaker. It has a great convenient and very versatile design that can is usable with any type of audio source. Among its features are stereo Bluetooth streaming and can be used as a speakerphone. It also includes a built-in, rechargeable battery, a handy carrying case, and all necessary cables. You can bring with you everywhere. It has, though, a minor disadvantage- it doesn’t go with a remote control and sounds a little tinny. All in all, it is an excellent choice for music addicts!

 

Sony Cyber-Shot TX-10

Documenting the coolest moments of the summer is a “must”. For that purpose, of course, you need an awesome camera, people! And with all the crazy adventures to come, you will need something pretty solid. Sony came up with a solution- the Cyber-Shot TX10 digital camera is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and ultra-slim. Basically, it is everything-proof! With superb low-light performance, a high caliber Carl Zeiss^® lens and the ability to capture up to 10 frames per second, this cam all kinds of great moments and is your pocket’s best friend for this summer.

 

Special thanks to Mohsen Behvar

It’s A Kind of Magic… (BREWED Magazine)

It’s a kind of magic…

 

Everyone expects IGAD students to be over-creative and to be constantly busy with something new and weird. If IGAD itself stands for innovation, then what should we say about the work of this NHTV fellow…?

 

Slouching over your computer all day long “facebooking” and “skyping” is more of a blessing to the general public than torture but when it comes to slouching to actually get something done- that becomes a physical feat. Those of you (and I believe we are many), who have spent irreversible moments of their youth in front of the laptop discovering a new fancy-shmancy program with a nasty deadline impending, know the agony I am talking about. You are practically stuck in space and time. All the clicking, dragging, undoing- in no time “Ctrl+Z” becomes your new best friend. For some this is exhausting, for others- that is a mission. An exhausting, painstaking but after all a worthy mission. I call this masochism, others call it a profession. I needed to make sure these people are for real and took a glimpse at the mission of an NHTV soldier fighting his battles alone but still so well, that his slouching works like magic!

 

And here he comes! Bodo Schütze is an IGAD student doing his internship in the NCB Naturalis Museum in Leiden. He is officially working for the research department but his work actually spreads way further beyond the boundaries of ordinary research as we know it. Making surveys, analysing data, SPSS… no, no. That is not his “thing”. Bodo’s job was to research to the tiniest detail a single plant- an extinct ancient cone, approximately 290 000 billion years old- and then bring it back to life. The creation of the simulation was initiated with a microscope observation of a 3-centimeter-broad fossil which turned out to be the home of around 300(!) organisms. From that observation was derived information about the structure of the ancient cone and from then on the fun could start! Bodo was assigned to study all the scientific information and transform it into a 3-D plant. Moreover, a growing plant, not just static.

 

In order to do his homework diligently just like every other NHTV student, Bodo had to bury himself under piles of books about paleobotany and plant intelligence. The creation of something so complex required hard work and sufficient knowledge since it needs to look like magic though it cannot be done with a wand. Speaking of magic- Houdini! Not the real illusionist, but the software Houdini FX, the one that turns everything digital into magic. The same Houdini that Bodo had to learn how to use on his own and is still learning every day as he had to start from scratch. He even claims that after all the months spent taming the program’s possibilities, what he can do is actually apply a really small part of the potential of Houdini. What he does is called “procedural modelling” and that is where innovation is hidden. IGADers are used to working with “digital clay” but procedural modelling expands opportunities way further than classical animation. Bodo describes it as “more dynamic and flexible”, everything is connected from the very start. In order to build this cone, Bodo had to learn how to operate with algorithms and formulas, as this is what lies in the foundation of procedural modelling. Constraints- this is the key to the over-whelming effect. Everything is connected to everything else and each item reacts to outside factors. Bodo’s plans even include his cone eventually growing into a flower. According to him, his work is innovative because the possibilities procedural modelling provides are way bigger than classical animation taught at IGAD. “Now I can set my own boundaries”. Maybe now is the moment to mention that Bodo is working with the method used for the creation of the fascinating environment used in Avatar. In fact, what he is creating right now is actually so complicated that even IGAD teachers find it difficult to understand and assess his work and I can imagine the confusion- I sneaked a peek at his computer and, wow, I already had a headache…

 

Bodo has always had avid interest in plant morphogenesis and botany but working with scientists, though, was sort of a “cultural shock”. Bodo says that now he is constrained by data tables and is surrounded by terminology he finds sometimes difficult to keep up with. This is a major difference when you are accustomed to the creative freedom given at NHTV, the one he misses now.

 

I asked him honestly what he considers to be the primary advantages and disadvantages of his present interest and work. He pinpointed the dynamics of Houdini FX and of procedural modelling in general as advantage number one, although this has it consequences as well. The drawback is that progress happens step by step and it takes long time before one could actually see how they are and what they have done. His personal pros regarding this peculiar internship are the skills he has earned or improved plus a life lesson- how to work outside of his comfort zone. In his opinion, the disturbing flaw is the fact that he work on his own and no one could understand and/or help him. It’s easier to fight battles when there is someone to back you up.

 

Bodo ambitiously states that he sees his future in creating environments for games. He also mentions that procedural modelling has found it stable place in the movie industry and in his long-term prospect, when armed with stronger skills, he would consider invading it. Well, Avatar is going to have a few sequels; you never know what future will bring! What I can promise is that, if Bodo hits the big screen one day, there will be enough former fellow-students sitting in the front row in the cinema, waiting to see some magic!

Timeline of Film Industry (BREWED Magazine)

TIMELINE OF FILM INDUSTRY

1895-1910’s

 

The official year of birth of the film industry is claimed to be 1895. Back then the French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière held the first private screening with the help of their invention- the cinématograph, a combination of a camera and a projector. During the future decade the world witnessed the opening of the first movie theatre in Pittsburgh, Thomas Edison’s kinetophone made talking in films possible, and the emersion of the Charlie Chaplin’s era.

1920’s

 

The 1920’s mark film history with many milestones. In 1924, Walt Disney created its first cartoon, Alice in Wonderland which is followed the next year by Sergei Eisenstein’s Potemkin- a revolution in film montage. In the last years of the decade sound in film and cartoon is the major breakthrough with the creation of The Jazz Singer, first feature-length talking motion picture, and Galloping Gaucho and Steamboat Willie becomes the first cartoon with sound. In 1928, the Academy Awards are handed out for the first time.

 

1930’s & 1940’s

An avalanche of groundbreaking films buries film lovers. In 1935, three-colour system was introduced in Becky Sharp and soon after that Walt Disney astounds with the first full-length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. During the next years on the big screen appears the epic Gone with the Wind, which is still one of the highest-grossing films of all times, followed in 1942 by another immortal classic- Casablanca. The previous year marks the birth of the greatest film of all times which pushes the boundaries of montage, mise-en-scène, and sound- Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane.

 

1950’s & 1960’s

 

These years will be remembered with the rise of technology of the future and the setting of Hollywood’s shiniest star. In 1955, 70mm film is introduced with Oklahoma!  and four years later Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless opens new possibilities for filmmakers by changing the use of the jump cut and the presumption of time continuity. During the 1960’s Alfred Hitchcock’s genius Psycho leaves the world terrified like never before, later the motion picture rating system debuts with G, PG, R and X ratings, and then comes the end of the most emblematic symbol of Hollywood up till now- Marilyn Monroe dies at age 36.

 

1990’s

 

The film industry rapidly changes towards the way we know it nowadays, concerning the many new various and non-stereotypical topics and storylines being explored. This requires the X rating to be replaced by NC-17 (no children under 17) in 1990. In 1993, Lost in Yonkers is edited on an Avid Media Composer system, the first non-linear editing system to allow viewing at film’s required “real-time”-viewing rate of 24 frames per second. By converting film into digital bits, film can now be cut on a computer. The same year Jurrasic Park pushes the boundaries of believable visualisation, followed years later by the over-whelming Titanic.

 

3-D Era

 

First 3-D films were featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide rebirth in the 1980s and ’90s driven by IMAX theaters and Disney themed-venues. 3-D films became more and more successful throughout the 2000s, culminating in the unprecedented success of 3-D screenings of Avatar in December 2009 and January 2010.

 

Students with Companies (BREWED Magazine)

It is Thursday evening, or Friday evening, or Saturday evening, or it could be any evening…same story, different version. What is important is that you are going out! The exact same ritual takes place- shower, some food, some time “invested” in front of the mirror, pre-drinking with the gang (sometimes even pre-pre-drinking comes before that) and then you hit the city. This is the briefest possible summary of most of Breda’s students’ nightlife…but among us there are a few individuals who find this repetitive party-pattern just too mainstream. In fact, preparation for a single night out could take months, especially if you believe that you party the hardiest at a party you throw yourself. Pressure, nerves, negative energy chase you for weeks when you want to organize an event for 700-800 people but in the end it is worth it because after all the work done, partying is so much sweeter! And since you have been busting your unmentionables off for this night, it better be great…

This is made sure by a bunch of guys with ambitions and pretentions to know what it takes to have a blast. Ferran and Chris are students at NHTV (ILM and ITMC respectively) and Max is a former co-student of ours. It could be that you also recognize them by their DJ pseudonyms- Jah Jah, Mista C and Moki. Probably some of you have been to their Bash Underground parties in Club Residence, or to the latest event they had- Yellow Fever. No? Nothing? Well, whatever, meet them now! Apart from going to school, they have embarked upon an adventure in organizing events and parties in the center of Breda and recently established their own company- UndergroundEventsBreda. The idea for creating their own “thing” appeared around a year ago when one of their “small” and anti-mainstream-music basement parties attracted more than 700 people! Yes, that’s tight, 700! And that was just the beginning…

From the conversation with them I get one big and important impression- work and school can co-exist! Juggling between them can be slippery and dangerous but if you are smart and sneaky, you should be able to take advantage of all the benefits. The pros for these guys are all the connections and contacts they have earned and with each event they feel one step closer to the big business with the big names and… the big cash. They also get the chance to right away try out in real life what they learn at university. Moreover, as they are all studying similar programs and event management is part of their studies, they also obtain ECTS for the events they organize. You throw a party and your teachers start admiring you- how cool is that?! Cons- the time issue! Working for your own company and simultaneously being the ultimate student can be risky enterprises and can also collide once in a while. Ferran, Chris and Max, though, state that as long as they are organized and structure their time properly, they manage to stay on both tracks. Another disadvantage is the fact that their company is still in its “infancy” and they have hard times finding the money to invest in wide promotion, inviting famous DJ’s, always having to rent the equipment. Everything for them is twice the effort as they still cannot be completely dedicated to their business.

Time to get more personal! Business is business but is it that easy for three friends to work together? I guess I cannot get a straight-to-the-point answer but the guys are strongly convinced about one thing- they would not be doing this, if it was not involving the three of them. They believe that the backbone of working successfully with other people is trust and this is what they sure have. They know each other pretty well and know all their strengths and weaknesses and this comes in handy when they reach a dead end, or an obstacle comes in their way. The most valuable lesson they have learned so far from this business experience is how and when to act as professionals. Having a few minor falling-outs in the past, when they were just starting off, now they are more confident in each other and tackle problems effortlessly. However, what is tricky is not to let other friends and people outside of their group of three interfere with their business. “Once you let them help a bit more”, the guys say, „they want more power and stick their nose in things that are none of their business”. This something they did not and cannot learn at school; they had to make the mistake, learn their lesson and move on.

What comes next? Well, the guys are going to have a break now…kind of. Soon they are all going on their internships and will not be throwing parties in Breda for the next six months. Instead they will be doing promotional work wherever they are. They have a new mission now- to spread the word around the world. That’s what I call “go-getters”! When they come back they are planning on registering officially at Kamer van koophandel, buying their own company name, start paying taxes and, of course, keep on partying. After all, they just want to make you dance!

Groovy, huh?!

 

Social Networking Market Report

SOCIAL NETWORKING MARKET REPORT

A neighborhood or a brotherhood? This is how Lyndon B. Johnson describes the two possible directions for the trapped-in-a-dilemma world by saying “The world has narrowed to a neighborhood before it has broadened to a brotherhood.” Of course, this is meant for times preceding ours, times without blogging, retweeting, liking, disliking and poking. Fifty years have passed since then and given the fact that mankind and society respectively, have been evolving for thousands of years already, there is not much that could have changed. However, if we take a look around, we will invariably see that the Lyndon B. Johnson days are gone. If every society presented a sort of potatoes, the world would nowadays look like a big bowl of mashed potatoes. Bigger than the one every ordinary mom prepares at Thanksgiving to feed the whole family. All the credits for this situation should indisputably go to social networking. Thanks to it now everybody knows everything about everybody else. Lyndon B. Johnson would have called it a brotherhood because one thing is for sure, the world has broadened! The question still standing is- is it really a brotherhood? Are we now more connected or we have simply narrowed to a much bigger neighborhood united by worldwide gossip? Most importantly, how are we going to end up? The more predictable we think future is, the more it surprises us.

To begin with, no insight in the future would make sense without a thorough analysis on the present having been made beforehand. Social networking’s current state can, in fact, be briefly summarized. As Hogben (2010) states “social networks represent the world’s largest body of personal data.” In this case, what is interesting and valuable to be known is what actually gave social networks their present status. According to a report carried out by Experian Inc. (2010), the percentage of people using social networking sites has astonishingly increased from 20% in 2007 to 66% in 2010. This kind of sites is taking over the Internet space as more people are getting interested in having an account.

Secondly, another important fact concerning the social networks’ advantage is their addictiveness. Experian Inc. (2010) also reported that nearly half of the people (43%) who have profiles in these sites admit to be accessing their accounts multiple times a day. This additionally strengthens the solid position of social networking sites as leaders in online communication. Moreover, it secures them a clearer vision of short-term future which seems stable on the top as obviously giving up the habit of being social via these sites is not easy.

Another strong advantage that social networking sites have developed and apply with maximum success is the fun zone. Games like Farmville and Mafia Wars have become so popular and have contributed to the addictiveness to social sites so much that now 73% of the users point “entertainment” as the reason to visit these sites (Experian Inc, 2010). Furthermore, now we witness a myriad of various social network websites that satisfy the needs of almost every person using the Internet. Golijan (2011) reports that both males (51%) and females (49%) are evenly interested in accessing social websites and that different networks’ popularity varies with the preferences and demographical status of users. For instance, LinkedIn.com is the site with the richest users and Plaxo.com is the “oldest” (Golijan, 2011). It becomes easier and easier for people to find the most suitable network to perform the activity they desire the most and to connect with the people they are demographically linked to. Apparently, social networks have different and very efficient advantages to secure their leading position in the cyberspace.

On the other hand, future is never what we expect and a reasonable existing in the present does not guarantee anything. Knowing all about tomorrow is not included in the curriculum vitae of mankind. A sunny day today, for example, never means it is not going to rain tomorrow. Although we have invented the weather forecast, sometimes we still fail to predict the nearest future, losing to the whims of nature. Frankly, in this case trying to catch a glimpse of the future of the so complicated social networking seems to me pointless as we are going to be surprised in the end, just as usual. However, there are some facts and figures which sound very convincing, sensible and probably can give us a hint which direction society is taking. Radicati (2010) argues in her research that the total number of accounts in all social networking sites will expand from 2.1 billion in 2010 to 3.6 billion in 2011. It is also mentioned that the users are very likely to increase from 767 million now to 1.2 billion in 2014 as most people have more than one account (Radicati, 2010). Such figures make you think.

In theory, it is believed that social networks hit their peak already, but in practice, these sites are obviously not saturated yet as in three years the number of users can almost double. I thought everybody was already on Facebook! If I trust simple thinking and logic, the future can be seen only in young people. Those who are young and immature today will rule the world tomorrow- that we can say for sure about future days. According to Experian Inc. (2010) the youngest part of the adults visiting social networks is quite active with 9 in 10 people aged 18-35 access these websites multiple times per day. Judging by the trends of youth and the rule that every generation sticks to its principles and fashion, social networking will be around for some time. These young users will move forward and will drag their preferences with them to the future.

In addition, the most important aspect of social networking is the people, the users. If one does not like it, this does not mean they will stop using it or will switch to another option. The apparent and easy example is Facebook about which Manjoo (2011) states, “You can’t switch over to a new social network, though, unless your friends do so as well.” For example, if you do not like your laptop, you can promptly change the brand by buying another one and you effortlessly solve the problem. This decision would be easy because it is individual. Being social, however, depends on the mass opinion. You do not go where you like it the most; you go where everybody else is, because otherwise it makes no sense.

Moreover, another solid advantage of social networking sites that can keep them longer on the top of popularity and usage is the fact that they can be modified by their own users. Taking into account all the recent lawsuits against such websites and the subsequent changes in their policies, it becomes clear who actually the boss is. Social networks are created for the people and work for the people and therefore are controlled by their desires. Additionally, as mentioned before, now there are so many social network sites that every group can easily and trouble-freely indulge its needs for being social (Golijan, 2011). Different websites may come and go but people will always have the need to connect with others. It is exactly this vigorous lifecycle of social networks that keeps users interested all the time and, probably, will also do so in the future.

To sum up, what makes life interesting is that you never know what comes next. If we had the ability to predict the days ahead of us, we would be living now in a very different world. This is why I think we can never foresee tomorrow- because we probably would not be able to handle it. We can barely deal with the present; the yet-to-come days would be extra burden on our strenuous shoulders. The rule applies to social networking, too. Future is hard to tell. Especially in a fast-changing world where we continue setting a pace that is hard to keep up. A look at the facts tells us that social networks will most probably remain the mainstream source of social binding. Nevertheless, a prophet could also tell us that and the chances for it to be true will be the same. In my opinion, one thing, though, is for sure and we do not need fortune-tellers or reports to understand the mere logic- people have been, are and will be social beings no matter what. It is part of our existence and the more possibilities we create for global connecting, the more addicted and devoted we become. Appetite comes with the meal. It does not matter in what form social networks will exist because as long as we want to connect with each other, social networking will be there to help. The only thing we can hope for our future is that we are really heading towards a brotherhood.

Bibliography:

Experian Inc. (2010) 2010 Social Networking Report. Retrieved on June 3^rd , 2011 from: http://www.experian.com/assets/marketing-services/reports/simmons-2010-social-networking-report.pdf

Golijan, R. (2011) The Current State of Social Networks. Retrieved on June 3^rd, 2011 from: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/12/6458127-the-current-state-of-social-networks

Hogben, G. (2010) Security issues in the future of social networking. Retrieved on June 3^rd, 2011 from: http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/papers/Future_of_SN_Giles_Hogben_ENISA.pdf

Manjoo, F. (2011) Is Facebook a Fad? What Social Networks Will Look Like In Five Years.  Retrieved on June 3^rd, 2011 from: http://www.slate.com/id/2290039/

Radicati, S. (2010) Social networking report, 2010-2014. Retrieved on June 3^rd, 2011 from: http://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Social-Networking-Market-2010-2014-Executive-Summary.pdf

Internet Piracy Will Destroy The Movie Industry (Essay)

INTERNET PIRACY WILL DESTROY THE MOVIE INDUSTRY

MEDIA ESSAY

It is all about entertainment. If the world had been recorded with a camera and if we could rewind the tape to the very beginning, we would see blatantly clearly that entertainment has always been there. Starting with a bunch of imperfect predecessors of ours, dancing around the fire, going through the rise of drama and theatre in the birthplace of civilization, and then the opera, the radio, the movie theatres, the television, the Internet. Whether as harmless as a concert of a genius like Mozart or lavish and spectacular as a gladiators’ fight, the people need show. Nowadays, means to acquire entertainment galore. We call them media. What is surprising is that we witness a battle for supremacy between two of the most powerful members of the entertainment world- the film industry and the Internet. In the red corner of the ring is the movie- the enchanting blend of art and show, and in the opposite blue corner is the Internet- the most powerful combination of everything one needs. The latter gives its users the chance to do almost whatever they want and thus invades the space of the other industries. It is like two team players fighting for who will get to play the most. And still, in the end the mighty team of entertainment will keep on getting better and better, as it always has been, and for that it needs all of its players on the field, striving to win together.

The movie industry will not vanish from the attacks of Internet piracy. Although most specialists strongly believe in the opposite and waste energy and time to foresee the dark future for films, reports argue that an unexpected phenomenon is happening. Cieply and Barnes (2009) argued that by the spring of 2009, during the peak of Internet piracy threatening the film’s existence, “United States ticket sales increased by 17.5 % from last year and hit 1.7 billion.” It is undisputable that one of the reasons for this is the higher ticket prices but regardless of any costs the attendance jumped by almost 16% (Cieply and Barnes, 2009). Moreover, while the movie industry was going through a rebirth, Internet video views also achieved their record for biggest audience within a month (Sachoff, 2009). As Bayley (2010) correctly states, “Movie theater attendance just isn’t what it used to be – in fact, it’s larger and more profitable than ever”. Apparently, both the Internet and the film industry can move forward together without one overshadowing the other. It is true that the Internet gives opportunities, although illegal, to its users to download easily and for free the products and labor of filmmakers. It is also true that the more available and easier downloading gets, the more people will do it. After all, it is human nature to look for a shortcut instead of going all the way. To put it in another words- yes, it is not fair. However, taking into account the statistics for recent box office successes, it all looks like much cry and little wool.

Another question is “What does the film industry do to prevent itself from piracy?”. There have been a few efforts made but unfortunately unsuccessful. We have seen anti-piracy ads, “consumer education” programs, lawsuits against the biggest piracy websites to frighten the rest, offering a list of websites with low-cost rent/purchase releases but few of them new. Obviously most of the endeavors made are focused on talking about the problem and less action. Problems, though, seem to be easy to determine. According to an analysis by MPA (2006), “The typical pirate is age 16-24 and male. 44 percent of MPA company losses in the U.S. are attributable to college students”. This report shows clearly that younger people are those who lead the army of “pirates”. This is not surprising because students at college and other adolescents do not have the money to spend on every movie they want to see. Supporting the film industry is simply unaffordable for this big group of consumers. Furthermore, youngsters find it more difficult to appreciate the experience of seeing a movie on a big screen since they are part of the “Internet generation”. Between 1994 and 2006 the percentage of people aged 18-29 who prefer watching at home has increased from 59 to 74 (Taylor et al, 2006). This proves that people are now less used to going to see a movie and perceiving it as a special experience. However, this value of the film industry is not lost and is, indeed, its biggest advantage that keeps it above the sea level. As Keen (2009) claims, “As the value of digital content on the Internet falls toward zero because of its ubiquity, the value of real-time physical products increases”. The film industry may be threatened now but it has an ace up its sleeve and will not leave the game soon.

To summarize, every life has its triumphs and falls, so does the film industry. Every generation brings new values, new inventions and new needs. Part of evolution is to move forward and those who want to survive should keep up with the pace. The movie industry has the right to be afraid of the Internet piracy as it offers free access to somebody’s valuable piece of work. Instead of showing despair by furiously defending their positions, the movies should try to find a way to cooperate because, obviously, it can happen. At the end of the day, they are still playing for the same team. The film industry has its stable roots and will live but also has to find a way how to use its advantages. What is important is the audience and they are hungry for, as Juvenal says, “Bread and Circuses”. As long as the people are entertained, all media “team players” will remain on the field.

 

 

Bibliography:

Bayley, P. (2010). What does piracy really mean to the movie industry? Retrieved on March 23^rd, 2011 from:

http://www.ime.edu/Portals/41606/docs/piracymovieindustry.pdf

Cieply, M. and Barnes, B. (2009). “In Downturn, Americans Flock to the Movies.” The New York Times.

Keen, A. (2009). “Online Video Will Kill the Movie”. Retrieved on March 25^th, 2011 from http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=556&doc_id=180839

Sachoff, M. (2009). “Online Video Viewing Reaches Record Audience.” WebProNews.

Taylor, P., Funk, C. and Graighill, P. (2006). “Increasingly, Americans Prefer Going to the Movies at Home”. Retrieved on March 24^th, 2011 from  http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/Movies.pdf

“The Cost of Movie Piracy”  (2006). An analysis prepared by LEK for the Motion Picture Association. Retrieved on March 24^th, 2011 from http://mpa-i.org/pdf/leksummaryMPA%20revised1.2008.pdf