Captain America: Civil War (2016) Case Study

GEORGE SILKE

The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice

Captain America: Civil War was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios. Disney owns Marvel after they purchased the company in December 2009 for $4.2 billion. Disney is a large multi-billion dollar conglomerate company so they can afford to give Marvel Studios big budgets for their films. Captain America: Civil War was given a budget of $250 million and it grossed over $1.15 billion at the worldwide box office. Marvel’s success as a film company has grown since Disney purchased them in 2009. This shows that films produced and distributed by big companies have more potential for success than smaller film companies. Disney is a large global company which is why they were able to distribute the film to lots of countries easily. Disney are known for making films aimed at people of all ages. Captain America: Civil War was given a 12A in the UK which means children under 12 could go and see the film with their parents. The film is classed as a four quadrant film which means it is aimed at everyone. The four quadrants include males under 25, males over 25, females under 25 and females over 25. All of these factors contributed to the films massive success.

The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing

Disney and Marvel worked very well together in the Production, distribution and marketing of Captain America: Civil War. Disney put a lot of money into the distribution and the marketing of the film. The marketing of the film was very effective because it got people excited about seeing the film in cinemas. The marketing campaign consisted of two trailers, many TV spots, posters and a press tour. Disney’s massive size helped a lot in publicising the film. The trailers that were released on Marvel’s official YouTube channel generated a lot of views. Trailer one had over 11 million views and trailer two had over 73 million views. Both trailers were very successful in generating excitement towards the film and played a significant role in driving people to go and see the film in cinemas. The second trailer in particular generated the most excitement for the film because it introduced audiences to the newest version of Spider-Man. Audiences were eager to see what the newest version of Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, would be like. This is the first time that Spider-Man has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside the other Avengers. This is because the film rights to Spider-Man were previously owned by Sony Pictures. Marvel comics sold the film rights to the character to Sony in the 1990’s because the company was having financial troubles at the time. Marvel and Disney managed to make a deal with Sony so that Spider-Man could appear in this movie as well as future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. This is an example of studios working together to benefit each other.

The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange

Recent digital technologies have had a significant impact on the way that people watch films today. IMAX and 3D have improved the cinema experience in recent years. Captain America: Civil War was converted into 3D for certain screenings of the film. The 15 minute long airport battle sequence was shot entirely in IMAX with the new IMAX/ARRI 2D digital cameras. The footage was then converted into 3D in post production. The film was shot digitally and was easier to distribute because of this. The film was then released on a variety of different home media platforms. This included DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D. It was also released on various digital download platforms like iTunes, Sky Store and Amazon Video. The film has also been made available on various internet streaming piracy sites for free. Film piracy has a negative affect on the film industry because people are watching films at home for free instead of buying a ticket to see it in cinemas. This is an example where advancements in technology have had a negative affect on the film industry. Captain America: Civil War wasn’t badly affected by this as it grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. A lot of people went to see the film in cinemas. Smaller films are affected the most by film piracy.

The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences

As certain technologies have advanced in recent years, film companies have had to change the way that they work. In today’s world, everyone has web enabled phones and computers. They can access films from on the internet using legal and illegal streaming sites. Audience viewing habits have changed now that they no longer have to go to the cinema to watch a film. Film companies have had to change the way that they market their films because of this. Marketing films is now done online using social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. This was especially true for Captain America: Civil War. The majority of its marketing was done online using social media. This is due to the proliferation of hardware like smart phones and computers along with the current popularity of social media sites. During the marketing campaign for the film, trailers and clips appeared all over Facebook and YouTube as advertisements. Disney could afford to have the film advertised everywhere because of their power and wealth in the media. The way that films are released on home media has also changed a lot in recent years. The increase in popularity of streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Video means that most films are released digitally once they are made available for home release. This makes it easier for people to watch films on their web enabled smart phones and computers. Films are now easier to watch on a wide variety of different platforms.

The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences Advancements in technology in recent years have had a positive affect on the

film industry. It is now easier for companies to produce, distribute and market a film because of these advancements. More advanced cameras have been created so filmmakers can capture high quality footage. IMAX cameras capture the largest format and the highest quality sound. There are also digital cameras available to filmmakers. Films shot on digital are easier to distribute than films shot on standard film. This is why a lot of films nowadays are shot digitally. Films are now easier to market because of advancements in technology in recent years. The majority of a films marketing is done on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. A lot of film companies, including Marvel and Disney, release their trailers on social media sites. They may also release posters and concept art on social media as well. One of the reasons for this is because a lot of people use these sites so they have the potential to reach a lot of people and gain a lot of views. This shows how important technological convergence is for the film industry and how it has helped it to expand.

The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences by international or global institutions

Disney is a large global institution so they had no issues with marketing the film to audiences worldwide. As Captain America: Civil War is a four quadrant film, its target audience consists of all age demographics and both gender groups. This makes it a lot easier to market the film to a wide audience of people. They use different aspects in the film to attract different audiences from around the world. For example, the majority of the film is set in Germany, which would help attract German audiences to see the film. The film features well known characters like Captain America and Spider-Man that audiences from all over the world will be familiar with. The majority of the actors in the film are well known American actors which will appeal to audiences in the US. Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man in the film, is from England. This may help to attract British audiences if they recognise him from the other films he's been in. Audiences worldwide are familiar with the actors and characters in the film, which is why Disney and Marvel didn’t have any problems with targeting the film to audiences worldwide. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well established franchise worldwide. This is partly due to the fact that the films are distributed by Disney, which is a global conglomerate. They have the power and resources to distribute the film worldwide. They are also known for making four quadrant films that people of all ages can enjoy. They didn’t encounter any problems with targeting the film at audiences because of this.

The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour

Personally, if I am excited for a film that is coming out then I will go and see it in cinemas. If I like the look of a film from trailers or its cast then I will go and see it in cinemas as well. I saw Captain America: Civil War in cinemas for various different reasons. One of the reasons was because I have really enjoyed the majority of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and wanted to see this one. Another reason is because the trailers that Disney/Marvel released for the film got me excited for it and encouraged me to go to the cinema to watch it. I also enjoy the cinema experience because of the high quality picture and sound. This was also the case for a lot of other people, which is evident from its massive worldwide gross. However, some people may have pirated the film online. They do this because its free and they may not enjoy the cinema experience. This has a negative affect on the film industry because cinemas are losing out on money that would’ve been made in ticket sales. Despite this, the film still managed to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. This shows that the majority of audiences went to see the film in cinemas.