Like most people, I enjoy going out for the evening, and in my opinion, one of the best ways to spend such an evening is by going to the cinema. However, quite often I find that the film choices available at most times during the year are not to my taste. I am fussy when it comes to choosing what film I will see, for I only tend to go for sci-fi or fantasy, and the best films of those genre come out only a few times a year. Therefore, I rarely go to the cinema (3 or 4 times a year), due to my fussiness relating to what genre the film is, and when I do go, it would be with someone else who would be willing to go, such as a friend or a family member, for I do not like going to the cinema on my own. Luckily, the cinema is not the only way to see films any more, unlike around 50 years ago, so I am able to have access to satellite and cable TV, of which often show films on their many film channels, such as FILM 4 or Sky Movies as well as the main channels, such as British Broadcasting Company (BBC), the Independent Television company (ITV) and Channel 4.
There is also another advantage to the film industry in modern society, which is that if I am unable to catch a film in the cinema, I can buy it on DVD in a few months later, and play it on my DVD player that I have at home. I do not, however, own a blu-ray player, so I am unable to see films that are released on blu-ray before they are released on DVD, or films that are exclusive to blu-ray. Many people also use hard-disc recorders to their advantage, by simply recording a film on their TV that they would like to either watch again, or watch at a later time to when it is being shown live on the channel. I do not own such a device, however, so I usually have to make sure that I am not busy before I plan to watch a movie on a TV channel.
The internet is another popular way to access films, and well-known companies such as Netfilx or LoveFilm, of which provide a number of films, old or new, benefit hugely from this popularity. Luckily, I have access to the internet via my laptop, and via the video game console, the Nintendo Wii, in which I also have access to Netflix. YouTube is the most used video website on the internet, and the majority of videos uploaded to it aren't even professional videos. They can range from being homemade videos to being videos that go viral. This website is also a place in which music videos are uploaded by famous music artists with the intent to become well known, and therefore more likely to be purchased. I myself have uploaded home made film videos to YouTube when I was younger, using a camcorder to video it. Nowadays, I would be more likely to film something on my camera phone, and upload it to other social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter. I would do this so I could gain the opinion of friends and family on my video.
An interesting fact is that 7 in 10 people in Britain own a smartphone, which can be used to view films on via, again, internet access, or you can download them or transfer them from a computer/laptop to the phone. The availability of internet on smartphones also allows people to book tickets for the cinema in advance, which has allowed a new form of film consumption to come into effect. Around 40% of the world has access to internet, and therefore can get information and more on the films they may plan to see in the future, as well as information on films that have already been released. Also, sites such as eBay or Amazon allow people to buy a large variety of DVD's, blu-rays or videos without having to even leave their house, for it can be posted to them directly once they have been paid for.
To conclude, there are many ways in which people can gain access to films, especially in comparison to around half a century ago, when the only way you could see a film was to watch it in the theatre, so I (as a film lover) feel very privileged to have such access, even if I do not own all the modern forms of accessibility to film.
No comments:
Post a Comment