Settling Into New Media
Traditional media has changed. Television, magazines and newspapers simply can’t compete with the instantly updated user-generated environment of the web. Not surprisingly advertising also has had to adapt, and the internet is now emerging as the consumer medium of choice in parts of the world. We’re seeing low-quality material go viral every day – in fact much is made in the hope this happens. But the reality is that despite being constantly subjected to this cheap form of marketing, quality content doesn’t cost any less to produce. NZTECHO asks, is the industry losing sight of production value when it comes to the internet?
Marketing no longer dictates our advertising fill. More and more, thanks to the internet, we can choose the media we consume – not only what, but when and where also. We can do pretty much everything online – research, shop, watch movies, play music, stream television shows, socialise, do business and network. We can do it from bed on a laptop, on a bus using a tablet or with a smart phone from a remote beach.
Mid last year, New Media Trend Watch showed 3,810,144 internet users in New Zealand (or 88% of the population). Digital analytics provider comScore showed 2.1 million online users in New Zealand watched online videos in February 2011. Google Sites ranked top video viewing destination (driven largely by YouTube), followed by Facebook and Vevo. With TVNZ Sites and MediaWorks NZ both ranking in the top ten. The stats alone show us that the internet has completely changed the way we live, work and play.
While the emphasis on television commercials (TVCs) as the premium advertising tool is reducing, new media and digital formats generally don’t impact our everyday crafts as technicians. The DoP still shoots to the best effect, the focus puller/1st AC still has to be accurate in finger wizardry, the grips and LX technicians still shift gear, rig lights and lay track. The makeup director and art director require a skilled eye, the art departments still build sets, the AD department still stresses the same and the production team still puts in hours of unpaid overtime. Nothing much changes.
What is changing though is the perception of media roles. With YouTube and home camera technologies, more and more people are creating their own content to be viewed online. As a result, the perception of what is involved in producing a final product has narrowed, with the idea that anybody can create moving pictures (which is actually true). Perhaps not too surprisingly then, there is a perception that the costs involved have also reduced. End-use clients are no longer bound to television as the only medium for their content. Adverts can now go on Facebook, YouTube or third-party websites. Yes, the technology has become cheaper, the cost of equipment has lowered and there are more options, but the human element remains the same. We in the industry know that quality of content depends on the experience and skill of those that make it, but perhaps other people don’t know this. We know a good product still requires a great director, an experienced crew, a talented cast and a producer capable of pulling everyone together. The skill involved and work efforts are the same whether it’s a TVC or a new media product. So why are we being asked so often to do the quality same work we’ve always done for less?
Does ‘we haven’t got the budget, it’s not for TV’ sound familiar? It’s becoming more common for advertising agencies to produce lower budget productions because the material is only going to be used for virals, YouTube or Facebook. Some crew are asked also to work with less preparation (with some putting in additional unpaid days to ensure they are ready on time).
We know budgets have been getting smaller. The many reasons include global economic conditions, increasing costs impacting production company margins, advertising agencies quoting less to get work and perhaps client perception around cheaper advertising channels.
Of course, there will always be low-budget jobs and the ‘for the love of it’ jobs we do in this industry, but these aren’t the issue – rather it’s the reduced-budget jobs, and often it’s for big-budget clients. Not only are crew being asked to cut rates to fit in with reduced budgets but work expectations remain the same (sometimes more). It’s a problem and it’ll likely only get worse.
Producers are being forced into situations of bringing wages down just because a job ‘is not for TV’. Perhaps producers are planning to do more scheduling and administration themselves. But considering they’ve already got a full workload, this type of strategy often ends up with people being pulled in at the last minute, possibly even at a higher cost. We know producers don’t have it easy either but we can’t rely on the good-natured ones who believe in paying fair and normal rates.
So what can we do? Price fixing is not an option. Do we just put our heads in the sand and leave it to individuals to decide if they want the job or not and accept whatever rate is offered? It’s easy to say this, but for every person that agrees to accept a lower fee, the bar goes down for the rest of us … the industry is tough enough as it is. Experienced people often can’t charge their normal rates for new media work and are forced to either undercut others (and themselves). Perhaps senior crew can choose to refuse work but many can’t and what about those at the bottom of the pecking order? Do we just hope that economic conditions get better soon? Although the reality is even if global economic conditions improve overnight, it won’t change the fact that lower budgets will continue. Or do we join forces with other industry groups to find a mutual solution? Something needs to be done as people are already leaving the industry and we certainly don’t want to see more following suit.
To add further pressure to an already competitive industry, we have an influx of new generation filmmakers. Some starting out are going straight into new media. These very tech-savvy people want to get into the industry and a lot will work for free.
NZ on Air certainly seems to be recognising new media as a growing content market. NZ on Air’s budget for funding for web-only content $2,130,000 for the 2013/2014 year. NZ on Air says in its Statement of Intent 2013-2016 that data consumption and mobile platform use continues to increase rapidly, with Statistics NZ figures showing 93% of fixed internet subscribers now use a broadband connection. NZ on Air says it’s responding to technology changes through developing in-house digital capability, publishing a digital strategy and implementing new funding models while remaining platform-neutral and making investment decisions based on audience preferences and market gaps. It acknowledges the digital switchover (which is set to be completed at the end of the year) and the continued rollout of ultra-fast broadband (UFB) affect the sectors in which we operate.
The onslaught of new media is also on the Government’s agenda. In March, the Government announced the tabling of a Law Commission report The News Media Meets ‘New Media’: Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation in the Digital Age. The report provides the Law Commission’s recommendations for updating laws regulating our media for the digital era. The Government will examine the report’s recommendations and will seek views from the industry before formally responding to the report later this year.
Where to from here in the world of new media? We all play a part in it – crew are accepting low rates, producers are submitting unreasonable budgets (due to competition), ad agencies are tightening up the purse strings and clients are trying to spread budgets to cover new media. Advertisers want more bang for their buck (and we probably can’t blame them).
Is it now time for the industry to get together on the matter? Is it about addressing new media in the Blue Book? Is it about establishing industry norms? Perhaps it’ll come down to a turn circle, where corporates realise that good content costs money whether it’s online or on TV. We know that you get what you pay for, but can we rely on others realising this?
However, perhaps of even more importance is that despite all the issues that new media presents, what opportunities does new media present crew? Let’s not lose sight of the opportunities that the internet offers our industry. It’s a huge distribution platform hungry for content, after all. Everything is going online and multi-media content is needed. New media could be great for film and television crews. Perhaps there is enough to go around all of us – the newbies and the experienced ‘old timers’ alike.
