Audience and Institution Essay

In relation to the media area you have studied, discuss the ways audience consumption has changed over time.

Audience consumption for film has changed drastically. Most would say it is for the better. But some ways have some negatives for the way we get to watch films nowadays. Viewers now have options to watch movies in several ways. The main way is through streaming services on the internet.

The first films were named magic lantern shows. People came together in small rooms, pay a few cents and watch moving pictures through slides using machines like The Praxinoscope. Films blossomed in the 1920s, as silent films were the predominant part of film history. In upperclass movie theatres, moviegoers could hear pianos or even an orchestra playing along with the film. Eating popcorn during a movie didn’t become a luxury until 1925 when the first electric popcorn machine was invented. In 1931, movie theaters got a little fancier with the advent of the types of chairs used in the cinemas. Now instead of regular theater seats, chairs were designed so that the person seated could move back when someone else needed to get up to use the restroom. Though movie theaters were standard across the country by the 1930’s, it wasn’t a pleasant viewing experience for all American citizens. If there was no cinema specifically for people of color in the South they were forced to skip the “white only” box office and head up the stairs to the balcony for the designated colored section. As you can see, the way audiences consumed film was extremely different decades ago.

The way we have been watching Films has affected our lives in many different ways. Films such as Black Panther have been given to us in 2D, 3D, and IMAX according to case studies. Movies are premiered in different ways due to the advancement of technology. Movie theaters have expanded all over the world. Now we can see movie theaters on almost every main road. At retail stores like Walmart and Target, sell DVDs of movies such as Fantastic Beast  according to case studies. There has been a transition in history with movies. We can mostly watch them at home now through a variety of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, etc. People do not go to movie theaters as much as they used to. There are also illegal sites that I’ve been on to watch the latest movies that came out. It might not be the same quality but it is better than spending money on overpriced ticketing at theaters.  

Overall, audience consumption has changed significantly due to the fact that the internet is becoming more popular as the years go on and theaters are having less of a purpose because of the improvement of technology.