Professional vs. Amateur Films

Digital content of good quality is expected to be produced by professionals who have earned the title from education, training and experience. In present times, the line that separates professionals from amateurs is fading because of the possibilities that digital media has provided. User generated content has become more popular and the quality of the content has been increasing which has become threats to professionals and it questions there title as professionals. This takes place in many different areas of creativity and challenges arise for both amateurs and professionals. An area of particular interest is the production of films and fan films and the challenges that face the creators.
Fan films are considered to be videos, films or short movies based on popular movies, television shows, and comics or of a similar source that are created by fans instead of the copyright owners or the original producers. Fans make these films as a hobby with their own resources and based on the knowledge and experience that they have. This is the reason why the quality of fan films has such a wide range in terms of the quality and length. One negative effect of this is that there is more badly written and poorly produced content that exists (Frenkel-Faran 2008). The creators of fan films have traditionally been known as the amateurs of film making but this is now changing as the popularity of fan films is on the rise. One of the major fan films series has originated from the Star Wars series called “Troops”. Fan films have gained many followers for many reasons, for example, many fans may not like how a particular movie ended but the fan films may have an ending which they prefer.
Traditionally, the title of being professional has been gained based on the talent and output of a person. Therefore, the content that these people produced was automatically seen as professional but things are now changing. Consumers of the film now determine whether it is professional or not, so one film may seem professional to one but not to another. Some user-generated content are being seen as professional, shifting the label of professionalism (Slocum 2008). According to Joseph Turow, “Amateur content is not easy to discern” (2008).There are different ways in which people distinguish amateur film from professional film. For example, some may consider a film to be amateur based on the absence of traditional credentials while others may distinguish professionalism based on the editorial process (Wharton 2008). Clay Shirky states that professionalism only exists because there is a scarce resource that requires ongoing management (2009). However, the rise of digital media eliminates the problem of scarcity and this is the reason why the line that defines professionalism is becoming blurry.
The distribution of content including films has become cheaper and easier due to the increasing use of the internet. Consumers get access to fan films instantaneously because of the internet (Liu, Safavi-Naini and Sheppard 2003). The various forms of digital format make the distribution options of fan films endless and uncontrollable (Goedvolk, Faber and Wagenaar 2004). This creates a challenge for professional film makers because consumers are getting easy access to fan films on the internet, free of charge so now they are expecting to get professional films at a cheaper cost. A major challenge for the professional film producers is the business model and the cost. Professionals need to pay talent and royalties and web based advertising is not strong enough to support the publicity that movies need. Fan films don’t have these costs, and their distribution is free giving them a clear advantage over the professionals (Wharton 2008). However, there are some professional content that are not threatened by the amateur content, for example, no blog can match The New York times. This can easily change if consumers do not support the professional films and according to Peter Fadar, “user-generated content has jus been born” (2008).
Fan film makers do encounter challenges with their production in areas where professionals have the advantage. Fan film producers do not have many costs but as their content evolves and improvements are made because “many amateurs take pride in developing their skills and dream of turning their hobby into a profession” (Dijck 2009). Therefore, they will become more expensive to produce and it is not economical to provide free content to consumers if it costs the producers. This is where the problem arises because amateurs need to determine what consumers demand and whether they are willing to pay it. If consumers are being charged to view fan films, the chances are that consumers may go for professional movies if they have to make a choice on which to spend their money on. Another problem that fan film makers have is that advertisers are cautious because they are concerned about quality and they don’t want to be involved with advertising films which contains inappropriate content so advertisers are more willing to work with professionals (Wharton 2008). According to Andrew Keen, “Nobody wants to advertise next to crap” (2008). In terms of the inappropriate content that may be included in fan films raises the problem of ethics in their production. There is no control over the ethical conduct of amateur producers and their productions, meaning that some fan films can be seem as unethical which results in the loss of some of its followers. In this case, professionals have knowledge and ethical guidelines that they must follow which ensures that their film content is ethical, so they rarely encounter this problem (Dokoupil 2008).
The rise of digital media and availability of resources has taken away from the profession of film production because professional film makers are being challenged and now it is basically a fight for consumers’ attention. This is because with the rise in technology it is becoming easier for amateurs to create better quality films than they could have in the past (Barletta, Mayer and Moser 2004). However there are different opinions on the future result of this issue. Even though most arguments are in favour of amateurs, some experts suggest that there will be a blend of professionalism and amateur content. They may both create challenges for each other but they do help each other in some ways. For example, the fan films called Troops as mentioned earlier increases the popularity for the Star Wars series in general and therefore creates success for future professional films based on the series. The buzz created from fan films may even be more effective than any advertising campaign (Moore 2008). Another view is that, despite the growing success of user-generated content, professional content is making a come back because consumers are beginning to realize that the quality of professional work is unmatched and more reliable (Keen 2008).
In conclusion, digital media continues to put tools of production into the hands of amateurs and there output in increasing and improving. The final result of this war between amateurs and professionals is unknown but they are learning to overcome the challenges that they create for each other and they also benefit from each other. The defining line of a professional and amateur is in the eyes of the consumer.

References

Taylor, A 2009, Amateur vs. professional, The Artful Manager, Wisconsin, viewed on 14 October 2009,

Barletta, A, Mayer, M & Moser, B 2004, ‘Leafing Digital Content’, JSTOR Journals, pp 217.

Dijck, J 2009, ‘Users like you? Theorizing agency in user-generated content’, Sage Publications, pp 51.

Dokoupil, T 2008, Revenge of the Experts, Newsweek, New York, viewed on 17 October 2009,

Frenkel-Faran A 2008, ‘Book Review: Andrew Keen, The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet Is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy. London and Boston, MA: Currency/Doubleday, 2007. 228 pp. ISBN 0-3855-2080-8, $22.95 (pbk)’, Sage Publications, vol. 10, pp. 674 – 677.

Goedvolk, E, Faber, E & Wagenaar, R, ‘Towards a framework for understanding the effectiveness of digital content exploitation strategies’, JSTOR Journals, pp 239.

Keen, A 2008, The cult of the amateur: how blogs, MySpace, YouTube, and the rest of today’s user-generated media are destroying our economy, our culture, and our values, Broadway Business, New York

Moore, A 2008, The Experts vs. the Amateurs, SMLXL, England, viewed on 16 October 2009,

Slocum, M 2008, Entries tagged with “amateur” from Tools of Change for Publishing, Tools of Change for Publishing, viewed on 17 October 2009, < http://blogs.oreilly.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=40&tag=amateur &limit=20>

The Experts vs. the Amateurs: A Tug of War over the Future of Media 2008, Knowledge at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, viewed on 17 October 2009,

Qiong, L, Safavi-Naini, R & Sheppard, N 2003, ‘Digital Rights Management for Content Distribution’, JSTOR Journals, vol. 21

1. The Experts vs. the Amateurs: A Tug of War over the Future of Media

The key argument of this resource is that the content produced by amateurs is growing and that professionals are getting competition. Compared to some of the other resources that I have checked, this one seems to have very useful information that is relevant to my essay topic. It contributes as it discusses the problems faced between professionals and amateurs, also it mentions what the current situation is in this area. A quote that carries a major point of the article is “this alleged tug of war between professional and amateur content on the web is largely moot because the lines are so blurry between the two categories in the first place.”

2. “The cult of the amateur: how today’s internet is killing our culture” by Andrew Keen

This book discusses the idea that digital content which is user-generated is over taking the content that is being produced by professionals. This resource is different in terms of the which side is taken on this issue but the information provided is useful as it gives valid points of debate that supports professional content. The quote that delivers the main point of the book is “our professional newspapers, magazines, music, and movies—are being overtaken by an avalanche of amateur user-generated free content.”

3. “The Revenge of the Experts” by Tony Dokupil

The key argument of this article is that despite the rise in user-generated content, professionals and experts are making a come back. The view or argument in the resource is similar to the 2nd source I have mentioned above. However the information is still useful in my research on this topic because it adds more to the arguement. “In short, the expert is back. The revival comes amid mounting demand for a more reliable, bankable Web.” This quote seems to summarize the main point of this article.

4. “Digital rights management and mass amateurization” by Dan Hunter

This document suggests that the content produced by amateurs is continuing to grow and now there may be a very fine line that separates the professionals from the amateurs. The information presented is similar to some other sources I have found but this will still be useful as there can be new additions to the discussion. From what I have read so far, I have not seen any key quotes that captures the essence of the main point.

5. “Redefining Professional Content and Accepting Digital’s Limitations” by Mac Slocum

This is article, in some aspects defends amateur content production by stating that the title of being professional is issued by the consumer, so therefore if the quality of amateur content is of high quality then they can be considered professional as well. This article takes a different view in the argument which is useful since there is now information that is gathered for both professional and amateur content. “If consumers deem a piece of “user-generated” content to be professional, then it is (to those particular consumers)”. This is a quote that summarizes one of the main points that is being brought across to the reader’s attention.

The first task was to sign an e-petition, and i signed “No to Drink Driving in Australia”. This petition is about the government imposing harsher punishment for drunk drivers who causes injury or death to another person. The person that started this petition had a personal loss due to drunk driving and she felt as though there was no justice. This is the link to the petition

http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/no-to-drink-driving-in-australia/sign.html

The next task was to respond to a professional blogger at a major news site. I visited the 9 news website and found a post with an amazing story. The blog was titled “Lion’s tale behind a video weepie” by Shaun Davies. It was a blog about a popular story which was about the bond between a lion named Christian and two men. It really was amazing. This is the link to the blog

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=158461&showcomments=true

The next task was to find out what President Obama is up to today? This information was a little difficult but I found something. I don’t know how reliable this information is but this is what I found.

9:30 am President Obama and Vice President Biden get the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office.

10:00 am President Obama gives a speech at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building about his plan to reform a broken system of contracting to cut back on wasteful spending, and save the American people tens of billions of dollars.

10:45 am President Obama and Vice President Biden get the Economic Daily Briefing.

11:15 am President Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office.

11:30 am Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano join Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in a press briefing to discuss their efforts to cut costs, root out waste, and make government more efficient and effective.

7:30 pm President Obama and Michelle Obama host a dinner with the Congressional Committee Chairs in the East Room of the White House, with President Obama giving a speech

This is the link where I found this http://www.americans-away-from-home.com/node/582

The next task was to find the local, state and federal representatives
I found that Desley Boyle is the Minister for Local Governement
The Governor of Queensland is Ms Penelope Wensley
The Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd

The last speech given by Desley Boyle was on the 3rd September 2009, it was about the next steps that would be taken in the local government reform program. I thought her speech was done well. It was short but it was easy to understand what was being said. The speech was informative for people who want to keep themselves updated with the activities of the government. She mentioned that this year is the 150th year that Queensland has been a state.

In the lecture for Week 8, the themes of cyberpunk had some interesting ideas, about the mythologies and utopia. I do believe that technological advancements has changed the way of life for many people. It helps some people find their identity and others may be brought together by technology. We’re surrounded by technology everywhere we go but this is not necessarily a good thing. Some may view technology as having a negative impact on people such as making people anti-social. For example, the iPod can make people anti social as it makes a person unapproachable if the earphones are in their ears. In terms of technology we are also brainwashed into getting the latest version or the latest update when in fact nothing is wrong with previous version. It seems as though we are being dominated by technology but at the same time people can’t live with out the technology we have today.

As for the question about the Australian government censoring the government, they may have their reasons for wanting to do this but I’m quite sure many people would not be happy if this happened. Can the internet be censored? I don’t think that it’s the best plan because their will be so many limitations to what you can access on the internet and how do they decide what needs to be censored.

This video that I made takes you through a hike to a waterfall in July 2009 in Trinidad.

This is a video I have created with photos that I have taken this year during my holiday in my home country, Trinidad. The video tells a story about the recently hatched leatherback turtles, trying to find their way to the ocean, that are being killed by the stray dogs and vultures. People then step in to save the remaining turtles as they are an endangered species and they are then helped in getting to the ocean.