Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The TV Industry Culture: TV Goes Digital

The TV Industry culture is highly competitive. It is first and foremost a business. People especially performers who are seen as capable of generating a lot of money for the TV company are considered at the top of the food chain. Where you live and who you know sometimes go ahead of ability and talent. These are the critical places to be in:

Hollywood: the center of the entertainment world. To find work in a major or minor outfit in the television industry, you need to live as close to Hollywood or L.A.

New York: New York offers a number of possibilities particularly for those who want to make independent film and get into the music scene.

Other Places: Orlando, Florida; Montana; Colorado and Seattle, Washington. More actors and producers are spread all over the US. Orlando, Florida has five studios including Universal Studios, Disney MGM. Atlanta has Turner Broadcasting.

The TV Industry Culture Fierce competition: it doesn't matter where you want to be in the TV industry - behind the camera or in front of it, onstage or off, the TV industry is extremely competitive. Even internships in production or art departments are very competitive and are rare.

Screen Actors Guild (SAG) alone, the industry's major labor union, has an estimated 120,000 performers. Compare this number to the celebrities who actually made it big. That's how competitive the TV and movie industry.

Low pay: Working in the TV industry pays huge dividends if you are famous or your skills are sought after. However if you are just starting out, it is not unusual to see starving artists living on a pay to pay basis. Internships or assistantships oftentimes do not pay or pay so little.

Emerging TrendsWith the advent of computer and internet technology, advancements in the TV industry have been introduced further bolstering its media power. Creators of TV programs find themselves either aided or competing with Internet, digital video, and media-on-demand.

TV Industry Goes Digital

The twentieth and early twenty-first century saw a number of technological revolution that helped spurred TV's popularity. iTunes, YouTube, blogging, podcasts provide new methods of viewing and sharing content. TV industry has to cope with the challenges posed by these technological advancements. Adapting to evolving technologies and maintain consumer loyalty are probably two of the greatest challenges TV industry has to face in this day and age.

Sometimes, people find it easier and cheaper to just download songs from the net instead of tuning in to MTV or buying CD's. To cope with this, TV industry has to join the digital bandwagon. ABC, for instance, is offering recent reruns of its most popular shows online for free.

Film directors and editors must keep themselves abreast with the latest developments in video-editing programs. Even blogs affected the industry as popular bloggers can deliver commentaries that can help or put down a TV show.

Digital film has practically revolutionized the way TV shows are produced. Technical expertise in editing and special effects are becoming more and more important with the proliferation of video avenues. The digital age does not only create more competition but also offers more opportunities and demand for the TV industry.

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