Convergence - in terms of the film industry - is the merging of film and television so that there is no longer a distinction between the two. It's already led to the development of video-on-demand which is delivered by a variety of different devices. What's more, convergence is where the media industry is producing and distributing across several media and merging together two media forms - such as computer games with increasingly interactive websites. I will be exploring two websites and the ways in which they have used convergence to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film and/or its franchise.

The Hobbit website has used convergence in numerous ways to increase the interest and promote the film. The website is highly interactive and creates an extended form of entertainment for the audience member. There are features on the site that aid the creators in sustaining the audience’s interest and attracts audience’s of all ages.

Essentially, the home page instantly directs the audience to The Hobbit’s Facebook, Twitter and Youtube websites. This allows the more frequent film-goers an insight of facts and

statistics. Additionally, these accounts can produce further media (photos, videos and other related posts) that can attract the audience to the film. An example of this would be that their Youtube page has a production video which has in excess of 1,500 views – meaning that people will watch the production video because they are interested in the film or want to learn more about how it was made. Similarly, the ‘videos’ page has trailers and behind the scenes footage which would attract people to watch the film so they can look out for the scenes that they’ve seen being filmed. The audience member is offered the chance to produce their ‘own’ trailer which also extends their experience and gets them interested in the film.

The website has a ‘downloads’ page that allows the audience to download media items – some of which are free and some have an additional cost. The wallpapers, Facebook banners, icons and posters are all free to download; these are one way for the distributors to promote the film as they have the recognisable logo and characters all over them. The ‘soundtrack’ tab has the full soundtrack which is free

to stream a clip of the song or can be brought from Amazon or iTunes. Fundamentally, this means that the film is benefiting financially from fans downloading the soundtrack. This is an example of how mixed media has been merged together by the media industry.

However, it’s the ‘special features’ part of the site that demonstrates the highest level of interactivity. These interactive features are common among many film websites as they converge two (or more) technologies together to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film and/or its franchise. The audience is able to play games, participate in quizzes, download wallpapers and recipes. These features extend the audience’s level of entertainment and therefore sustain their interest in the film/franchise.

The Hobbit website has “integrated social media functionality” so that their communications improve and information can be distributed. To the left websites such

as Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter can be seen as convergence between media industries. Pinterest is a new media outlet that lets you organise and share things that you find on the internet on a virtual pinboard. Pinterest lets you browse other people’s boards – meaning that if someone shares a photo from The Hobbit gallery with Pinterest, other people will be able to see it and the film is being promoted for free. Facebook and Twitter work in a similar way but they also let fans interact with the PR (public relations) people and learn more about the film. They’re all similar because they’re social networking sites and which are a platform of sharing media. These media platforms would be useful before the film was released because they have unforgettable content so the future audience members won’t forget about the film leading up to the opening weekend.

In conclusion, The Hobbit has used convergence by using mixed media platforms so that the content can be shared, distributed and promoted. Additionally, it has used sites such as Amazon and iTunes to benefit financially from people downloading the soundtrack.

The Impossible website has also used convergence in multiple ways in order to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film and/or its franchise.

Similar to The Hobbit website, The Impossible website also directs the audience to the social

networking sites like Twitter, Youtube and Facebook. Essentially, this helps the communication and also aids the distribution of the film. Much like The Hobbit, this would have been useful before the film was released because they could sustain the potential audience’s interest in the film and therefore gain more profit in the Opening weekend (making it a more successful film). Interestingly, dissimilar to The Hobbit film, the Youtube page is the film production company’s own as opposed being solely for the film. Significantly, this means that interest for all of their films is built and sustained instead of just one film.Additionally, The Impossible website also provides places for the audience to purchase tickets from which saves them arriving at the cinema and being disappointed if the tickets are sold out. This is an example of how convergence has been used to merge together online ticket booking websites with interactive websites.

There is a section on the website that allows the audience to download the film’s soundtrack from Amazon or iTunes. Crucially, this means

the film is benefiting financially from fans downloading the soundtrack. This is an example of how mixed media has been merged together by the media industry. This was also seen on The Hobbit website, but they

have free music clips to stream.

The Video section of the website conveys convergence because video (TV trailers etc.) arebeing merged with the interactivity of the website. On this particular site, the trailer, the pivotal scene and three additional videos can be watched. Fundamentally, these videos sustain the audience’s attention and interest by evoking emotion using the narrative. The fact that it’s a true life story will interest many audience members and allow them to possibly relate to the narrative. The pivotal ‘wave’ scene could be chosen to grab the audience’s attention as it’s dramatic and the part that changed everyone’s lives. This could be what makes them go to view the film.

Moreover, the ‘share’ link allows the film to be distributed forfree because audience members will post the trailer link on their chosen social networking platform which in turn makes

other people aware of it and will eventually increase the interest in it. The more frequent film-goers can also interact with the PR people which creates another level of entertainment for them as they can find out about facts and statistics relevant to the film. Similar to The Hobbit film’s social networking accounts, they have unforgettable content so the future audience members won’t forget about the film leading up to the opening weekend.

In conclusion, very similar to The Hobbit website, The Impossible website has used convergence by using mixed media platforms in order for the content to be shared, distributed and promoted. Additionally, it has used sites such as Amazon and iTunes to benefit financially from people downloading the soundtrack.