The Media Convergence In American Film Industry: A Case Study Bases On Marvel

With the drive of digital technology, media convergence has been the heated topic in various media industry. In addition, the emerging of movie industry makes its research extend to outside field of many film texts. The thesis focuses on summarizing the issue of media convergence of Marvel, an American film entertainment company, and American film industry. On the basis of cross-media practice of Marvel Company, the thesis makes an analysis on many changes and influences of film text, film production, distribution and showing, the way of film consumption, reflection of seeing the films, which were brought from American film industry. Thus, it tries to turn a new look on the development of film industry.The thesis is mainly divided into four parts which are “Marvel’s media convergence”, “Marvel’s cross-media practice”, “media convergence of industry platform”, “reflections of market”. As for “Marvel’s media convergence”, based on media content convergence and cross-media narration, it analyzes how Marvel construct a unified story world with the center of films and narration of various media through the narrative way of cross media and make use of its own story to transmit on platforms of many media. In Part II of thesis, it narrates the content flowing of such cross platforms promotes Marvel to seek the practice and cooperation among film and many other industries like cartoons, games and television dramas. Media convergence of industry platform in industries is the main contents to be discussed in Part III, which focuses on the film integrating the wider media cultures like internet in the form of media surpassing traditional screens. Part IV mainly focuses on industry reward of customers in film industries and the reflection of cross-media adaption from the fans of Marvel.Considering the topic of “Marvel and Media Convergence of American Film Industry”, it provides the discussion of media convergence in film industry. From the theoretical narration of media convergence and its short history of development, it is learned that media convergence is developing and changing constantly. On the one hand, the convergence doesn’t mean stability and unity. With the development of digital technology and new media, the film industry is innovating constantly. On the other hand, the convergence doesn’t stay on the level of technology. In the meantime, it also exists in the level of economy and culture, which has further promoted the practice of films.Taking Marvel as the case study, it involves the theories of many other subjects such as filmology, economics, communication studies and so on. With the research process of “valuing the main contents and considering the other aspects”, it conducts the discussion on issues of media convergence and film industries in a much wider range. Meanwhile, it also involves some research methods like literature research, data research, comparative research, industry research. According to the demand of the thesis, it adopts an efficient and suitable research method so as to obtain more accurate research achievements.