Film Industry: British film industry factsheets


Factsheet #132: British Film

Use our brilliant Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #132 on British Film. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British.

A film is considered to be British if it includes a British cast, if the subject matter is about British culture, whether the producers are British, if it is funded from within Britain and many other criteria's.

 

2) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

There are numerous differences between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film. For example, a Hollywood production context means that a large amount of the films produced by Hollywood studios possess a high budget and include well known celebrities in both the cast and crew which is generally expected which also aids with the advertising. It also means that they are a global company. On the other hand, a British production context has a low budget as it is very independent, also character rather than spectacle driven stories and a heavier reliance on word of mouth and viral advertising. However, the British production context can have a high budget such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Brothers, 2010) and Skyfall (MGM, 2012).

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

The James Bond franchise started in the 1960's.

4) In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

During the 1970's, there was a rise in British Films of sexual content, both the act of sex and sex linked to violence with films such as A Clockwork Orange ( Warner Bros, 1971) which cause many opinionated views from within industries as well as the demographic. Following through to the 1980's, there was a lot more explicit and extreme content being released and finding its way to Britain as film making was becoming more accessible.

5) What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.

 The type of groups that are usually represented within British film are class, politics, social change, education etc. These groups that are generally represented within British film often relate to general stereotypes within society.

 
An example of films these groups feature in are: Youth in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros, 1971) and Attack the Block (Studio Canal, 2011).

6) What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

The factsheet suggests that the audience find British films appealing because of the content and focus on British culture. Also they enjoy watching British actors as they are clearly identifiable and can relate to them. Furthermore, the location also has an impact on the audiences appeal as London is seen to be very popular and the audience has a keen interest in British films that focus on class, social strife, education and more.

Factsheet #100: British film industry

Find Media Factsheet #100 on the British film industry. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the Factsheet for homework. Read the whole of the Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the 'cultural test' to see if a film counts as British?

The cultural tests to see if a film counts as British is a test that has to be completed if the film does not qualify as a co-production , thus it must pass the British Film Institute's Cultural Test in order to be defined as British.

2) Complete the task on the Factsheet, researching the films listed and finding out what they score on the cultural test: Sweeney, Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

• Sweeney: 29
• We Need To Talk About Kevin: 28
• Attack the Block: 27
• Skyfall: 30
• The King's Speech: 30

3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?

The main problem for the British film industry is that it has been production led rather than distribution led. This therefore means the only way to get their film promoted and exhibited they are urged to sacrifice their distribution rights and to a distribution company such as Working Title is a British film industry and it's distribution company is Universal. Furthermore once it is distributed through various media products even a high successful British film will not make enough profit to create another film , unless provided by a distribution company as some of the profit will also go to the distribution company.

4) What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?

The three of the strengths of the British film industry are that it has outstanding creative skills of practioners so directors such as Richard Curtis produced films such as Love Actually (2003) which made a great amount of money. Another strength is that it has outstanding facilities such as studios, digital post-production and camera companies all attract investment from film producers globally most particularly in the USA as they mostly dominate the industry. In addition another strength would be that British films take 5% of world box-office takings which is extraordinary for such a small nation.

5) What are the two options for the future of the British film industry?

6) In your opinion, which of these two options would best safeguard the future of the British film industry?