The British film industry: blog tasks

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

A film becomes British if it reflects British values and/or mainly stars British characters.

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

A Hollywood film is set in Hollywood whereas a British film would be set in the Uk. Values and cultural contexts may also differ. Hollywood would also often use higher budgets for their movies/films and they rely on celebrities as cast members whereas British films would use a lower budget.

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

The James bond franchise started in the early 1960s.

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

In the 1970s there was a rise of violence and sexual content and in the 1980s there was a rise in videos which more extreme content was being created and it found its way to Britain. This led to a change of classifications which were used and all films released after the 1980s began to implement one of 7/8 certificates.

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

The youth is one common group which is represented in British film, this can be seen through the way youth is portrayed in A Clockwork Orange, the focus is on violence, anti-establishment and sometimes an urge to act in an anarchic way. Women have also been represented in British film and they have been represented as either the virgin, the mother or the whore which places an unrealistic expectation/idea of women in the viewers minds.

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

The fact sheet suggests that by establishing a film as British and by having a clear focus on British culture audiences will be attracted to the film. The fact sheet also goes on to say that by having main characters who are British or reflect British characteristics that this will further appeal to audiences.

Factsheet questions:

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

In order for a film to be counted as a British film it must pass a cultural test which is spit up into 4 sections (Cultural context, contribution, hubs and practitioners) which each have marks which are added up. 

2) Complete the task on the Factsheet - choose three of the films listed and research them to work out what they score on the cultural test: The Sweeney (2012), Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

(first 5 questions only)

The sweeney, total marks:

4+4+4+4+4 = British film

Attack The Block, total marks:

4+4+0+4+4 = British film

Skyfall, total marks:
4+4+4+4+0 = British

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

 

One main problem is the fact that many filmmakers in the uk end up having to sacrifice the distribution rights by selling the film to a distribution company, this means that once the film is sold all sales and revenue from cinema screenings will not likely be reinvested into British film making.

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

 

One main strength would be the fact that British films take roughly over 5% of world box-office takings, this is a large amount considering the fact that Britain is only a small nation. Another strength would be an outstanding creative skills of practitioners and a 3rd strength would be the outstanding facilities available in the British film industry.

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

 

One option would be for the reliance on co-productions of American studios in order to keep the industry itself afloat and the second option would be to maintain a focus on low budget films which are targeted towards a specific niche (The British audience).

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

I firmly believe that the reliance on co-productions with american studios is the most viable potential option because it would allow British film industries to continue making big budget films such as skyfall as by focusing on smaller low budget films soon the market would collapse because there is a minimal amount of risk being put into the films.