The British film industry: blog tasks

The British film industry: blog tasks 

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. You can find it online here - you'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

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

A British film is one that is funded by the British and involves a narrative/ storyline that includes a portrayal or reflection of the British culture.

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

Hollywood production context involves high-budget films made in Hollywood studios with a heavy reliance on celebrities for star power. However, the British production context has no specific contents as it varies and could be high-budgeted, like the Harry Potter sequel, or low-budgeted and independent, like Kill List, which must mention British culture concepts.

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

In the 1960s.

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

Britain faced a phase of more extreme content involving sex and violence within it's films produced, as teenagers started to dominate audiences. There was therefore a continual evolution of film censorship and classification in this country has happened since the 1980s that sees all films released in the UK to have one of 7 classifications awarded to it. The BBFC in the last few decades has tried to engage more with British audiences, making its guidelines not only accessible to all but also engaging with the public when reviewing these guidelines.

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

One of the main groups represented in British film are youth groups, especially British Horror film. Film. For example if we look at the way youth is portrayed in a very singular way in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros., 1971), the focus is on violence, anti-establishment and a compulsion to act in an anarchic way.

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

The overwhelming characteristics that will most appeal to a British audience is the social theme that provides the through line for many British film narratives. The British audience has a keen interest in British films that focus on class, social strife, education and more.

Factsheet #100: British film industry

To complete our introduction to the British film industry, we need a little more background to the industries context.

Find Media Factsheet #100 on the British film industry. You can find it on the same link as above. 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?

If a film does not qualify as a co-production, it must pass the British Film Institute’s Cultural Test in order to be defined as British. The Cultural Test is divided into four sections and a film must score at least 16 out of a possible 31 points to be classified as British.

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.

• The Sweeney (2012): got a high score and passed (actual score isn't shown to public)
• Attack the Block: also passed with a good score (actual score isn't shown to public)
• The King's speech: also got a high score and passed (actual score not given to public)

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

The main problem is that it's production-led, which means the British film industry is often described as a ‘cottage industry’. This suggests it is small-scale and, whilst making unique and distinctive products, can never truly compete with the ‘factory industries’ of the Hollywood-based studios.

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

1. outstanding creative skills of practitioners Directors like Richard Curtis have made films, such as Love Actually (2003), which have grossed billions of dollars worldwide and intellectual property, such as J. K Rowling’s Harry Potter books, have also enabled British film production companies to be involved in the production of financially successful franchises.
2.  outstanding facilities British studios, camera companies and digital post-production houses all attract investment from filmmakers around the world, especially the USA.
3. 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?

1. Firstly, British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat. However, the drawback would be that much of what makes the film British may be lost, such as regional accents and dialects or cultural and political references. Since these features would make no sense to an audience outside of Britain, it is unlikely that an American company involved in a co-production would approve of them.
2. The UK film industry’s second option is to attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, British audience. Though the production costs will have to be lower and box-office taking and profits will necessarily be lower too, the filmmakers will be able to retain what it is that makes British films so distinctive without compromise. Careful sale of distribution rights could also mean that profits are channelled back into the UK film industry.

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

I think, if they want to take a risk that could lead to huge successes for the `British film industry, they should go for the second option because even though it doesn't really guarantee high profits from low-budget, independent films, they will contain a unique selling point sold to niche audiences that will encourage and persuade more people to watch the film and bring success to sharing and portraying ideas about the British culture. I think the first option isn't as good as it is more reliant on funding from America and this doesn't allow the full emphasis of the British film being British.