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. Defining what we mean by British Film can be difficult as what it means to be a British film can include many different criteria. For instance, it could  be said that if a film is made in Britain then it is a British film.

2) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film? A films production context is the conditions under which the film has been made. For instance the Hollywood production context means that most films made by Hollywood studios have high budgets, a heavy reliance on celebrities both in the cast and crew and spectacle driven stories. Whereas the independent production context films tend to have low budgets, character rather than spectacle driven stories and a heavier reliance on word of mouth and viral advertising. The British film production context does not have as many clearly defined characteristics. British films can be large budget, high concept films such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Brothers, 2010) and Skyfall (MGM, 2012) or they can be character driven, small budgeted films such as Kill List (Optimum Releasing, 2011) or This is England (Optimum Releasing, 2006).

3) When did the James Bond franchise start? 1960s

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

The British film industry in  the 1970s was dominated by the subject of censorship that continued into  the video nasties banning of the 1980s.

5) What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.  the working class, ethnic minority communities (particularly Black British and South Asian). e.g. blue story, bend it like Beckham etc.

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) What is the main problem for the British film industry? Historically, the British film industry has been production led rather than distribution led. This means that many UK films are made but, in order to get the film exhibited, the filmmakers have to sacrifice the distribution rights by selling the film to a distribution company. Once sold, all revenue from cinema screenings, DVD and Blu-ray sales, plus sales to television companies, are lost. Even a highly successful British film is not necessarily making money that will be reinvested in British film making.

3) What are three of the strengths of the British film industry? outstanding creative skills of practitioners, outstanding facilities, the Film Fund

4) What are the two options for the future of the British film industry? filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat, The UK film industry’s second option is to attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, British audience.

5) In your opinion, which of these two options would best safeguard the future of the British film industry? I think option 1 would be better because American studios can attract more audience members and long term, increasing value.