The British film industry: blog tasks

Factsheet 132: British films.

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

Other criteria to consider is, the people making the film are British, is it funded from within Britain, are the cast British, is the film’s subject matter about Britain or British culture. Furthermore, it couldbe 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?

The production context of British films is likewise typically diverse, yet unique to the narratives they tell. The circumstances surrounding the creation of a film constitute the film's production context. For example, because of the Hollywood production environment, the majority of films released by Hollywood studios have large budgets, a large star cast and staff, and tales that focus heavily on spectacle.

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

1962

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

 British films featuring sexual themes, including acts of sex and sex associated with violence, were more prevalent in the 1970s. Films such as A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros., 1971) drew heavy criticism at the time. The 1980s saw the emergence of videos and the "video nasty" trend, as increasingly extreme content was produced and distributed throughout Britain and filming became more widely available. Thus, since the 1980s, this nation's system of cinema categorisation and censorship has been continuously evolving.

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

upper class-queen

south Asians-east is east

black- Babylon 

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

As we've already shown, it's not always easy to designate a movie as British. Nevertheless, the substance and emphasis on British culture in the few films that meet this criteria make them British. As with every film produced by a nation for its own citizens, this is the first step towards appealing to and targeting a British audience. The actors are the primary features that can be recognised as appealing to a native British audience. British actors are frequently instantly recognisable as being of a certain British film genre; Hugh Grant, for instance, is frequently associated with British romantic comedies.

Fact sheet 100:

1) What is the 'cultural test' to see if a film counts as British?
 A test that the movie needs to pass in order to say its 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 (dir. Love, 2012)

• Financing - £3 million budget/ $7.7 million profit
• Cultural test - 18

Attack the Block (dir. Cornish, 2011)

• Financing - £8 million budget/ £4.1 million profit
• Cultural test - 27 

The King’s Speech (dir. Hooper, 2012)

• Financing - $15 million budget/ $414.3 million profit
• Cultural test - 29

3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?
 Historically, the British film industry has been production led rather than distribution led.

4) What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?
 • outstanding creative skills of practitioners

• outstanding facilities

• the Innovation Fund

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

 Firstly, British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat. Secondly, The UK film industry’s second option is to attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, British audience.

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

In mt opinion, the best option would be to reply on america to keep the industry alive.This is because america is notorious for having lots of options for film industry.