BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY BLOG TASK

Factsheet #132: British Film

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

- If a film is made in Britain and has British cultural context.

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

- British film as a production context also tends to be varied but idiosyncratic to the story being told within the film.

- 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.

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?

- The 1970s saw a rise of in British Films of sexual content, both the acts of sex and sex linked to violence

- The 1980s saw a rise of of videos and the "video nasty's scare" where filmmaking was becoming more accessible and more extreme content was being created and finding it's way to Britain.

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

- Youth: Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", "Eden Lake", "Attack the Block"

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

- Actors, location, social theme, class, strife, education. 

Factsheet #100: British film industry

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

-  If the film is set in the UK, if the lead characters are British Citizens or residents, if the film is based on British subject matter or underlying material, if the original dialogue is recorded in mainly the English language

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:  £3m, 18

- Attack The Block: £8m, 27

- The King's Speech: $15m, 29
3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?

- UK films are made but in order to get exhibited, filmmakers have to sacrifice distribution rights by selling the film to a distribution company .  

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

- Outstanding creative skills of practitioners and outstanding facilities.

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

- 1: British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-production with American studios to keep the studio afloat.

- 2: 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?

- I think the second attempt is best because they won't lose what makes the film British, such as accents or cultural references, and filmmakers will be able to retain will be able to retain what what it is that makes British films so distinctive without compromise.