Film Industry: British film industry factsheets

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

A film is defined as British if the people making it are British, it's funded using British money and the cast are British.

2) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British 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. British films can be large budget, high concept films or they can be character driven, small budgeted films 

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

it started in 1962 with 'Dr No (1962)'

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

The 1970s sees a rise in British Films of sexual content, both the act of sex and sex linked to violence with films like A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros, 1971) coming under a lot of scrutiny. The 1980s see the rise of videos and the ‘video nasty's scare where film- making was becoming more accessible and more extreme content was being created and finding its way to Britain. Also, during the 1980s, the inequality between men and women became a lot more apparent and films were started to show that they acknowledged this and started showing it more in films.

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

There are contemporary representations of youth in films such as Attack the Block (Studio Canal, 2011) that attempt to show a deeper more realistic portrayal of youth that challenges the stereotype of the threat or the rebel.

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

The British audience has a keen interest in British films that focus on class, social strife, education and more.

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

The Cultural Test is divided into four sections (Cultural Context, Cultural Contribution, Cultural Hubs and Cultural Practitioners). A film must score at least 16 out of a possible 31 points to be classified as British.

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

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 filmmaking.

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

British films take up to 5% of the worlds box-office takings

We have outstanding creative skills of the practitioners (directors create movies such as Love Actually and Harry Potter)

Outstanding facilities (British studios, camera companies and digital post-production houses all attract investment from filmmakers around the world, especially the USA.)

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

The first option would be to rely on and co-produce with American studios. The problem with this is that a lot of what makes he film British would be lost. Because some dialect and language won't make sense to a non-British audience, it is unlikely that an American company would approve. The second option would be to make low-budget films directed at a niche, but 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.