Film Industry: British film industry factsheets

 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 film can typically be distinguished as British from things such as if its filmed in Britain, Are the cast British or if its funded by a company based in Britain.

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

Hollywood production context is usually a high budget production which also heavily relies on a famous cast, Whereas a British production can be low budgeted without a strong cast or the complete opposite, the characteristics aren`t really defined.

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?

More productions labelled as Video Nasties were produced where more extreme content was expanded upon.

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

Young people / the youth in films like A Clockwork Orange, Eden Lake.

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

The content and focus on British culture.

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.

Attack the Block: 27

A1 The film is set in the UK 4

A2 The lead characters are British citizens or residents 4

A3 The film is based on British subject matter or underlying material 4

A4 The original dialogue is recorded in mainly the English language 4

B - Cultural Contribution

B The film represents or reflects a diverse British culture, heritage or creativity 4

C - Cultural Hubs

C1 British studio and/or location shooting, visual effects or special effects 2

C2 British music recording, audio post-production or picture post-production 1

D - Cultural Practitioners

D1 British director 1

D2 British scriptwriter 1

D3 British producer 1

D4 British composer 1

D5 British lead actors 

D6 Majority of cast are British 1

D7 British key staff (lead cinematographer, lead production designer, lead costume designer etc.) 1

D8 Majority of crew are British 1

Skyfall: 32

A1 The film is set in the UK 4

A2 The lead characters are British citizens or residents 4 

A3 The film is based on British subject matter or underlying material 4

A4 The original dialogue is recorded in mainly the English language 4

B - Cultural Contribution

B The film represents or reflects a diverse British culture, heritage or creativity 4

C - Cultural Hubs

C1 British studio and/or location shooting, visual effects or special effects 1

C2 British music recording, audio post-production or picture post-production 1

D - Cultural Practitioners

D1 British director 1

D2 British scriptwriter 1

D3 British producer 1

D4 British composer 1

D5 British lead actors 2

D6 Majority of cast are British 2

D7 British key staff (lead cinematographer, lead production designer, lead costume designer etc.) 1

D8 Majority of crew are British 1

The Sweeney: 28

A1 The film is set in the UK 4

A2 The lead characters are British citizens or residents 4

A3 The film is based on British subject matter or underlying material 4

A4 The original dialogue is recorded in mainly the English language 4

B - Cultural Contribution

B The film represents or reflects a diverse British culture, heritage or creativity 1

C - Cultural Hubs

C1 British studio and/or location shooting, visual effects or special effects 2

C2 British music recording, audio post-production or picture post-production 1

D - Cultural Practitioners

D1 British director 1

D2 British scriptwriter 1

D3 British producer 1

D4 British composer 1

D5 British lead actors 1

D6 Majority of cast are British 1

D7 British key staff (lead cinematographer, lead production designer, lead costume designer etc.) 1

D8 Majority of crew are British 1

3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?
Due to a lack of good distribution, many British films that are made never really succeed unless brought by an external distribution company, but therefore lose all profits from things such as dvd sales.
4) What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?
Highly regarded studios, Top creative minds and digital post production houses.
5) What are the two options for the future of the British film industry?
One option it to begin producing along side american studios as it will help the distribution greatly while still resulting in profit. Another option is to prioritise quality but for a smaller audience, as this would enable a profit due to the lower budgets and smaller demographics
6) In your opinion, which of these two options would best safeguard the future of the British film industry?

In my opinion i think co production with an american studio is the best safeguard for the British film industry as firstly there is now an increased demographic and a larger budget, more freedom to work with. Additionally leaving a spotlight for newer upcoming actors to help develop a career.