The British Film Industry

 

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 made in Britain, funded from Britain, the cast is British, and the film reflects British culture.

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. 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.

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 sees a rise in British Films of sexual content, both the act of sex and sex linked to violence with films.
• The 1980s see the rise of videos and the ‘video nasty’s scare where filmmaking was becoming more accessible and more extreme content was being created and finding its way to Britain.

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

British films frequently explore stories of working-class communities (Billy Elliot), immigrants (East Is East), and marginalised groups (Pride). They also often focus on historical or royal narratives (The Queen, The King's Speech).

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

British films appeal to audiences through their authenticity, culture, and focus on relatable, character-driven stories.

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?

The cultural test is a system used to determine whether a film qualifies as British, based on the nationality of the cast and crew, the shooting location, and the extent to which the film represents British culture/traditions.

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.



3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?
Hollywood is dominating and the BFI cant compete.


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

• outstanding creative skills of practitioners
• outstanding facilities
• the film fund

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

• British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat

• attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, 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. 

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

The first option