Key Successes in the British Film Industry

AIMSTo explain why some British films have been

successful.

To be able to explain how Britain’s cinema is both Monopolized by Hollywood, whilst also being

distinctly British.

STARTERTHERE ARE TWO SHEETS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CLASS.

I would like you to write at least one thing on each sheet to show what you have learnt about that nation’s

cinema.

BRITISH FILM AMERICAN FILM

It can be about any stage of the film production cycle: PROUCTION DISTRIBUTION (/MARKETING) EXHIBITION

BAFTA – Best British Film

• This is often a measure of how successful a film has been, with critics anyway

• Awards and accolades provide extra publicity for a film and lead to increased box-office and DVD/BD sales revenue

• BAFTA has toyed with the Best British Film category (changes, incorporations) but now has The Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film

Recent BAFTA winners

• 2012 – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy• 2011 – The King’s Speech• 2010 – Fish Tank• 2009 – Man on Wire• 2008 – This is England

What are the qualities of ‘Britishness’ that these films convey?

The Oscars

• British films have fared well at the ceremony• Internationally recognised• Boost sales significantly• ‘Licence’ to make more personal films• Make the films you want• Curse – past performance is not a guide to

future success

Recent British Successes at the Oscars

• 2011 – The King’s Speech• 2009 – Slumdog Millionaire• 2006 – Helen Mirren for The Queen• 1998 – Shakespeare in Love, Best Picture• Aardman Animations (Nick Park) – 1991, 1994, 1996

= Best Animated Short Film, 2005 = Best Animated Feature (Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts)

• Why has the American film industry chosen these particular British films to reward?

Heritage of British Success at the Oscars

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/mar/08/british-oscar-winners

• How much of this is down to actors and directors working exclusively in Britain?

• Why is this?

Honour is not always Profit

• Making the most money does not mean you will win the award for best film

• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232776/ (Fish Tank)• Look at the Inbetweeners Movie... Makes £50m,

costs £4m... No Oscar glory there! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1716772/videogallery

• Look at Four Lions... Wins the BAFTA Best British Film award, but makes only a modest profit at the box office... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1341167/

What does it take to be successful?

Total Box Office Gross £200,938,649

Total Box Office Gross £20,297,569£1.3m

£3.5m

Film4

• Launched as part of Channel 4 in 1982 under ‘Channel 4 films’ to Commission low- to medium budgeted films.

• Promoted diversity in film and explored contemporary social and political problems.

• Channel Four films were a major contributor to British films success in America.

• However still only accounted for 1% gross at the UK Box Office.

• Re-launched as Film4 in 1999 with the successes of Four Wedding and a Funeral (1994; gross of $240m), Shallow Grave (1994) & Trainspotting (1996).

Film4 was a unique attempt to bridge distribution and production in Britain.

The end of Film Four

• The distribution arm of Film Four came to an end in 2002. It is often claimed that the film Charlotte Gray (2001) is most responsible for this.

• In trying to make films that appealed to both international and domestic markets Film Four achieved neither.

“Film four…invested in films that could be defined as ‘typically British’…” Sarah Casey Benyahia

• It played an important role in the distribution of films which British audiences were unlikely to have access to otherwise, to cinemas and on Video and DVD.

New Models of Distribution• Films are now readily available due to

advances in technology.

The first film to be released simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD and on the internet on the same day.

The film received 1.4 million viewers when broadcast on channel 4.

The Road to Guantanamo

THIS IS ENGLAND (Shane Meadows, 2006)

Create a presentation that addresses the following:

• How it was financed – by whom? how much?• How it was produced – Film studio? star power?

Director?• How it was exhibited – Cinema (how many

screens), DVD, Box Office Figures, reviews, was it successful abroad?

Try to comment on why you think these things happened. Why was the budget what it was? Why did it get released how it was released (ie, number of screens or straight to

DVD)