film 4 part 1
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Film 4Institutional Research
What is a British film?
A setting in the UK? or A focus on British people abroad? A predominantly British cast? A storyline about some aspect of British life? Based on the work of a British author?
The importance of a national film industry
Significant returns for the UK economy through film making, inward investment, film exhibition, DVD rentals and sales, film exports
The UK Film Council estimates that a successful Brit film will make up to 70% of its revenue outside the UK
Question If a film addresses a domestic
audience about culturally specific themes, is it likely to find wider distribution difficult?
Will non British people want to see the film?
What significant advantage do British filmmakers have over European filmmakers?
British Cinema and Hollywood British film production companies have co-
production and distribution with Hollywood studios
‘British’ films can be funded and distributed by US companies
Decisions on which British films to produce and how to market them are often based on the tastes of both domestic and American audiences
Hollywood – a brief overview Hollywood is built around studios Companies who aim to make money from
films Why are Hollywood blockbuster movies so
successful?
The Challenge of Hollywood In general Hollywood has been able to
continually re-invent itself by responding to a changing marketplace and taking advantage of new opportunities offered by new technologies
Recent British Cinema
British film has become more confident in expanding its range to include a wider cross-section of ethnic groupings, gender groupings and cultural groupings
Promoting diversity and offering a more representative and inclusive national identity
Slumdog is a recent example!
A distinctive cinema? 180 million tickets sold yearly Inward investment to
improve the cinemagoing experience
80% of admissions come out of mainstream American distributors
British ‘themes’ and values
Hollywood realised that there is serious money to be made in international distribution so they invest heavily
They retain the rights to their films so secure profits for many years
British film industry is production led whereby distribution is usually through an American company
Any money made is not going back into the British film industry
‘Cottage’ industry
More challenges
2004 – UK output 27 British film industry unable to respond to
increasing audience demand Hollywood has diversified and strengthened
to develop links with other media and delivery platforms creating vast media empires
Global market at $63 billion in 2003 US takes 80% of this global market
FilmFour A British production company – finances British films 1982 – 1998 known as Channel 4 film Part of channel 4s remit was to experiment and
innovate and cater for audiences not addressed by other channels
Nowadays they fund around 20 films per year A number of films are by first time feature
screenwriters or directors They look for distinctive films which will make their
mark in a competitive cinema market Television premieres on FilmFour Channel and Channel
4 2 years after theatrical release
David Rose, commissioning editor, “a preference for contemporary and social political topics”
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) portrayed the homosexual relationship between a white fascist and a Omar, born in Britain to Pakistani parents.
Main audiences were contemporary critical audiences in the 20 – 30 age ranges
Before Laundrette, a large percentage of the British population went largely unrepresented
1996 Starring Ewan McGregor
in his 2nd film Directed by Danny Boyle
a British director A co-production with
Figment Films, Polygram and The Noel Gay Motion Picture co.
Budget $3,500,000
Trainspotting Marketing David Aukin, Head of Drama at Four Films “it
isn’t really about drugs…it’s a buddy movie” US critics compared the movie to Kubricks ‘A
Clockwork Orange’ Both are anti-social-realist films dealing with
subjects – gangs, violence, drugs – which are stylised and fast-paced.
Both are independent films which shocked the critics and audiences
Marketing However Trainspotting was more an object of youth
culture or popular culture than it was cinematic Britpop was Trainspotting's main vehicle to integrate
youth subculture into popular culture. Polygram put large sums of money into a sophisticated
marketing and branding strategy including posters and a soundtrack
Knew film would appeal to clubbers and ravers so targeted these – Underworld’s Born Slippy became a massive hit from the soundtrack
Film gained distribution in the US although it did need subtitles!
Synergy The ‘brand’ Trainspotting Soundtrack Posters DVDs Copied of the screenplay Reprinting of Welsh’s novel
featuring the poster on the cover
Music cross-promotion
Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994 Starring Hugh Grant and
Andie MacDowell Co-production with
Polygram and Working Title
Budget $6,000,000
Marketing Played upon aspects of
national identity Played upon the more ‘naïve’
elements of Britishness Hugh Grants quintessential
fumbling middle class gentleman
Appealing to an American audience
A universal storyline of romance and a feel good happy ending
Slumdog Millionaire
2008 Funded by Film4 Co-production with Celador and Pathe Directed by Danny Boyle Budget $15,000,000
1990s under David Aukin
Typical cost rose from £400k to £1.8million
Trainspotting and Four Weddings were hugely successful although appealed to very different audiences
Trainspotting was a low budget film which had carved itself a niche audience
Representation and Cultural Identity FilmFour films explored and developed ideas
of cultural hybridity East is East The first British film representing hybrid and
ever changing cultural and social mix in Britain making it into mainstream multiplex cinemas.
Brick Lane (2007) won a BAFTA