The British Film industry

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

For a film to be considered British it must have one of these at least: British actors, be funded by British company, be based on British culture or issues or be made by a British person. 

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

Hollywood movies are often high budget productions which focus on promoting the celebrity actors to create success whereas British films aren’t always high budget as they usually have a smaller audience due to them focusing mostly on British culture.

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

1960s

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

In the 1970s we began to see more sexually explicit content in film and sexual violence was also being shown. Then in the 1980s with the rise of the internet came access to extreme/controversial content which lead to censorship being more relaxed as it was becoming normal to see things such as drugs, sex and violence in the media people consumed.

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

In British film we see young people being represented quite often as being violent and rebellious (clockwork orange). We also see a lot of female representation which has changed since the 1960s to challenge stereotypes.

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

The fact sheets suggests that the audience appeal is that British films are often relatable to British people as the actors can be identified as British and the issues/storylines in the movie are often relatable to a British audience which makes the film more entertaining for them as they identify with the characters. 

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

The cultural test is used to determine whether or not a film can be considered British or not. It does this by considering:

Was it set in the UK

Are the lead characters British 

Is the film based on a British subject matter
Is the original dialogue mainly filmed in English

Does the film represent or reflect a diverse British culture, heritage or creativity 
Is it filmed in a British studio

British post production/music recording

British Crew,Director,actors, etc..


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 on the block: 4+4+4+4+4+2+1+8=31

Skyfall: 4+4+4+4+4+2+1+8=31
The king’s speech: 4+4+4+4+4+2+1+8=31

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

British filmmakers need to sell the distribution rights to their movie so they lose most of the profit and it doesn’t go back into the British film industry.

American actors are often used in British films to attract a larger audience due to their fame but this impacts how British the film truly is. British directors and actors are often lured away by the higher pay offered in Hollywood which means a lot of Britain’s most talented producers are being taken away.

 American share the same native language so American movies can be viewed by British people which creates more competition.

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

Britain has outstanding facilities which attract investment globally.

Outstanding creative skills.

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

They could continue to rely on co productions on America which would greatly impact the “Britishness” of the film as British movies are made to be relatable to British audiences and to apply to the masses they would have to remove many of these aspects.

They could also stop making high cost films and stick to low budget productions which target a niche audience and this would keep British movies British.

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

I believe that the first option (to continue to make co productions with American companies) is the best option going forward for the future of the British film industry. This is because even though we will have to decrease the britishness and how much they truly represent British culture, it will allow the films to reach a global audience which means they have more success. They could also use the profit from these movies to make more niche British movies to keep British culture alive in the Film Industry.