British Film Industry

Media Fact sheet 132:


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

A British film is one which is set in the UK and the film represents the diverse culture, heritage or creativity of Britain.

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

 For instance the 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. However, the British film production context does not have as many clearly defined characteristics. British films can be large budget, high concept films such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Brothers, 2010) and Skyfall (MGM, 2012) or they can be character driven, small budgeted films such as Kill List (Optimum Releasing, 2011) or This is England (Optimum Releasing, 2006). 

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

In 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 like A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros, 1971) coming under a lot of scrutiny. 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.

 For example if we look at the way youth is portrayed in a very singular way in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros., 1971), the focus is on violence, anti-establishment and a compulsion to act in an anarchic way.

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

British films are are very well socially narrated therefore, they flourish when it comes to making films on social realism. 

Media Fact sheet 100:

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.

2) Complete the task on the Factsheet, researching the films listed and finding out what they score on the cultural test: Sweeney, Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

The Sweeney: 31 points
Attack the block- 27 points
The King's speech- 28 points
We need to talk about Kevin- 7 points
Skyfall- 27 points 

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

Historically, the British film industry has been production led rather than distribution led. This means that many UK films are made but, in order to get the film exhibited, the filmmakers have to sacrifice the distribution rights by selling the film to a distribution company. Once sold, all revenue from cinema screenings, DVD and Blu-ray sales, plus sales to television companies are lost.

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

The Film Fund
Outstanding facilities
Outstanding creative skills of practitioners

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

Firstly, British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat.
Secondly, the UK film industry’s second option is to attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, British audience.

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

In my opinion, I believe the UK film industry should attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, British audience. This is because such low budget films for this particular audience are usually based upon the artistic value and not the commerce aspect. They make people think about the social issues facing society. For example, the micro-budget Arthouse social realism British film 'Chicken' can be seen as an incredible representation of the British Culture and also a film targeted for an older more mature audience. As the British Film Industry mainly focuses on the social realism/ drama genre, only a set niche audience can be catered towards. Therefore, through making low/ micro- budget films, the British culture can be explored on a much deeper level rather than relying upon co- productions with American studios who may alter the content of the film and make it a Blockbuster Hollywood film.