British Film Industry Factsheet
Factsheet #132: British Film 1) Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British. A British film needs to meet specific criteria such as: Having a British directors, producers, actors and being filmed in 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. 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. 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...
Comments
1) Summarise the article in 50 words.
This article explores what is meant by an Arthouse cinema. It proceeds to describe it as artistic rather than commercial in character. This typically means that the film has a low budget and is likely to be difficult to understand or 'read'.
2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
Some aspects which audiences that watch arthouse films tend to enjoy films which are hard to understand or highlight certain aspects of society which get ignored or neglected.
3) Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
Some audiences may struggle to watch arthouse film as it doesn't follow Todorov's theory of equilibrium which is what most audiences tend to enjoy as it maintains attentionspan with quick and short cutting scenes which have a basic story line which follows this theory. However most arthouse films go against these typical conventions which makes it difficult for some audiences to understand.
4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
Art house film is typically for middle class people as they are typically more expensive then normal cinemas which show Hollywood films. Older audiences may also watch arthouse film as they are typically more calm and slower then typical films today which consist of quick cutting scenes. A younger audience would prefer a high packed action scenes which include fast scenes and an editing style compilation.
5) What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to? What about Chicken?
A Field in England would appeal to an audience that would be considered ABC1 and of an older age. This is because arthouse cinemas and films tend to be more costly which audiences of this type are willing to spend more on films which they wouldn't typically see on a normal VUE screen. Similarly Chicken would appeal to the same audience as it is also an arthouse film which portrays the life of a struggling working class boy.
A Field In England: BFI report on the release strategy and commercial success
1) Read this BFI Insight report into the release and reception of the film. What was the purpose of the report?
The purpose of this report was the discuss the marketing strategies and overall performance of the film after it was distributed along all platforms. The report discusses the benefits and negatives of the marketing strategy and comes to a conclusion to see if the movie's strategy had a positive or negative outcome and gives evidence with statistics and other figures along all platforms.
2) What was the budget for A Field In England?
£316,879
3) What were the key numbers in terms of cinema box office takings, TV viewers, VOD and DVD sales?
- Total box office revenues, £51,409
- DVD/Blu-Ray sales, 2154
- VOD Rental, over 5,000
- VOD (EST), over 680
- Film4 screening 367,000 views on the opening week
4) What was the primary target audience for A Field In England? Does this surprise you? How does it contrast with your answer to question 5 in the tasks above?5) What did the report conclude with regards to social media and the marketing campaign? How does this link to our Chicken case study?
6) Finally, what was the BFI's conclusion with regards to the unusual release strategy for A Field In England? Was it a success? What evidence is provided to argue this point?