Friday 16 October 2015

The British Film Industry and America's Influence


  1. What % of global box office was the British film industry responsible for? 15%
  2. What was this % in 2009? 6.8%
  3. What might this change indicate about British film? It is getting bigger and more successful.
  4. What films have been responsible for this change? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 and The Kings Speech.
  5. What % of the British film industry makes a profit? 7%
  6. What % of Hollywood films make a profit? 17%
  7. How does that % differ between £2m and £10m budget British films? 4% of £2 million budget films make a profit, whereas 17% of £10 million budget films are likely to make a profit.
  8. What might we infer from this difference? The more money spent on a movie the bigger the profit made.
  9. Which age group makes up the largest % of UK cinema goers? Aged 45 and over.
  10. Why do you think this might be? They have the money and time to go out more often than a younger group, there are not any movies that 45 year olds are restricted to see because of their age.
  11. Which 'type' of film has seen an 18% drop in attendance? 3D
  12. Within that 'type' which genre has seen the biggest fall? Big Family Films e.g. Madagascar 3
  13. What did Charles Grant put this decline down to? Families need to economise.
  14. Who is Paul Greengrass? A British film director.
  15. How did he describe the British film industry? A success story.
  16. What did a BFI spokesperson say was the point of less profitable low budget British films? That they are successful and beneficial to the industry for other reasons like skills and training development and for artistic and cultural importance.
  17. What was the budget for Filth and how much money did it take? Less than £2 million and it made £4 million in profit.
  18. What advantage did James McEvoy feel £100m films have over low budget films? They have a massive budget to sell the film if it's not very good.
  19. What is VOD? Video On Demand, e.g Netflix
  20. What % increase did VOD see last year? 50%
  21. What impact might VOD have on distributers and Studios? They might become less important
  22. What impact has it had on Blockbuster rental stores? It has caused them to lose lots of money and even close a lot of stores down.
  23. What was unique about Ben Wheatleys 'A Field In England'? It was the first UK film to be released simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD, on TV and through video-on-demand.
  24. What does director of The Machine Caradog James think is the toughest part of film making? Making a good film really reach the audience.
  25. Why have rules been relaxed on what makes a film 'British'? To help encourage investment in the UK film industry.
  26. How has the use of visual effects in films been encouraged? The points for visual effects has been increased.
  27. Name five of these rules and link them to The Kings Speech, Kill List, The World's End:
    •film set in the UK     
    •lead characters British citizens or residents          
    •British director, scriptwriter, producer, composer, key staff, crew
    •Original dialogue recorded mainly in English language            
    •Film based on British subject matter or underlying material                                                             
    •The three films above fit most if not all of the above criteria, and are therefore qualified as British films
  28. What rules has chancellor George Osbourne announced for tax on British films? That tax relief would be increased from 20% to 25% on the first £20 million of qualifying production expenditure.
  29. What is the highest grossing film in UK box office history? James Bond: Skyfall
  30. How much has it taken and how many screens was it available on? Globally it has taken $870 million(£540m)


American Influence - Variety links

Why has Sony opened a Digital Motion Picture Centre at Pinewood studios? It is used to provide hands-on training for cinematographers and other crew members to help them get the most from Sony’s 4K cameras.


What benefit might this have for the British film industry? Evolved technology and allowed more people to be highly trained.
Where else have they opened facilities like this? Culver City in Los Angeles.

How many films have been produced using the F65 camera? 30 feature films.

What has been the consequence of Blockbusters to US film production? The studio of the future, some CEOs predict, will embody a streamlined distribution and marketing mechanism leveraging a limited flow of features through global revenue streams. The conceit of developing scripts and nurturing filmmaking talent will be history.

How big a loss to Sony expect to post? $181 Million

Which films are responsible for this? After Earth and White House Down.

How is Lionsgate different to Sony? Lionsgate has no physical studio to support and a more modest overhead than the majors, can register enormous grosses with a franchise like Hunger games.

Why is "the new mandate to avoid niche products'? The belief that blockbusters alone represent a sound investment strategy is in itself driving up the cost of blockbusters as well as superstars. While business strategists traditionally have argued for diversification, the new mandate is to avoid niche product because the niches are getting narrower.

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