Seven Key Areas

The Seven Areas:

1. the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
2. the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing; 
3. the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange; 
4. the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences; 
5. the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences; 
6. the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions; 
7. the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour. 

The Seven Areas (Translations):

• the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice; (how does who owns a media company influence the type of film made and its potential success? For example do BIG companies make BIG films and therefore make all the money? Is it possible for small companies to succeed?) 
• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing; (how do companies work together to produce, distribute and publicize a film? How can Disney use their size to promote and publicise a film? How can small companies work together to promote their business' when making and promoting a film?) 
• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange; (how has the introduction of digital film, 3D, DVD, Blue Ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema influenced the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them?)
• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences; (how and why have film companies had to alter the way they work now everyone has web enabled phones, PC's, consoles etc? How have audiences changed their viewing habits now we no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a film)
• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences; (can you think of examples of how different technologies have come together to help the film industry?)  
• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions; (how do film companies try and attract their audience? Do they do different things in different countries?) 
• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour. (what is your opinion on the above? Do you see the developments as a good or bad thing?) 

30 Questions

What % of global box office was the British film industry responsible for? 

The British Film Industry  is responsible for 15% of global box office.
What was this % in 2009?

The figure from 2009 was 6.8%.
What might this change indicate about British film? 

This positive change indicates that the British Film Industry is getting bigger and being more successful.
What films have been responsible for this change? 

The Kings speech is a main film responsible for this and it grossed over 9 times its budget.
What % of the British film industry makes a profit? 

Films with a low budget (under £2 million) have a 4% of making a profit. But films with a bigger budget have more chance of making a profit at 17%. 
What % of Hollywood films make a profit? 

Hollywood films have a 17% chance. 
How does that % differ between £2m and £10m budget British films?

A smaller film with a £2 million budget has a 4% chance of making a profit and a bigger film with a £10 million budget has a 17% chance of making a profit.
What might we infer from this difference?

Having  a bigger budget means that there is more chance of having success.
Which age group makes up the largest % of UK cinema goers? 

18-24 years old.
Why do you think this might be? 

This age group has the most time and disposable income to go to the cinema.
Which 'type' of film has seen an 18% drop in attendance? 

3D films have seen a drop.
Within that 'type' which genre has seen the biggest fall? 

Big family films have seen a drop.
What did Charles Grant put this decline down to?

Grant put this to 3D films prizes and that families would want to save a little extra money.
Who is Paul Greengrass? 

Greengrass is a British director, screenwriter and former journalist.
How did he describe the British film industry? 

Greengrass describes it to have change from what it used to be.

How did he describe the British film industry?

"British film is on a very positive journey. If you look at the biggest movies in the world, like Star Wars, Gravity – a hugely cutting edge movie - they’re being made in Britain. British technicians are world class and audiences are queuing up to see these films. Distinctive British voices, like Stephen Frears, and all the emerging voices on show here highlight where the industry is. Strong leadership from the British Film Institute helps too. There’s a real vibrancy among British film making and all these elements have been growing for the last 10-15 years and it shows no signs of stopping.”

What did a BFI spokesperson say was the point of less profitable low budget British films? 

What was the budget for Filth and how much money did it take?

Budget = £2 million

Money taken = £4 million

What advantage did James McEvoy feel £100m films have over low budget films?

He had an advantage over low budget films because he felt that films with a larger budget have much miore chances to sell the film in different ways.
What is VOD?

Video On Demand.

What % increase did VOD see last year?

VOD had a 50% increase last year.
What impact might VOD have on distributors and Studios?

Because VOD is becoming larger it might outsell distributors and studios.

What impact has it had on Blockbuster rental stores?

It could easily outsell these stores meaning the stores would hardly get any profit.

What was unique about Ben Wheatleys 'A Field In England'?

It was unique as it was the first UK film to be released in cinemas, DVD, on TV and through VOD at the same time.

What does director of The Machine Caradog James think is the toughest part of film making?

He thought the hardest part of making films is "The toughest thing is you make a good film but can you get it to reach an audience? It's events like this and individuals who champion independent cinema that give us a profile and any chance of a mass audience".

Why have rules been relaxed on what makes a film 'British'?

They have been relaxed because they want more British films to be made so they become more of a success.

How has the use of visual effects in films been encouraged?

The use of visual effects have been encouraged to be used because it makes the film more interesting to watch.

Name five of these rules and link them to The Kings Speech, Kill List, The World's End

Keeping a British Theme through culture -Kings Speech
'LAD' like actions and ways about them - Worlds End
British director - The King's Speech
British Cast - Kill List, Worlds End
Location set in Britain - Kill List, Worlds End, King's Speech 

What rules has chancellor George Osbourne announced for tax on British films?

films will now only need to spend 10% of their budget within the UK ti qualify for tax relief whereas before they would of had to pay 25%. Tax relief would be applied to 25% of the first £20m of a production and 20% on ant remaining budget regardless of the overall total.

What is the highest grossing film in UK box office history?

James Bond - Skyfall 

How much has it taken and how many screens was it available on?

Skyfall took £94.3m in the UK alone and it was opened in 587 cinemas across the UK and Ireland on the 26th of October. 

The Kings Speech

The Kings Speech is a film about King George IV (Colin Firth) overcoming his stammer using the help from a very different speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). King George IV works past his problems to become the great war time speaker he father intended and give the country hope during the second time England has faced war.   

Bitishness

This film is thought to be a very British film. This is because it is a very British theme of the film; you can’t get much more British than British royalty. The Kings Speech is also classed as a very British film as it is set in the capital of England and in a time which is a key part in British history. This film also has predominately British actors, director (Tom Hooper) and writer (Davis Seidler).

Exhibition

The Kings Speech did very well on its opening weekend, it grossed £3,523,102 (UK) (7 January 2011)(IMDB). This film was also well received, Will Chadwick from We Got This Covered said ‘The King's Speech features a fantastic, awards courting performance by Firth and is also brilliantly written, resulting in a surprisingly tense and very entertaining watch.’ November 9, 2013. The film was not received well by everyone and had criticism, Jeremy Heilman from MovieMartyr.com ‘The tone shifts, lamentably, from one buoyed by awkward comedy and very British charm to one that is more concerned with decorum and duty. What was a remarkably entertaining costume drama soon becomes a remarkable slog.’ February 25, 2011.

Production Issues

This film was produced by The Weinstein Company, UK Film Council, Momentum Pictures, Aegis Film Fund, Molinare Investment, FilmNation Entertainment, See-Saw Films and Bedlam Productions. All these production company’s put together and produced a budget of $15 000 000(IMDB) for the film to be produced
.

Distribution and Marketing Issues

The Kings Speech didn’t have a big budget so the marketing was simple and relied a lot on word of mouth, posters were produced. One of these posters (poster shown) is relatively simple, it has the two main actors name above the title to try and draw more appeal. This poster shows a familiar scene from Buckingham Palace and draws together the whole film.