What is a British film?
If I was to try to define a UK film I would get into immediate confusion because there are many things to consider. The following films could be considered to be British films but are hard to define because of;
Setting in the UK:
Bridget Jones Diary,
Focus on British people abroad
4321
Predominantly British cast
Harry Potter films
Storyline about an aspect of British life
The Kings Speech, Kidulthood
Based on a work by a British author
Atonement by (Ian McEwan)
British directors
Danny Boyle
Based on a British person
The Queen
My definition of the UK film industry
The film must be made by a company that is registered and centrally managed and controlled in the UK
70% of the production cost of the film must be spent on film making activity within the UK
70% of the total cost must have been paid to citizens of the commonwealth
75% of the total labour cost must have paid to citizens of the commonwealth
No more than 10% of the playing time of the film must not be comprised of another film makers work.
UK film worldwide context
The golden period for UK films was in 1940
The industry has spawned some of biggest acting and directing names including Hitchcock, Chaplin, Lawrence Olivier, Sean Connery and two of the highest grossing film-franchises - Harry Potter and James Bond
Many actors in Hollywood films are British (Hugh Grant, Simon Pegg, Kate Winslet, Michae Caine)
British events are widely used (Titanic, Kings Speech, The Queen)
In 2009 Britishs film grossed 2 billion worldwide market share was 7% globally and 17% in the UK. The industry employs 36000 people in the UK and 63000 indirectly. on average contributes 1.6 billion into UK GDP. in 2009 UK box office stats were 944 million
Slumdog Millionaire case study
The fantasy sequences and the rags to riches theme is a staple of UK and Bollywood films which is the appeal that it has to UK and Bollywood audiences. Slumdog Millionaire is a UK independent film (not part of the big 5)
Slumdog Millionaire topped the weekend box office for four weeks in 2009 more than any other film.It was also the highest crossing UK independent film, earning more than 31 million.
Production : based on a book by vikas swarup called q&a. screen written by simon beaufoy British companies celador and film4 productions invited danny boyle to read the script, he was hesitant because celador made who wants to be a millionaire in the uk. usa base warner independant pictures paid 5million for the rights to distribute the film in the usa. boyle watched many bollywood films as reseach.
Distribution : distribution in August 2007, Warner Independant Pictures aquired the north american rights and pathe the international rights to distribute Slumdog Millionare theatrically. However , in May 2008, Warner Independent Pictures was shut down with all of its projects being transferred to Warner Bros. Its parent studio Warner Bros doubted the commerial prospects of Slumdog Millionare and suggested that it would go staight to DVD without a US theatrical release. In August 2008, the studio began searching for buyers for various products, to relieve its overload of end of the year films.
Halfway through the month, Warner Bros entered into a pact with Fox Searchlight buying 50% of Warner interest in the movie and handling US distribution. Following the films box office (barring North America) it grossed $16 million from 34 markets in the week following the academy awards. Worldwide, the film has currently grossed over 377 million.
Exhibition: Slumdog Millionaire was realeased on 9th januray 2009 as an art house film but shortly after being released it crossed over and became a main stream film. This was due to the amount of viewers wanting to see the film. In the opening weekend Slumdog made £2 million in the UK and was shown in 324 screens over the UK.
Marketing: Pathe focused on digital marketing as an effective way to raise awareness of the film. Pathe appointed Tug, a digital media agency, to help raise awareness of the film. Danny Boyle enthusiasts and indian movie goers were particularly targeted.
Setting in the UK:
Bridget Jones Diary,
Focus on British people abroad
4321
Predominantly British cast
Harry Potter films
Storyline about an aspect of British life
The Kings Speech, Kidulthood
Based on a work by a British author
Atonement by (Ian McEwan)
British directors
Danny Boyle
Based on a British person
The Queen
My definition of the UK film industry
The film must be made by a company that is registered and centrally managed and controlled in the UK
70% of the production cost of the film must be spent on film making activity within the UK
70% of the total cost must have been paid to citizens of the commonwealth
75% of the total labour cost must have paid to citizens of the commonwealth
No more than 10% of the playing time of the film must not be comprised of another film makers work.
UK film worldwide context
The golden period for UK films was in 1940
The industry has spawned some of biggest acting and directing names including Hitchcock, Chaplin, Lawrence Olivier, Sean Connery and two of the highest grossing film-franchises - Harry Potter and James Bond
Many actors in Hollywood films are British (Hugh Grant, Simon Pegg, Kate Winslet, Michae Caine)
British events are widely used (Titanic, Kings Speech, The Queen)
In 2009 Britishs film grossed 2 billion worldwide market share was 7% globally and 17% in the UK. The industry employs 36000 people in the UK and 63000 indirectly. on average contributes 1.6 billion into UK GDP. in 2009 UK box office stats were 944 million
Slumdog Millionaire case study
The fantasy sequences and the rags to riches theme is a staple of UK and Bollywood films which is the appeal that it has to UK and Bollywood audiences. Slumdog Millionaire is a UK independent film (not part of the big 5)
Slumdog Millionaire topped the weekend box office for four weeks in 2009 more than any other film.It was also the highest crossing UK independent film, earning more than 31 million.
Production : based on a book by vikas swarup called q&a. screen written by simon beaufoy British companies celador and film4 productions invited danny boyle to read the script, he was hesitant because celador made who wants to be a millionaire in the uk. usa base warner independant pictures paid 5million for the rights to distribute the film in the usa. boyle watched many bollywood films as reseach.
Distribution : distribution in August 2007, Warner Independant Pictures aquired the north american rights and pathe the international rights to distribute Slumdog Millionare theatrically. However , in May 2008, Warner Independent Pictures was shut down with all of its projects being transferred to Warner Bros. Its parent studio Warner Bros doubted the commerial prospects of Slumdog Millionare and suggested that it would go staight to DVD without a US theatrical release. In August 2008, the studio began searching for buyers for various products, to relieve its overload of end of the year films.
Halfway through the month, Warner Bros entered into a pact with Fox Searchlight buying 50% of Warner interest in the movie and handling US distribution. Following the films box office (barring North America) it grossed $16 million from 34 markets in the week following the academy awards. Worldwide, the film has currently grossed over 377 million.
Exhibition: Slumdog Millionaire was realeased on 9th januray 2009 as an art house film but shortly after being released it crossed over and became a main stream film. This was due to the amount of viewers wanting to see the film. In the opening weekend Slumdog made £2 million in the UK and was shown in 324 screens over the UK.
Marketing: Pathe focused on digital marketing as an effective way to raise awareness of the film. Pathe appointed Tug, a digital media agency, to help raise awareness of the film. Danny Boyle enthusiasts and indian movie goers were particularly targeted.
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