What is wrong with the British Film Industry?
I have been studying the British Film Industry every week since September 2011 and after having done significant research and creating a documentary about the British Film Industry my mind has been made up.
In my opinion, I would initially like to say that the British Film Industry has a major problem with its funding. This seems to be the root of its problems as without funding it cannot be marketed well, cannot create the same standard of movies as Hollywood, and therefore, cannot make more money. I will address all of these topics in my argument.
With the British Film Industry’s marketing problems it is no wonder why they are not pulling in enough customers. They have lost a vast majority of their fan base because year after year they are creating the same types of films. Either a British heritage movie or some other period drama and with the film industry in Britain being so incestuous, with the same companies creating the movies every time; there is no variety to choose from, we are stuck with it.
The standard of movies made is clearly deteriorating too, or at least appears to be, in the shadow of its older brother Hollywood. Over there they are investing in new technologies to create such 3D movies as Avatar, always pushing the boundaries and thrilling the audience, leaving them stunned with the production value.
Some people may argue that the British Film Industry have come out with some good films, such as; Oliver, The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire. But the question is do these films even begin to compare to Hollywood’s creations? No. From what I can see, the British Film Industry need to stop their helpless marketing at the British population and market themselves globally, there are people who would pay to watch our films in the cinema, they just need a bit of coaxing.
It is also worth noting at this point that the British Film Industry have a big problem with attracting the younger generation to its movies. This could be because the younger generation grew up watching Disney movies, obviously created in America, and the issue is that after growing up with such high quality productions, we may subconsciously be used to higher standards and therefore feel unsatisfied with the production value of films made by the British Film Industry.
It is a downward spiral, as the British Film Industry continue to release films which are either; copies of Hollywood releases or the typical period dramas and British heritage movies, it fails to make as much profit as Hollywood which means, as they rake in the bucks and reinvest to make their films even better, we sit in squalor as their lead forever increases, churning out the same old rubbish and getting left in their dust.
Monarch of the Glen
Representational Issue of Age
The establishing shot sets the scene; a shimmering river is visible with grass and trees, the music playing is very light hearted, calm and positive. There is a cut to show a long shot of a group of older men carrying tools, the camera pans to show them loading the truck. This is a stereotype that people who live in the Scottish countryside are mostly middle-aged men.
As the scene changes, it reveals Amy walking out of the house, the clothes she is wearing represents her character and also the younger generation; she is in a bright yellow top and light blue jeans whereas the rest of the characters in the scene are wearing darker, dull clothing. The fast cutting between Amy and Paul McDonnell during their conversation keeps the clip interesting and upbeat. When asked if she can drive, she hesitates slightly before replying, “Of course, passed first time.” Paul throws her the keys and she walks away from them to the jeep, this further suggests that she does not belong with them and also foreshadows Amy’s separation.
As Amy sits in the jeep she is muttering to herself about how to drive, “Ignition, accelerator, clutch, or is it accelerator, clutch, ignition?” This signifies to the audience that she does not actually know how to drive and creates suspense amongst the audience as to whether she will be able to. The only audible sound then is tools being thrown into the truck before screeching tyres and a sharp sudden crash. This signifies that the younger generation are stereotyped as being bad drivers.
There is a quick cut to reveal a very long shot - crane shot of the crash and Amy getting out of the car. The director cuts to a long shot of Amy inspecting the damage before Cameron rushes up to check if she is alright, this shows the united front of young vs. old as is signified by the two crashed cars separating the Head Master from the other two.
After it is revealed that Amy is merely 16, there is a cut to Paul McDonnell’s study/office. Inside it is very posh and upper class with deep colours, this is a stereotypical office for older, accomplished men. He offers the Head Master a brandy which again a stereotypical ‘old man’s’ drink. The Head Master’s clothing also signifies that he is also from an older generation as he is dressed in a formal tweed suit jacket with smart trousers, as opposed to everyone else wearing jeans. The camera angle used is an over the shoulder shot but from an angle to ensure that the Head Master takes up most of the screen both vertically and horizontally, signifying his importance and dominance over Paul McDonnel, because of his age he has more authority.
There is another cut as the scene changes to Paul confronting Amy, he pulls her aside and there is a cut to another over the shoulder shot over Amy’s shoulder and similarly it shows Paul as being the more dominant figure as he is older and in a position of power. We know he has an issue with Amy’s age as he is angry that she lied to him about her real age and that she “hadn’t even sat one exam.” As the argument ensues the camera angle is changed to a long shot to reveal Amy’s whole body as she screams, “I HATE YOU!” and stamps her foot. This stereotypical teenage ‘stroppy fit’ emphasizes her age before she runs away.
The scene changes again and very sad, slow and depressing music is playing as Amy packs her things. There are close-ups on the pictures of her memories at this house to gain sympathy from the audience and a mid-shot of her reflection in the mirror as she puts on her backpack which is another signifier of her actual age as stereotypically school kids wear them.
There is a cut to a shot from outside the window into the room as a woman calls out for Amy, this shot signifies and suggests to the audience that she has run away.
The scene changes to all the elder men working to take down an old house. The woman comes running to Paul McDonnel shouting his name, puffing and panting to catch her breath, signifying she has something urgent and important to say. She reveals that “Amy’s run away” which again is considered stereotypical behaviour of children.
The final shot is a close-up of Paul’s expression as he is told the news and he looks concerned for Amy’s well-being which is typical of that generation.
What's Wrong With The British Film Industry? Documentary
What’s wrong with the British film industry?
The British film industry obviously is in their heavy competition with the US film industry; Hollywood, of course, taking the majority of the ‘blockbuster’ films due to its high intake of money, therefore allowing there to be more spent on Hollywood films, making them higher quality than the films made in Britain.
In my opinion there is also a big problem with the British film industry as their development in technology has become very lax recently. Less money is being invested in the British film industry than in Hollywood, therefore keeping up with the times is becoming increasingly difficult but also increasingly expensive. This, in turn, has caused the cinema prices in the UK to rise significantly, even in comparison to a decade ago.
Another further problem with the British film industry is that all films are now usually produced onto DVD’s or Blu-Ray Discs therefore can only be watched on DVD players (or compatible hardware) and/or Blu-Ray players. This makes the generation of film enthusiasts a lot younger than they used to be, as they are typically the age group that will understand how to use the technology with ease. This will cause problems as the majority of people purchasing British films will be decreasing as it will only be younger people buying films and even then with advancing technologies available to the general public most people prefer to illegally download movies to save the little money they DO have.
There is also a problem with the U.K's ingenuity when it comes to creating new and entertaining films; constantly copying and remaking films with the same story line as previously explored ideas from Hollywood. Despite these films being ranked highly alongside the similar Hollywood version of the film, there is a recurring issue - the originality of the story line, which seems to be looked-over.
Finally, in my opinion the actual location of Britain itself is an issue. Devoid of mainland contact we are ‘adrift’ from even the European Society, let alone the contact between Britain and The US; specifically Hollywood.
Camera Angles
Extreme Close Up
Big Close Up
Close Up
Medium Close Up
Medium Shot
Medium-Long Shot
Long Shot
Very Long Shot
Two Shot
Over-The-Shoulder Shot
Interviewer looks into space in frame
Moving subject walks into space
High Angle Shot
Low Angle Shot
Tilted Frame
Research 1 - James Cameron’s Technological Dream
3D camera’s first surfaced in the 1950’s when Alfred Hitchcock experimented when he filmed “Dial M for Murder”. However the results have often been ridiculed, with most 3D movies nowadays being over-hyped and getting an average reception. James Cameron waited 15 years before he started filming Avatar; the $237m budget shows how significant this movie is and the leap in technology that Avatar has brought around.
Still developing the technology as he went, James Cameron devised a 'virtual camera', which was a hand-held monitor that allowed him to move through a 3D terrain. Cameron said this ‘ultimate immersive media’ development will exceed any and all expectations.
With a few clicks of a mouse, Cameron could completely change the viewpoint of one of the cameras, with ease, to view the virtual world from an entirely new perspective.
Despite the excessive amounts of technology and money spent on development of that technology Cameron withholds that technology is not the cornerstone of this movie, he believes the film is still about the story and the aim is not to distract people from it with special effects.
Discussions about this film before its release had all been about the fact that the movie would be displayed in 3D. James Cameron spoke about this point and said that after the film’s release he believed that the technology, once created, would “wave its own wand and make itself disappear”.
Still developing the technology as he went, James Cameron devised a 'virtual camera', which was a hand-held monitor that allowed him to move through a 3D terrain. Cameron said this ‘ultimate immersive media’ development will exceed any and all expectations.
With a few clicks of a mouse, Cameron could completely change the viewpoint of one of the cameras, with ease, to view the virtual world from an entirely new perspective.
Despite the excessive amounts of technology and money spent on development of that technology Cameron withholds that technology is not the cornerstone of this movie, he believes the film is still about the story and the aim is not to distract people from it with special effects.
Discussions about this film before its release had all been about the fact that the movie would be displayed in 3D. James Cameron spoke about this point and said that after the film’s release he believed that the technology, once created, would “wave its own wand and make itself disappear”.
As we can see it's not the first time a directors dream has led to a new age of movies. George Lucas's epic dreams for Star Wars led to the formation of Industrial Light and Magic, which became the forefront of special effects for decades.
I was researching the up and coming film; Sherlock Holmes 2 and came accross an interesting article regarding the main characters and the premiere viewing of the movie.Research 2 - The Lion King 3D
Here’s some distressing news for those die-hard fans of the Lion King; Dolphin Tale has overtaken the Lion King 3D at the US box office.
Family film Dolphin Tale climbed to number one on the US box office chart, knocking The Lion King 3D off the top spot, according to early estimates. Dolphin Tale, about a boy's friendship with a dolphin whose tail was lost in a trap, stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr. Morgan Freeman plays a doctor in Dolphin Tale, which is based on a true story.
The movie made $14.2m (£9.1m) in its second week of release. Brad Pitts’ baseball drama, Moneyball, remained at number two, with takings of $12.5m (£8m). The Lion King 3D slipped to third spot - it has earned $79.7m (£51.3m) since it was re-released.
The Lion Kind franchise has been around for many generations, comforting parents and kids alike. In my opinion, it’s terrible that such an age old movie should be so easily lost to new one hit wonders.
Family film Dolphin Tale climbed to number one on the US box office chart, knocking The Lion King 3D off the top spot, according to early estimates. Dolphin Tale, about a boy's friendship with a dolphin whose tail was lost in a trap, stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr. Morgan Freeman plays a doctor in Dolphin Tale, which is based on a true story.
The movie made $14.2m (£9.1m) in its second week of release. Brad Pitts’ baseball drama, Moneyball, remained at number two, with takings of $12.5m (£8m). The Lion King 3D slipped to third spot - it has earned $79.7m (£51.3m) since it was re-released.
The Lion Kind franchise has been around for many generations, comforting parents and kids alike. In my opinion, it’s terrible that such an age old movie should be so easily lost to new one hit wonders.
Research 3 - The Watershed
There was outrage at Ofcom the other day as a gang attack in EastEnders was found in breach of Ofcom's code in 2008. Ofcom has reminded broadcasters of their duty not to broadcast material unsuitable for children before the 21:00 watershed.
The media watchdog's warning follows several breaches of its code, many of which included explicit music videos. It has issued a 12-page document to illustrate the problems and help broadcasters’ police adult content. However, Ofcom noted that parents had fewer concerns about the programmes their children watch than in the past. Ofcom's guidance reminded soap opera producers to be mindful of their pre-watershed audience, particularly with regard to violence, this followed several complaints investigated by the watchdog.
In 2009 36% of parents had expressed concerns about their children's viewing habits, but that figure has now dropped to 31%.
According to Ofcom's research, the types of pre-watershed programmes that caused most concern to the parents surveyed were soaps (14%) and film (14%), followed by reality programmes (12%) and music videos (11%).
The media watchdog's warning follows several breaches of its code, many of which included explicit music videos. It has issued a 12-page document to illustrate the problems and help broadcasters’ police adult content. However, Ofcom noted that parents had fewer concerns about the programmes their children watch than in the past. Ofcom's guidance reminded soap opera producers to be mindful of their pre-watershed audience, particularly with regard to violence, this followed several complaints investigated by the watchdog.
In 2009 36% of parents had expressed concerns about their children's viewing habits, but that figure has now dropped to 31%.
According to Ofcom's research, the types of pre-watershed programmes that caused most concern to the parents surveyed were soaps (14%) and film (14%), followed by reality programmes (12%) and music videos (11%).
Research 4 - Summer Blockbuster
More than 65 million tickets were sold at UK cinemas this summer, reversing a two-year decline in audience numbers. British films including Harry Potter and The Inbetweeners Movie helped bolster the box office, the Film Distributors' Association (FDA) said. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 has been the biggest film of the year at the UK box office.
But next year may prove challenging, it added, as cinemas face stiff competition from the Olympics. The organisation's chief executive Mark Batey acknowledged "It's going to be a tricky period.”. He said cinema attendance could suffer "not just for the two-and-a-half weeks of the Olympics, but also the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Euro 2012, Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and the Paralympic games too".
In 2010, distributors scheduled Sex And The City 2 against the World Cup, hoping to capitalise on "football widows" escaping from the football tournament and the film went on to take £21m at the box office.
So far, it seems there are no comparable films due for release in summer 2012.
The main blockbusters are expected to be superhero movies Batman sequel The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man and action thriller The Bourne Legacy. Also, the family films scheduled for the summer include animated sequels Madagascar III and Ice Age: Continental Drift.
Research 5
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2070966/Sherlock-Holmes-2-premiereL-Noomi-Rapace-looks-worlds-away-Lisbeth-Salander.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
