Film Industry: Part 3

Why do you think 3D takings went down when the number and variety of 3D films increased in 2011?

Although 3D was used in many films throughout the year, a lot of the more successful films were only released in 2D, such as The Inbetweeners Movie, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The King's Speech. This may have meant that rather than go to see more expensive 3D films, cinema goers opted for the 2D films that had received reviews that were just as good, if not better, than their 3D counterparts. The large number of 3D films released also may have something to do with this, as it can be said that the novelty of a 'gimmicky' feature such as 3D wears off after one has seen a few films with it.

Where do you think these films end up being shown?

It is likely that films such as these will be shown at small film festivals and arthouse cinemas, followed by a fairly small scale DVD release.

Why do you think there are more people going to the cinema mid-week? Who are more likely to attend the cinema outside of opening weekends?

The primary 16-24 market is less able to go to the cinema in the working week, as many have education or a job. This makes mid-week cinema viewing seem more accessable and less crowded to older consumers, and less intimidating to parents who might want to take their children to the cinema. This means that those who are free mid-week are more likely to go then than at the weekends, due to the concentration of teenagers and young adults that attend at that time.

Why do you think there had been a decline in DVD sales in the last few years?

The last few years have seen the rise of online consumption of film, both through legitimate (LoveFilm, Netflix, etc) and illegal (download, streaming, etc) means. This leads to lower DVD sales, due to the ease of use and relative affordability of online viewing. The increase in the quality and size of computer screens will also have had an effect on how many films are watched online, and thus how many are bought in DVD form.

Summarise what has remained the same about the UK film market over the last 10 years and what has changed dramatically.

- There have been more films shown, albeit by a small margin. This means that although admissions have increased, it has been a very vague attempt at an increase, and there is not a huge amount of significant change for this period.
- Broadband speed and the numbers of devices that can be used to access films have both increased, which means that more people are accessing films both online and using smartphones or tablets. This has obviously dramatically changed the way in which films are consumed.

How does film production in the UK seem to be very different from the Hollywood model of large, powerful studios?

- The British film industry does not have the same sort of financial backing that Hollywood does, which makes film production far more difficult at every stage.
- Television companies such as Film4 or the BBC are very important in terms of funding for British films, as they are some of the few British companies that will back an otherwise independent British film. This can often mean a small screen release for new, small films.
- Many other UK production and distribution companies are American or American subsidiaries, which gives Hollywood a profound influence on British film.

What is the benefit to a film producer of their film being branded as British?

- Britain is well respected in the film industry for producing great films, actors, directors, and other large figures in the industry.
- Britain is fairly marketable at the moment, with films like Skyfall being set in London, and the recent popularity of actors such as Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch. This makes utilizing Britain an appealing prospect to large production companies.
- Hollywood is able to dominate the UK film market by funding British films with subsidiaries, which means that a large portion of the box office profits end up with Hollywood anyway.

How many of these could be considered British films? How many are co-productions where most of the money leaves the country? What does this say about the scale of the UK film industry?

- The only exclusively British films on the list are The King's Speech, The Inbetweeners Movie, Horrid Henry, and Jane Eyre.
- Films such as Johnny English Reborn, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows could all be considered British due to subject matter and actors such as Rowan Atkinson, Jude Law, Gary Oldman, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
- The vast majority of the films on the list have American input, which indicates a strong Hollywood influence over the British film industry, and that the UK film industry would be significantly less effective without the input of Hollywood.

Which of My Week with Marilyn and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas do you think is a BBC co-production and why?

They both are, but my expectation would be that My Week with Marilyn would be the BBC co-production, due to the presence of many prominent British actors such as Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, and Eddie Redmayne, and a British director; Simon Curtis.

Why do you think the Coalition government decided to close down the UKFC?

- The UKFC had not had a fantastic record in terms of spending, with £160 million being put into 900 productions, many of which were very unsuccessful.
- The Council had a bad reputation, especially for cronyism and arrogance, which made it an unfortunate organisation for the government to have ties with.
- Cameron's plans involve investing in mainstream film, in order to maximize profitability and make the UK film industry more lucrative. This was not the view of the UKFC, which poured a lot of money into independent and arthouse films, which are considerably less profitable.

Do you think the UK film industry needs a body like the UKFC/BFI? Why?

A body such as these is very important to the industry, as it will provide much needed funding for smaller British films. The system has it's flaws, as some may argue that funding arthouse films is a waste of money, but in a creative field such as this, the morality of cutting funding to specific films comes into question. Essentially, a UKFC or BFI like body is extremely important to have, provided that it is handled with care and that there is no cronyism, arrogance or waste involved.