British Cinema: 2009

Wednesday, 20 May 2009

Industry case studies:

Here are two case studies of UK Film Studios which could be compared with Hollywood production companies.

The main issues of production, distribution and exhibition can be compared and contrasted in a number of ways.

The following link is a brief case study for Working Title Films.
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/michaelwalford/entry/working_title_history/

The next link is a more detailed case study for Channel Four's Film Four.
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/michaelwalford/entry/channel_4_films/

This link is to a very useful three part article on the production issues behind Channel Four's Film Four and their place in the British Film Industry.
http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/feature.jsp?id=171086&page=1

Consider cross-media ownership, particularly as Working Title Films is mostly owned by NBC-Universal! What are the implications for this "British" company if the main source of its ownership and finance is American? Working Title make American films as well as British ones.

The Industry

Contemporary British Cinema - The Industry

View more presentations from Media Studies.

Revision handouts

CLICK on the appropriate word to download some revision handouts:

Representation

Ideology

Camera Shots

Tuesday, 12 May 2009

Mock Exam and past questions

Please choose one question and hand in for Monday

JUNE 2006
How has the British film industry managed to survive?

JANUARY 2006
How far is it important, for Britain to have a successful film industry?JUNE 2005How far has the success of British fims since 1990 been due to their representation of 'Britishness'?

JANUARY 2005
Why is it important for Britain to have a film industry?

JUNE 2004
What factors have contributed to the success, in the UK and/or abroad, of British films produced since 1990?

JUNE 2003
What factors determine whether or not a film can be defined as 'British'?

JUNE 2002
With Reference to at least two British films made since 1990, analyse how their content and style reflect attitudes and conditions in Britain at the time that the films were made.

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Case study links:

Dirty Pretty Things

Control

Sexy Beast (2000, Jonathan Glazer)

Elizabeth (1998, Shekhar Kapur)

Bullet Boy (2004, Saul Dibb)

The Full Monty (1997, Peter Cattaneo)

A Room for Romeo Brass (1999, Shane Meadows)

Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows)

This is England (2006, Shane Meadows)

Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright)

Hot Fuzz (2007, Edgar Wright)

Red Road (2006, Andrea Arnold)

The Last King of Scotland (2006, Kevin Macdonald)

The Queen (2006, Stephen Frears)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006, Ken Loach)

United 93 (2006, Paul Greengrass)

Exam tips - you Sexy Beast

So, what are you going to do to make sure you write the perfect Contemporary British Cinema answer in the Issues and Debates paper then?

1. Know at least THREE films inside out. And two or more others for back up. Make sure your big three provide contrast.

2. You should be confident that you know your big three synoptically. That is in terms of:
-Media forms and conventions
-Media representations
-Media institutions
-Media audiences

3. Read widely around some of the issues that currently affect British Cinema. Check the MediaGuardian and other online newspaper pages, sight and sound magazine for what is going on...and the links to britfilms etc

4. Spend 5-8 mins planning you response before writing. This will add clarity and provide a more measured response. Work on 6-8 main body paragraphs along with a brief intro and conclusion. Refer to the question throughout.

5. Have an opinion. It is an issues and debates paper after all so debate the issues! Just make sure you have ample evidence to back up your argument otherwise you sound ill-informed and like you are just having a rant.

6. Learn some quotes. Get on IMDB if you were too lazy to write them down during class.

7. Relax. You should know this stuff by now - it is just a matter of recall and calmly going about answering the question. Breathe 'low and slow' and if you feel yourself tensing up 'stop, drop and flop'.

8. Study hard (short term pain for long term gain) and then you can relax