1. The British Film Industry – SECTION A LO: To identify who does what within the British Film industry (PRODUCERS) LO: To evaluate how the British Film industry competes globally (AUDIENCE) and retains profitability Thinking question: Why have a British film industry?

2. Who does what in the British Film Industry? Aims to support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image An independent, non-governmental body which classifies and censors film, video as well as computer and console-based games released in the UK. The official UK agency for international cultural relations. Its Film Department promotes new British films (features and shorts), internationally principally through festivals and showcases. Promotes understanding and appreciation of Britain's rich film and television heritage and culture. Government backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.

3. Main British Production Companies Can you name films by these production companies? Ext: Who dominates the UK film industry?

4. How do British films compete globally? Ext: How are they distinct from Hollywood blockbusters?

5. Most bankable star?

6. The Top 10 list as of 2009 (in order of 'bankable' value): 1. Will Smith 2. Johnny Depp 3. Brad Pitt 4. Tom Hanks 5. George Clooney 6. Will Ferrell 7. Reese Witherspoon 8. Nicolas Cage 9. Leonardo DiCaprio 10. Russell Crowe

7. Weekend 20 Mar - 22 Mar 2009 UK box office Rank Title Country of Origin Weekend Gross Distributor % change on last week Weeks on release Number of cinemas Site average Total Gross to date 1 Marley & Me USA £2,166,270 20th Century Fox -51 2 476 £4,551 £8,164,343 2 Paul Blart: Mall Cop USA £1,289,513 Sony Pictures 1 375 £3,439 £1,289,513 3 Duplicity USA £796,244 Universal 1 356 £2,237 £796,244 4 Lesbian Vampire Killers UK £648,634 Momentum 1 362 £1,792 £648,634 5 Watchmen USA/Can £594,510 Paramount -58 3 381 £1,560 £7,556,596 6 Gran Torino USA £484,808 Warner Bros. -41 5 311 £1,559 £6,659,193 7 Slumdog Millionaire UK £416,356 Pathé -45 11 384 £1,084 £30,471,084 8 The Young Victoria UK £387,399 Momentum -39 3 379 £1,022 £3,550,675 9 Bolt USA £201,250 Disney -58 6 441 £456 £17,546,419 10 Bronson UK £161,880 Vertigo -37 2 109 £1,485 £581,211 11 Confessions of a Shopaholic USA £158,414 Disney -63 5 307 £516 £8,051,255 12 The Unborn USA £126,630 Universal -68 4 188 £674 £3,669,708 13 Hotel for Dogs USA/Ger £119,041 Paramount -58 6 404 £295 £6,670,932 14 The Age of Stupid UK £101,752 Dogwoof 1 20 £5,088 £101,752 15 Il Divo Ita/Fra £71,952 Artificial Eye 1 30 £2,398 £71,952 Total £7,724,653 4,523 £1,708 £95,829,511

8. Find star struck article from pack: Read and underline evidence for stars attracting an audience and star persona Answer this: How much do you agree with ‘ Hollywood films have movie stars. That’s why they are more appealing to UK audiences than UK films.’

9. Starter task: WITHOUT LOOKING LIST: 1. The 5 main film bodies in the UK who oversee the production, promotion and classification of UK films (ext: explain what each do) 2. The 5 main production companies and five films they have made

10. HOMEWORK: Brit-flick Kick-Ass tops US box office I want you to find out why On paper/blog post a detailed response and as much evidence as you can find Consider: Why is it deemed a Brit-flick? Who stars it in and how has this helped it succeed How was it marketed? Who distributed the film? We will feedback next Tuesday

11. RECAP What do stars bring to a film? Why do Producers use certain stars?

13. How else do British films compete globally?

14. GENRE as a tool How does genre help sell films? Genre helps to meet audience expectations . If the audience can assume the genre from the trailer, film posters etc, they can make an informed judgement on whether they wish to see it or not. If their expectations are met, they are satisfied and will recommend the film to others, leading to higher box office figures. An example of misleading genre expectations: By 2006, Julia Roberts’ 31 films had grossed over $2 billion and she had been involved in more $100 million movies than any other female star BUT Julia Roberts and Mona Lisa Smile Budget $65 million (large chunk of which was Robert’s fee) North American gross $63 million WHY??? Not a typical Hollywood model ending which led to younger audiences being left unsatisfied and no love interests featured to drive the romance of the story.

15. Working Title formula for the ultimate ROMCOM Using stars and genre to maximum effect Combine 2 popular genres – Hybrid – ROMANCE & COMEDY Deemed ‘chick-flick’ with a large female audience – so a strong female lead Richard Curtis – screenwriter – linked to this genre Hugh Grant – likeable and adaptable This led to securing Julia Roberts (one of the most bankable stars) and succeeded in making

16. Now I want you to find a recent successful film that has used genre and stars effectively: Note down: The stars The genre The Production Budget The Gross takings And anything else that you think made it successful (consider marketing, distribution company etc)

17. Weekend 9-11 April UK box office – audience consumption http://infidelmovie.com/landing-trailer/

18. End thought: Would the world be different if we relied only on the American film industry?

19. British cinema since 2000: The new century has so far been a relatively successful one for the British film industry. Many British films have found a wide international audience, and some of the independent production companies, such asWorking Title, have secured financing and distribution deals with major American studios. Working Title scored three major international successes, all starring Hugh Grant, with the romantic comedies Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which grossed $254 million worldwide; the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, which earned $228 million; and Richard Curtis's directorial debut Love Actually (2003), which grossed $239 million. At the same time, critically-acclaimed films such as Gosford Park (2001), Pride and Prejudice (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), The Queen (2006) and The Last King of Scotland (2006) also brought prestige to the British film industry. Although all of these films were financed and distributed by American film companies, so there was little financial benefit to the industry itself.

20. In 2008, British releases included the costume dramas The Duchess and Brideshead Revisited, the documentary Man On Wire and a new comedy-drama from Mike Leigh Happy Go Lucky. However the year was dominated by a single film: Slumdog Millionaire, an Indian story that was filmed entirely in Mumbai with a mostly Indian cast, though with a British director (Danny Boyle), producer (Christian Colson), screenwriter (Simon Beaufoy) and star (Dev Patel) and the film was all-British financed via Film4 and Celador. Slumdog Millionaire has received worldwide critical acclaim. It has won four Golden Globes, seven BAFTA Awards and eight Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Film. This was the first entirely-British financed film since Hamlet in 1948 to win the Best Picture Oscar.

21. Despite increasing competition from film studios in Australia and Eastern Europe (especially the Czech Republic), British studios such as Pinewood, Shepperton and Leavesden remained successful in hosting major foreign productions such as Finding Neverland, V for Vendetta, Closer, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, United 93, The Phantom of the Opera, The Golden Compass, Sweeney Todd, Mamma Mia!, The Wolf Man, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Nine.The film industry remains an important earner for the British economy.

22. Tug used search marketing for Slumdog Millionaire’s UK Launch Tug used search marketing to create online awareness & user engagement for Slumdog Millionaire’s UK launch FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 13, 2009 – Tug, an independent search engine marketing agency located in Shoreditch, London, recently impressed Pathe’s UK marketing team with the ability of PPC and SEO to play a key role in the film release marketing mix. Pathe approached Tug to use search engine marketing to drive targeted awareness, engagement and relevant traffic within a tight budget, for their new release, Slumdog Millionaire. December 08, Tug launched a PPC campaign across the major UK search engines targeting UK movie goers, the niche Indian market and independent film enthusiasts. Using a combination of keyword testing & bid management and ad testing & copy optimisation, Tug increased click throughs and drove the cost per click down throughout the campaign. Tug also used SEO techniques to optimise the film’s flash microsite. A short link building campaign was put in place to get the site to top position for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ searches in the UK. In addition, Tug launched a banner campaign across the Google content network of websites on a cost per click model. Standard banners as well as click to play video ads were served on relevant sites targeted at the chosen audiences. The cost model meant that banner impressions and even the trailers viewed within them were free – making awareness and engagement free. Ultimately Tug drove over 75,000 new visitors to the Slumdog Microsite, displayed the trailer online 73,000 times and served over 21 Million ad impressions for only £13,000 over a 5 week burst. Pathe are pleased with their first foray into search marketing and are working with Tug to develop a search marketing toolkit for subsequent film releases in the UK.

23. This research uncovered an audience typology that helped to inform the department’s ongoing audience development activities. Briefly, the cinema types uncovered were as follows: Mainstream : unlikely ever to view anything other than major ‘Hollywood’ style blockbusters. Mainstream plus : generally mainstream, but apt to see less mainstream films on a few occasions. Aficionados : tend to view a mix of films, including major foreign language titles, and can be encouraged to become even more adventurous in their viewing choices. Film Buffs1 : eschew mainstream films in favour of more extreme, esoteric, challenging and difficult subject matter (specialised) films. AUDIENCE TYPES

24. Other UK films – 9-11 April 2010

25. Now answer this question: Looking at the evidence, is the UK film industry attracting the mainstream audiences as well as last year?

28. Facts in focus • UK cinema admissions reached 162 million, up 4% on 2006. • Box office receipts were £821 million, up 8% on 2006. • 516 films were released for a week or more in the UK and Republic of Ireland, an increase of 2% on 2006 and 58% more than in 1998. • UK films, including co-productions, accounted for 21% of releases and 29% of the market by value, up 10% on last year. • The top 100 films earned almost 91% of the gross box office, 2% more than in 2006.