Contemporary British
Cinema
The Industry

Brief History
• The industry has experienced a number of
booms and recessions since the industry’s
first boom in the 1930s.
• Alfred Hitchcock’s films, prior to his move
to Hollywood, were some of Britain’s
earliest successes. The Man Who Knew Too
Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935) and The
Lady Vanishes (1938)
• The 1970s to 1990 were the most recent
recession for the industry.

Recent Renaissance
• 1990s - Successful British costume dramas
• 1994 - release of Four Weddings and a
Funeral
• Box office success
• Implications for British Film

Renaissance continued
• British comedy success - Brassed Off
(1996) and The Full Monty (1997)
• Impact of the National Lottery
• UK Film Council (more on this later)
• American productions return to the UK

Behind the Scenes
• The life-cycle of a British film
• Who gets involved
• Understanding the roles and relationships
• Key examples of institutions

Scriptwriters
• Most scriptwriters start their careers
writing on speculation. That means they
write without being hired and paid for it.
• Scriptwriters often develop their scripts
with small production companies or
independently with support from a funding
body (more detail on these later)
• Richard Curtis and Stephen Knight.

Funding
• UK Film Council
• Regional screen agencies
• Production Companies

Production Companies
• The production company is responsible for
the physical development and production of
the film, and in some cases for raising
funding.
• Working Title - most successful British
production company - why?

Distributors
• The distributor is the link between the film
producers and exhibitors (the cinema
chains)
• Independent distributors vs. distributors
affiliated to studios
• Challenge for distributors
• Marketing/ advertising

Actors and Directors
• Successful British Actors (Hugh Grant, Kate
Winslet, Keira Knightly,
• Crossover actors (Ewan McGregor)
• Stage to screen (Kenneth Branagh, Judi
Dench, Maggie Smith)
• Established Directors (Kenneth Branagh,
Guy Ritchie, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Shane

On the screen
• The exhibitors
• The programmers
• Release patterns
• The Digital Screen Network

The exhibitors
• Mainstream cinemas (Odeon, Cineworld)
• Independent cinemas (Picturehouses)
• One off independents (Cornerhouse in
Manchester)

Programmers
• Different programmers have different
remits
• Culture vs commerce
• Picturehouse remit
• Problems?

Release patterns
• How can cinemas retains an audience?
• Use of pay per view services i.e. Sky Box
Office
• Most specialist films don’t go into profit
until DVD release
• Pans Labyrinth case study
• Use high profile slots to encourage
audience to take a chance - West End

The Digital Screen
Network
• UK Film Council set up the Network in
2005
• Remit = To install state of the art digital
projection facilities in 240 screens in 210
cinemas, including multiplexes and
independents, with cinemas guaranteeing a
number of specialist screenings in return.
• UKFC - Prints and Advertising Fund

Important debates
• The choices for the British film industry=
• 1. Make low budget films targeted at
mainstream British audiences
• 2. Make low budget films for niche
‘arthouse audiences’ in the UK and abroad
• 3. Look for partners in Europe and/or
America and aim for more clearly an
international audience

Relevant questions
• How has the British film industry managed to
survive?
• Why is it important for Britain to have a
successful film industry?
• ‘The country of origin of a film is irrelevant.
Why should we be bothered if all films at our
cinemas were made in the USA?’ Discuss this
view.
• What factors have contributed to the success
in the UK and/or abroad of British films
produced since 1990?