1. British Films

2. What Makes a British Film?
• Cultural Definition, according to
House of Commons Culture, Media and
Sport Committee.- 2003
Most people would define a ‘British’ film with
reference to obvious cultural elements such as: a
setting in the UK or a focus on British people abroad; a
predominantly British cast; a storyline about some
aspect of British life — past, present or future — or
notably by, or based on a work by, a British author.
• Recent examples include Billy Elliott, about a boy in
North East
England, and Bend it Like Beckham, about a girl from West
London, both portraying particular social issues..

3. What Makes a British Film?
Statutory Definition, according to House of Commons
Culture, Media and Sport Committee.- 2003
• There are two ways that a film may qualify as ‘British’ — eith
under Schedule 1 to the Films Act 1985, examples include the
Bond and Harry Potter films, or by satisfying the terms of an
international co-production agreement to which the UK is a
party. Under the Films Act, for a film to be certified as ‘British
by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, a
number of tests must be met.

4. The Maker Test
• The film must be made by a company that is
registered and centrally managed and
controlled in the UK, in another state of the
European Union/European Economic Area or in
a country with which the European Community
has signed an Association Agreement.

5. The Production Cost Test
• 70% of the production cost of the
film must be spent on filmmaking
activity in the UK

6. The Labour Cost Test
• 70% of the total cost (minus — if desired — the cost of on
person whose nationality must be non-
Commonwealth/EU/EEA/Association Agreement country
must have been paid to citizens or ordinary residents of
the Commonwealth, EU/EEA or a country with which the
European Community has signed an Agreement; and
75% of the total labour cost — after deducting the cost of
two persons whose nationality must be non-
Commonwealth/EU/EEA/Association Agreement country
and one of whom must be an actor6 — must have been pa
to citizens or ordinary
residents of the Commonwealth, EU/EEA or a country with
which the European Community has signed an Agreemen

7. Previously Filmed Material
• No more than 10% of the playing time of th
film should comprise a sequence of visual
images from a previously certified film or
from a film by a different maker.

8. The King’s Speech
• The King’s Speech was distributed by
Momentum Pictures, exceeding their
expectations at the 3.52 million opening
evening.
• It was nominated for 12 Oscars and 14
Baftas.
• The $15 million Project was shot in 39 days
around London at the end of 2009.

9. The King’s Speech
• Director :Tom Hooper
• Producers: Iain Canning, Emile
Sherman, Gareth Unwin
• Production companies: See-Saw Films,
Bedlam Productions
• US distributor: The Weinstein
Company
• International sales: FilmNation
Entertainment
• US release date: December 10, 2010

10. UK Box Office
• The King’s Speech grossed over £40,000 at
London's Chelsea cinema. It broke house
records at the capital's Curzon Renoir and
Richmond. The top six sites were all in
London, led by Odeon Leicester Square
(£106,000), Vue Westfield (£51,000) and
Vue Islington (£45,000).

11. Reviews
• ‘It's a one-week-old, yes, but a one-week-old doing shockingly well for
itself.’
‘Pearce looks far too young for his part and doesn’t sound at all English;
Timothy Spall as Churchill resembles a distended bulldog who’s been
chewing wasps; Bonham Carter and Jennifer Ehle (as Logue’s wife) are
under-used.’
• ‘For all its period trappings and occasionally heavy-handed Freudian
psychodrama, ‘The King’s Speech’ always comes back to the unlikely
friendship between two superbly sketched, immaculately played
characters.’
• ‘It is the work of a highly talented group of artists who might be
regarded as British realists.’
• ‘The portrayal of Winston Churchill and the royals in The King's Speech
is a blatant rewriting of history’

12. Criticisms
• Despite the widespread general success of the film, there
have been some noticable mistakes brought to the public
eye.
• The film uses a font which was not designed until the 1950’s.
• Women were shown in the film wearing hosiery without
seems, these were not invented until after this period of
time.
• There are continuity errors which have been picked up on.
• A plastic model biplane is used when typically at the time it
would have been wooden.
• The film also features a Tiger Moth plane with a registration
that did not exist until 1941.

13. Finances and Origins
• The UK Film Council contributed towards
the finances along with Prescience Films –
a UK finance company.
• Harvey Weinstein in the USA also had a
share.
• The producers had to post the script
through Geoffrey Rush's letter box.
• The script began as a stage
performance.

14. Production
• The film was shot in London in the
darker months of December and
January. Hooper wanted a dark, dirty
looking representation of London, so
the low light on these months helped
them achieve this.
• Amy Merry, who worked on the
production design said "When we were
shooting exteriors we threw dirty water
over everything. We filmed in Harley
Street on a Sunday so we closed the
road in the early hours and a gritting
van came along at 5am and covered the
ground with dirt. Then we pumped out
so much smog that we set off the fire
alarms in John Lewis."

15. Production
• The team were not able to film on location
throughout the project, however, only two
sets were used in the film. Logue’s Dining
room and the final Speech room.
• The scene at Wembley Stadium was shot at
Leeds United's Elland Road ground and the
Grattan Stadium in Bradford. stands were
filled with an inflatable crowd. According to
Amy Merry (Production Designer), these
blow-up people – actually only blow-up
upper bodies – are much more convincing
than CGI.

16. Production Issues
• The biggest challenge for the production
team, Stewart says, was "no money and lots
of sets". At less than £10m, the budget was
tight; Lancaster House alone cost £20,000 for
a day and supplied only two scenes.

17. Research
• Research was done at the Victoria and Albert
Museum and the Geffrye Museum of interior
design, as well as in photographic libraries
and by reading Logue's diaries.

18. Bibliography
• http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmcumeds/667/6
67.pdf
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/jan/18/pass-notes-the-kings-speech
• http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/89059/the-kings-speech.html
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/jan/11/kings-speech-127-hours-
box-office
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/8285855/Oscar-nominated-
film-The-Kings-Speech-littered-with-errors.html
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/18/bafta-nominations-kings-speech-
2011
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/31/the-kings-speech-gross-falsification
• http://www.deadline.com/interstitial/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deadline.com%2
F2011%2F01%2Fthe-uk-financier-behind-the-kings-speech%2F
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/02/the-kings-speech-period-sets