IF YOU CHOOSE TO ANSWER A REGULATION QUESTION IN THE EXAM, BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS HOW TEXTS CONFORM TO THE REGULATOR'S GUIDELINES, AS WELL AS ANALYSING THE TEXTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONTROVERSIAL.
Key Terms:
Indigenous - Originating and produced in a specific region, for example Britain.
Synergy - The interaction and co-operation of two or more media organisations in order to produce mutually beneficial outcomes. For example the combination of the artist and the record company.
RegulationThe production/distribution of many texts is subject to the regulation of an authoritative body, which may include censorship and certification. In terms of film, the BBFC classify texts before distribution in terms of age, based on the content of the film.
The Theory of Everything Production Stats
Of the three films we are studying, The Theory of Everything (TTOE) is a British case study.
The notion of what constitutes a British film is complex and at times confusing.
The dominant definitions focus on institutional, industrial and cultural factors. It is of advantage to the British government to have films officially classified as British as this means that there are tax implications that will earn them money.
This may also attract overseas investment and also encourage the indigenous film industry.
It also means that British film achieves recognition in a global context.
The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee report of 2003 into the British film industry stated that:
'The nature of the British film industry is not what we would wish it to be.
Ideally, we would prefer the main activity to be indigenous production of films about Britain, a substantial proportion of which break out to success in the global market.'
They suggested that the British film industry does three things;
Provided services for the major Hollywood studios.
Makes indigenous films that are shot in the UK.
Makes films that are co-produced but not shot in the UK. Like, for example The Bond films.
Under the films act, for a film to be certified British it must meet the following tests:
BFI require any film claiming to be British must pass Cultural test and awarded 16 out of 31 points;
What services could the British film industry provide for a Hollywood studio?
Task 2: Research and consider how TToE meets the criteria for a British film.
The British Board of Film Classification, previously the British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organization, founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and, to a lesser extent, some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.
Task 3: Make an essay plan for the following question:
B2. Explore the impact of regulation on your three main texts. [30]
Candidates will need to know how their selected industry is regulated and to comment on how regulation has impacted on their chosen tests. Whilst the texts may not have been controversial they will all have had to adhere to the regulator’s code – so some discussion of relevant parts of the code may be needed. Overall, media texts need to adhere to codes of practice so regulation impacts on the structure, content, placement/scheduling etc. of texts.
The following offers a brief overview of the regulators for the film industry:
How does classification work?
BBFC Insight
The BBFC publishes detailed information about the content of every film that we rate, which we call BBFCinsight. BBFCinsight is aimed particularly at parents. It offers a summary of how and why a film was rated at any given category.
Complaining about a film.
Task 1: Discuss and Answer this question:
What services could the British film industry provide for a Hollywood studio?
These services may include:
Key Terms:
Indigenous - Originating and produced in a specific region, for example Britain.
Synergy - The interaction and co-operation of two or more media organisations in order to produce mutually beneficial outcomes. For example the combination of the artist and the record company.
RegulationThe production/distribution of many texts is subject to the regulation of an authoritative body, which may include censorship and certification. In terms of film, the BBFC classify texts before distribution in terms of age, based on the content of the film.
The Theory of Everything Production Stats
Of the three films we are studying, The Theory of Everything (TTOE) is a British case study.
The notion of what constitutes a British film is complex and at times confusing.
The dominant definitions focus on institutional, industrial and cultural factors. It is of advantage to the British government to have films officially classified as British as this means that there are tax implications that will earn them money.
This may also attract overseas investment and also encourage the indigenous film industry.
It also means that British film achieves recognition in a global context.
The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee report of 2003 into the British film industry stated that:
'The nature of the British film industry is not what we would wish it to be.
Ideally, we would prefer the main activity to be indigenous production of films about Britain, a substantial proportion of which break out to success in the global market.'
They suggested that the British film industry does three things;
Provided services for the major Hollywood studios.
Makes indigenous films that are shot in the UK.
Makes films that are co-produced but not shot in the UK. Like, for example The Bond films.
Under the films act, for a film to be certified British it must meet the following tests:
- The maker test - the film must be made by a company that is registered, managed and controlled in the UK.
- The production cost test-70% of the production cost must spent on film making in the UK.
- The labour cost test-70-75% of the labour cost must be paid to residents of the UK.
- Previously filmed material-no more than 10% of the film should contain images from a film by a different filmmaker.
BFI require any film claiming to be British must pass Cultural test and awarded 16 out of 31 points;
- 75% of the film must take place in UK
- three of the lead characters must be British
- the film must be based on a British subject matter
- 75% of the original dialogue must be recorded in English language
What services could the British film industry provide for a Hollywood studio?
Task 2: Research and consider how TToE meets the criteria for a British film.
What is meant by a high concept film?
Hollywood big budget film
- clearly defined characters, recognisable stereotypes
- simple narrative with universal themes, summarised in single sentence
- high production values in cinematography, costumes, settings and special effects
- elements that are easy to market and promote (e.g recognisable soundtrack)
- high profile stars related to films genre
- ‘larger than life’ protagonists
- visual appeal including expensive action scenes
- highly dramatic and hyperbolic plot situations
-High concept films are produced by major film studios that are media conglomerates therefore have the ability to rely on financial returns
-Major distribution companies have the means for the promotion, exhibition and distribution of films they make
-Practise of synergy through horizontal integration
In 2012 90% of media was owned by 6 companies including Disney, News Corporation, and Time Warner.
What is Synergy?
- Range of media agencies coming together to help each other
- As media conglomerates they seek to own companies that are mutually beneficial
- e.g time warner owns warner brothers who makes films, can exhibit products (IPC magazine) broadcasting (Turner broadcasting and CNN news)
- Allows cross-promotion of media products without involving any other interests
- The Disney channel/ Disney store/ Disney films
_____________________________________________________________________
Task 3: Make an essay plan for the following question:
B2. Explore the impact of regulation on your three main texts. [30]
Candidates will need to know how their selected industry is regulated and to comment on how regulation has impacted on their chosen tests. Whilst the texts may not have been controversial they will all have had to adhere to the regulator’s code – so some discussion of relevant parts of the code may be needed. Overall, media texts need to adhere to codes of practice so regulation impacts on the structure, content, placement/scheduling etc. of texts.
The following offers a brief overview of the regulators for the film industry:
How does classification work?
BBFC Insight
The BBFC publishes detailed information about the content of every film that we rate, which we call BBFCinsight. BBFCinsight is aimed particularly at parents. It offers a summary of how and why a film was rated at any given category.
Complaining about a film.
| BBFC classification. Reasons for certificates Different regulators in other countries DVD certificates Monitors and responds to complaints |
Task 1: Discuss and Answer this question:
What services could the British film industry provide for a Hollywood studio?
These services may include:
- established and iconic stars that would attract a global audience.
- settings not found in the USA.
- a different tax regime and technical expertise to facilitate the production of high budget films.
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