British Cinema

• The way in which Britain is represented on screen is hugely influenced by economic and political contexts e.g. funding, relationship of British film to USA and the rest of Europe, audience shifts etc
• There is debate over critical acclaim in relation to commercial imperatives and the importance of cultural reflection alongside the feel-good deciptions we might associate more with costume drama and literay adaption

The British film industry

• The British Film Institute defines British films under 4 categories, in which Category A is an entirely British film, funded by UK finance, and staffed by a majority of British personnel; Category B is majority UK funded; C is more common co-funding scenario; and D describes US films with some creative input from the UK
• Roddick - argues strongly that 'Every memorable achievement to come out of the UK cinema since the war has come out of someone's desire to say something, not to sell it'
• Stafford - The choices for British producers are: make low budget British films targeted at mainstream British audiences, hoping that the 'peculiarly British' subject matter will attract overseas audiences who will see the films as 'unusual'. A low-budget film could cover costs by careful sale of rights in the UK and Europe. Anything earned in the US is then a bonus. Or make low-budget films for a 'niche' arthouse audience in the UK and abroad. Or look for partners in Europe and or/America and aim more clearly for an 'international audience'

The Burden of representation

• Describes the way that the history social realist British film can weigh on the shoulders of new film-makers and producers

British Social Realism

• The UK has a strong legacy of fiction - spanning theatre, literature, TV and film - that attemps to portray issues facing ordinary people in their social situations
• Social realist film should not be thought of as a genre or a type of film, but more of an approach
• Ken Loach, prefers to talk about his films more in terms of storytelling, suggesting that he merely tells stories which he hopes will 'resonate' with the public
• Social realism seeks to make explicit connections to matters of public debate - the economic system, social relations, relationships between ethnic groups, various forms of exploitation.
• Other recurring themes in Ken Loach's films are loan sharks, drug dealers and corrupt employers but these are rarely middle class or executive characters - his interest is in how the system forces those at the bottom of the pile turn on one another
• Murray (2008) - the work of film makers today who may be creative, but are always grounded in the actuality of the events within their social contexts, wanting to examine the social realities that these fictional stories and people grow out of. Our experience as audiences is a constant frisson of recognition - of places, of people we have varying degrees of contact with
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