The Film Industry Research

1. The Film Industry Research Lauren Barrett

2. Production Roles - Director

3. Production Roles - Producer

4. Production Roles - Screenwriter

5. Other Film Production Roles

6. Film production is very expensive and finance is essential for every stage of the ‘film’s life’ – production, marketing, distribution and exchange. Films can be funded in various different ways: private and foreign investors, TV companies, lottery, the government etc. • Investors: • The type of investor can vary for any one film depending on the size of the company producing the film. • In the US for example, bigger companies such as DreamWorks and Warner Brothers are able to fund their own productions through their cash flow and profit from previous films. • Independent producers are more likely to have a deal with another production studio. The film will be developed under a housekeeping deal between the bigger studios who invest their money, and they are given full control over the refusal or acceptance of the film, which determines whether the invested money shall go towards the full production of the film. • The film company will usually approach the executive producer of a studio or production company. • The script, producer, director and actors/actresses may be the deciding factor for an investor to go ahead with the deal. • The film may also guarantee an audience, which will then provide good financial return for the original investment. How Are Films Funded?

7. Foreign Investment: • UK film makers often look abroad for investment, and it is often provided by the US. • Countries are likely to offer finance or tax incentives if the vast majority of cinematography work is done there. • Many foreign studios have financed ‘British’ films, such as: Chariots of Fire (1981), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Emma (1996) and Hamlet (1996). • Private Investment: • An uncommon method of financing a film. • High costs of producing a film are too much for private investors to afford. • The Business Expansion Scheme attracted many small-scale private investors by allowing significant tax relief on investments of up to £40,000, which led to the production of low and medium-budget films such as Henry V (1989). • This scheme was replaced in 1994 by the Enterprise Investment Scheme which was a tax-based investment programme. • Investors were often offered roles in the film as extras if they invested at least £1,000. • Production costs can easily be met by negotiating fees with crew members and equipment suppliers, as well as securing product placement deals. • Securing product placement deals involves branded products being used in the film – the product gets advertised, which means more product for the advertisers, and the film gets to use such props for free, or at a smaller fee. • Examples include: Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses being worn in Men In Black 1,2 and 3, and the Champagnes, Vodka and cars featured in the Bond films. How Are Films Funded?

8. The Government: • In many European countries such as the UK and France, there are many government subsidies to help fund the production, distribution, marketing and exchange of films. • The French film industry is the strongest in Europe because of the taxes and government contributions in the country. • The government funding for film-making in the UK is very small in comparison, but funding has risen from £14.9 million in 1988 to £27.7 million in 1994. • Government money was funded through the UK Film Council (set up by the Labour party) from 2000 to 2010. • They were funded through sources such as the National Lottery. • It distributed around £27 million from the lottery and £27 million from the government annually. • It was responsible for funding (in some way) British films such as: This Is England (2006), Miss Potter (2006), St Trinians (2007) and Becoming Jane (2007). • The Council was abolished by the Conservative party in July 2010. • Many of it’s functions were passed on to the British Film Institute (BFI). How Are Films Funded?

9. Television Companies: • TV companies gain a financial return on their investment and the broadcast rights after the film has been released in the cinema. • New technologies for TVs such as satellite, cable and digital, has led to an increased demand for films. • TV investment in the UK is relatively low compared to in the US (HBO) and in France (Canal+). • The main TV investors in the UK are: • Channel 4 – it’s feature subsidy ‘Film Four’ makes it the biggest TV investor in Britain. • - Has contributed to over half of all the UK films made since the 1980s. • - Approx. 10% of annual programming budget is spent on new UK films • - Aims to co-produce 15-20 feature films per year. • BBC – BBC Films has a relatively small budget but has helped to fund relatively large films such as Billy Elliot in 2000. • - Intends to invest at least £100 million in the UK film industry over 10 years. • ITV – The ITV Companies generally do not fund films, but began to notice Film Fours success and has begun to invest. How Are Films Funded?

10. The distribution process in the film industry involves promoting the products, and getting the films released into the cinemas and out onto other formats such as Digital Download, DVD, Blu-Ray etc. In 2011, the 5 biggest film distributors in the UK and Republic of Ireland were: Film Distribution