Section 4

Section 4- Industry Context

Film4
Unlike its rivals, Film4 does not focus on broadcasting blockbusters. Instead, it aims for a more niche and highbrow market by showing a mixture of old and new independent, art house, British, foreign language and specialist cinema, along with some critically-acclaimed Hollywood films. Film4 put money into amateur film producers/directors. For instance they have just announced a competition to get teenagers into the industry by making them to send their ideas for a short film highlighting the effects of smoking, the winners get to go to their head quarters in London and devise their idea with professional directors and producers.


EmMedia
EM Media is the Regional Screen Agency for the East Midlands, one of nine agencies across the UK. Since 2001 EM Media has supported the region's film, television and interactive media (games, digital media and new media) through talent development, investment and business support.
Their aim is to develop the range of markets, audiences and opportunities for consumption of digital product and encourage participation, understanding and engagement with all forms of media product, especially as tools for learning.

UK Film Council
Their aim is –
‘’To stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK.’’

The Development Fund aims to broaden the quality, range and ambition of British film projects and talent being developed. More specifically, the aim is to raise the quality of screenplays from the UK through targeted development initiatives. The annual budget for the fund is £4 million.

The New Cinema Fund which aims to support creativity, innovation, new talent and ‘cutting edge’ filmmaking. The annual budget for the fund is £5 million. Feature film funding is central to the Fund's role, but it also support over 100 short films each year through its short film schemes: two flagship schemes, Cinema Extreme and the Completion Fund and the devolved schemes Digital Shorts Scheme and Digital Shorts Plus administered via the regional screen agencies and national screen agencies.



Industry context
There are many mainstream outlets of media in today’s world. Many of them fund and help new film producers establish themselves in the industry. E.g. FilmFour and EmMedia and UK Film Council.

All these offer help through the Internet via forums where people can talk to others and help each other.

Current themes and ideologies
FilmFour is one of the biggest British outlets for media and the short film industry. On their sky channel they have different themes such as English produced films, where they show the best of British filmmakers. Because of short films reputation, they often contain rather strange plots.

Audience targeting
Take FilmFour as an example, their target audience would be middle class and working class now that it is accessible on Freeview. They aim to older men and some women.

Audience analysis
Audiences are grouped on their ocuppation.
Professional
Semi professional
Semi skilled
Unskilled
Unemployed

Funding issues
The funding for amateurs is widely available in form of grants to pay for the costs of producing a short film from organizations like the UK Film Council which is Government and the National Lottery funded. All details can be found on their web page.

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/filmmaking/

There are also Government initiatives to get help new British film maker’s get established. Noel Clarke’s ‘Adulthood’ was funded by this new initiative. not everyone can receive funding, they have to apply and they need


The hyperlink below shows a government debate on the British film industry.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/454EF51B-EC50-4180-911B-24E212B4FAC3/0/907134

Brett, Stoobi and Ellen