Bullet Boy

Read your Bullet Boy notes yet? Remember to answer questions 1-6 and three others of your choice for Thurday/Friday's lesson. More BB stuff below....

Click here for detailed production notes from Verve Pictures

What is film distribution? Click here for a screenonline summary. Go there, read it and follow links to notes on film marketing, licensing and digital distribution.

Here is a distribution case study on, you guessed it, Bullet Boy. Read it!


View the opening scenes again here - lots of other scenes posted on YouTube

Pitch me your idea then...

So you wanna make a movie eh?

How are you going to get funding?

What cash is out there simply waiting for you to get your eager mitts on so you can start developing that script, shooting it or editing it?

What if you have done all this already but just need that crucial distribution deal to get your film out there?

Your task is to find out...

So, do some research....use links to the right eg: uk film council, BBC films, channel 4's guide to making movies is a good place to start. Shane Meadows even has a few tips for you...

Be detailed, what different funds do the UK film council offer. How do you apply? Check out some of the forms....are they easy, what pre-requisites or limitations are there?

What about short films - is this easier to get funding for?

Bring you research and your pitch to class for Thursday 10 May!

Pitch to include:

• genre (sub-genre)



• tone and style



• locations



• themes explored



• possible actors / key crew

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Is This England?

Can you see what I did there?


This is what Thommo thinks of it all. He can't even see the film because of the absurd R18 rating...


A film that explores one of the most pressing social issues this country faces and we can't even get to see it in our local multiplex. What a joke!
Released today and neither Ipswich or Bury are showing 'This Is England'.

But don't worry, you can still see brilliant works of cinema like Mr. Bean's Holiday, Music & Lyrics, and Wild Hogs. Of course, these films tell us much more about what is to be British....*sarcastic and resigned sigh*

Timesonline review here

Click here and send Cineworld an email telling them what you think...Sick of the same tedious Hollywood drek at the Multiplex? Then do something about it.... customer.services@cineworld.co.uk
Comments??

Shane Meadows - This Is England tasks

Research tasks - This Is England.

Using the headings below, conduct synoptic research for This Is England:

• Institutions - producers, production companies, distribution & marketing, funding, budget, box office takings, dvd sales.





• Critical acclaim - awards, reviews (read at least two separate reviews from a range of sources e.g. established newspapers or magazines)





• Forms and conventions - genre, style, tone. (look at the poster and tagline as well as close textual detail)





• Representations - Britain (1980's and today), youth, gender, family, ethnicity.





• Director - Who is Shane Meadows? Upbringing and education, influences, previous and current work, subject matter & style.

Below is video of Mark Kermode interviewing Shane Meadows on The Culture Show. Mainly about his new film 'This is England' but some good stuff about his filmmaking style.

"What I did in the holidays"

Easy task for your Easter break. Go and see (or rent) a contemporary British film. Find out a bit more about it (synoptic research). Post a comment here on what you thought about it (any aspect). Comment on your peers' comments. Comment on comments of comments. You get the idea; it's an issues and debates paper, so get some debate going!

Current 'British' films on at the cinema or soon to be released include: Mr. Bean's Holiday, Outlaw, Becoming Jane, Sunshine, Catch a Fire, I Want Candy, Notes on a Scandal, Gone, Goal 2: Living the Dream.

Elizabeth tasks

Conduct some internet research into Elizabeth. Include the following:

• Who is Shekhar Kapur? Education, previous and current work. Filmic style.


• Critical success - reviews, awards, box office takings (Britain and overseas)


• Institutions - production companies, funding, distribution (who are they and where are they from?)


• Is it a 'British' film - consider subject matter, cast and crew (especially writer/ director /producer, locations (details)
• The sequel - details including cast, producers, locations. Why would working title green light 'The Golden Age'?

Type up in word - no cut and paste. Cite your sources. One page minimum.

Essay title:
Discuss the representations of Britain and Britishness in Elizabeth (Shekhar Kapur, 1998). Use specific examples from the text to illustrate your points.

Include an introduction, six to eight main paragraphs and a conclusion.

Owww, that hurts...

Who is the secret santa?
He taught them everything they (Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg) know.
Well, he was certainly a big inspiration.

Hot Fuzz - as good as Shaun of the Dead? Or more pop-culture drivel rotting the minds of the youth of today with gratuitous violence and bad language...your comments.

Posting comments to the blog

As much as I love your cool alias' and pseudonyms that you post with could you please add your real name at the end of your comments.
That way I know who to address in both the virtual and real worlds.
Thanks.
Mr. M

Read this review...

...of Sexy Beast from Eye Weekly and compare it to this review from Film 4.

Essay question: "To what extent is Sexy Beast a successful British film?"

Consider the following: genre, characters and themes, style (including camerawork, editing and sound), box office/DVD sales, awards and criticism/reviews, representations (gender & class).

Use notes taken in class and personal research work to inform your answer. Use quotes where appropriate.

And the Oscar goes to...

So the Brits didn't fare as well of they might have at the recent Oscars... Never mind, Dame Helen still grabbed the gold statuette for Best Actress. The Best Actor Oscar also went to a British film. This time to Forest Whittaker for his powerhouse performance in Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland.
Should we really worry about overseas recognition for British films? Should they be made to compete internationally? Should we stick to making films about what it means to be British for a British audience? Your comments...

Welcome...

...to the Thurston Community College Contemporary British Cinema blog. Here you will find useful links and posts relating to the topic which is part of the broader OCR Media Studies Unit 2735 - Media Issues and Debates.

As the title of the unit suggests the best way to do well in this exam is to have a fair grasp of a range of issues and debates surrounding Contemporary British Cinema. In order to do this you need to read widely, view lots of films, think critically, show personal engagement and debate the issues. Remember, this is a synoptic unit so it draws on ALL of the Media Studies Key Concepts.

Posting your own ideas to this blog is an excellent way of engaging with the issues and developing and forming your own opinions. So get clicking and post your comments; or I'll set Don Logan on you!