The big picture plans for major change in the film industry
by Menelik Shabazz, Marsha Prescod

The Big Picture, the Report of the Film Policy Review has finally been published. The Review Group, co-chaired by Film Minister Tom Clarke and the Head of Polygram Filmed Entertainment Stewart Till, was set up to examine and restructure the British Film Industry.

The Review Group, consisting of six sub-groups, looked at the structure of the industry, noting that cinema attendances of 1997 were the highest since 1974 and that consumer spend on feature films across all media has increased by 29% (1995/1996). However, UK films command only 23% of their own domestic audience, compared to 73% of the UK domestic audience for US films. It also noted that, 60% of UK audiences are under 35 making up only 5% of the population. It is felt that there are certain structural problems within the UK film industry, which prevent it from utilising it's full potential. Comparisons were made with US film studios, with their distribution-led, integrated structures. The studios have the ownership of ideas/production and distribution. Revenues from distribution are used to finance development and production from which they can build up a library of rights, the same way as the major record companies.

However the UK film industry is "production-led and fragmented. The production process is separate from the distribution process which is dominated by the US companies". Distributors are only involved once the film is already made. The report also noted that "UK companies are established to develop, finance and produce a single film, then start from scratch on the next project. Often they have to pre-sell the rights in order to get finance and distribution." In addition, marketing budgets are too small to have an impact compared to similar sized US films. The 56 page report outlines a number of proposals looking primarily at structure, workforce, marketing, export and audience. It includes proposals to:

To transform the structure of the UK industry by creating a voluntary all-industry fund supporting development, distribution and generic promotion of film and cinema.To encourage the emergence of a distribution-led industrial process and a strong distribution sector. Improve the marketing of British film by setting up a private sector Film Marketing Agency to provide marketing expertise to the industry.

Establish a new Skills Investment Fund, intended to increase investment in training, focussing on key areas, eg scriptwriters, script editors, producers etc. Here, the Report mentions that ethnic minorities are seriously under represented. It doesn't go on to make proposals as to how ethnic minorities will be integrated into actual employment in production and distribution once training has been received.

Funding levels from the Lottery should be maintained and a significant amount reallocated towards development and distribution. The Government has invited the Film Policy Review Group, supplemented by further representatives from industry and public bodies, to form an Action Committee that has a delivery date of April 1999.

[Commenting on the overall report, Stewart Till states "This is a game plan for making bigger and better British pictures"]

Black Filmmaker has another perspective to add to the debate. Matters not addressed fully (or in some cases, not addressed at all) in the report. Everyone recognises that the UK punches well below its weight in the film world in terms of the number of films produced annually, audience figures both at home and abroad, and as regards distribution, promotion and marketing skills. In another part of the Entertainment Industry however, music, Britain punches well above its weight globally, given its population size. BFM wonders why comparison and analysis hasn't been made in the music industry, where, - even given the lower costs vis a vis equipment and personnel involved in the production of music - the UK has so much more savvy, and better link-ups between independent labels (producers) and major labels (distributors) than in the film world.

And before everyone starts shouting about artistic integrity, remember, the UK has an international rep for producing a wide range of music, not just pure pop. Britain has Spice Girls (in commercial terms, the equivalent of Schwarzenegger movies) and Tricky (Bergman? Allen?)

The UK boasts of having the best technicians, and creative people in the film industry, but it is not known for producing the widest range of films, veering from arthouse to commercial. Could that be part of the problem?  Could it be that the music industry benefits from the wide range (age, class, gender, race) of the people involved both on the production side and the distribution side?

Unlike the UK music industry, the UK film industry does not come out of popular culture. The films that do - Spiceworld, Bean, Trainspotting, The Full Monty, have brought out domestic audiences - let alone the international audience- in a way that other British films have been unable to do, hype or no hype. Even allowing for the extra kudos that a prestigious award might bring. (Look at Bean's £17 million domestic box office take, compared to Mrs Brown's £3 million).

BFM hopes that the Action Committee lays the foundation for the development of a solid, domestic market, reflecting the UK as is, before they start going head to head with the US industry which over the last 70 years or so has already made sure to have these kind of points covered