FM2: British and American Film

Focus of the exam

• Producers
• Audiences
• The relationship between them
• UK and US film industry

Focus on

• The interrelationship between producers and audiences
• Aspects of the film industry and audience behaviour
• Personal response to films, mediated by the study of film and their context

Context

• The film industry (producer/supplier of films)
• The audience (purchasers/consumers of films)
• Narrative and genre features of UK/US films and how they represent social reality

The Film Industry

• The American film industry - contemporary Hollywood and the impact on UK audiences
• The British film industry - contemporary industry and issues of independence, distinctiveness and profitability

Aspects you need to explore

• Finance
• Organisation
• Production
• Distribution
• Marketing
• Exhibition

The Film Audience

• Film demand and supply, specifically in the UK today
• The consumption of film - cinema-going and the importance of home cinema and the internet, as well as the significance of digital technologies in delivering different kinds of film experience

The Film Industry & Audience

• The importance of genre
• The importance of stars
• Convergence of different media (mobile phone, internet, games console) in changing the nature of the producer/audience relationship

Case studies

Case studies

• Hollywood film producer and the framework within which they operate
• UK film producer and the framework within which they operate (BFI and co-productions)
• The importance of genre and stars for US/UK producers and audiences

Case studies

• Film marketing (posters, dvd covers, 'official' internet sites)
• Film reviews (critics and fans)
• Film exhibition (multiplexes, independent cinemas, other venues, online - different kinds of film viewing experience)

Case studies

• The availabilty of independent, low budget films and foreign language film in the UK
• The social practice of particpation in contemporary 'film culture' (cinema-going, online viewing, home cinema)
• Star images (Those circulated by the industry and by fans)