While the exact details of Lord Smith's report into the UK film industry won't be revealed until next week, the basics were revealed in a press conference this week, with PM David Cameron declaring that more money needed to be spent on "projects that can deliver commercial and cultural success". While this is all well and good, the British indepenent film industry has often struggled to make a dent in the commercial sector (2011 aside), mainly due to the fact that its budget is relatively paltry. With the arts budget cut by a further 15% and the UK Film Council disbanded last year, how can the government expects to meet these targets?It's certainly pleasing to see the government taking such an interest in the British film industry and striving to do what they can with the meagre budget to make what we have more successful and profitable, but it's also a tad stubborn of them to think that the only issue with the UK film industry is that it isn't commercially viable.
One of the main problems that the UK film industry faces is that the audiences and multiplex chains don't have enough belief in what British cinema can do to give home-grown productions the support they so rightly deserve. Multiplexes naturally need to turn a profit, and yes, independent productions don't bring in anywhere close to the kind of figures Hollywood blockbusters can pull - but why ruin a prolific, acclaimed and dignified industry by making it more commercially viable? Ultimately, British cinema may end up excluding the audiences who prefer their films with a little more flavour and grit.
Films such as Tom Hooper's The King's Speech (2011), Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Gurinder Chadha's Bend it Like Beckham (2002) have proved that you don't necessarily need a colossal budget to make a profit. What you do need, however, is talent, a story worth telling, audiences who are prepared to go out of their way to discover bold, exciting new films and a lot of luck.
Last year was arguably one of the best years for British cinema in recent memory. Not only was their a marked improvement in attendance figures, but production companies such as BBC Films, Sigma Films, Film4 and Warp Films chose to invest more money than ever before in getting new projects off the ground and into cinema screens worldwide. Their risk paid off, with various films achieving phenomenal success at various film festivals around the world, and now some of those features look poised to take awards gold this February, with the likes of We Need to Talk About Kevin, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tyrannosaur, Shame, My Week with Marilyn and The Iron Lady looking particularly strong in select races.
Whilst the efforts of Cameron and the culture department have certainly been intriguing thus far, this proposed shift of focus to supporting more profitable mainstream productions seems a little rushed and unfocused. If Cameron and co. took some time to consider what really needs to be done to improve our national cinema, then they might realise that we simply don't have the budget (or, quite frankly, the industry interest) to invest so heavily in big-budget blockbusters, and that what we're doing at present seems to be working relatively well.
Jamie Neish
