Film 4-Facts

Film4 was originally known as Film four when established in 1998 as channel 4’s second channel but was for subscription only.

Channel 4 is a production house company, who's funding comes from adverts/commercial funding.

FILM 4 - "committed to enhance the British film making industry by nurturing and funding new talent"

Film 4 has a niche (very specific small audience)

It was then followed by many other channel 4 further programmes who time shared the air of blockbuster films.

In 2006 film four modified its name to Film4 and also became a free digital viewing channel and started producing many adverts with celebrities in weird situations to stress and intrigue the audience that this is the only channel to watch free movies continuously.

Tessa Ross became the Controller of film4 in 2004 and head of TV drama for Channel 4. 

Film4 is very heavily linked with Channel 4. Channel 4 financed in the helping of production in such films as “The Crying Game” and “Madness of King George”. Channel 4 also decided that there side film channel would be made free on digital networks, therefore becoming the only free film program to boost ratings. 

Film 4 are currently on some large projects including Tyrannosaur, which Film4 backed in production and distribution closely working with Warp X and Inflammable films. This movie is an example of how Film4 help broadcast and produce English films and not just Hollywood Blockbusters as this was the first film ever to be directed by Paddy Considine. Also Film4 are in the final stages of distributing their own creation of Random originally a theatre play by director Debbie Tucker Green. It is being regularly advertised on channel 4 and competitions have started to try and attract people to see the film in cinemas.

Film 4 produces about 6 films a year and works along their subsidiary Warp X

Less of the budget is spent on distribution, because the films can be advertised on their own and parent companies TV channels.

They have won 5 Oscars in 4 years & 3 BAFTA's in 2007. 8.3 million AB Cl's a month, with an upmarket (42%) and male (55%) profile.

Successful Films include - Slumdog Millionaire/127 Hours/Four Lions/This Is England/Trainspotting

Film 4 work closely with specific actors and directors such as Danny Boyle's/Martin McDonagh/Steve McQueen/Peter Mullan/Chris Morris

Film 4 recently launched Film 4.0 - digital/online arena

Film 4.0's aim will be to find new talent and discover new ways of making, marketing and distributing films and engaging new audiences online in a multi platform environment.

Films:

• Johhny English - It was wrote in 2009, worte by the same people of James Bond which grossed $160 million. Rowan Atkinson starred and the sequal was released in september 2010.
• Wild-Child - Budget of $20 million. Filmed at Cobham Hall. Was marketed on radio stations, social networking sites and TV adverts - was a financial flop with 2.2 mill opening weekend.
• The Soloist - Based on true Story. Budget $60 mill. Based on books and articles/directed by Joe Wright. Produced by Gary Foster & Russ Krasnof. Grossed $31,720,158 mill. Paramount helped distribute through Dreamworks animation and Universal Pictures. Released a year later than planned, therefore lost oscar potential

Written by Stephen Hare

The Big Six

Major Film Studios

A major film studio is a film producer and production company that releases a substantial number of films annually.

The Big Six film studios are:

1. Warner Bros. Pictures. Comprising a whopping 19.7 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Warner Bros. Pictures is the biggest player in the film industry. Securing the rights to major films like Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, The Matrix and Star Wars have made Warner Bros. the No. 1 name in the business.

2. Paramount Pictures. With 15.5 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Paramount Pictures continues to be one of the most successful film production companies in the world. Star Trek, War of the Worlds, the Mission Impossible series, Transformers and Tropic Thunder are just a few of the popular films produced by Paramount Pictures.

3. Walt Disney. One of the most renowned film production companies in the history of the business, Walt Disney now holds 15.3 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). With highly successful movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, Meet the Robinsons and Enchanted, there's no doubt that Disney will continue to play a key role in the industry for years to come.

4. Columbia Pictures. Comprising 12.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Columbia Pictures remains a big player in the business. Some of this company's recent successes include Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, the Spider-Man series and Step Brothers.

5. Universal Studios. 12.2 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures) belongs to Universal Studios, which continues to make millions for the film industry. With major hits like the Bourne series (Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum), The American Pie series, Knocked Up, American Gangster and The Incredible Hulk, it's very clear that Universal Studios knows what it takes to make money in this industry.

6. 20th Century Fox. Also known as "Twentieth Century Fox," this highly successful movie production company makes up 11.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). Some of the biggest and most successful movies from this empire include the X-Men series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Star Wars Episodes II and III, and the Fantastic Four.

Roughly 9/10 films in the UK are seen as a result of these distributers

Disability In A TV Drama: A Touch Of Frost - Billy.

     This episode of A Touch Of Frost features the character of Billy, a young man with Down's Syndrome.
The clip shows a lot about how people with disabilities are portrayed and how they are viewed as by society.
  The clip illustrates that people look down on those with a disability -which is shown by using a lot of high angle camera shots, making the viewer feel that the character of Billy has less power and control over the situation,  and shows he has a lower status in society. Billy is also treated like a child as the detective talks down to him, causing the viewer to feel sympathetic toward him as he is treated differently.
Another example of him being treated differently is the detective stating that he is "mentally sub-normal" which clearly shows that some of the other characters treat him differently as he is not seen as "normal."
Billy is also seen as vulnerable as Frost looks sinister with his darkened silhouette in the foreground and Billy sitting down with a higher angle over the shoulder shot, making him look a lot smaller and more innocent. This again creates a lot of sympathy from the audience.
  However, the clip shows that Billy is untrustworthy as he appears to change his story when being questioned, and when that is put together with the fact he stated that he hadn't "done anything wrong" after he was chased down by police at night in the woods suggest that he has something to hide, make the audience feel uneasy about him as a character.
 This clip featuring a disabled character does mainly conform to the idea that people should feel pity to characters that do have disabilities, and makes Billy seem vulnerable and helpless - which is how they are stereo typically seen. And yet,  it manages to play on the idea of his innocence by making him seem more involved in the crime than previously thought - challenging typical views of people with disabilities.

The Street: Representation Of Social Class

   Difference in class can be seen in this clip from The Street mainly through the contrasting characters of the husband and the lover.
  The husband appears to be working class as he swears a lot  in an argument with his wife. He states that it it is himself that has to earn the 'bastard money' which suggests that money is tight and his family cannot afford many luxuries. The shot of the argument itself is filmed with the couple though a door in a different room, which would imply that they feel trapped or enclosed in their live and cant get out of the situation that they are in.
Mise-en-scene portrays the family  as working class. The house is quite dark and is made up of colours such as greens, blues and browns. The furniture is mismatched and looks to be rather cheap, suggesting again that they dont have much money. The next scene shows the husband working in construction doing manual labour - which is typically thought to be a lower class job. He is seen to be hammering something aggressively, which indicates frustration and lack of control.
  The lover appears to be middle class. He is first seen wearing a smart suit and tie, loading things in to his reasonably expensive silver car. This shows that he most likely has some sort of office job that involves no manual labour, unlike the husband, and he appears to also play a more important role - he rushed to get to work on time showing that he would be missed if he was late. This suggests he earns a lot more money than the other family.
Mise-en-scene portrays the lovers family as much more wealthy that the other family. The house contains colours such as creams, whites and golds, and it contains much more expensive matching furniture than the other family - showing that they are of a higher class.

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