Fish Tank and UK Film Industry

1. All the Institutions involved in the production of Fish Tank. List them with a summary of what their contribution to the film was.
Fish Tank was filmed in the Miardyke Estate in Havering directed and written by Andrea Arnold and distributed by IFC Films. The film was funded by three studios the BBC Films, Kasander Film Company and the UK Film Council. The production of the film involved Nick Laws, Kees Kasander, Christine Langan, David M. Thompson alongside the editor Nicolas Chaudeurge and cinematography by Robbie Ryan. The film was a low budget film of only $3 million which was located in the United Kingdom; the main characters starring in Fish Tank are Katie Jarvis as Mia Williams a troubled teenager who has a passion for dance, Kierston Wareing as Joanne an alcoholic irresponsible mum, and Michael Fassbender as Connor O'Reily who is Joanne’s boyfriend.

2. Two other Independent British Film production companies – their “brand”, as well as current and previous productions.

British National Studios is located in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire England. The founder of this studio was john Maxwell who based the operation at the studio from 1927 to 1933. The studio was later sold to Lew Grade’s company called Associated Television in 1961 however they were forced to sell the company to the BBC as it was part of the UK independent TV restructuring of 1981. Overall it is currently being used by the BBC since 1927.

A Lime Grove studio was built in a street called Lime Grove in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, north of Hammersmith.  The complex was used by the BBC from 1949 to 1991, however the complex studios was closed in 1991 and demolished in 1993.

The BBC Films has produced and co produced some of the most successful British films of recent years such as Fish Tank, street Dance 3D, A cock and bull story etc.  The head of BBC Films is Christine Langam who is responsible for the development and production of the business, BBC Films co produce around eight films a year.

3. Out of the three Production Companies you have researched, which do you see as most successful and why?

Out of the three production companies I have researched, I think the BBC Films production company will become very successful. I believe this because the other two productions i have researched have become owned by the BBC Films production making them a larger company. They have the British National Studios and the Lime Grove Studios under BBC Films making them have more films under their studio. Furthermore the BBC is a well known popular company which is more modern and recognizable therefore the company I think would run for very long with upcoming films ahead.

4.  How much Fish Tank cost to produce (its budget)?

Fish Tank was produced with a budget of $3million.

5. Film budgets – find 5 films made for £5 million pounds or less – what types of films are feasible on this budget?
Here are five films that I have researched which has a budget of less than £5 million pounds. “Rocky 1976” is an American sports drama film with a budget of £1.1 million the film was directed by John G. Avildsen starring Sylvester Stallone as the main character. The second low budget film is called “Brothers 1997” a Russian crime film directed by Aleksei Balabanov and starring Sergei Bodrov, Jr. With a budget of $10 000 which was in Russian language. The third film is called “The Zombie Dairies 2006” this was a British independent horror film directed by Kevin Gates starring Russell Jones, the film was produced with a low budget of £8 100. The forth film is called “El Mariachi 1992” an American action film directed by Robert Rodriguez starring Carlos Gallardo the films budget was $7000. Lastly the fifth film is called “Le Fear 2010” a British comedy film directed by actor Jason Croot and also starred in the film, the budget of this movie was £1 900.
All these films have different genres comedy, action, sports, crime and horror you would expect these genres to have high budgets especially an action film with explosions however as these films have low budgets they would have used less equipment and technology.

6. Research one other way that British films are funded. Are there any similarities or differences?

Independent British films are mostly funded by the BFI. This company support UK film makers who produce independent films.

7. What is the target audience for Fish Tank?

The certificate of this film is 15 therefore the film is based upon teenagers and young adults. The film has aspects of a typical troubled teenager and what they would do, to relate to the audience. Most of the characters in the film are teenagers and some adults have been framed as the dominant people such as Joanne’s boyfriend. The main character in the film is a female who is independent therefore mostly the female audience will be able to connect with the characters feeling.

8. Research the mainstream 16–25 youth cinema market and decide which 3 genres are most targeted at them and justify your decisions with your research.

The three most popular genres that I have researched are Romance, comedy and horror. I think this suits the target audience because teenagers and young adults tend to watch a Varity of films especially romantic films where the there would be a higher popular of females than males. Comedy because it relates to both genders and is a popular genre to the age group. Lastly Horror because I think an older audience wouldn’t be interested in this particular genre as they would rather watch a family film whereas teenagers would with their friends.

9. Who is the main distributor of Fish Tank?

The distributor of Fish Tank is by IFC Film, this company distributes independent films and documentaries, and it is an American company based in New York owned by AMC Networks.

10. How was Fish Tank funded?

The film Fish Tank was funded by the BBC Films and The UK Film Council. These were two studios supporting the film as a domestic warning to the audience. The film was released on 11 September 2009 taking a total of £332,488.

11. What is the role of a film distributor? Are there any differences between distribution in the US and UK?

The role of a film distributor is to give the film a good reputation by the films intuitions. This is to appeal to the audience and make them want to watch the film, however there is a big difference between the US and UK distributions. As in the US films are promoted and known worldwide hence they have a higher budget whereas an Independent British film would only be distributed in the UK as it is a low budget film.

12. How was Fish Tank promoted (when it was released in 2009)?

Fish Tank was promoted at a 62^nd Cannes film festival in France on May 14^th 2009.

13. Compare this with a big budget blockbuster. What are the main similarities and differences?

Big budget blockbuster films are seen worldwide as they are promoted by good advertisements, reviews to attract their target audience. Blockbuster films tend to run longer in cinemas than independent British films. This is because of the low budget towards the British films therefore there is less awareness of the film being released.

14. How does the trailer for Fish Tank hook audiences into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify 3 ways/techniques.

The Fish Tank Trailer has many effective ways of attracting the audience by the use of cinematography; there are lots of point of view shots of the main character, showing us what the female character is going through and what she sees, the lighting effect is very effective as there are lots of low key lighting used in the middle of the trailer to the end showing us dark images/shadows of someone this could suggest sadness, fear or evil towards that character. There is an establishing shot at the start of the trailer showing us where this film is based which is an estate where she lives in a flat. The camera movement used in this trailer is all hand based as the director wants to make the film personal as if it is happening in front of them, it gives a more realistic view towards the film. The trailer is slow paced at the beginning with high key lighting however changes into a faster pace of edits and low key lighting making the audience think. This therefore creates enigma codes about the film, making the audience want to watch it.

15. Analyse the trailers for 2 different films (from different genres). Are there any differences in the way they hook the audience into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify at least 2 similarities and 2 differences.

Silent Hill revelation is a horror film directed and written by Michael J. Bassett. This film is certified 15 meaning the target audience is aimed at teenagers and young adults as they are more likely to watch a horror film. The edits and camera shots used in trailer attracted the audience’s attention as the pace of it increases within the sound effects making the audience amused and thinking. The main character who is a female is venerable and scared as the starting of trailer shows her having a bad dream and illusions. There is dialogue of the girl’s voice making the audience think creating enigma code. The low key lighting used in trailer creates tension as the sound effects starts to pace up, this connotes evil, darkness and something bad is going to happen as this is a horror film. The trailer tells us what the storyline could be about however the characters in the trailer show them as being captured therefore the audience would want to watch the film to see what happens.

Hangover 2 is an American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. This film is certified 15 as there as some contents of bad language and offensive therefore the target audience for this film would be teenagers 15 and above and young adults as they would watch these types of comedy movies more than the upper class audience. The trailer starts off with non diegetic music with establishing shots of where the film is set which is Thailand. This trailer has lots of effect of lighting such has high key lighting showing the characters facial and body expressions to make us the audience laugh as it is a comedy film. The main characters are three men who travel to Thailand for one of their weddings however end up in Bangkok after getting drunk the night before, there are individual shots of the characters showing their problems and what they have been through when they were drunk. The trailer involves inappropriate language and behaviour alerting the audience this is a film for the age group certified. The storyline clearly tells us that the main characters are on a mission to look for a boy around Bangkok but unexpected events happen to them therefore the audience would like to watch this as it would create enigma code making them think what is going to happen to them characters to make the audience laugh.

16. How does the trailer for Fish Tank balance plot and spectacle?

The trailer shows us a dominant female characters view to her lifestyle and the people around her, the use of the edits and negative imagery make us memorise the events taken place and want us (audience) to watch it to see what happens. The audience can relate to this character as she is a teenager living aspects of a teenagers life, her voice is used mostly in this trailer making it different to any other British film where there would be a male character being the dominant star. The audience therefore would want to watch this film as it is different and interesting to find out more about the storyline of this troubled teenager.

17. How do the trailers for your other films balance plot and spectacle? Identify at least 2 similarities and 2 differences.

The two trailers I have chosen above balances the plot and spectacle by the storyline given in both trailers, which attracts and persuades the audience to watch the films. Both trailers give us different atmospheres giving away the genre of the film and making the audience interested, the first trailer shows us low key lighting and intimidating music which makes the audience uneasy and frightened whereas the second trailer is much different as it has mostly high key lighting and enjoyable exciting music making the audience attracted and want to watch the film. Both trailers make the audience have enigma code making the audience think and want to watch it.

18. Think about the certificate of Fish Tank (15 certificate). Research film certification and outline what is deemed acceptable for this certificate. What is the difference between a 15 certificate and an 18 certificate?

The 15 classification allows certain discriminatory language or behaviour, there would be disturbing bloody imagery and strong imagery will be permitted by the context in which it is presented. There may be nudity and dangerous behaviour portrayed in 15 certificated films and sexual content justified for example for a horror film there would expected scenes such as blood, gruesome, bad behaviour, sexual content and strong language throughout the film. A film with strong sexual content can be classified a 15A this can involve abusive or aggressive behaviour or drugs.

However an 18 certificate film would have more intimidated scenes and is applicable for older viewers as the scenes in the film would leave imagery in your head which can be negative. There also can be more sexual exposure or violence portrayed which will be disturbing for younger viewers as it would not be age appropriate therefore it is significant to classify films with certificates for the audience to know what type of film it could be and should be suitable for their children and other viewers.