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Boom in British Film Industry

  • 12-01-2004 11:08pm
    #1
    jonno
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,392 ✭✭✭


    There's a boom in the industry across the channel in Britian with 1.2 billion been spent on 170 films last year. Much of it is down to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Alexander and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Much of the investment is coming from foreign countries with over 400 million spent by overseas investors last year. I suppose they're all trying to get into the act with the popularity of Harry Potter and the rom-coms like Bridget Jones Diary, Love Actually, Notting Hill etc.

    The upsurge has got Chancellor Gordon Brown commenting that he will be looking into extending tax breaks for film makers over there.

    Steve Norris - the British Film Commissioner is saying that at the moment England is one of the best places in the world to make movies and they intend on concentrating on wider distribution for British movies to spread the word.

    I'm just wondering what ye all think. Are there any directors or writers here that welcome this boom across the channel?

    I think it can a good thing. In the budget this year the tax incentives for film makers has been held in place so there is an incentive for people like me that want to break into the industry at some stage. Hopefully if more films that are been made here in Ireland start breaking into the festivel scene over in England there is a chance for a break.

    Furthermore with the boom the need for crew is on a high too with the likes of gaffers, lighting assitants, make-up artists and carpenters having almost a full time job in the film industry just moving from one project to another.

    The downside of it is that it could be the case that with the boom over there, the country will become swamped with wannabe directors/writers and chances for Irish film makers over there will be limited.


    I'm just wondering what ye all think. Are there any directors or writers here that welcome this boom across the channel?


Comments

  • #2
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    If films are being made ppl will go to make them! The fact the UK biz is in another of its periodic booms will proberly attact Irish talent but also UK pictures might get made here (as sure hav'nt we loverly countryside etc!). It should be noted the great majority of films made are NEVER seen in a cinema, indeed many are never seen full stop as they never get a distribution deal (the US companies own all the big chains and they protect thier own)

    Mike.


  • #3
    jonno
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,392 ✭✭✭jonno


    Ya I forgot to mention that Mike - that alot of the films don't get seen. Hopefully with such a boom a few distribution companies might set up and do the job. It will be a slow process, one which should concentrate on getting good films shown in the UK and Ireland first of all and with time the US distributors might pick up on the act. Most of the UK films hope for the US distributors to do the job.

    Another thing I read a couple of weeks ago is about the drop in numbers attending the cinema in 2003 in the UK. If there was an emergence of more distributors in the UK it would help with the advertising process for the films; I feel.


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