BOOK REVIEW
BRITISH CINEMA: A CRITICAL HISTORY
Author: Amy
Sargeant
Publisher: BFI Publishing
This book takes on a huge undertaking – documenting
the history of British cinema across three centuries, including the films
themselves and the problematic British industry's attempts to
compete with Hollywood.
The
history is recounted decade by decade, with extra chapters for the two
World Wars. Sargent document's the social climate of each period and
how this is reflected on screen, with a film from each era selected as
part of her canon of British cinema.
There is a sense of wonder given
to the early days of British cinema, with first-hand accounts from filmmakers
of the time showing how people marvelled at the notion of cinema itself,
regardless of what was being shown. This was an era when cinema was as
much in the domain of the carnival barker snagging in the punters as
of pioneers like Mitchell and Kenyon filming the ordinary for viewers
to see themselves on film for the first time. A time when there was no
film industry as such and cinema considered little more than a novelty.
The business aspect of British cinema comes to the fore in the 1920s
and 30s, with Sargeant looking at the aspects that turned cinema from
a fairground attraction to a cultural phenomenon and, ultimately, a viable
business. However, for the British film industry this era was not the
successful boom it should have been, as British films were marginalized
by American imports. Legislation was finally introduced to ensure a quota
of British films where shown in cinemas for fear the American stronghold
might lead to the death of the British industry altogether.
A problem with the book
is that Sargeant herself could be accused of aiming all of British cinema
history at the descendants of the 1920s high-class set. To give such
short shrift to Hammer and the two decades of success and promotion their
films gave the industry, is to ignore a large chapter of British film
history, the 1950s was not all about Ealing and ‘Angry Young Men’ as
depicted here.
The writing
begins to veer slightly when entering recent times, notably the 1970s
onwards where the academic style is punctuated with some personal opinion
that interrupts the works’ flow. The early 70s are dismissed as “low
brow” humor and “higher-class dross”, citing the sex
comedies and rock operas of the era, yet these are followed by If… and
A Clockwork Orange, which cannot be classed under either of the previous
broad headings.
The section on the 1970s also sees Sargeant make the
same mistake that she highlights in film writers of the 1940s and 50s – blinded
by the product being dubbed British and ignoring some key facts. At no
point does she refer to Don’t Look Now or The Rocky Horror Picture
Show being co-productions with Italy and the US respectively. This point
is very important for subsequent decades, especially given the current
day, as many British productions have to look for their funding elsewhere.
This is considered to be a problem for the British industry in the 60s,
yet is barely noted for the 1990s onwards.
This book does end up feeling top heavy, with a wealth
of information and insight for the early days of British cinema with
all its cultural and social elements, however, for the 60s onwards the
book tries to cram in too many films at the cost of important information.
THE
UK FILM FINANCE HANDBOOK 2005/06
Authors: Adam Davies
and Nic Wistreich
Publisher: Netribution
Originally
published by Shooting People as The UK Film Funding Guide 2003/04, this
second edition is the most essential and comprehensive reference guide
on everything the reader – from beginner to experienced producer – needs
to know about film financing in the UK.
The
authors ease the first-timer in by introducing the basic background of
the UK film industry and basic elements of financing that are gradually
broken down into detail in subsequent chapters. Their writing style is
clear and concise and they even use an analogy – the financial
process of making a film likened to constructing a building – to
make the explanations more accessible.
The handbook really does deliver
in that it covers every aspect of the film financing process that allows
the reader to see the “bigger picture”. Even though the authors
claim that “There Are No Rules” to how a producer can obtain
finance, they still present the different options in a logical form,
from public funding and pre-selling right down to Bank gap-financing.
The complexity of looking for finance means that a producer needs to
be aware of both the roles and needs of every party he/she deals with,
including the equity investors, the distributor or the sales agent.
What
strengthens this guide is the extensive amount of interviews and case
studies the authors have managed to compile. Various industry professional
not only back up and elaborate on the given explanations and advice but
many low budget filmmakers also offer encouraging advice based on their
own experiences, ranging from inventive tips on keeping a budget down
whilst maximising production values to the harsh reality and lessons
that can be learnt during the shoot.
Sources of financing are not only
limited to the UK, with a chapter exploring the tax benefits that can
be reaped from international co-production as well as the criteria required.
This may also be just as informative for foreign producers who wish to
take advantage of the incentives the UK offers on film financing. However,
the chapter on UK tax-based money may prove to be less useful since the
Government had made recent changes to the tax system with the introduction
of the 20% Tax Credit and its rules, at the time the handbook went to
press, were not yet finalised. With a possible political change come
the next General Election, it is also hard to say whether the chapter’s
detailed explanation of Sale & Leaseback will be of practical relevance
or a mere history lesson.
Ultimately, the handbook is about the business
of filmmaking. Its authors are assuming that you have the craft of writing
a good script, which is only the beginning of making a film. Their major
concern, as is the case for all financiers, is that the filmmaker understands
a film’s commercial viability in the marketplace and is fully prepared
on the business side.
For the reader prepared to take the next step,
the second half of the handbook contains a comprehensible breakdown of
more than 200 funding bodies and financiers in the UK, including all
the relevant criteria and contact details, and an extensive directory
listing of over 400 film contacts involved in production and funding
in the UK, as well as internationally.
Understandably, as the state of
film production and financing is ever changing, there is a limit to how
much wealth of knowledge the handbook can contain; even though the authors
provide as much accurate details in the processes, like the warning in
the Guerrilla Filmmaker’s Handbook, a producer really should check
everything over with an accountant and solicitor when the time comes
to negotiating deals or applying for tax incentives. Nevertheless, the
authors provide many other useful books and websites that you can explore
in further depth for yourself. As a comprehensive starting point of reference,
The UK Film Finance Handbook is essential for every serious film producer.
Authors: Christina Hamlett
Publisher: Michael Wiese
In her new book, Screenwriting for Teens, Christina Hamlet sets out to supply young first time writers, specifically teenagers, with the preliminary framework for writing their first short film, and puts them well on their way towards becoming a writer.
From actress, to theatre director, to successful screenwriter (she has had four features optioned) Hamlet seems like the pre-eminent mentor for aspiring teenage writers. Although the focus of the book is film, Hamlet draws on her varied background in the performing arts industry to provide examples that range from stage plays to commercials (‘the ultimate shorts’).
In every short chapter, she provides an explanation of what she feels is a key principle of screenwriting such as ‘Classic Story Structure’, in which she briefly deciphers the traditional three-act structure in a simple and coherent manner. Her explanations are followed by examples from popular film or TV, and activities that set writing tasks that focus and develop the writer’s skills. Hamlet ensures the activities directly relate to the lives and common situations that teens encounter, asking them to write about their friends, family and school lives, in addition to using analogies that are easy for her young audience to understand.
In a section on understanding audience and box office, Hamlet asks the reader to think about the difference between writing an essay for a teacher, a love letter, or an e-mail to a friend and then demonstrates with a range of film examples how to write for a specific audience. Her advantage here is that her teen readers are the target audience for almost all Hollywood films, so her approach is often simply ‘well what do you want to see?’
In addition to demonstrating the traditional and well-acknowledged techniques of screenwriting, Hamlet provides the reader with valuable advice about the industry. She shows how to start as a teen writer by completing a short film. She provides details of legitimate short screenplay competitions, and gives tips for pitching, creating contacts and ultimately taking that next step to selling your screenplay, making her book superior to other’s that delve into the field of first time writers.
The book has wider reaches that the high school teacher or college lecture should take note of, it encourages film analysis, reading of actual screenplays, gives resourceful websites and provides a framework for the study of the modern film.
Her enthusiasm shows on the page, the reader is constantly aware of Hamlets passion for writing, and her belief in educating teens in the art of screenwriting and her understanding of story and knowledge of successful formulaic screenwriting ensures the reader is always receiving some useful information.
Sometimes the variety of examples given across many different mediums can prove confusing, and at points, it seems that the author is taking on too much for one section. Other flaws include unnecessary complications for the beginner, such as her distinction between plot and story, and an unwarranted amount of attention paid to concepts such as ‘characters names’ that could be spent elaborating on her more interesting and more important concepts such as ‘Story Beats’.
The book would also greatly benefit from the division of the short chapters into broader sections. While the ‘bite-size’ breakdown makes for an easy read, it only provides enough space for brief introductions to concepts that require a more detailed explanation.
That said Hamlet does achieve her goal in this book by introducing all the basic concepts needed to start a career in writing (or at least to write a short screenplay). She also highlights potential pitfalls and common mistakes of first time writers, briefly illustrating how and why these mistakes are made then supporting this with examples specifically relevant to the subject of each chapter.
There is no fancy new theory or complex thinking, but an induction to most of the key concepts that are found in successful Hollywood screenwriting today. Perhaps more importantly, it relates exactly to what the typical teenager will know and love, and talks to them in a manner that they can easily relate. The book can be used effectively as a textbook or additional reading for those students especially interested in the art of screenwriting.
This book is successful in its aim to encourage teen screenwriters, teach them the basics, and give an introductory insight to the world of the film industry. Its originality is most clearly its audience, from whom modern cinema can most defiantly benefit.