Harry Potter and the British Film Industry

With the recent release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, I thought I’d have a little look at the place the wizarding franchise has in the British film industry.

It was recently announced by Warner Bros. that they had bought  Leavesden Studios, where much of the Potter films were shot. Not only will this protect over a thousand jobs at the studios, but it will bring a significant amount of money into our film industry, not least the whopping £100 million that they are spending on refurbing the studios. The success of the Potter franchise demonstrated to Warner that it was possible to make largescale blockbusters in Britain and what’s more that it was cheaper to do so here than in the US.

This is an immediate, tangible effect on the British Film industry, but how has the franchise influenced the face of that industry? Britain has a long held tradition of making period dramas, both on TV and in film.  Often a characteristic of these films is the idea of postcard Britain, an image of Britain that is nostalgic, romanticised and sellable to the rest of the world. In Harry Potter, we see a new postcard Britain.

Aesthetically, we see a vast lakes, huge mountains and grand old buildings. We see this scenery through all the seasons, and it is shown at it’s best. This is something shared with the period dramas, but Harry Potter’s image of Britain is not just limited to the pretty scenery. More urban set peices are also exploited; the london underground, the millenium bridge, King’s Cross station, representing an altogether more modern image of Britain whilst still being nostalgic.

In fact, much of what makes period dramas postcard Britain films can be seen in Harry Potter films, right down to the great and the good of British acting gracing the sets. The important difference is the addition of the action and setting the films in the present day, producing an image of Britain that is altogether more exciting, entertaining and accessible.

We have already seen numerous childrens fantasies immitate the franchise, though few are particularly British. It will be interesting to see if there will be a lasting affect on the British film industry. Perhaps we will begin to produce more mainstream blockbusters and in turn bring more money to our shores. Which can only be a good thing for British films of all budgets and genres.

The Local Scene: Chapter MovieMaker

Finding somewhere to screen an independent short film can be tricky, especially if you’re new to film-making. Local events can be a crucial starting point for exhibiting a new film, as well as seeing what some more experienced film-makers in your community can do.

This week, I went to Chapter MovieMaker, a monthly short film event held at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff. There was a real mix of projects on show: comedy, drama, music videos, animation. It seems as though Chapter MovieMaker is open to almost anything.

That’s not a bad thing though, in fact it’s what’s most effective about local events such as these. Part of the fun is not knowing what you’re going to get when you walk into the screen. Yes the quality of the films vary, but for the film-makers events like these can be great places to meet other people in the industry and test your film on an audience, whether your an old pro or just a beginner.

I spoke to a few of the people who attended this months event:

Chapter MovieMaker and events like it are not just for film-makers. It’s great to be able to go and watch films from your local area and have the opportunity to meet some of the people who made them. Chapter MovieMaker is on the first Monday of every month, and I highly recommend it. Have a look at Ryan Owen’s music video for the song See My Evil, by Tom Williams and the Boat, for a taste of the sort of thing you might see.

Big Business, Big Movies

Rags to riches, riches to rags or riches to riches. Stories about big money are always popular. The American Dream, that anyone can become a success, has been played out over and over in the cinema. Whilst we’re in the wake of a hard-hitting recession there’s never been a more appropriate time to release a film about big business.

Two of the biggest releases in cinemas at the moment are Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Social Network. Both have been doing pretty well at the box office (with the latter ahead of the former), but in a time when the whole country seems to have one big money problem why would we want to see a film about people making planet sized amounts of cash? Perhaps it’s escapism, living the dream through the characters on screen but I think it’s even more complex than that.

In The Social Network, the story of the creation of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) doesn’t exactly have an easy ride, nor is he shown to be particularly likeable. The vast amounts of money that fly into his life story seem to create some very exciting scenarios, but ultimately he loses all his friends. This is a key ingredient for the appeal of a big business film. A viewer wants to play with the idea that he or she might be able to become a millionaire overnight, but they also want to leave the cinema thinking that it’s probably not worth the trouble.

Big business films were at the height of their popularity during the 1980’s. Back then, their popularity seemed to stem from the rise of yuppie culture. This, of course, was when the original Wall Street was released. Its long delayed sequel now seems to come at a time when we want to watch big business films for different reasons. As well as wanting to see the outrageously over the top but flawed lives of billionaires, there is also a desire for nostalgia, hence the timely release of a sequel to a film released over twenty years ago.

As long as there’s money, big business films will always crop up, which is fine by me. It will be interesting to see how the approach changes. With The Social Network we have already seen a move away from having a slick, stylish main character. In a business landscape dominated by internet geeks, what else could we have expected?