BFI trip notes

BFI trip notes

• The concept of exchange, in that the consumer gives something (this tending to be money) and also gets something in return for it and how it can differ from institution to institution. For example, a consumer paying for a ticket to watch a film produced by Marvel Studios is bound to expect 'spectacle' throughout the film as well as a generally engrossing storyline. This of course changes when you go on to look at another institution like Vertigo Films, and this concept can be considered from an institution/production company standpoint as well as a film one too.
• Depending on the audience, particularly from a location point of view, the pleasures/gratifications derived from watching a British film can vary. For example, a British audience get a sense of personal identification on the grounds that they get an element of national pride and solidarity, while an international audience get it in that they're getting a sense of solidarity with other subcultures that exist in Britain and learn about things they likely wouldn't have without watching the film.
• Films generally exist within one of the following three types: arthouse, multiplex and crossover/prestige. While arthouse relies on quite a low budget and being particularly prominent in foreign and/or specialist cinema, multiplex films are usually the 'typical' film (like blockbusters) being quite popular amongst members of the public when attendance is concerned e.g. VUE. Crossover/prestige however, are films tend to have quite big name actors at low budgets while also amalgamating elements of different genres together.  

• When different film genres are concerned, heritage films usually involve looking back at notable times in British history, some unknown about before by the general public, and turning them into productions. These usually follow the Royal Family and what they do quite clearly, is provide a sense of personal identification with British viewers and provides them with national pride with their country. Looking at it from an international standpoint, the films can inform audiences on aspects of British history that they may have been unaware about before and in turn can also help in increasing tourism in the country, particularly with the shots they tend to contain of British landmarks.
• The social realism genre, which we have seen presented with films like Ill Manors though, can often be viewed as the exact opposite of these heritage films. This is particularly evident through them often being quite critical of elements of British life and not reinforcing the patriotic values present in heritage. With this they challenge the audience's comfort zone and while they do tell the audience about different sub-cultures in Britain, what's more interesting is what they do to a British audience in that they inform on the way other people in it may live and reject values they may have assumed were commonplace before.