1. What is Film4's remit?

Film4s remit is simply to produce and provide alternative lms to their audiences. This simple purpose for being is how money is made for there next batch of lms. Film4 say they aim there lms at audiences. This therefore tells me that, although will be similar, Film4 have a vast amount of different individuals in which different themed lms can be aimed at.

2. What types of lms are green-lighted by Film4? Give examples of lms and genres.

The usual green light lm for Film4 are of the alternative or art-house genre. These lms are aimed at select audiences and attempt to be something different to the big mainstream US lms. Film4 try and make movies which are overlay unique. Film4s back catalogue includes the very popular and critically acclaimed Slum Dog Millionaire,The Inbetweeners Movie and Shaun of the dead, all of these lms where high grossing. Film4 also specialize in iconic british movies, examples of these would include This Is England, Trainspotting and Submarine. 3. Why is Tessa Ross regarded as "the mother of British lm-making" and therefore instrumental for Film4's success? Tessa Ross is regarded as the mother of british lm-making for a vast amount of reasons. One simplistic and quite controversial stand point on this statement would be that she is the only well known high priority lady in the UK lm production industry and that is why she is classed as the mother. A point which is un questioned however is how good at her job she actually is, she is responsible for Channel 4's drama output and has worked for the broadcaster for eight years. She has been at the heart of some of the biggest british lms ever to be created. Her well recognised talent to nurture new talent as well as nurse the more established directors is second to none. These features make Ross a symbol of motherliness in the industry. She is not uncomfortable with this maternal role that is given to her, she feels that this level of nurtures and care makes the workplace a very cosey place where people feel safe and not scared to make mistakes. Tessa Ross has without a doubt been instrumental for Film4s success. In May of 2009 she was named by Time magazine as one of the hundred most inuential people in the world. This was among the likes of Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI.

4. How much is Film4's yearly budget and how much of it did "Slumdog Millionaire take up? Film4s current yearly budget is 15 million pounds, this will be a guaranteed case until 2016. The budget, supplied by the broadcaster channel 4, was increased by 50% from its original 10 million pounds at the beginning of 2011. In 2007/2008 this was not the case. In 2010 the budget was increased 20 percent to 10 million pounds, this therefore meant that the original budget in 2008 and 2009 was around 8 to 8.5 million pounds. Slum dog millionaire, Film4s most decorated lm to date, had a budget of 15 million dollars. In 2008 (the year of release) that 15 million dollars would have converted to around 7.5 million pounds. This budget came 1 million pound short of the overall budget Film4 had in that year. 5. Why does Film4 form partnerships with other companies/individuals? Film4 will form partnerships with other companies due to the lack of money or services (e.g. distribution) available to them. Film4 have been seen to have worked with companies such as Pathe, Studio Canal, Working Title Films, Universal Pictures and Celador lms. It is also apparent that funding from wealthy individuals or organisations has been available to Film4 so that the budget of the lm in question is greater and the overall lm will therefore be greater. This was the situation with Slum Dog Millionaire, the UK lottery added money to the project so that the budget could be stretched further. 6. What is the future for Film4 - budget and lm-wise? As mentioned previously Film4s budget will stay at the minimum of 15 million pounds per year for the next ve years. This funding is guaranteed by the broadcaster Channel 4. As well as this increased budget the overall future of Film4 is looking very strong and exiting for the whole of the UK lm industry. Film 4 have now migrated to Freeview, and have taken on an advertising model allowing them to fund it. Thanks to this process Film4 has become one of the UKs largest free lm channels which is available to over 18 million homes. 7. What problems did Film Four face in the naughties? In the 2000s (the noughties) Film 4 underwent some major problems. These problems started in 2001. This was the year that saw the lm Charlotte Gray, which included stars such as Cate Blanchett and James Fleet (Hugo Horton from Vicar Of Dibley), contributed to a record 5.7 million loss. This loss made this movie one of the most costly lms Film4 had ever made. It did not get much better for Film4 from there, they put out 14 lms, but its releases accounted for just 0.7% of the UK box ofce market. Fast forward ve years and by 2006 Film4 where struggling more than ever before. The current business model of pay TV on a subscription was not working one bit and Channel 4s current chief executive Andy Duncan announced that The people who make money in terms of pay channels tend to be the platform owners or big rights holders. The subscriber levels that we have been getting [for FilmFour] have been very low. We believe we can make money from advertising. At this point Film4s luck changed and nally they had found something that looked like it could work for them.