BFI STUDY DAY: WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY

Year 12: ‘UK Cinema: Audiences and Institutions Study Day’ at the British Film Institute on Wednesday 11 February 2015

The media department has arranged a trip to The BFI South Bank to attend a study day in support of their OCR GSE examination Key Concepts: Audiences and Institutions. It will be delivered by Matthew Hall, OCR media studies specialist and author. The trip will be led by Mrs Mann and Mrs Bradley.

UK film has had remarkable critical and commercial success in recent years with films as diverse as 12 Years a Slave and Skyfall. Our great directors are frequently courted by Hollywood, and Hollywood regularly visits these shores to make films like Gravity and the new Star Wars films. Why do audiences, both at home and abroad, enjoy British films? How do UK filmmakers appeal to these audiences? The study day will examine these issues and relate it to case studies of two independent film companies – Vertigo and Warp Films. These two companies are producing and distributing films that are commercially successful but which also retain a uniquely British flavour - and a willingness to tackle themes and content that Hollywood usually avoids. In the afternoon there will be a film screening and a Q&A with the film-makers giving students and teachers a chance to ask questions about the state of UK cinema and how it will develop in the future.

Travel arrangements

Year 12 students will meet at Waterloo under the clock at 9.30 a.m. The group will walk between Waterloo and BFI Southbank. Students returning to Claygate will catch a train from Waterloo at 16.03, reaching Claygate at 16.34. Students who prefer to return direct to their home station will be accompanied at Waterloo until they have all located their relevant trains.

Students should bring a packed lunch that we will eat under cover at The National Theatre.