What impact did the media institution Film4

have on each production stage and why?

Pre - ProductionMaking a Production for Film4 meant we had to research Film4 and its

ethos; “to develop (new) British Talent and be a leader of innovation in the British Film industry”

Knowing this information, meant our storyline had to be unique and original. To achieve their ethos, we picked the controversial theme of a

teenage girl confused about her sexuality alongside her religion - Islam. 2 conflicting themes which have been done before but not in depth.

Another film that looks at the religion Islam, is “Four Lions” who mixes it with the theme of Terrorism.

To get a feel of Film4 productions, we watched many Film4 Films and compared them to Hollywood productions in terms of Mise-en-scene,

budget and themes. Knowing that Film4 Films have smaller budgets and use natural locations to film, made me and my partner decide to film our entire opening sequence in a house and we used affordable equipment.

ProductionFilm4 films like “Four Lions” tend to be set in natural, gritty environments

rather than extravagant sets that Hollywood use, made it much easier to film in surroundings we already have. However we didn’t want it to be too nice as we wanted to keep with the theme of British Social Realism genre. This is the

reason we filmed our entire production in a normal house.

We didn’t use a huge cast as we thought this would distract from the storyline, so my own production was based around one particular character like many

other Film4 Films, e.g. “Fish Tank” who was based on one girl aspiring to become a dancer. We also made the relationship interracial to provoke more controversy as it can still be seen as quite a taboo area for some cultures, in

particular Asian culture.

The equipment we used was basic and not High-Tec as we know thatFilm4 Films do not have a huge budget to work with. We used a simple camcorder and tripod to film our production. This meant our quality of filming would be

the same in terms of grainy and not clean cut. We did however make the colour resolution a lot brighter for the dream scene, to emphasise that is the

life she wish she had.

DistributionBox could be distributed by many companies, but I have researched

existing Film4 films with similar storylines:

• Optimum Releasing – also distributed “Four Lions” which is similar to my own production due to the Islamic religion being a key element.

• Buena Vista International – also distributed “Hallam Foe” which is also controversial due to the theme of sexuality.

I think both of these distributors would have no problem in distributing Box. Being a Film4 Film means it will also be distributed in Art House cinemas rather than Multiplex cinemas due to the budget they are

working with and how controversial the film is. Some cinemas may not think it is appropriate and will attract smaller audiences which may put them off. Box would be marketed at BFI London lesbian and Gay Film Festival as well as a Muslim Film Festival as those would be our target

audiences.

Film4 also guarantees that they will show their productions on the Film4 / Channel 4 within two years. It would also be successful for home

distribution on DVD as it makes it more easier for people to view the film.