What Do You Believe Are the Most Influential Institutions in the British Film Industry and Why?

In the United Kingdom there are three main institutions in the British Film Industry, these are: the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the UK Film Council and the British Film Institute.

The BBFC has a strong influence on whether a film will be a flop or a success. If a film is aimed at a young audience, but is rated an 18, then the film could potentially become a flop due to the film not meeting it's target audience. On the other hand, if this problem occurs causing controversy, the film may be edited so that a version can be shown to a younger audience. For example, the success of the King's Speech worldwide made it more appealing to younger audiences, however in the United States the film was rated R (17 or over) for the use of strong language. Director Tom Hooper argued that it was speech therapy and should be exempt from the rating, a conclusion was made to create a "swear-less" version of the film so that a younger audience can see the film. This shows that Film Classification Boards can strongly affect the financial success of a film.

The UK Film Council was created in 2000 with government backing to help train and fund new British film making talent.  It has backed over 900 films, shorts and features generating over £700 million worldwide. For every pound taken by the Lottery funding money, £5 has been made, proving success. Inward investment from co-chairmen Tim Bevan (Working Title) and Tim Cagney helped the institution gain the money needed for production costs. The UK Film Council is good because it helps give support to film makers that show talent but don't have the money to produce it, a prime example of this would be Kidulthood. 

The UK Film Council works closely with Working Title (due to Tim Bevan being the co-chairman) and it is often the case that Working Title will be the production company for films being made through the UK Film Council. It has also worked with SeeSaw Films in the recent production of "The King's Speech" which reached a wider audience through the funding of the film council leading it to become an award winning success.

The BFI was created in 1929 with objectives to use films in education, to develop a public appretiation of film and to establish a "permanent central agency" for these aims. Today the BFI has it's central base at Southbank, London with an IMAX cinema and it organises the British Film Festival every year to help showcase the finest of Britain's films. The BFI's aim is to help the films reach a wider audience helping the film with financial success.

Overall, it is clear that the UK Film Council is most influential in the British Film Industy, giving funding and support when needed to ensure that the film is a success at reaching it's target audience.