The French Film Industry Today - Report Example

The French Film Industry Today Introduction The French film industry consists of the art of film and movies created inside the nation of France or made by French filmmakers in other parts of the world. The first paying projection was introduced by the Lumiere brothers of one minute film, La Sortie de L’usine. The French industry has had a strong identity from back in the 1890s with a very wide presence worldwide. France is mainly regarded as the place where cinema was born. It has therefore contributed to the development of the film industry in the world and several vital cinematic movements were started in the country, for instance, the Nouvelle Vague movement. Generally, the French film industry is known to be strong, especially due to the protection provided by the French government. For a long time, France has been a meeting spot for artists from different places across the globe. Foreign directors such as Polanski Roman from Poland, Otar Losseliani from Georgia, and Alexandre Alexeieff from Russia have become prominent in the French film industry. Nevertheless, French artists also have become prominent in other countries, for instance, Francis Veber and Luc Besson in the United States. The background of the French film industry is in the heritage of their experiments. Temple and Witt argue that there are three qualities of the French film culture: 1. The French concern with the forms of film and experiment. 2. A fundamental critical and theoretical tradition. 3. A vast film culture which is neither confined to universities nor neither. Current situation Currently, the French film industry is the most eminent cinema industry in Europe. This is evidenced in terms of international presence and general production. In addition, measuring by the number of movie theatres per habitat, Paris stands out as having the highest density of cinemas in the world. Unlike other European cinema industries, such as the Spanish industry, the French film industry is not confined to the margins of art cinema only. Instead, it has diversified its scope to other fields of cinema. The French film industry has changed greatly since the 19th century. It has been transformed by the effect of the young audience and the replacement of the local cinemas with the multiplex screens. Abiding to the trend in the world, the number of French cinema spectators has decreased. The French film market share has been hovering around thirty percent and sixty percent for the America production. According to Fournier (2011), one of the best reviewed films of the year 2010 was the drama of Gods and Men. There are a number of well-known and established French film production companies which include Studio Canal, UGC, Wild Bunch, Gaumont and EuropaCorp among others. The industry market France is ranked as the third biggest film market in the world, after United States and Japan, in terms revenues. It also falls in the same position in terms of revenues after United States and India. In Europe, it is the most successful film industry. Due to their commercial strength of their domestic productions, France is among the few countries where non-American productions have the biggest share. In the past years, France has been producing approximately one hundred and seventy feature films every year, with about twenty five of them being distributed abroad. This is attributed to the essential changes in the French film industry such as increased role of television channels and concentration of production network among others. Mueller says that the quality of the French films is reflected in the accurate settings, perfect photography, creative scripts, good acting and directional contribution. This high quality of films set the basis for the French film industry’s success. Expanding the film industry and related challenges French films are in almost all the market inches and territories. Claus Mueller argues that in France, film making is an established form of art which is also an integral part of French culture. One of the most significant tools of foreign cultural policies is the public financial support for making and distributing films in foreign territories. About twenty one percent of the films released in 2011 in France were domestic, whereby US had forty six percent shares. However, French had at least 42% of the total box office in the same year. France score was impressive in the Oscar competition, getting five Oscars and three golden globes for The Artist. It also walked away with two Oscars and two golden globes for film shot with subsidies in France, Midnight in Paris and Hugo. However, the French film industry faces a challenge of language barrier in the market. The French speaking market is relatively smaller than the English speaking market. One of the reasons for this is the fact that some major markets are loath to accept foreign films, especially those with foreign languages. As a result, the French movies have to be amortized on a small market hence lower budget compared to the American. The French film industry’s support The government of France has played an important role in the growth and development of the French film industry. At some point, countries experienced the challenge of reviving movie-going when the coming of television posed a threat to the existence and success of cinema. However, the French government was keen to protect the film industry and save it from being sabotaged. It has implemented certain measures to support the movie theatres and local film production. For instance, Fournier says that the Canal+ TV channel has a broadcast license that requires it to support movie production. The government has also introduced subsidies for production of movies inform of taxes, levied on both the movies and TV channels. In addition, some tax breaks are awarded for investment in movie production. The government also prohibits the sale of videocassettes and DVDs of movies shown in theatres for six months after showing. This is aimed at ensuring that the movie theatres gain some revenue. The French government and regional governments also involve themselves in the film production, co-production. For instance, the documentary In the Land of the Deaf created by Nicolas Philibert was co-produced by multinational partners. Co-production is helpful in the film industry since it assists reduce the financial risks inherent in the project and ensures improved distribution opportunities. Another principle support of the French film industry is the Unifrance. Unifrance is an association founded in 1949 to promote French cinema in the international markets and is publicly funded. It provides vital marketing and distribution information to its French members. The association covers television, theatrical and other platforms. It takes part in significant film markets. In addition, it promotes French films in France’s sixty most crucial international film festivals and sponsors eighty French film festivals. Works Cited Godard, Jean-Luc. “The Face of the French Cinema Has Changed”: The Criterion Collection. April 21, 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. Hayward, Austin. French Cinema, N.d. Web. 21Nov. 2012. Lanzoni, Fournier. French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present. London: Continuum, 2011. Print. Mueller, Claus. “Expanding French film markets.” Film festivals.com, 22 March 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2012 Temple, Michael, and Michael Witt, eds. The French Cinema Book. London: BFI Publishing, 2004. Print. Read More