Film On Four

A Stifling Influence?

National Heritage statistics claim that ‘between 1990 and 1994, the UK was one of only four countries among the top 20 film making nations to show an increase in the number of films produced’ (in the same period France had a drop of 21% and the US dropped 12%). This growth has been attributed to the input of TV to film production. Sir Richard Attenborough, quoted in Take 10, says ‘television in the last few years has largely kept British film alive. When I accepted my position at Channel Four it was only on the condition that the channel would help pay television’s debt back to the film industry. Look what’s come out of Film on Four. Marvellous’.

On the flipside of this though he goes on to say that television’s input ‘is now in danger of becoming counter-productive. Film-makers are starting to realise that the only way to get a film made is to interest Channel Four, British Screen (who depend greatly on Channel Four), and the BFI, and therefore set out to make something which falls within their budget and their concept’. Steven Frears, again in Take 10 agrees; ‘Now [Channel Four] are, in fact, such a dominant force that I think there is some truth in the hypothesis that they stifle the independent sector’.