Callum: and this is Talk about English, live from London.
Jackie: In the programme today we're talking about film
Callum: And we're also looking at how to review a film.
MARK KERMODE Absolutely idiotic script, it's awful!
Callum: Which film is being described there? Keep on listening to find out!
Jackie: Also in this programme we have our latest competition and we'll be finding out what you've been writing on the topic of film.
Callum: And I'm pleased to say that our guest today helping us with this topic is World Service Arts reporter Vincent Dowd. Hello Vincent.
Vincent: (hello)
Callum: Can you tell us a little bit about what you do in your job?
Vincent: (brief outline of job)
Callum: And we'll be talking to Vincent throughout today's programme.
Jackie: We're currently running a vote on films on the webcast page; if you're listening live to this programme you'll see it there. We're doing a quick survey on which is your favourite film genre.
Callum: The choices are: Action, Horror, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller or Other!
Jackie: To choose your favourite, just click it.
Callum: Jackie, do you have a favourite kind of movie?
(All discuss genre likes and dislikes)
Callum: Many years ago, when I was living in Japan I was always desperate to see films that were set in London – the famous sights such as the red busses, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben gave me a taste of home when I was so far away. Now I live in London and these sights are around me every day and often walking through London is like walking through a film set – so many places that you see in the films you can see just by stepping out of the office.
The same was true when I visited New York a few years ago. It looked just like one big film set.
Big cities are often the backdrop to films but also the countryside too and if someone wants to make a film in this country, in Britain, then there is an organisation that helps. Our colleague Jo Reffin found out more.
Jo: I’m Jo Reffin and on today’s programme on bbclearningenglish.com, we’re talking to someone who works in the film business.
Samantha Perahia My name’s Samantha Perahia – I work for the UK Film Council, we are a government funded organisation who are responsible for all aspects of filmmaking in the UK. It is my responsibility to help anybody who wants to film in the UK – to help with locations, crew, facilities.
Jo: The UK Film Council is a government funded organisation. So the politicians running the UK, the government, give money to pay for this organisation to exist. The Film Council looks after all aspects, all parts of film making in this country. So Samantha can help with crew – and the film crew are the group of people who work together on the film – the crew. Then there’s the location, the place where the film is filmed and finally Samantha talks about facilities – so any equipment or services needed when the films are made like food or parking for example.
Part of Samantha’s job is to get filmmakers to come and make their films in the UK. So how does she do that?
Samantha Perahia There are many many countries around the world that have film industries that are important to their economy and the UK is one of the largest film making industries in the world, second only to the US so there’s lot so of competition for countries that want to draw international films to their countries, so we have to make it economically attractive first and foremost.
Jo: The film industry is another way of saying the film business. The UK has one of the biggest filmmaking industries in the world, second only to the US, America. So second only to the US means the US is the largest and the UK is the second largest. Samantha says each country is trying to be the most successful – there’s a lot of competition for countries who want to draw or attract international films to be filmed in their country. To attract people to make films in the UK, it has to be economically attractive first and foremost. The most important thing is the UK is a cheaper place to make films.
You’re listening to bbclearningenglish.com and we’re talking about making films in the UK. Now how does the UK Film Council help to make the UK economically attractive to filmmakers?
Samantha Perahia The way we do that is we have thankfully a film-friendly government who have devised a tax credit which is to be honest the main reason why people first come to the UK to film second only to the fact that we have the best facilities, crew and talent around the world.
Jo: Samantha is pleased, thankful, that the UK has a film-friendly government – the UK government wants films to be made in the UK. They have devised, they have created a tax credit. Now, Samantha will explain tax credit in a moment. But this tax credit is the one of the main reasons people come to the UK to make films and she used that expression ‘second only’ again. So people come to make films in the UK because of the tax credit. Samantha says that reason is second only to the fact that the UK has the best facilities, crew and talent for making films.
So Samantha, please explain to us what this tax credit actually is? First, here’s some language to help you. Sufficient means enough. A budget is the amount
of money you have to spend on something. A significant amount is an important, fairly large amount and expenditure means money that you spend.
Samantha Perahia Films which spend a sufficient amount of their budgets in the UK will be able to get a significant amount of their expenditure back.
Jo: Everyone has to pay tax to the government - so if you think of money from your salary or any goods that you buy, some of it will go to the government in what is called tax. So the tax credit means if filmmakers spend a certain amount of their budget in the UK, then the UK government will give the filmmakers some money back.
Samantha Perahia Films which spend a sufficient amount of their budgets in the UK will be able to get a significant amount of their expenditure back.
Jackie: That was Jo Reffin with Samantha Preahia from the UK film council.
Callum: All this week on the website we've been asking you to write in on the topic of films and we've had lots of interesting comments come in.
Jackie: Yes, a lot of people wrote in about the emotions that films bring out in them
Grace from Taiwan said: I like the feeling of being inspired and touched by a film.
Being inspired and touched, that's a lovely phrase. If you are touched by something you find it moving and emotional.
Callum: Ana Paul from Brazil says that: "The cinema has the magic to bring life to our dreams". I liked the way she expressed that – to bring life to our dreams.
She goes on to say:
"There are so many films that are unforgettable in my life. I love all the Hitchcock and Frank Capra films, I collect their films, and their films always make me cry and laugh"
Films seem to be a way of reaching our emotions. And she brought up an interesting point there about collecting films. This is something that's relatively new – collecting films in the same way we collect music.
(All discuss – DVD / Video collections – do we have them – favourite films to watch again and again or just to own)
Callum: Another of our contributors, Koorosh from Iran wrote in with an interesting comment. He said that he doesn't like watching drama or tragedy as in everyday life "we have a lot of depressing and sad news" And he went on to use a lovely expression. He says
"humans are very emotional , we all like to cry or laugh. I sometimes like to go to sad movies where my heart strings can be tugged"
That's a great expression to tug at the heart strings. Well earlier on I spoke to Koroosh in Iran
KOROOSH PHONE CALL Films as escape from stress of life When depressed watching sad films helps
Likes comedy and romance, action Favourite film Gone With the Wind, seen it 5 times