This is England- Text, Industry, Audience and British Film Industry

This is England undoubtedly fits perfectly into the British film criteria. Everything from the mise en scene, cast, tone and iconography contributes to the representation of Britain and British culture. The genre of social realism with the help of British directors such as Shane Meadows contribute to British cinema as a whole. Therefore it only seems likely that the UK Film Council and Film4 would be the perfect production companies to help fund the movie. Together the contribution between the two companies funded £668,000 towards the films alongside funding from New Line Cinema who brought £90,000 to the film. 

Screen Yorkshire is a regional partner for the UK Film Council and works to deliver a number of key initiatives in areas such as education, production, screen heritage and training. The agency has made a number of successful investments including This is England which has helped make a significant impact on the growth and profile of the company itself. With the help of the Screen Yorkshire alongside the UK Film Council the movie would have undoubtedly been extremely hard to fund and maintain. Before its closure in 2010 the UKFC helped fund many British films alike, spanning from independent projects and projects which could potentially have a more global appeal. The UKFC also contributed to distribution and exhibition of movies which could be seen as being incredible useful and valuable to projects or in general the film industry. Set up in 2000 by the Labour party, UKFC funded some of the most important films in British cinema including This is England. Ronan Bennett in his article in the Guardian online highlighted the importance of the council and the affects its closure will potentially have not just now but in years to come. Arguably, Bennett believes that the UKFC is not run by money but by people with a true passion and knowledge for films which is essential to the making of This is England. As we know the movie is slightly autobiographical to Meadows himself therefore the tone of the film needs to be one that is true to its roots rather than being over complicated and glamorized. Therefore it seems likely that the UKFC are the perfect ambassadors for this film as according to Bennett, 'it was staffed not just by bureaucrats but by people who have made films, who loved film, who knew film makers and understood their struggles.' From the article Bennett proves to us how the UKFC is beneficial to movies such as This is England as they have more of a knowledge and more to offer for insightful films. Seemingly by the time we read the end of the novel we almost feel like everyone is affected by its closure. However for the years it was running it held significance in UK cinema.

  Shane Meadows creatively was forced to find ways to tell the story of This is England on a tight budget. With £1,500,000 to spend Meadows potentially could been seen as limited within his recourses. Restrictions include casting, with a small budget the director might be unable to cast blockbuster stars however this did work in Meadows favour fitting in with the genre of social realism and initially not wanting an all star cast. Expensive equipment was also out of budget therefore cheaper alternatives where used which I feel helps contribute to the tone and style of the film giving it a much more realist touch giving the audience a fly on the wall experience almost documentary style rather than a scripted storyline.
 This is England can be seen as being semi-autobiographical to Meadows himself, capturing the gritty realism and cold colours of crumbling council estates is all about Meadows mimicking his own childhood as inspiration. This is England shows the struggles Meadows faces whilst growing up and through his career potentially having a affect on his film making today. His attention to period detail is obsessive, from the fashion, including perms, Ben Sherman button-down shirts and Doc Martens boots, to the popular culture of the 80's giving us the sense that Meadows has truly living in the 80's himself. From the film we can defiantly see how Meadows wanted to depict the true essence of the 80's culture in all its rawness. With his intimate knowledge of neglected English landscapes, he succeeds in capturing the grey, gritty, bleak, council estate of the eighties urban working class. 

As a social realism film This is England conventionally plays on themes and messages typical of the genre. For example many of the scene throughout the movie are filmed on location with the help of natural lighting. Themes such as masculinity are looked into however can be seen as being challenged in this film with characters such as Woody taking on a more approachable, caring male unlike the expectations of men we are usually presented with.