Audience Demands: What Do The Public Want?
If we accept that the needs of the British film industry has to be shaped by the demands of it audience, then we have to ask: what is it the public want? We cannot be so arrogant to presume that we know whats good for the British public, and we must also remember that the public have preconceived ideas of what they want based upon the films that they were raised on and how they experience the cinema in everyday life. But as before, it is a question of promoting variety, giving the public greater choice to shape their own tastes, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all film-going culture. What makes filmmaking such a risky business is that you cant tell what the audience wants until they start paying for it or not, as the case may be. No matter how meticulously you profile your audience, through test screenings, conventions or attendance breakdowns, there is no identikit to create the perfect film. David Cameron wants the British film industry to build on its recent success by creating commercial, streamlined and populist films. While there is nothing wrong with making money, pursuing such a narrow avenue of success will not only damage the brand but stifle all the talent outside the mainstream. Its not as if films which seem totally un-commercial havent had great success. If youd taken a straw poll of who wanted to see a modern-day black-and-white silent movie, youd not have got many takers and yet The Artist was a huge commercial hit. Nobody wanted to give funding to The Kings Speech, and yet it stayed in cinemas for three months and prompted standing ovations. We cannot tell what will succeed commercially and what will not with something which is inherently creative; we simply have to put the work out there and see what happens.