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JUIY/AUGUST 2000
Music and Film Industry Shaping Britain9s Image Abroad
£7 ANET Anderson, the British Minister for Tourism Film and Broadcasting, was in Vancouver last month after attending the Banff International Television Festival in Alberta.
I spoke to the minister at a reception held at the residence of British Consul General, Ian Kydd and his wife Louise. The event was attended by representatives from tourism, film, television and the music industry. Afterwards, Anderson was on her way to Las Vegas to make a keynote address at the Institute of Travel and Tourism Conference.
When the new Labour Government came to power with their landslide victory in 1997, one of the first items on the agenda was to respond to calls from the British film industry for tax incentives to break a vicious cycle which has led to periods of brief success followed by extended failure. As a result, the country now boasts one of the producer-friendliest film subsidy environments in Europe.
Despite the critical acclaim and commercial success of such British movies such as The Full Monty, Trainspotting and Secrets and Lies, the challenge for independent British filmmakers remains with the distribution of their product, and with reaching audiences.
Anderson said, "Distribution is a problem. We were worried that in the U.K., we were making too many films that people never saw7. That is one of the reasons we have set up a film council under the chairmanship of the director Alan Parker.
"Parker, who is well-known for Evita, The Commitments, Mississippi Burning and Angela's Ashes, is chairing our film council and has brought under his wing all of the bodies in the U.K. to do with film. He knows that one of the tirst things he has to address is this problem of distribution and marketing.
"Very often in Hollywood, they would spend far more on marketing and distribution than they actually spend on making the film. And that is very often the key to success, so that is something that we have to look at. It is a problem in the U.K., because the Americans dominate the distribution chain. It is not going to be easy, but I know that Alan is determined to do something about that."
In comparing the British and Canadian industries, the minister said, "I think that we have got a lot in common. We each have very good technicians, co-operative film crews, good locations and both of our countries do extremely well with animation for example.
"One of the reasons why I am here as well, is to see if we can simplify the co-production agreement on film and television between Canada and Britain, to make it easier to do productions together which will be of mutual benefit."
Another area of responsibility for Anderson is the British music industry, from where such cultural
INTERVIEW By MAURA McCAY
"One of the things we constantly look at in government is the image of Britain abroad. It is important for us through the British Tourism Authority to try to portray exactly what Britain is like these days."
icons as The Beatles and The Spice Girls emerged. So much of a country's international image is shaped through the artists and entertainers who represent that culture.
Anderson said, "One of the things we constantly look at in government is the image of Britain abroad. It is important for us through the British Tourism Authority to try to portray exactly what Britain is like these days. I was interested to see recently that if you ask people abroad what they associate with Britain, The Spice Girls are at the top of the list."
One of the biggest issues currently facing the music industry is copyright protection for artists increasingly facing fraud and piracy through the Internet.
Anderson said, "We have a music industry forum which represents all sections of the industry in the U.K. and we meet regularly to discuss their concerns. One thing they are obviously concerned about at the moment is intellectual property and copy.
"Of course, with the new technology the threat to the music industry is huge because you can download and notjust copy a CD, but actually clone it. It is going to be a perfect copy as it were, and once they have got one, they can go ahead and make more. So, that is obviously a concern, I think it is a challenge for all of us.
"This is another area in my department where we are going to produce a white paper towards the end of this year - broadcasting communications - to deal with the increasing convergence between the two. We will be passing legislation in this area after the next election."
JANET ANDERSON the British Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting.
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ALAN FRANEY(L) Festival Director of the Vancouver International Film Festival with British Consul General Ian Kydd and his wife Louise.
LIAM HOPKINS (R) President of the British-Canadian Chamber of Commerce with his wife Jacqueline and Alan Vichert (L) of Real Net Ideas of Toronto.
One issue which has always puzzled me is the difference in cost between buying a CD in North America versus the cost in Britain and Ireland. I asked the minister if she could tell me why British consumers are compelled to pay such exorbitant prices for their music.
She said, "I'm really not sure and this is a discussion we are having with the record industry in the U.K. at the moment. Of course, you are quite right, over here in Canada and in the U.S. the cost of CD's is a lot cheaper.
"We have to look at what is happening at home and see if there is anything that we can put right. It is actually a matter for the Minister of Consumer affairs, but I know that he is very keen to make sure that people are not ripped off in the U.K. when they buy these products.
Anderson also oversees domestic tourism in England. One enormous growth industry in this area is genealogy, which has become the fastest growing hobby in the world. Each year, thousands of emigrants and their descendants return to visit their homeland seeking to connect with their cultural roots.
Often, both the areas of music and tourism intersect in Anderson's portfolio. For instance, the Beatles Tour of Liverpool now offers visitors an opportunity to see where The Beatles first played at The Cavern and the many other sites of interest, where John, Paul, George and Ringo made history for Britain during the swinging Sixties.
Another area which Anderson is watching with considerable interest is the current status of the Northern Ireland peace process which can only have positive spinoffs for her area of tourism.
The minister said, "I have just been to Ireland twice actually just recently, and it really is the most beautiful country. If we can make it easier for people to enjoy that, then that is just great." Particularly since a good majority of travellers to Ireland, also put England on their agenda. The dividends for peace are in everyone's interests.
GUESTS mingled at a reception in the garden of the British Consul's residence in West Point Grey (below).