When Film4 started the name of the channel was origionally FilmFour and was the second channel to channel 4, it was launched on the 1st of november 1998. You started off having to subscribe to the channel via sattelite through the sky platform on satellite television via the Sky platform, digital terrestrial via ITV Digital (until the platform went into administration in 2002), and most UK cable services. It cost £5.99 or £6.00 a month (depending on platform), eventually rising to up to £7. The launch night, which was also broadcast on Channel 4, was hosted by Johnny Vaughan and the first film to be shown was What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
Film4's sister channels:
channel4, more4, E4, Kerrang, Kiss, Magic, Q, Smash hits & the box.
channel4, more4, E4, Kerrang, Kiss, Magic, Q, Smash hits & the box.
Film4's main ambition was not to focus on broadcasting blockbusters, but now they mainly focus on showing the main big Hollywood movies. Film4 appreciates a niech market and has 'themed nights' or film seasons for example, 'Double trouble' would include 'Bad boys', 'Men in black', 'white chicks', or they would ferature films around a genre e.g. 'action night', they also do themed nights for certain directors or actors. Channel 4 owns Film4 Productions (Channel 4's film production compay), it shows many of its in-house productions.
Occasional non-film (but film-related) programmes are also shown.
Wherever possible, films are shown in their correct aspect ratio. No digital on-screen graphics are superimposed. Under UK broadcasting rules, it was able to screen most films unedited and in earlier timeslots when it was a subscription channel, but these concessions were lost when it became free-to-air, and more adult material is now confined to after the 9pm watershed. Some films are also now edited to make them suitable for pre-watershed screenings, a decision which was criticised by viewers on the channel's now defunct internet forum.
Controller of Film4: Tessa Ross
Tessa Ross: She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2010 Queen's New Year’s Honours List for her services to Broadcasting. She is the Controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4.
Born - 1961 in London, England, UK
In May 2009 was named by 'Time' magazine as one of the hundred most influential people in the world.
By 1984 C4 had co-produced over 20 feature films for the special slot Film on Four.
Tessa Ross: She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2010 Queen's New Year’s Honours List for her services to Broadcasting. She is the Controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4.
Born - 1961 in London, England, UK
In May 2009 was named by 'Time' magazine as one of the hundred most influential people in the world.
By 1984 C4 had co-produced over 20 feature films for the special slot Film on Four.
Because there was a guaranteed TV premiere for these films they could afford to take more risks in terms of both their content and their treatment of this than mainstream films.
