All of South West Screen’s projects and activities have now been fully transferred into Creative England, the new agency providing creative industries support in the English regions outside London.
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Longer daylight hours during summer months mean longer shooting days, and here in the Locations department it’s a busy time of year as we receive more enquiries and work with productions filming across the region.
Right now we have a strong presence from long running productions in Bristol and the South West including Casualty and Skins, series four of Doc Martin is currently shooting in Port Isaac and the FFP New Media drama series based on the work of author Rosamunde Pilcher that is in production down in Newquay this year. We’ve also had a visit from Hollywood in the form of Legendary Pictures who are making a modern day fairytale called ‘Jack the Giant Killer’. They shot recently in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wells.
With an aim to bring fresh and unique locations to screens in 2011 we are regularly adding new locations to our online library. Recent additions for June include the stunning China Clay Quarries in Cornwall, an untouched Jacobean Country Manor House in Somerset and an ancient forest with deer parks in Dorset. Registering your property as a location is easy, just visit the Locations and Crew Page on our website.
As well as diverse locations and skilled crew, the region can now also offer versatile production space at The Bottle Yard in South Bristol. At 300,000 sq. ft., it is the largest dedicated production facility in the South West, and offers endless possibilities. This flexible space has already accommodated, iFeatures films Eight Minutes Idle and In the Dark Half, award winning BBC drama Five Daughters, BBC pilot Dirk Gently, Casualty (BBC), Permanently Excluded (BBC), and several photography shoots. New sitcom Trollied, starring Jane Horrocks and directed by Paul Walker, has recently wrapped at the site. The Sky 1 HD production created a purpose built supermarket set at The Bottle Yard which will stay standing pending re-commission of series 2.
South West Screen’s location department is managing The Bottle Yard in conjunction with Bristol City Council, so if you are interested in using the space, just get in touch with Fiona Francombe on 0117 9529983.
With all that the South West has to offer for production right now, we look forward to the summer bringing in a high level of production activity that keeps local crew and locations nice and busy!
Our conference last week saw more than 80 key players from the creative industries, public and private finance sectors gather together to discuss how best to invest in this unique sector.
Last week’s conference “Nice Idea or Nice Little Earner” sought to get to the heart of how best to invest in the UK’s creative industries. The event was the result of several conversations with a number of people who either managed investment funds or bank lending. All had expressed interest in supporting creative companies, but had found it difficult to engage with a sector that is seen as small, fragmented, risky and often slightly anarchic. In brief, they said creatives “didn’t speak their language”. Similarly over the course of several round table meetings it was clear from talking to creatives running small businesses that they continued to have problems finding the right investment or the right lending at the right price. Interestingly on Thursday, the first day of our conference, the government published a joint report by BIS and DCMS on creative industry businesses access to finance. The research demonstrated substantial variations in access to finance across the different sub sectors of the creative industries illustrating that some – in particular the creative content sector – were more likely to have their finance applications rejected by finance providers compared to other businesses with similar risk profiles.
(from L to R) Stephen Rockman, Ellen O'Hara, Andrew Mullinger, Caroline Norbury, Will Hutton, John Newbigin, Neil Hewitt, David Prais, David Scholtz
The concept of a “common language “is probably one of the most significant learnings of the day. Creative businesses often complain that lenders and investors don’t “understand” their business models, but equally it’s clear from listening to the many financiers present that creatives are equally culpable and need to understand the perspective of the lender/investor. This seems to be borne out by the research conducted by BIS/DCMS as well as the on-going conversation of the conference.
The other common topic was the requirement for “money and more” – i.e. investment on its own is not enough; what is needed, agreed by both investors and potential investees, is a series of bridges and support between investment stages.
Other recurring comments included the following:
Luke Johnson, Risk Capital Partners
These valuable discussions were well summarised by Luke Johnson in his closing speech - that “creative industries are doing a vital job, and without mentoring and advice, many of these businesses would fail,” and that it is hugely important that companies build and maintain good relationships with their investors.
Will Hutton, The Work Foundation
And as our opening speaker Will Hutton commented, “it is vital that government and private investment work together to build networks and understanding between investors, creative and cultural entrepreneurs, and those able to seriously boost the UK’s cultural and creative economy. If we do not sort the issues of investment and business development in the creative industries, we risk seriously eroding the UK’s competitive advantage in this area.”
Following the conference a smaller group of financiers, policy makers, business leaders and support agencies met to agree how to refine our learning and transfer it into practical action. Helpfully there was an on-going enthusiasm and commitment from an already busy and probably over-committed group of people who have agreed to work together to develop some practical solutions to the themes raised. We will be reconvening these groups over the course of the summer to put together our own road map which we will in turn present to the newly announced Creative Industries Council and Creative England – the new body that Screen Agencies including South West Screen will roll into. If you’d like to contribute to this conversation then please email us or respond via the blog. We will continue to update the creative community through our blog and e-bulletin.
Topics of scale, growth, tax credits and intellectual property and were among those discussed at our private meeting with the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey, and creative businesses from Bristol and Bath last week.
The meeting, which took place at Aardman Animations on Friday 8 April, was part of the Minister’s visit to Bristol and Bath on 7-8 April, and was arranged by South West Screen and Aardman.
Kip Meek (South West Screen Chairman); Caroline Norbury (South West
Screen Chief Executive), Ed Vaizey (Minister for Culture, Communications
and Creative Industries), and David Sproxton (Executive Chairman,
Aardman Animations)
Following a tour of the Academy Award-winning animation studios’ new premises, the Minister sat down with representatives from Aardman, Future Publishing, Wonky Films. Proctor and Stevenson, Touch Productions, Fluffy Logic, Team Rubber, Sift Media, TLT Solicitors, HP Labs, Walk Tall Media, Icon Films, the BBC and South West Screen’s iFeatures scheme. Top of the agenda for discussion was the landscape of the local creative sector.
The meeting discussed the barriers to growth the creative industries face. The issues raised included finding the right kind of finance, the need to protect IP, tax breaks and increasing public procurement from SMEs.
The UK’s creative industries continue to buck the traditional models for growth and scale - Aardman is a case in point. Firmly rooted in Bristol, about 40% of its CGI animation staff are foreign nationals, it’s location in the West of England is a happy accident of history and a commitment to growing iteratively and with a passion and conviction for the good things in life. It is part of a diverse ecology that supports a range of smaller creative enterprises and plays a full role in the city region’s cultural life. It has had partnerships with major US studios but always remained committed to an “Aardman approach” rather than the imperative of the bottom-line.
The UK is full of creative businesses with the potential for more growth and prosperity, and our discussion gave us a good chance to look at some key ways to unlock that growth. However, perhaps it is also worth noting that it’s precisely because the UK creative sector is not homogenous that it can be adaptable, nimble and competitive, so the range of size and scale of its businesses also needs to be embraced.
This chimes with the ethos throughout E F Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful, which sprang to my mind following the meeting. The book was one of a shortlist of essential texts that my economics tutor ordered me to read as an A’ level student in the 1980s. Schumacher – who one could assert is as much a philosopher as he is an economist - has been in the news recently, purportedly because of the coalition government’s support for many of his ideas: the breaking up of large institutions into smaller organisations; the decentralisation of power; the importance of public and civic service and reciprocity, or in popular parlance – what goes around, comes around.
In many ways the creative sector, particularly out of London, exemplifies, Schumacher’s doctrine - small, regional working units utilising local labour and resources, with space and room for human creativity, many seeking to combine business with a way of life where profit is not the only motive.
Upon a quick read through my original Small is Beautiful paperback I noted one of the few pages I’d made any notes, p140: “Development does not start with goods; it starts with people and their education, organisation and discipline. Without these three, all resources remain latent, untapped potential.”
Tomorrow South West Screen will introduce Ed Vaizey, the Minister for Creative Industries, to a number of the region's creative businesses.
Chief Executive Caroline Norbury blogs on the importance of giving the Minister a true insight into our creative economy and discussing the challenges that companies face in person...
Ed Vaizey, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, is visiting Bristol and Bath to see for himself the vibrant business life, university research centres and cultural institutions that have led to these cities being regarded as hotbeds of innovation and named in the top 10 of significant creative clusters in the country (read the NESTA report here).
As part of his visit, South West Screen and Aardman are hosting a meeting with creative businesses of varying sizes and expertise. Ed will speak face to face to a cross section of the creative sector, including representatives from Future Publishing, Wonky Films, Proctor and Stevenson, Touch Productions, Fluffy Logic, Team Rubber, Sift Media, TLT Solicitors, HP Labs, Walk Tall Media, Icon Films, the BBC and our iFeatures studio. We are keen to make sure that Ed comes away with as full a picture possible of what is happening on the ground here, by updating him on the many issues that have been raised during the roundtables and business surveys we have conducted in past months.
For example, back in February, we asked creative companies to complete a survey in order to help us feed into the Government’s Growth Review. 75 companies responded, most of which were based in Bath & Bristol. Of these, 65% were cash positive and 62% were profitable.
However, on the business development front, we found that:
We’re pleased to say that many of the issues we have discussed and raised with officials in the past months found their way into the 2011 Growth Statement and Budget. These included an increase in the R&D tax credit, action on orphan works, simplification of public procurement guidelines to encourage SME engagement, more favourable incentives for EIS and the development of more flexible apprenticeship models to mirror the freelance and SME nature of creative businesses. Importantly the government also announced their high-level commitment to ensure that digital content producers should be able to retain and exploit their IP for the content they produce for public sector bodies.
This is good news, but the fact remains that creative companies still face many structural and economic problems, such as access to capital, access to new markets and finding the right talent. Our survey has shown that as with SMEs in other sectors, creative businesses are unlikely to have non-executive directors on their board, or have access to partners who can help scale their business or use government support services.
South West Screen believes that unlike many other traditional business sectors the creative industries offer significant opportunities for growth and therefore require specific, bespoke support. We welcome the Government’s commitment to the creative industries and in particular the DCMS's support for the establishment of Creative England. This new national body, of which South West Screen will become a founding member, will deliver a coordinated approach to the growth and prosperity of the creative economy, with culture and innovation at its core.
We will run regular business surveys every six months so that we can continue to build a profile of companies based here and help input and shape ideas for intervention. Please take part wherever possible to help us build a truly reflective picture.
In the meantime, have you got a question for Ed Vaizey? Tweet it to us or email info@swscreen.co.uk and we will endeavour to put it to him!
This morning the Communications team at South West Screen were on the set of Eight Minutes Idle, the second of the three iFeatures films to start shooting in Bristol.
We were there to meet journalists from from the Bristol Evening Post and the BBC's Inside Out West. First up was an interview with Chris Moll, Executive Producer of the iFeatures project.
We were then led down the industrial concrete stairwell to take a look at the purpose-built call centre which is one of the main locations in the film.
After a brief stop for a bite to eat, we caught up with Director Mark Simon-Hewis who gave an insight into the process of bringing to life Matt Thorne's award-winning novel, Eight Minutes Idle.
After a brief rehearsal we then met Tom Hughes who plays Dan in the film. He told us what it's been like on set so far.
The Bottle Yard is impressive when it comes to scale, and slipping off to have a nose around, I came across some pretty unusual things. 
More of that next time.
Ok so i have started my first week on Flog It now after 6 weeks on Bargain Hunt. It is very weird because Flog It and Bargain Hunt have moved in the same office so I haven't actually moved anywhere.
But so far it has been good and the people are good, the work if different as I expect but I'm getting used to it. I should be going on a shoot soon, I went on a shoot for bargain hunt in Liverpool (3-1 HAAA) sorry.. I just had to. But as I was saying the shoot in Liverpool was a real experience for me seeing how the program was filmed and meeting the presenter and crew. I look forward to having a similar experience on Flog It.
As supporters of the Media Sandbox since its inception, South West Screen has always followed the supported projects with a keen interest and we are always amazed by the imagination, boldness and variety of the ideas they come up with. Like the showcases of the previous two years, the class of 2010 didn’t disappoint.
In September 2010, seven companies were commissioned to develop projects under two strands, B-Open and Pervasive Experiences. The showcase saw the projects ranging from a digital route planner that avoids hills to a sculpture made entirely of scent come to fruition and allowed the audience to interact with both the project designers and the projects themselves.
The three B-Open projects used Open Data released by Bristol City Council (such as air quality, electricity use etc) to create digital applications or experiences. Each project was introduced with a short film and then the teams participated in a Q&A session led by Parameter’s Mark Leaver.
Overlay Media had used the data to create their route planner app, Hills Are Evil, which has been designed for and by people with limited mobility, but is intended to be added to by users to increase its appeal and application.
Mobile Pie’s Blossom Bristol is a game described as ‘Farmville meets Farmers Market’, in which players plant and grow virtual plants at different locations across the city, their health and success dependent on environmental factors . The game has been released on the Android platform and was downloaded by 600 people in just two days.
Finally, I heart my City by Delib, has used census data to create an online map presenting the correlation between council spending and quality of life metrics.
The Q&A discussed the pros and cons of using open data and explored the thorny issue of the commercial potential of the applications devised. All agreed that regardless of the commercial appeal of the individual projects on show, the learning undertaken for each one would generate commercial opportunities of its own and thus was invaluable R&D investment.
Four projects had been commissioned under the Pervasive Experiences umbrella: Mutant Labs’ Operation Sonic Boom, Moksha’s Sculpting with Scent, Biofeedback in Gaming by Remode and Alphasphere by nu desine.
All four projects had produce new and jaw-dropping ways of interacting with digital technologies using the senses. Mutant Labs’ Operation Sonic Boom allows users to use sound as a control mechanism for gaming and learning applications and has been described as potentially doing for audio input what the Wii had done for movement. Alphasphere also focuses on sound, being a new electronic musical instrument which allows players to trigger sounds through the use of sensors and smart materials. Remode’s Biofeedback in Gaming adds a new dimension to console gaming by incorporating a player’s heartbeat as a control variable. But the biggest stir was caused by Moksha’s Sculpting with Scent. Co-creator, Darius Pocha said that the 20th century had all been about audio and visual experience and that sphere of experience is now saturated. Scent, he said, is an ancient sense, which can tell a story, provoke an intense emotional response and also give a distinct sense of place. As an underused means of communication, Darius speculated that scent has as yet untapped commercial application in retail and exhibition forums.
Commerce was never far from people’s minds as i-Shed’s Clare Reddington introduced the Q&A session, and questions covered development costs and business plans as well as the trickier aspects of marrying physical interaction with digital technologies. The infectious enthusiasm of the project teams meant that the audience was itching to go and test the prototypes for themselves by the end of the session.
The last words, however, went to Ogilvy’s Nicole Yershon. A dozen words, to be precise, set out on a slide to sum up why she continues to devote her time, energy and enthusiasm to mentoring the Sandbox scheme. And what positive words they were, sending the audience out with the message that whatever else Sandbox is about, it’s about commerce, innovation and hope.
Wow this scheme is great! At the moment I'm really enjoying my placement. Not only am I learning what its like to work at the BBC but I also have workshops and learning from industry professionals.
I must be honest due to the fact that there is no filming during February for Bargain Hunt I have not been able to go on a shoot.. well that was until the season producer had a talk with me and went out of her way to make sure I go on a shoot with Bargain Hunt, that's another thing the staff here are real nice and very down to earth I'm now looking forward to going on my filming shoot. Oh and I almost forgot through this scheme I also get my own mentor so I'll be feeding on some more knowledge soon.
Well since I last blogged, I've been getting training within camera work whilst on shoots, and some very interesting shoots e.g. helicopter landing and interview with the air ambulance, a police exercise where they search a huge jumbo jet for terrorist devices, and then completely different shoots such as the Wooton Basset soldier funeral march, local stabbing, and I have recently done research and discovered a story for the news team to find out about! I've also still been getting a taster in all other areas!
Schedule wise, I've been able to manage my own weekly plan, this gives me a chance to choose what I want to do, and dive into areas where an interest is high! I have organised a week up in Gloucester with the TV news team, and have met the guy I will be with and he's is a really nice guy so looking forward to that! It also gives a taste in how they operate up there! Also looking forward to a few days up in London news organised for me! I will have to stay over in a hotel or friends house for a few days, but 3 days will be a nice little experience!
I have also decided to keep a showreel of what shoots I have been on by using my own personal camera, just to show the variety of shoots I've been on! and I have from news packaged that have gone out to add to my showreel which I shot :)
The call for applications for Multi-platform Content Across Continents opens today – here are 5 reasons why collaborating with Singapore is a good idea:
1. Singapore positions itself as the “digital port” in Asia, a base from which you can reach more than 3Bn people in under 5 hours flying time. It is consistently the World Bank’s No.1 country for ease of doing business and with English as its first language (Mandarin second) and strong IP protection is increasingly home to multinational companies looking to access the dominant economic region for the 21st Century.
2. It is an exemplar of the connected digital Asian city of the future. Mobile penetration is over 100% and by 2012 95% of homes and businesses will be connected to a 1Gbps fibre network –Singapore is therefore a test bed enabled by this digital connectivity. And as a result digital consumer services and behaviours (IPTV, mobile TV, social networking) have an effective infrastructure [“Singapore is one of the world’s most evolved social media markets” Singapore Business Review http://bit.ly/fNB6WE]
3. In the Media Development Authority of Singapore it has a highly active Government agency investing over £100M in the creation of a media hub – from attracting inward investors such as Double Negative or Lucas Arts; to catalyst R&D funding; to content investments in film, TV and animation in particular. [“Singapore media hub moves from design to reality” Channel News Asia http://bit.ly/hNgfjm]
4. With a historical and cultural affinity with the UK, Singaporean businesses are open to collaboration and see British creatives as having skills in concept development and distribution in particular from which they can learn through collaboration. For UK businesses, access to massive export potential and technical capacity and capability is the opportunity.
5. Which brings us to Content Across Continents. This is currently the only initiative between the UK and Singapore MDA. The collaboration with the SW has been built over the past 3 years, and through a successful first version of the CAC scheme, so there is a track record of shared knowledge and personal relationships.
In summary CAC will provide you with a framework for supported access to a fast growing digital economy, in the fastest growing economic region, first mover advantage and qualified leads and connections – and you’ll have £10k invested into your project. Not much of a decision….
The call for applications for Content Across Continents opens today, Wednesday 16 February, and will close on 15th April 2011. In the interim there will be opportunities for introductions and networking – for example via video conference on 2nd March or face-to-face at MIPTV in April 2011.
The full criteria can be found here – for more details or for assistance in finding a partner contact:
Mark Leaver - 07764 900003
Johanna Bolhoven - 07717 755846
Presented by the UK Film Council, South West Screen and Watershed
Last week we co-hosted the Beyond the Box Office debate at Watershed, which looked at the cultural impact of film. The aim of the event was to examine the findings of a study carried out by the UK Film Council on the impact UK film has had on British society over the last sixty years. (Read Stories We Tell Ourselves: The Cultural Impact of UK Film 1946-2006)
In my view film remains one of THE most important artforms reflecting British culture. It is pre-eminent because it is the principle way we project images of ourselves, our interests, our beliefs to a wider audience; whether this is through a short film campaigning about a local issue or a theatrically released film dealing with love, death or war.
We all tell each other stories about ourselves and we all tell ourselves our own stories and seek to interpret and re-interpret our experiences through story. Film offers us a way of reflecting back on those experiences – it is both a personal experience and a communal one.
It’s a good time to have this debate. Despite the recession the UK box office saw record receipts in 2009 and the highest admissions since 2002. Box office takings were £944 million, up 11% on 2008. (UK Film Council Statistical Yearbook 2010).
Recent Oscar® and BAFTA nominations show us that films do create headlines and kick start public conversations that maybe would have lain dormant – the recent flurry of interest in stammering comes to mind following the release of The King’s Speech and the furor in the ballet world created by the release of Black Swan and its portrayal of that world.
Here at South West Screen we are very committed to promoting the film industry. We know how important it is to the local economy & despite the recession, film and TV brought £62m last year into the region. We have been pleased to play host to recent features: The Wolfman, Alice in Wonderland, Tamara Drewe, Never Let Me Go, to name but a few.
The South West also has thriving indigenous film industry. Films and filmmakers from the region received a total of 14 nominations across the BAFTA and Oscar® shortlist; Alison Sterling, one of the panelists at Beyond the Box Office, received a BAFTA nomination for Turning, which she produced (made with some Lottery funding from SWS), and is shortly screening in competition at the Clermont Short Film Festival, and BAFTAs have been awarded to local filmmakers for the last two years: Emma Lazenby’s short animation Mother of Many (a SWS Digital Shorts film); Aardman Animations’ A Matter of Loaf & Death; Esther May Campbell’s September.
And it’s a trend we want to encourage. Working with the UK Film Council, South West Screen has been able to fund short films, script and talent development programmes, and with our latest initiative, the iFeatures scheme, we are seeking to make three feature films with specific stories to tell about Bristol, its history, culture and people.
In these difficult times it’s all too easy to focus on the economic significance of film, so I would encourage you to take a look at the report published by the UK Film Council, and listen in on our debate. (See video below).
So, the first few weeks at the One Show are over, and I have already had the chance to write my own treatment, have a go at an ed spec and sat in on meetings with the commissioning producer. It has been at times busy, tiring, but also fun and informative. Today I had to opportunity to sit in on a development meeting, which was really useful for seeing how ideas are developed from seed to screen, and I was introduced to a lot of people, which I have been told is one of the keys to success in the TV industry.
Reema and the team have been hugely accommodating, and really are the best people to learn from. I feel like I have been taken under their collective wing and they could not have been more welcoming. Tomorrow sees an early start, as we are off for a shoot at 6:20AM. We will be shooting for a piece on garden birds, and will be using all sorts of interesting kit; I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of material we get and being a part of a BBC NHU shoot for the first time...
My name is Oneil Rose and I am a graduate who studied a media degree at UWE. During that time and since graduating in 2009 I have been involved in a number of community based projects, mostly voluntary (this is a good way to get noticed). Through this I found out about a placement opportunity at the BBC (3 months). I started by doing one week in the talent pool area, then I moved on to work on the show ‘Bargain Hunt’ and I'm currently working with the Bargain Hunt team (6 weeks), after which I will be working on the show ‘Flog It’ for five weeks.
So far my placement has been an amazing experience for me. I have worked in production teams before but never in a professional setting so it's great to be involved in a lot of the background work that goes into producing a programme such as Bargain Hunt. The people at the BBC are very kind and down to earth, which helps when trying to fit in. Although I've have only been here for a short while I feel like I'm part of the team. I'm learning new things everyday and hope to consistently grow in my knowledge of the media field.
The scheme that I'm on has been set up by South West Screen and Skillset. It's very important to get involved with community based schemes and find out what opportunities are awaiting you. Like they say if you don't seek you'll never find.
Several business leaders in the creative industries have called for the need for a national strategy for the sector. Despite the often quoted statistics* about the strength of creative businesses in the UK, I must confess to always feeling slight unease within audiences when I quote them (see figures below). There’s a sense that the figures are not quite believable and that the creative industries isn’t really a “proper” industrial sector.
It’s heartening to see therefore, that the Government is seeking to change this and that those most proper of all departments, HM Treasury and the Department for Business, are reviewing the role of creative and digital industries within the Growth Review. This Review is focusing on two areas – how government can address barriers to growth in sectors with the potential to expand and structural reform within the broader legislative, financial, competition and planning environment.
What does this mean in practice though for a sector that is constantly changing, where businesses are often multi-disciplinary, where many of the players fall below the radar of official statistics and whose activity spills over into other sectors whose value is easier to calculate? There is often a definition problem – what businesses exactly are we talking about, what should we be counting and how should we be measuring value? Maybe it is not just a problem with definitions; perhaps we’re also using the wrong language.
I contend that businesses, organisations and individuals working in the creative industries are defined as much by their behaviours and characteristics as they are by the products and services they produce. The expansion of pervasive media, the low cost of entry into the digital space and the propensity to co-produce, self-distribute and promote via social networks are all characteristics that have been common for those working in creative and culture businesses and less so in the corporate sphere. However, we now see the language of partnership, co-development, co-creation and distributed value chains making its way into big business as the corporate world tries to understand how it can harness these emerging trends to create value and profit.
The problems many creative businesses suffer from are similar to those in other more traditional sectors – they need good transport links, fast broadband access and a skilled workforce – no difference here with aerospace, manufacturing or financial services. However, because they are predominantly SMEs and micro-businesses they are generally under-capitalised; IP protection is paramount, but difficult, whilst the exploitation of IP hard to maximise. Talent retention outside London is tough; access to finance is challenging and international competition difficult particularly in industries such as TV and Games where there are significant tax benefits overseas.
What can government do to change this and why should businesses in the creative industries have ‘special treatment’? ‘Special treatment’ is a loaded term and not one I would use. What is required, however, is a cultural shift within government policy and we need this cultural shift to feed its way into day to day business. Here are a couple of suggestions.
We have to engender a culture of valuing creativity. How many businesses would be prepared to work for free? Yet if you are a designer it is generally expected that you will turn up to prospective clients with ideas already worked up for them. Why is it acceptable to pay a lawyer or an accountant an hourly rate for their advice, but not pay a creative company or practitioner for their ideas?
We have to invest in ideas because they create value. Few economists or industrialists would dispute the importance of R&D – but most creative SME’s are debt-financed start-ups, working on a project by project basis. They do not have a line in their budget for R&D. A national programme which made available small amounts of proof of concept and seed-corn funding specifically for creative and digital businesses, could provide a test-bed environment for new products and services. There have been small pilot programmes throughout the UK – led by NESTA and the regional screen agencies among others, but notably no national programme of significance.
Most importantly we have to improve access to finance for creative SMEs. Many creative businesses operate in a knowledge vacuum, unaware what their options might be or how to access available money. Many see bank loans or more usually, their own savings and debt, as the first option and have little knowledge about equity finance. Furthermore, they often do not have a direct route to the market and are part of a complex value chain. They don’t know how to connect with corporates, how to create scale and how to protect their IP. This makes it difficult for them to assess the full value potential of their product or service. Finally they are dealing with an investment community that still holds memories of the dot.com crash and who view these businesses as “lifestyle”, run by non-business professionals, with no protectable IP which is difficult to value and hard to market.
I have four modest suggestions to address the problems with access to finance:
It is government’s job to create the best conditions for growth and prosperity – economic, social and cultural. It does this by promoting competition, ensuring markets function properly and intervening when there is a market failure. My hope is that the Growth Review takes account of the cultural change that is driving emerging trends and that it factors this in to its plans to improve the prospects of the wider economy.
We are all producers, creators and distributors now. Trends such as gamification (the use of game play in a non-game environment), the desire for higher levels of experiential value and personalisation coupled with the prevalence of ubiquitous media technologies, tools and applications can only increase the appetite for more products and services from this sector. It’s not neat, it’s not easy to count and it’s not easy to show how money will be made, but it’s managing to grow much more quickly than many of those sectors we understand and can count, so maybe we ought to take note and adapt our industrial policy accordingly.
These are the most recent DCMS statistics for the Creative Industries, published December 2010:
As I’m sure you’re all aware, it’s been a week of dramatic announcements regarding the future of the regional screen agencies. Whilst we’re about to enter a period of change and restructuring, I am keen to reassure all the creatives we work with that any changes to the structure of the support network will not affect our accessibility or performance. We are committed to maintaining our services to everyone in the region.
The Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey’s statement on Monday illustrated the Government’s commitment to the local support of the creative industries. But that’s not the end of the matter. Now that the screen agencies are to be reshaped into Creative North, Creative Central and Creative South, we have to start looking at the best way of making this happen whilst ensuring no interruption of the services we currently provide on the ground. As many of you are aware, initial suggestions are that Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester would be the most suitable hubs for the three new creative regions. We’re now going to start a period of industry consultation to determine whether these three centres would work best as the regional hubs and everyone will have their opportunity to feed into this consultation before any further decisions are taken. One thing I am keen to stress is that wherever the hub is determined to be, we will strive to ensure our local services across all areas from audience development to training programmes are maintained across the entire southern region.
I hope this goes some way to putting people’s minds to rest after the various stories circulating in the press this week. We won’t be able to say more until after the industry consultation in the New Year, but we will be keeping you posted with any new developments through our e-bulletin and on our website.
The Wildscreen Festival, currently taking place at Watershed in Bristol, takes place every other year showcasing some of the best films in the world about nature and the environment.
Today I chaired a panel at the festival which aimed to explore how, at a time when finances are tight filmmakers can find the resources to make the sorts of campaigning films that audiences want to see.
On the panel were Sally-Ann Wilson of Worldview (an initiative within the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, which supports the development of stories made in or about the developing world); Terry Stevens, on-line Coordinator of Dogwoof, distributor of major campaigning titles such as The Age of Stupid and The End of the Line (both of which have generated significantly more column inches than many Hollywood studio releases); and finally two inspiring filmmakers, Rita Banerji (The Wild Meat Trail) and Patrick Rouxel (Green) whose films are screening at Wildscreen.
Both Rita and Patrick illustrated how their films had grown out of a mixture of passion, flexibility and entrepreneurship. Neither had embarked on their journey with their ideas fully funded yet both have delivered great stories aimed at changing human behaviour in a way that is sympathetic, empathetic and non-hectoring.
Three common themes emerged from the session:
You can see a trailer for Patrick's film here and visit Rita's website at www.dustyfootindia.com.
With the summer break now well and truly behind us, here at South West Screen we’re looking ahead to a busy few months on the horizon.
Whilst the impact of the announced abolition of the UK Film Council can’t be ignored, we’ve been concentrating our efforts on some major projects closer to home, whilst we wait to hear more from the Government in next month’s spending review.
In just a few weeks’ time we’ll be announcing the three films from the 550 submissions to our iFeatures microbudget filmmaking initiative to be made in Bristol. We’re busy gathering interest from cast and crew who are keen to be part of the three film shoots, which will really shine the spotlight on the city and the South West as a major filmmaking hub outside of London. If you would like to take part, you can go to the iFeatures website to register in one of the iFeatures groups.
iFeatures is one of the projects backed by the BBC-Bristol-Anchor partnership, and as we come to the end of the first year of the BBC’s first city partnership agreement, it’s exciting to be on the verge of this new phase that will see three great films come to fruition, after a long period of development and mentoring for all the teams involved.
In a wider sense, we’re increasingly confident about the offer we have in this part of the country for film and television production. We’re busy drumming up business for The Bottle Yard, the South West’s first dedicated production facility based in South Bristol, which can accommodate major productions looking to film. With inward investment at record levels, space for shooting is at a premium and we look forward to seeing more and more activity on our doorstep.
And on a political note, there have been reassuring messages from Government, with the Culture Minister Ed Vaizey MP acknowledging the value of a presence in the regions and the screen agency’s strengths in representing the wider creative industries remit. This is good to hear and we are continuing to work with Screen England to help the Government shape future plans for the film industry, which will be announced in November. We’ll keep you posted as we know more.
Theatre Sandbox is a new commissioning scheme for six theatre artists & companies to research and develop new ideas which use pervasive technologies. Click here to read my blog on all the amazing work they've been doing so far and find out how wifi enabled bread can help you find a unicorn, how one performance can last for 2 weeks and how a chance encounter with the set of Transformers 3 can inspire a dystopian tour of Soho in 2017.
It’s been a turbulent week already here at South West Screen – and it’s only Tuesday.
The Government has demanded cuts from all departments to achieve its spending targets so we were fully expecting to see a reduction in funding from the UK Film Council. But the news that the Government may abolish the film Council altogether has come as a surprise.
At the moment, we only have the bare bones of the DCMS statment to go on, so we are awaiting further developments. But, we have taken some comfort from the news that the Government does recognise the important work the Regional Screen Agencies do in meeting the different needs of each region’s creative media industries, and that it is committed to maintaining Lottery investment in film.
Since we were set up by the Film Council in 2002, South West Screen has invested funds from the UK Film Council to support creative talent and make the world of watching, making and working in film accessible to as many people as possible. Our new feature filmmaking initiative, iFeatures, underlines our commitment to the media community in our region. But we recognise that the creative media industries are constantly growing, evolving and converging and we are changing, too, to keep pace with that.
We know how important the creative industries are to the South West and the UK as a whole, both culturally and economically, and we are confident that we have the talent here in the South West to continue to drive the sector forward. We hope that by continuing to invest in the Creative Industries, with Government support, and by building relationships with new and existing partners, we will be able to continue our work in supporting this exciting and dynamic sector. We hope to get more clarity on the situation with the UK Film Council in the coming days and weeks so will make sure we keep you posted.
Want to know how to make a feature film for 50 grand? Last week Sol Papadopoulos, producer of feature film Under the Mud (www.underthemud.co.uk) and the acclaimed Of Time and the City (www.oftimeandthecity.com) came to Knowle West Media Centre for a day of workshops to discuss how to make a community-based feature film, and how the assembled young talent and experienced filmmakers could make one too. 
Image: Lenny Wood, Mick Colligan and Sol Papadopoulos
Presented by BAFTA* in partnership with iFeatures and Knowle West Media Centre, Sol and his writing/acting colleagues Lenny Wood and Mick Colligan spoke about how Under the Mud started life as a community project. The film was written by a team of teenage writers from the Interchill community centre in the Speke Garston area of Liverpool, who got together over several months to write the script - culminating in a full-on writer’s retreat. Although funds for filming were very tight (the initial film was shot on just £50K), the audience were clearly impressed by the community spirit that turned the words on the page into a real-life feature film, from the home grown acting and writing talent of Mick and Lenny and friends (who had plenty of eye-popping stories to tell) to the local shopkeepers who gave what they could, and the local housing coop who provided locations.
The film was described Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian as “Maybe the best British film you’ll never see” – and Sol spoke about how true these words threatened to become as his small production company, Hurricane Films, struggled with the difficulties of film distribution, and the complications of DVD production and overwhelmingly expensive marketing. The film was accepted at scores of film festivals worldwide, where the cast and crew rubbed shoulders with the stars and worked hard to get their voice heard above the movie throng; it’s definitely worth watching the ‘Making Of’ film on the DVD (available on the website) to get a feel for the epic journey these filmmakers have been over the past few years.
In the afternoon the focus turned to the young filmmakers in the group, who told stories from the local Bristol area with an eye to finding inspiration for their own community films. Thanks to Sol, Mick and Lenny’s keen eye for a top tale, there were plenty of ideas flying round the room all afternoon.
*BAFTA holds public events all over the UK, throughout the year. If you'd like to get regular updates on BAFTA events, win free tickets to on-stage interviews and preview screenings, view free webcasts and more, sign up to their monthly e-bulletin http://www.bafta.org/newsletter/subscribe.html and see their Access All Areas info on their website (http://www.bafta.org/access-all-areas/)
I couldn’t move without bumping into a good idea yesterday at the launch on Media Sandbox’s B-Open ideas lab.
As part of SWS’s Creative Innovation Network for Innovation programme (iNet to its friends,) Media Sandbox threw the doors open to digital developers, creative producers and anyone with an interest in democratising content. The challenge was to engage with some of the newly released datasets from Bristol City Council covering council stats on areas like noise pollution, water quality, transport and education and make them informative, engaging and inspiring to the good people of Bristol. 
Ideas ranged from creating a SimCity style interactive map of Bristol to show where council tax is being spent, to mulching down printed versions of the datasets and seeing which statistics grow the best potatoes!
B-Open and its partner strand ‘Pervasive Experiences’ are now open to submissions. See http://www.mediasandbox.co.uk/ for more info.
Friday 11 June
Both Thursday and Friday morning proved to be busy with the stand enjoying a steady stream of traffic. Among those visiting the UK companies included Canal+, TF1, the delegation from Canada and ABC Australia.
The companies participated in a drinks reception on Wednesday night and had the opportunity to pitch directly to key contacts (see below), and on Thursday they attended a 'Meet the Buyer' event where they met representatives from China, Korea, France, Spain and India. David Sproxton from Aardman even popped along and delivered a few words of encouragement and hints for getting the most out of attending international markets.
The companies have made the most of the associated activities with some attending a sauna party with the delegation from Finland - pictures to follow! So far one company has successfully secured funding from a Development Agency and another is exploring the possibility of a co-production deal with Canada.
Check back for more updates from the delegation.
Wednesday 9 June
After some last minute adjustments the UK Animation stand is up and running, and the first day of Mifa is well underway.
1,900 delegates are expected to visit the market, which is celebrating its half century this year. 66 countries, representing 350 exhibitors and 1,647 companies are present and 230 buyers will be actively seeking content.
13 UK companies are visiting Annecy this year, 9 are exhibiting on the UK Animation stand and a further 4 companies are visiting as part of an organised market visit. The UK companies will be attending a formal drinks reception this evening which has already attracted 60 RSVPs and includes representatives from Catalan Films, Hong Kong Arts, Cake Entertainment, Canal+ and Film London.
It was standing room only - and not much of that - at our microbudget filmmaking event this afternoon.
This was our chance to talk about iFeatures and microbudget filmmaking to a wider, international audience, and we'd joined forces with two other Screen Agencies, Film London and Vision+Media, who have also run microbudget initiatives in the shape of Film London Microwave and Digital Departures.
Our panel consisted of Sandy Lieberson, producer and Chair of Film London, Helen Grace from Left Films, Alex Hamilton, a director at E1 Entertainment, Kolton Lee, director of Freestyle (a Film London Microwave Film) and Tobias Morgan, producer for The Auteurs. Volcanic ash had held up Mark Hebert, the producer of Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee, so Caroline Cooper Charles, the Head of Creative Development at Warp X, the production company behind the film, stepped in to complete the panel.
Chaired by Damon Wise, contributing editor at Empire magazine, the questions came thick and fast, starting with the first, most obvious one: what is the definition of 'microbudget'? This is a frequently asked question and, whilst you could argue all night about the stage at which a budget becomes 'micro', the best answer came from Sandy Lieberson, who said it's more about a state of mind: taking risks and making innovative new films.
It was an interesting discussion and we're hoping many of the filmmakers present will also come along to our reception on microbudgets later this evening.
So here I am in Cannes and only now just getting into my stride. I'm still recovering from yesterday's early start - I was moderating a panel exploring ways in which the film industry could act in a more environmentally-responsible manner. As many of you will know the film business with its catering trucks, generators and international travel is hardly the most sensitive and socially responsible industry. Fergus Rolfe of the Low Carbon Innovation Centre, who was one of my guests on yesterday's panel, calculated that the average feature film created carbon emissions equivalent to driving around the planet 250 times! Other speakers included Lucy Walker director of Countdown to Zero which screens today, environmental journalist Christine Robert from Bright Green Pictures, distributor Andy Whittaker from Dogwoof, Melanie Dicks whose company Greenshoot provides a complete re-cycling and environmental audit for film production and Laurie Hayward who is here to lauch his 3.2m venture capital fund for low carbon digital production projects. Over the last couple of years South West Screen has been working on a number of initiatives helping companies reduce their environmental impact and I've taken away many more ideas from the session which I hope will help us up our game in the South West.
Today South West Screen are talking in the UK Pavilion about our iFeatures initiative and have Damien Wise from Empire chairing the session for us. We're expecting a big crowd as many micro-budget movies are increasingly generating some really good films that audiences are keen to see and everyone wants to know the secrets for success.
It's not all work of course - the London Film Festival had their reception last night and so I'm still suffering from rather a lot of champagne on an empty stomach. Must get a coffee from somewhere soon.......
I've been getting more and more excited about the prospect of attending my first Cannes International Film Festival (my first year, but it's in its 63rd). And now I'm finally here.
Having left a drizzling Bristol, it's great to be in the sun and next to the sea. Despite seeing depictions of the Festival on TV and in print every year, I wasn't quite sure what to expect and am pleased to see the town of Cannes has not been entirely taken over by the Festival and retains its old heart and maze of streets. The Palais and all along the Croisette, however, are dominated by film and film-makers of all nationalities, flogging their wares.
The Festival is quieter than I was expecting, though, which may be down to the current financial climate and lack of real blockbuster films/and celebs in town.
A meeting with Nick Mason Pearson, Director of Press and Public Affairs at British Film, ensured an invitation to the London Film Festival party at the Palais Stephanie, where I got to meet Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian and the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye and picked their brains about the film I was about to see at the Grand Theatre Lumiere screening, Bertrand Tavernier, The Princess of Montpensier. Baz loved it, Peter was less impressed. Being on the red carpet, was an unforgettable experience, but, sadly, I was to side with Peter on this one.
(Image: Kate Kinninmont, the Chief Executive of Women in Film and TV, interviewing Alison Owen, the producer of Chatroom and Tamara Drewe.)
The highlight of this morning has been Kate Kinninmont, the Chief Executive of Women in Film and TV, interviewing Alison Owen, the producer of Chatroom and Tamara Drewe, both of which are films in official selection at Cannes this year. 
Tamara Drewe was shot in the South West with guidance from Fiona and Joe from our Locations Department, so it was gratifying to hear Alison (who is Lily Allen's mother, fact fans!) saying how she'd loved finding locations that exactly fit the original comic strip and that Tamara Drewe was shaping up to being one of her favourite films of the 24 she's produced.
(Image: Kate Kinninmont & Alison Owen watch clip from Tamara Drewe which was shot in the South West.)
Later today, I'll be back at the UK Film Centre for the panel discussion South West Screen is co-hosting with Film London and Vision+Media on what next for microbudget filmmaking. Off first to see if I can track down some more journos to introduce myself to. I am reliably informed they all hang around at the Grand Hotel after 10pm - as it's the only place that'll have them!
Now that the selected Digital Shorts 2010 filmmakers are developing their projects, we have started to receive reports from the field about what it's like for them.
First up, Dan Gitsham. He says...
"It’s been a busy few weeks since getting shortlisted. Numerous workshops based around Story, Directing & Editing have been excellent at getting my brain considering the impact of all areas of film production.
The title has changed as there seems to be no room for the Dead Rabbits… they seem distracting… it is currently being called Ella although I have been warned that there are plenty of shorts called Ella… Hopefully not plenty of shorts about Demonic Feral Children being hunted by their Angry Father and his Rifle.
Had a great first development session with Nicole discussing the whys and wherefores but mostly the history inherent in the story. Have just finished a backstory which should inform all the choices the characters make and what we would make in designing the film.
Overall exciting, creative times." Dan Gitsham
We held an event at Dartington Hall on 31st March 2010 to celebrate and share learning from all the DFAF projects in the region. This was a chance for all the projects to come together and share their experiences and proved a really inspirational event. Dartington showed us how they are bringing to life archive footage of performance from the 1930s, Glastonbury’s Liz Leyshon updated on her theatrical length documentary on the history of the legendary Somerset town, World of ArthurCox presented their fantastic project A Time Traveller’s Guide to Bristol and North Devon’s brilliantly retro Moviebus also made an appearance. Thanks to Dee Davison UKFC and Libbie McQuillan: Olsberg-spi who both attended. We are now developing an area of the website to profile the DFAF projects in detail - thanks so much to everyone who came along to the event to 'show and tell' - it really is a fantastic range of projects.
Fiona and I travelled down to the Isles of Scilly the week before last in order to ascertain the practicalities of filming there. Not only will this allow us to advise productions with a great deal more accuracy but will also influence how we market it as a location in the future. It also gave us an opportunity to meet with Katherine Sleep, Tourism Officer (and filming contact) for the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Katherine gave us a whistle stop tour of St Mary's and Tresco and it really is a truly unique and beautiful place. If you would like to talk through the logistics of filming on the Isles of Scilly then please do call us at the office. The truth is that it is probably not as difficult as you might think.
On the way back up through Cornwall we also took the opportunity to meet with council contacts at Cornwall County Council. We will be making appointments to visit our Council and Local Authority contacts in the other parts of the region over the next few months.
On the 9th and 10th March our department hosted a Familiarisation Trip for 10 feature film, television drama and commercials Location Managers - all of whom were members of the Guild of Location Managers. The two day trip took in potential filming locations in Gloucestershire, South Glos, Bristol and Bath, including Chavenage House, Cotswold Airport, Badminton House, the Roman Baths and the Bank of England building.
The trip received very positive feedback which included: ‘Thanks you so much for the last few days. It was a pleasure to be shown workable film locations by people who understand what we do', and... ‘Thank you so much for an excellent fam trip. I thoroughly enjoyed it as I think everyone did. It was a great mix of locations and gave us a really informed overview of the area'.
Huge thanks must go to Access Bookings who managed to secure accommodation and drinks at The Bristol Hotel, dinner at the Hotel Du Vin, and lunch at the Mecure Bath Francis Hotel. Other contributors to the event were Bristol City Council, Bath & NE Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council, Gloucester City Council, and Cheltenham Borough Council.
We are hoping to run similar trips to the other counties in our region in the near future.
The British Council invited myself and the lovely Derrick Price (Chairman of the Watershed Council of Management) to present at two workshops in Indonesia focussing on the role of creative organisations in creating and developing public spaces and places. Our first port of call was Bandung, Indonesia’s fourth largest city and the capital of West Java. After twenty four hours of travelling and four hours sleep, Derrick and I made it to our first meeting: a 7am breakfast meeting with a young architect in Bandung who has established the Bandung Creative City Forum to campaign for joined-up thinking on the creative future of his home city. What really stands out about the businesses and citizens of Bandung is the passion they all have for their city. They are immensely proud of Bandung’s heritage, its potential and importantly their ability to do good simply by volunteering their time and energy collectively. One of their plans is to take on the running and maintenance of the city’s small parks. Bandung is a lush garden city. Established by the Dutch, it still has shades of its colonial past but many of its public spaces have either been built upon or faded into dereliction. The Bandung Creative City Forum aims to change that with an ingenious scheme under which local businesses buy land as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility budgets and allow local communities to use it. In return, the communities maintain the land and also commit send their children (usually from some of Bandung’s poorest slum areas) to school and other educational or cultural projects. It’s a win win situation for everyone resulting in a regenerated park for public use.
Check out the British Council’s website in Indonesia www.britishcouncil.or.id
Our next stop was Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, which is quite unlike any city I’ve ever been to before. What I couldn’t reconcile was the amount of traffic, (reminiscent of the scene in 'Falling Down' when Michael Douglas has a hissy fit in the middle of a traffic jam!) with the absence of any road accidents and absolutely pristine cars. I quickly worked out it was because traffic moves at the speed of a snail with a limp!
Jakarta City Government is keen to get people back using some of its grand public buildings in the centre of the city. The British Council has been working closely with local community groups, artists, producers and creatives in both Indonesia and the UK to put together a programme in which creative people and businesses explore different approaches to regenerating public spaces through film and moving image. After a meeting with the Deputy Governor for Culture and Tourism we took part in a day of workshops, culminating in an amazing video installation – ‘video mapping’ – in Fatahillah Square in Jakarta’s Old City area.
You can see a short segment of the video here and further information on the project here.
It is always inspiring to see how creative projects are embraced by communities around the world. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of our goals when we get bogged down or sidetracked by bureaucracy and negativity. But here in Indonesia we were able to see with fresh eyes the benefits that creative people and ideas can bring to people’s everyday lives. The video installation was just the final touch to a campaign that is successfully restoring a sense of pride and ownership in the environment, which can only have a positive impact in the future.
South West Screen hopes to be doing more work with Indonesian producers and content creators so if you’re interested then please let us know by emailing info@swscreen.co.uk
Wednesday 3 February
People braved the snow to attend the UK networking event held at the Henley Park Hotel. Approx. 70 people came along and the companies enjoyed an informal networking opportunity with US poduction companies, Cineflix, PBS International, C4i, and Silverdocs, among others. We were event treated to a couple of show tunes from Steve Humphries [Testimony Films] on the piano.
Tuesday was the busiest day in the UK meeting room which saw meetings with Wall to Wall, Animal Planet, BBC Worldwide and ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Overall companies have been very positive about the Summit with many considering a return visit next year. Check back later for more detailed feedback from the delegates.......
Today’s workshops include ‘21st Century Factual’, ‘Everything you always wanted to know from a Commissioning Editor but were afraid to ask’, and ‘Integrated Budgets, Schedules, Cash Flows and Actuals for Reality and Doc TV’.
Tuesday 2 February
The Summit has kicked off to a great start and the 12th edition looks set to be the biggest in its history, with more speakers and registered delegates than ever before.
The had a steady flow of traffic throughout the day as companies dipped in and out between workshop sessions (the most useful being reported as ‘Speed Pitching’ and ’30 minutes with....’) and their own one-to-one meetings. Among those visiting the delegation on Monday were Animal Planet, National Geographic and Discovery, to name but a few.
As with previous summits, activity takes place in the ‘conference centre’ basement of the Renaissance Washington Hotel, although many one-to-one meeting s are conducted in the hotel lobby/bar/starbucks. The hosted meeting rooms (including ours) can be found on the first floor and on the ground is the delegate lounge, conference halls and exhibitors corridor. Companies enjoyed a further networking opportunity at the Opening Party and this sci-fi geek was delighted to spot Joe Pantoliano, aka Cypher in The Matrix, in the crowd.
Tuesday starts with a Keynote Interview with Abbie Raven, President & CEO of A&E Television Networks followed by more ‘speed pitching’ sessions, ‘Ethics in Non-Fiction Filmmaking’, ‘Producing Programming for the Global Market’, ‘Bringing in the Brands’, ‘3DTV’ and of course the UK networking event. RSVP’s stand at 95 and include representatives from Nat Geo, Silverdocs, Cineflix, ITV Studios Global Entertainment, Science Channel, TVF International and Discovery.
Sunday 31 January
The UK has landed...literally! When we arrived in Washington DC we were greeted with 4-inches of snow, but they’re not scared of the white stuff over here, the plane landed, applied the emergency brake and we came to an instant halt!
The weather doesn’t seem to have deterred delegates and the hotel has already started to fill up with companies keen to take advantage of early registration and meet key contacts at the pre-Summit welcome drinks, sponsored by the Discovery Channel. Over 1,300 delegates are expected to attend this year’s event and one delegate was even heard to say that the Summit has become more important than MIP for factual and documentary producer - this is where you need to be!
We spent some time setting up the UK meeting room (room 12-14 on level two - come and say 'hello' if you are attending) which the UK delegation companies can use throughout the 3-day Summit. They are also represented in the January/February edition of the Realscreen magazine [with a full page ad], and feature on all associated signage and literature as one of the official delegations.
.jpg "History Channel Party")
The Summit is set to be jam packed with sessions and one-to-one meetings. Day One (Monday 1 February) includes workshops on ‘Music and Media Licensing – Hitting the Right Notes’, ‘American Archives’, ‘Ask the Expert – Producers Legal Counsel’, ‘International Coproduction – Making it Work’ and ‘Speed Pitching’, to name but a few, and culminates in the Opening Night Party, sponsored by the History Channel.
Check back for regular updates as the week progresses...
Lord Davies of Abersoch, the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, visited Bristol’s Paintworks on Thursday 21st as part of a UK-wide series of roadshows to engage with Britain’s diverse industry sectors and find out how they would like to see UK Trade & Investment help them move forward.
Bristol and the South West had been chosen to represent the Creative Industries, giving the Minister a chance to fulfill a long-held ambition to visit Aardman Animations!
A delayed started (Aardman clearly warranted a long, detailed tour!) meant the 100 + representatives of private and public sector helped themselves to locally produced sausages and cheese whilst they mingled. The Minister then swept in to network, speak and answer questions from the floor. It was a slick event. From Lord Davies’ charm, enthusiasm and good humour, you wouldn’t have thought Britain was the last major economy to emerge from the worst recession in 70 years, nor that Labour was facing the prospect of an end to its 12-year reign in government.
The upbeat Minister for Trade spoke about his commitment to improving skills, innovation, access to finance and opportunities for women in business. He then took a seat alongside Sir John Sorrell (UK Trade & Investment’s Business Ambassador) to answer questions. It was all a most civilised affair, during which Lord Davies’ committed to forming a South West regional trade mission for the Creative Industries (we all wrote that one down!) and reiterated an earlier voiced concern about a lack of confidence holding British business back.
It was a positive afternoon, with lots of rhetoric about investing in skills, women, business confidence and sustainable growth. Due to time constraints, many questions went unanswered, but the Minister was keen to be accessible and approachable. ‘Email me personally,’ was his advice on all aspects of international trade. He reports direct to both David Miliband and Peter Mandelson, so if he can’t answer your question himself, you can bet he knows a man who can.
This is a hard entry to write.
Whilst we're now focussed on the panel interviews later this week, I’m painfully aware that for each one of the 26 projects/teams that are shortlisted, there are 20 more that we’re unable to take forward. That’s just the harsh maths that 550 submissions have presented us with !
As I’ve indicated in previous blogs, we’re hugely respectful of the effort that went into every submission and I hope that we've demonstrated that in how we've gone about the selection process.
Each proposal was read by two different script readers and all supporting materials were thoroughly appraised. In addition to being scored against the various criteria outlined in the guidelines, the readers provided a short written summary of their overall impressions.
All of this information was then collated, reviewed, reviewed again and a longlist of 80 projects drawn up. These received two more reads by the development teams within BBC Films and iFeatures before being discussed at a day-long submissions “summit”. From this, the 26 shortlist emerged.
It’s a shortlist that encompasses a wide range of voices, genres, talent, experience, benefits and risk. Whilst the quality of the ideas demands the most attention, it’s heartening that the gender split within the shortlisted teams has turned out to be almost exactly 50/50, with 15 of the projects having a female lead applicant. 40% of the team members come from Bristol, 20% from the broader South West and 40% from other cities/regions.
We’ll be publishing some more stats in the next few weeks as well as providing some more detailed observations on the submissions as a whole. Hopefully, this will help filmmakers to refine their pitches as they look to other opportunities.
Now I’m going to be cheeky and share part of an email that I received this morning. I hope it reflects the experience of so many of the people who bid into the scheme:
“….Although I naturally hate you a little bit after not getting short listed I just wanted to say that it has been good to develop my story and that it has got me involved with a producer I have wanted to work with for ages and who is staying on board. So thanks for that.'
So D Day has finally arrived and South West Screen's offices received the most ENORMOUS number of applications ever in the history of the world. We don't yet have official figures, but we're definitely in the region of several hundred. The amazingly organised Melissa Blackburn makes Miss Moneypenny look like an amateur - I'm certain she could run the NHS with the systems she has devised to process the phenomenal response we've had. The office has been deluged all day with hard luck stories of dogs eating applications, distant relations arriving from Argentina and long lost brothers turning up unexpectedly - all leading to "delays" and late applications! Ms Blackburn however has spoken - no excuses will wash I'm afraid. Today's avalanche of applications is a credit to the team at South West Screen particularly Executive Producer Chris Moll who has traversed the country explaining the scheme to filmmakers everywhere and Development Coordinator Melissa who has displayed levels of patience last practiced by Mother Teresa. The hard work starts now as we all begin the long march to the reading room. Watch this space ...
Has anyone in the South West had anything to do with Demand Media? Our board member, Dan'l Hewitt - the Director of Digital Content at Bebo - never lets a development in the world of digital media pass him by. He's brought this article in Wired to our attnention and we were wondering if anyone in our region.
Check out the article below and let us know what your experience has been...
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_demandmedia/all/1
Not sure if it's because I've just come back from maternity leave and have gone all soppy and maternal but the first film 'Robin' really affected me. A young boy in Germany is taken back to his highrise council flat after a period in care and it's clear from the outset that his depressed mum and her violent partner just aren't equipped to parent him. A really heartbreaking film, brilliantly paced - you feel trapped in the horrible flat with them and the soundtrack of Robin's baby sister's incessant crying... One that will stay with me.
Another kid having a hideous time was Australian Joe in 'Miracle Fish', an exceptional dramatic short with a shock ending from filmmaker Luke Doolan. When Joe slopes off to the school sick bay on his 8th birthday to escape the bullies, a Columbine style massacre occurs...see this film if you can - it's brilliant.
It was the kids committing the atrocity in 'Beheading of a Smiling Dog', (Switzerland) which - if you'll pardon the pun - does what it says on the (dog food) tin. Watched this through my fingers - not only am I soppy and maternal, I'm a sucker for cute animals to boot. Shocking, dark and probably happening for real right now somewhere in the world...
So on to the adults...I really enjoyed 'Roma', an atmospheric Mexican short from Director/Producer Elisa Miller focusing on a young woman's clandestine journey by freight train. Hiding in a soap factory to rest and wash before boarding another train, she is befriended by a kind stranger. Very little dialogue but brilliant performances mean the characters say a lot.
'A Good Friend of Mr World' left me cold - sorry Sweden!
Another strong programme - thanks Encounters.
Hanging around the Watershed and specifically the delegates area yesterday in between volunteer duties, I couldn’t help but notice that there were probably more i-phones and laptops than people. Ok, maybe not, but the level of connectivity this year astounded me. I started to feel sorry for our 1994-selves at the first Brief Encounters festival, with our filo-faxes and rolodexes primatively swapping business cards and vhs tapes. Yesterday I saw a London School of Communications student doing (what can only be described) as a violent brushing action across his i-phone to that of a Romanian filmmaker at the festival. I was later informed that this was an application on the i-phone where one can ‘slide’ a business card from one handset to another. I definitely feel out of the loop….
Still this was the theme of my day, and the buzz (be it electric or otherwise) was certainly as strong as ever. With reviews, tweets and just random thoughts hitting the digi-sphere at a dizzying rate I thought back to when I was a student (all of two years ago) and how networking and simply getting yourself out there is the 1st commandment for a young filmmaker. Two days into the festival and it seemed everyone was taking full advantage.
One of my roles was to man the HP Digital Viewing library, a 9 stationed room whereby you can go and watch any of the films featured at the festival. This year, it's faster and slicker than ever and you can even get on wirelessly using your own laptop – no wonder tweets are fluttering online so fast. Yesterday it was all about New York musical/documentary filmmaking genius Jem Cohen and his two events at the Arnolfini – sadly I missed it but have it on good authority than its already being cited as one of the gems (sorry) of this year.
Something I did catch which stayed etched in my mind was Off Season by Jonathan Van Tulleken. An amazingly crafted chilling two man (well one man and a dog) tale of a man who steals from Canadian summer homes during the unforgiving winter and makes a gruesome discovery. I nearly soiled the Watersheds comfortable seats…. Pulling up a pew at the viewing library I can also highly recommend ‘Megatron’ in the Romanian Shorts, it attracted me at first because I love the Transformers but once you realise no robots are featured you get into this genuinely heart-warming tale.
Oh, and speaking of all this technology - at least the humble pen and paper isn’t lost on everyone Encounters have provided a message book at the delegate desk….
A packed audience in Watershed's cinema 1 were treated to a brilliantly varied programme of shorts from the South West last night. Put together by festival programmer Mark Cosgrove, 'Made in the South West' featured 8 new shorts both animation and live action from some of our region's brightest talent.
Sarah-Jane Meredith from South West Screen introduced the screening and it was great to see some of the filmmakers in the audience -
Tom Stubbs and Michael Smith- whose film Light and Dark(made as part of the Tor scheme) got a brilliant response - as it did during Tuesday's Opening Highlights screening. So clever, witty and touching and a real treat to see it on the big screen.
Tom Williams - Inconceivable - about a couple going to great lengths to conceive a baby - great fun - I think babies have been on Tom's mind - I noticed his baby daughter Violet in the credits!
I'm sure there were more of the filmmakers there ...let me know if you were....
Other highlights for me - Flogging Molly Float - a beautiful and stirring mix of animation and 'real world' - I'm dying to find out what the music is - doesn't say in the brochure... All my Dreams on VHS - a great idea and very well conceived...The Surprise Demise of Francis Cooper's Mother - dark, dry, violent animation with a fantastic voiceover from Alexei Sayle.
Great to see Wallace and Gromit on the big screen again in A Matter of Loaf and Death - you notice new details every time you watch it. George Chan's Trapped was really menacing - excellent performace from Sean Pertwee. Sleep by Chris Barnett was moving and beautifully shot.
The programme ended with Light and Dark and it's just struck me that as well as being the name of Michael and Tom's film it could sum up the content of the screening as well. Congrats to all the filmmakers involved and good luck with both the UKFC Audience Award and the South West Screen Audience Award.
There's another chance to see the programme at 4.30pm tomorrow, Saturday. Book your tickets from Watershed now.
Mark Leaver picks out the key themes from the C21 Future Media Conference.
C21 FutureMedia 2009 conference.
In his opening address Eric Huggers, Director of Future Media & Technology, BBC, set the theme for the day when he described the key trend for 2009 and 2010 as "social media". With Facebook as the 3rd most visited site on the web, Twitter displaying 3000% user growth and recent deals such as the Electronic Arts purchase of social gaming business Playfish for $400M, social media is seen as the significant new market driver.
The internet has lowered the barriers of entry to the market, therefore the new battle is one for the attention of the consumer, and in this environment discovery through social relationships is the key - what are my friends and peers recommending to me?
At present iPlayer has 5M users per week, but the BBC is actively pushing iPlayer onto new platforms (including the Nintendo Wii and PS3) and incorporating new social features. In 2010 iPlayer will display an ability to connect to "friends" as part of the key navigation, linking to Facebook and other social media sites. For Huggers the advent of mobile computing (i.e. the reach of the iPhone) matched to social media is the "game changer".
Jon Gisby, Director of Future Media & Technology at Channel 4, picked up this theme. For him the impact of social media had some key imperatives:
• Opportunity - new platforms, customers and revenue streams
• Collapsing Value Chain - lower cost and complexity of distribution
• New competitors - the above brings new players into the space
• New skills - new models require different skills and thinking
Channel 4 has just done one of the most interesting deals in this space - their tie between 4OD and YouTube. For him there is a "risk in innovation, but a bigger risk in standing alone".
A preview of the 4OD YouTube channel shows a joint branding and promotion very consistent with Channel 4's core brand - and in this there is a pointer.
YouTube, the biggest player in the online content marketplace, (300M users monthly worldwide / 20 hours of new content uploaded every minute according to Patrick Walker, Director of EMEA Partnerships, YouTube) clearly has a strategic drive to move away from the "cats on skateboards" image through the implementation of strong DRM systems and diagnostics to attract major content partners (as well as highlighting revenue drivers, for example the Month Python effect). Walker consistently references experimentation as YouTube "trying things out" but the prize is clear - "38% of media is viewed online, but only 9% of advertising budgets are currently spent online".
branded content
The idea of multiplatform (or 360 or cross-media, take your pick) has been floating for a few years, with some examples of success (i.e. Kate Modern) but no real breakthrough. Within the conference there were some very interesting examples of new content which capitalise on the engagement of online platforms, and use the power of social media to drive traffic. In many cases these productions are co-funded by major brands, a scenario which should become easier in the UK as legislation is relaxed.
Final Punishment - produced by Beactive (best known for Sofia's Diary on Bebo) Final Punishment, a horror set in a maximum security prison, is "broadcasting" in Brazil. Starting with fake news stories on news sites, content was then released via mobile and through ARG-type elements, including live events. The finale is a 4 part "mockumentary" on TV which reveals the solution. Budget c. $350k.
Married on MySpace - produced by Endemol this format sees a MySpace community choose from a number of couples planning to get married and then make absolutely all of the decisions regarding their wedding plans. Key brand sponsors were JC Penney and Disney (tied to the release of a film called The Proposal) and others feature heavily in the choices presented, i.e. clothes, honeymoon destinations etc. The programme attracted 15M video views over 13 weeks.
1 vs 100 - again produced by Endemol, a release of the game show on Xbox Live, using new features which allow mass interactivity within a scheduled appointment - recreating the shared, scheduled experience but on an entirely new platform. 1 vs 100 is an avatar based, massive multiplayer quiz game - with 114,000 simultaneous players during the first series. Sponsors are Sprint, Windows 7 and Honda.
warning
Amidst this furious agreement about the new potential in this space there was a clear warning raised by Eric Huggers (BBC), for him there were two key challenges which could fundamentally undermine UK progress:
• There is an upcoming crunch point where the UK has to rapidly improve its digital infrastructure, the Government ambition of 2MB in their Digital Britain policy is way too low. He cited a conversation in South Korea where they were embarrassed about their 100MB as standard infrastructure and were planning an upgrade to 1GB.....
• Also there is clear gap in talent and skills, especially in software engineering and technical design, the UK needs to "step up" this education strand in order to remain competitive.
phrase of the day
"accelerated obsolescence" - attributed to Justin Judd from iRights, example given was Second Life quickly followed by "Bebo next?"
From yesterday's experience it would seem that although the expo is open between 10.00 - 20.00, the main activity happens between 11.00 - 13.00 and 17.00 - 19.00. Siesta-time still applies even in 20 degrees in November!
Last night I was invited to the 'Opening Party' which turned out to be drinks and canapés at the Real Alcazar; a rather beautiful Moorish building very close to the Cathedral.
The 'Party' consisted of speeches (in Spanish and English), an abundance of beer, wine and sherry served with interesting if eclectic canapés, followed by a Spanish singer with piano accompaniment singing 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'. I left after about 1.5 hours and walked back to the hotel through the Santa Cruz district (the old part of the city.)
Hotel problems now sorted out..a much better night's sleep!
I'm hoping to go to a seminar today on co-production financing, as well as talking to the Bond team about choosing locations for the Bond movies. I want to check out the Film Festival list of attendees too, to get a better idea of who comes and how seriously it's taken.
Hola from Seville!
I'm here on a fact-finding mission on behalf of (and subsidised by) the UK Film Council's national and regional screen agencies. SEVILLE INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS EXPO (SILE); is the first major location trade fair in Europe, and this is its first year..JPG)
SWScreen attended a similar event in Berlin in 2008 which was part of the Berlin Film Festival; badly publicised and marketed and consequently very poorly attended. This time all the screen agencies felt it better to send one person over to check it out and report back. Individual agencies and the UKFC themselves can then decide whether to attend in future or not. The Guild of Location Managers have taken an exhibition stand at SILE and as I'm still a member, it gives me a base to work from while here.
SILE is set in a marquee in the Prado de San Sebastian; also the setting for the main Film Festival which starts tomorrow.
There are about 40 stands - some with a greater impact than others - including Abu Dhabi, Namibia, Mexico and quite a few from the Spanish regions. It's the first morning and still quite quiet; perhaps when the main festival starts tomorrow it'll get busier. This year's Film Festival theme is British films (perhaps that's why Harriet Walter was on the flight over yesterday?) so there may be some British talent turning up tomorrow.
I'll use the rest of the day to get my bearings, work out which seminars to attend, get to chat to other exhibitors, etc. I also have to move hotel rooms as I discovered when I woke up this morning (having arrived in the dark) that I am at the farthest corner of the hotel, with no natural daylight and a soil stack outside my window which started to smell quite ripe as people got up this morning!
I'll let you know how I get on.
The second round of the groundbreaking Media Sandbox scheme officially wrapped up yesterday with a special showcase event at the Watershed. Sandbox is a unique collaboration between South West Screen, HP Labs, SWRDA and iShed to foster innovation and experimentation in pervasive media and wireless technologies. This year has been a big one for Media Sandbox, which has funded six new participants through the crucial R&D phase of their product development, so it was fitting that we celebrated the culmination of the scheme in style with a showcase and two panel discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing pervasive media technologies.
This year’s participants were as follows:
HMC – Visual Voice Pro – a visualization tool to help children with learning difficulties
U-Soap – Viral Spiral – a new entertainment format crossing TV and digital media
SFW – Street Art Dealer – a project using QR codes to directly link street artists and audience
Nomos – AudioEnable – a mobile audio blogging tool for schools
Indie Mobile – a mobile app linking communities to brands
AntiVJ – a software mapping tool for projection and visual arts
See www.mediasandbox.co.uk for full details on the projects.
The first panel explored “experiences”, enabled through technology but where the technology was more or less visible; the second looked at “software as a service”, across mobile in particular. A common theme was the opportunity afforded through the Sandbox scheme, allowing space to experiment and develop.
This year’s Sandbox has invested in projects which whilst experimental, show clear market potential. This was reinforced last night by the fact the 5 of the 6 projects were already at the developed product phase – with sales already secured.
Both panels were well attended with agencies on the lookout for the next new idea and some prospective candidates for next year’s funding programme mingling with this year’s project managers. Representatives from Bebo, DCMS, CITIN, Calvium, Skillset, seventy6 and Orange were all on hand to share their experiences. We hope to launch the next round of Sandbox funding later this year, so keep an eye on the South West Screen website for details.
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Bristol hit the media headlines yesterday by becoming the first city to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the BBC to promote a closer working relationship on all things digital media related.
Mark Thompson, the Director General of the BBC, was in town to sign the three year agreement along with Caroline Thomsom, the corporation’s COO, and special guest, Sir David Attenborough, who introduced a special preview screening of the first episode of ‘Life’, the latest offering from the world leading BBC Natural History Unit.
Addressing the assembled heads of tv production, councillors, educators and other players in the media world in Bristol, Mark Thompson praised the contribution Bristol makes to the world of broadcasting and looked forward to collaborating with us on iFeatues, SWS’s microbudget feature film initiative, a programme of training in deprived communities, a “new drive” in local schools and a “school for DJs”, which will see the BBC open up its studios to would-be presenters of producers.
The ‘Anchor Collaboration’ is a welcome shot in the arm for a city still very much smarting from the loss of Casualty to Wales announced earlier this year. It demonstrates the BBC’s commitment to working with the regions, an item high on the agenda as they prepare for large swathes to decamp to Salford Quays. The partners, which include SWS, Bristol City Council, the South West RDA and Bristol’s Creative Media Alliance (which includes the Watershed Media Centre, University of Bristol and Futurelab) are fired up now to see how this new agreement – the first ever city partnership for the BBC - will work out, and are optimistic that this investment of good faith will lead to future investments of capital into the creative media industries of the region.
The 4th International Screenwriters’ Festival was launched in Cheltenham on Friday. Quite a day for storytelling in the South West, as it coincided with Ben Stephenson’s (BBC Head of Drama Commissioning) talk to writers and producers in Bristol. Two local writing institutions – Bob Baker and Maurice Gran were joined in Cheltenham by LA newcomer Doug Chamberlin. Bob Baker is probably best known for his screenplays for that intrepid duo, Wallace & Grommit, but he was more excited about his new Australian network-backed series, K-9. Yes K-9! Bob, it turns out is the inventor of K-9 and has written a children’s adventure series which we all hope to see one day here in the UK. Maurice Gran, one half of the Marks and Gran that gave us Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart, is a Cheltenham resident and Doug Chamberlin is probably best known for his writing on Toy Story 2. Doug has re-located from sunny California to the South West of England as part of his new adventure in Europe.
Listening to each talk about their work, two things were clearly apparent. The first was that all three were incredibly entertaining – their communication talents were obviously not confined to the page. The second was how important it is for writers to get out and commune with each other and how limited the opportunities are for doing this. This year’s festival looks stunning – there are speakers such as Focus Feature’s head James Schamus (The Ice Storm; Brokeback Mountain); Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty; Slumdog Millionaire); Catherine Johnson (Mamma Mia!); producer Nik Powell (Company of Wolves; The Crying Game; Mona Lisa) and Tony Grisoni (The Red Riding Trilogy). If you haven’t bought your ticket yet then click here to find out more, definitely worth a visit if you’re interested in stories and storytelling.
Fiona and I went down to Yeovil on Friday to visit Turn of the Screw on location at Brympton D'Evercy. South West Screen gave the production team help in prep with crewing and location finding so we were eager to find out how they were getting on.
It was 1pm by the time we had battled down the A37 and there was only one thing to do - jump on the catering bus for a spot of lunch to catch up with Tim Faulkner (Location Manager), Collin Wratten (Producer) and Chris Ballantyne (Line Producer) and discuss their experiences at Brympoton D'Evercy and also how they had found Yeovil as a production base.
This is a helpful process for us as we can use any feedback to assist other productions coming in to the region. Huge thanks to all on what was a really informative and productive day.
Who's new?
Joe has joined South West Screen as Production Liaison Assistant from Company Pictures where he worked in a variety of roles; most recently as Production Assistant. When he is not creating birthday decorations, Joe handles the day-to-day location and filming enquiries and oversees the Locations Database as well as the Production Guide. Welcome Joe!
Northern laughs
Jane has recently graduated from UWE with a BA (Hons) in Media Practice, and a CERTHE in Cultural and Media Studies with Spanish. Between stints watching online comedy, she produced a number of short films, both drama and documentary, in the UK and Thailand. Prior to her degree she lived and worked in Madrid, Spain, where she taught English and worked in a bar. Jane has joined South West Screen for a three month internship. Welcome Jane!
Cathy Gremin and I were invited down to Poole last week for Sequel to Cannes, a networking event (cue sweaty palms and nervous laughter) held at the RNLI Lifeboat College designed to aid and assist film industry professionals and associates. The reason I was there was firstly to show support for Duncan Kerr, Economic Development Officer at Poole Council, who was launching Location Poole, an online location and crew database designed to encourage film and television production into the area. Location Poole was setup with the support of South West Screen - although as I'm only in my first few weeks at SWS I really can't take credit - and will feed into our own Production Guide and Locations database for the South West, ensuring a more comprehensive service for everyone.
The second purpose of our attendance - much to my surprise (and horror - I knew Cathy was involved in this but didn't realise I was as well!) was to act as ‘consultants' for a speed networking session. This actually turned out to be a very useful session. It was great meeting such a variety of people and hopefully we were able to give some sort of help and guidance. Not only do these processes make you realise how many talented people there are in the South West but also that many of them run into the same problems and share similar experiences. I also found out that I know more than I think I did!
The bonus of the evening was that we were also given a live demonstration of the RNLI sea survival pool - a tank which creates realistic storm conditions, complete with thunder, lightning, wind and waves which is generally used to train lifeboat crews. As you can imagine, the RNLI have seen the fantastic opportunity this can offer to film and television productions and is now actively promoting it as a filming location. Check out their website for more information.
The new Chairman of the UK Film Council, Tim Bevan, visited Bristol for a whistle-stop tour on Friday. He was accompanied by three other members of the UKFC board – Amanda Walsh, Pippa Cross and Rebecca O’Brien as well as UKFC CEO John Woodward and Head of UK Partnerships, Tim Cagney.
The party began their visit at Knowle West Media Centre, which John and Tim had visited two years previously. Obviously much has changed since their first visit and the group were incredibly impressed at the result of KWMC’s hard work in building their wonderful new centre. Whilst there we met with a number of young people working on music scores, digital animation and photography as well as meeting the very impressive filmmaker, Michael Smith. After a visit to Aardman - who coincidentally have also moved into a brand new building – the group visited Watershed to watch a number of clips by local filmmakers, meet some of them and also talk to a couple of people involved in exhibition and festival activity.
The purpose of the visit was to give an idea of how UKFC investment is used in the region as the new board begin their deliberations on re-positioning the UK Film Council in the coming years. Public investment as we all know is getting tighter and next year will see a real reduction in the UKFC’s budget as Lottery money is skewed towards Olympic activity. There will be tough times ahead and hard choices for the UKFC and other cultural organisations to make in terms of what interventions will deliver the impact they believe to be useful for the sector. South West Screen’s mission has always been to ensure the cultural and the commercial do not become separated by public sector red tape and this is the message we relayed again to our visitors. We also sought to persuade them – through relevant examples - that the best way of making decisions on sector investment is at the local rather than the national level and that the opportunity to enjoy, experience and work in the creative media should be open to everyone and not just a small section of the South East.
There was a lot of ground to cover in just one day, but I hope we gave the Film Council a flavour of the work their money funds here. Our thanks goes to everyone who came along to bang the drum for Film Council support of the Regional Screen Agencies and we hope that the visit pays dividends in terms of ongoing support.
This Week's film Club is going to see Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince - Showcase Cinema at cabot Circus. Meeting at 6.45 for a drink.
The greatly anticipated Digital Britain report has been published today.
Click here to see the final report.
A "small levy" on all fixed telephone lines fund the next generation of broadband, new legislation to outlaw peer-to-peer file sharing, a consultation on sharing of the BBC licence fee post-2013 and ongoing talks between BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 were among the headlines, as well as the appointment of lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane-Fox as Digital Inclusion Champion.
South West Screen chair, Roger Laughton will be live on the BBC news channel to discuss the impact.
Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report is to be published at 3:30 this afternoon. The much anticipated report is expected to reveal the Government’s plans to tackle file-sharing and bring broadband internet access to the whole country.
It is also expected to shed light on how companies like Channel 4 might cope with the impact of the internet and whether the BBC will be made to share part of the licence fee with its commercial rivals.
South West Screen’s chair, Roger Laughton CBE will be on the BBC news channel this afternoon from 3:15pm to comment on Digital Britain as it is published. Watch him here.
Roger has a history in broadcasting and has been Head of Network Features at the BBC, the first CEO of Meridian and headed up United Broadcasting and Entertainment. Roger is a Fellow of the Royal Television Society and also currently sits on the boards of the Arts Institute of Bournemouth, the Grierson Trust and Metfilm.
Monday 15th June: We are watching 'Looking for Eric' at the Watershed at 8:30pm. Meet at the bar from 8pm.
Banksy brings his work back to Bristol for his latest exhibition.
If anyone were in any doubt about the importance of Bristol as a creative hub, today's news that Banksy is returning to his home town will have banished any such misgivings.
The world famous artist and one of the city's most famous sons is staging his largest exhibition to date in the council-owned City Museum and Art Gallery.
Banksy v Bristol Museum features more than 100 of his pieces, 70 of them new, and includes animatronics, installations and a sensory display. It will be open to the public from 13th June until 31st August 2009.
Bristol is home to a vast array of artists, musicians, gamers, animators and filmmakers and is home to the BBC Natural History Unit as well as drama productions such as Mistresses, Being Human and Skins. As such, it is often seen as a flagship of the South West, a region which just last year was highlighted as a Creative Industries National Exemplar in the Government's ‘Creative Britain' Strategy.
This exhibition is exactly the shot in the arm needed to remind people about the cultural importance of Bristol and the South West. In one stroke, Banksy has achieved what the BBC is attempting with its ‘Out of London' strategy: he has shown people that there is a thriving arts and media scene outside of London and that it is here to stay.
What a week – first we have a new Secretary of State at DCMS, and then today we hear that Stephen Carter is stepping down as Communications Minister.
Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter, is the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Previously a Minister in the Department of Health and an ex-BBC journalist, Ben is also the Minister for the South West. He lists opera and the theatre as some of his keen interests and is also rated as a mean disco-diva. I’d say he also bears a slight resemblance to Rupert Everett, which is always a good thing in my view. His new role is a good move for us, as it gives us one point of contact for all things media- and South West related.
But the loss of Stephen Carter is worrying. For the first time ever the government actually seemed to be taking seriously the idea of “joined up government” by appointing Carter to sit across both culture and industry (DCMS and BERR to policy anoraks). Here we had a guy who had experience of working in the private sector, had a stint as a policy chief behind him and seemed to be genuinely passionate about the potential of a decent digital infrastructure for the UK. The long awaited Digital Britain report that Carter has overseen is published tomorrow and the concern must be that unless Gordon Brown appoints an equally experienced new boy (or girl, what a thought!) to push through the action required, Digital Britain will become yet another report to sit on the Whitehall shelf.
Usually traditionally quiet, the final day of Mifa was surprsingly busy with plenty of visitors to the stand, including Les Films, UTV, Famous House Animation, Illustration Studios and French national broadcaster TFI.
Nick Park and Dave Sproxton from Aardman also paid the stand a visit, chatted to some of the UK exhibitors and offered their support for a UK presence within Mifa.
The market officially closes at 7pm today, after a very busy and productive 3-days.
The first day of Mifa was a very busy one for the UK Animation stand, and the majority of stand space was booked for meetings throughout the day.
Among those visiting the UK exhibitors was CBBC; CBeebies; Nickeloden Germany; Gobelins School Paris; TV Loonland; Super RTL; Cake Entertainment; YLE International and Nexus Productions.
Meetings were carried out in 5, 10 or 15min slots which highlighted the importance of pitching technique and [the key word] preparation, preparation, preparation! In addition to the planned meetings, the stand enjoyed a steady stream of traffic throughout the day, helped also by it's great location in the heart of Mifa.
The UK delegation has arrived in Annecy. Mifa was a flurry of activity as companies put the finishing touches to their stands, including ours.
Despite reports of a quiet market, there were noticeably more stands than in previous years with many companies making a welcome return. UK Animation flyers were included in the delegate bags and our presence at Mifa has caused a lot of positive interest - RSVP's to the breakfast briefing on Thursday are now up to over 100.
Six of the UK companies attended a dinner hosted by the Media Content Forum France where they were introduced to key French & Korean businesses.
By midday on the first day, we’ve got the busiest stand at the Fair.
The UK delegation are having meetings with VIVI Films, Disney, TV Loonland and CBeebies today.
The next meeting of the South West Screen Film Club is on Monday 15th June.
Suggestions so far:
Last House on the Left
Star Trek
Looking for Eric
What do you want to see?
Maybe 'Looking for Eric'. Let us know your suggestions via the comments below.
Nick Hand was one of the winners at the Crossing the Void 09 pitch, and as he prepares for the big pitch in Liverpool at the b.TWEEN 09, he will be blogging to keep us up to date with his progress.
This summer I am planning to cycle over 5000 miles on roads around the coast of Britain, leaving home in Bristol on June 20th.
Being a graphic designer and photographer, I am interested in just how much can be done on a bicycle journey. And so I am planning to make and upload up to 50 short films along the way. I am interested in artisans; people who turn a passion into a business. I will interview and present portraits of the artisans who live on the coast of Britain.
South West Screen have been really supportive of the project, and I will keep the site posted of progress. Right now I'm on a fitness campaign, building a website and having a beautiful touring bike built (in Bristol) -just got to do the 5000 miles and make 50 films easy right?
Nick Hand.
On the face of it, this ad for Audi's recuperation system seems like a really simple commercial, nicely executed but it's the music that really makes it work for me.
The composer (Chris from thecomposers.tv) writes: "We pitched two pieces for this ad. A piano based waltz designed to accentuate the coins spinning movement. The second composition, as we thought the previous may be too delicate and understated, explored the theme - energy . Using stick, hand and finger drums we have tried to highlight through contrast the 'beefy' raw energy the engine can repeatedly draw upon. This - the one you're watching won the pitch. Enjoy!"
This trail for Alan Carr: Chatty Man makes me chuckle each time I see it. The script is great and the post production is awesome.
Review by Lusy Talula Bernard.
Firstly i must confess that I am not a film maker or a film reviewer. I am in fact, an art student and therefore the things that i appreciate or acknowledge may be completely different to those which regular users of this site may.
The film, Sounds Like Teen Spirit, could have
gone down the path of evil pushy parents torturing their children into
performing and living the life they never led etc, and certainly when
we met some of the contestants towards the end it was evident that some
parents are like that. But no, the theme of this movie was
re-unification of a war torn continent and i think they told a rather
lovely story and with a beautiful light sense of humour.
In the
film we follow the stories of several groups and individuals from all
over Europe, all hopeful to be winners at the Junior Eurovision Song
Contest. Our emotions are tormented as much as the children's,
particularly as they are announcing the scores and they play "The
Winner Takes It All" by Abba. We see their hearts being wrenched out,
we see they jump for joy, and we are there with them every step of the
way. Our emotions are particularly fraught because we have seen inside
their homes, met their familes, friends, and heard their prayers.
But
to lighten the mood a little these stories are interspliced with almost
novelty information, presented in such a manner that it feels a little
like a Powerpoint slide show of diagrams and archive footage. Don't let
that description disturb you however, when it is not in Powerpoint mode
(which is most of the time) this film rocks. The documentary makers
didn't really have to work hard at all to show just how mature, brave
and brilliant these kids are. Nor did they need to work hard to show
that they got on with each other, because they did, and rather than
being a back biting competition it felt more like a holiday camp where
everyone was best of friends.
I would give it more than just
a "wait for it on the telly" rating, just for the simple fact that
these kids are amazing and really interesting people. My only quibbles
with the film were the powerpointy bits, and the fact that although
unification of Europe (through song) was quite evidently the theme, we
saw very little interaction between the children. Instead i felt that
some bits were just put in for a quick laugh rather than to follow the
core ideal.
Overall I would say it is a thoroughly enjoyable film but the contestants make it so, not the film makers.
I hope you enjoy.
You all had a say, and for tonight's film club, we are watching 'Sounds Like Teen Spirit'
The 8:30pm showing at the Watershed, today Monday June 1st.
Meet at the bar from 8pm. If you hold the latest copy of the Watershed's programme (June), we will know you are there for film club!
The South West Screen film club is next meeting on Monday, June 1st. We could go see this...
Or this...
Or it might be something else, let us know in the comments below...
Last night the South West Screen Film club went to see Synecdoche, New York. It had us talking well into the night. If you have seen it, let us know what you think.
Synecdoche, Film Club review by DeCoursey
Last will and Testament of Jeremy DeCoursey Oh, sorry wrong place. But slightly apt considering the content of the Charlie Kaufman's directing debut Synecdoche, New York. Let me start by saying that I think some of Charlie Kaufmans previous work has been some of most thoughtful I have seen in the past few years. Every time I watch Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind I seem to see something that I had either forgotten, or hadn't noticed. So, Synecdoche, New York.
First off what's with the title. I cannot pronounce the title, and to me it doesn't really mean anything. Going to buy my ticket, and not being able to say the name of the film isn't always the best. I was kinda hoping that during the course of the film, it was going to say the title at least one, so I might be able to hear how it's actually pronounced. To the review, from the above I hope you can see that, regardless of not being able to say the title; but I am a fan of Charlie Kaufman so was looking forward to it. The film looked great, there are scenes from a constantly burning house, to the facasard of a set-building being made. The city within the warehouse was nothing more than impressive. Slightly dodgy greenscreen moments, but that's fine.
Phillip Seymour Hoffmans acting was superb; he seemed to suffer from OCD and loads of other mental illnesses. And it's funny. His make-up to make him look older was great, I know I was sitting there wondering how they were doing it. BUT It's long. It's run time is just over 2 hours, but it seems like 5 hours long. Just after an hour I was just waiting for Hoffmans character to die, as it was ineitiable. Every time someone else died I though "oh, still not Cotard" Another problem is trying to work out ... what's fiction, what's happening, whats happened, what's in his head etc. Some of this includes; Cotard reading his daughter's diary, while she had been out of the house for 14year, yet it seems to be up to date.
Because of this blurring of realities I found it very difficult to know what was in his mind and what was actually happening... this isn't nessicary a bad thing. But certainly contributed to the film seeming longer than what it was. Finally I think If you go in with Kaufman on a pedestal then you will walk away thinking that the film is a masterpiece. Otherwise, I think you will just try to keep on top of the plot. (sorry if this waffles or doesn't really make much sense... just keeping in style with the film :D)
The Australian/UK Co-Pro event this morning was packed..... and it wasn’t just because of the Michelin starred catering! These sort of sessions seem to be dominating the events calendar here and are a response to the need for producers to become much more co-production savvy, given the squeeze on both public and private sector financing.
SWS is planning to host a co-pro event of its own in early July in conjunction with the Film Agency for Wales to bring producers from both regions up to speed on the current treaties, incentives and structuring of co-prods.
I’ll also be posting more thoughts when I get back on how co-development could work for SW producers and how the Agency might help in kick starting some of these creative partnerships.
I'm back at the Cannes Film Festival - albeit for a whistle stop 72 hours - and already it feels a very different vibe to previous years. It may reflect a general belt tightening - Cava rather than Champagne - but it could also be my own state of mind. I haven't touched a drop yet but the ghosts of Festivals past are looming heavy, particularly after last year's 'Of Time and The City' adventure.
The answer, of course, is just plunge in, and I don't think I've ever come to Cannes with a diary as rammed as the next two days. Separate Australian, Canadian and Scandinavian Co-Pro events; the launch of 'Green Screen'; a panel on Microbudget Film Finance; meetings with the Singaporean Film Commission to discuss a formal Bristol/Singapore tie up; with the new creative director at BBC Films; with numerous film funds, distributors and sales agents who want to get involved with the digital film initiative that we're currently setting up in the South West as well as other projects/talent that we might be able to package and steer in their direction. Add on top the usual 'God, haven't seen you for ages. Let's grab a coffee to catch up on what you're up to' moments and I may manage to make it through the entire festival without seeing a single film !
It’s busy in the Locations department! The launch of the Green Filmmaking Guidelines at the end of last month went really well, although the low level of attendance was disappointing. We’re not dissuaded and are seeing it very much as the start of the journey to encourage productions to work in a more sustainable way in the region. The delivery of Film London’s Green Screen London paper next Monday in Cannes will also be a useful document to read.
I’m now heavily ensconced with working on the Studio Feasibility Study we have been commissioned to write on behalf of the SWRDA and Bristol City Council, which is due for delivery at the end of June. The research process is fascinating, involved, tiring, but essential and I hope it will put a lot of things into perspective for a lot of people. I went to Belfast yesterday to look at their facility: The Paint Hall, which is impressive and in use, but with its own frustrations and limitations. My meeting with the Head of Production at Northern Ireland Screen was enlightening. If our office Lottery consortium ever wins the big one my vote is to set up a Production Fund – it is getting increasingly essential to have one to attract productions of all scales into the region and to remain competitive with the other UK regions and nations.
In amongst all this there’s a department to run and the day-to-day workload to look after too. We’ve had some nice project enquiries recently – which are just that, enquiries, so please don’t pick up the phone to ask us about them because we’ve been sworn to secrecy. The rest of the year is looking healthier for the region but we could always do with more. Next week we’re going to set up an ‘Expressions of Interest’ page on our website so that crew can post that they’re interested in being considered for roles on productions in the region. It’s a new thing, and I’m not sure how well it will work but we’d like to try it. Still no guarantee of work but a place for productions to go to when looking for possible crew. Your feedback would be great.
It's the moment you've all been waiting for.... Finally, Charlie Kaufman places his pen hand behind the camera for the first time with his trademark quirk as he brings us Philip Seymour Hoffman as a gritty theatre director struggling with various physical and emotional afflictions. If that isn't enough of a tease, it's all set against the backdrop of my old stomping ground, New York, and the contrasts of suburban roots, urban sprawl, and Hoffman's growing mental usease. I'm sure you'll agree that anyone who has written about John Marlkovitch as a lounge singer is entitled to have his surreal field day with the place - an aptly titled reflective romp round the inner workings of Kaufman, Manhattan and Synechdoche. Yum!
Check out the trailer below and whether it's ogling Michelle Williams, to have a giggle, or to cluck about depressive cinexperiences, it all happens on Monday 18th May at 8.30 in the Watershed - I'll see you there!
No dental tools were required in the end for the meeting with Claire Evans and Ben Stephenson of the BBC (see Chris Moll’s earlier blog!).
It was an interesting meeting. Ben’s committed to finding quality drama for the BBC and his passion for strong writing clearly shone through.
It’s now up to us to make sure we build up strong drama production in Bristol, utilising some of our indigenous talent, such as Catherine Johnson, Ashley Pharoah, Barbara Machin and Philippa Lowthorpe.
I attended 3 international trade policy forums within the British Chambers of Commerce 'road to recovery' conference and exhibition on Monday 27 April. Over 500 delegates attended from across the UK and the speakers included Lord Davies Of Abersoch CBE, Minister for Trade and Investment, Nicholas Armour, Director International Group 1, UK Trade and Investment, Francoise le Bail, SME Envoy European Commission and Claire Durkin, Director Europe, International Trade and Development, Dept for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
The overall feeling of the event was optimistic but there’s still a lot of work to do. But the key messages to take away were as follows:
International Trade presents the greatest growth opportunities for SMEs/UK businesses, in particular the opportunities presented by high growth market such as Brazil, China & India, and beyond the BRIC countries, Latin America (currently untapped by UK companies and growing).
A number of EU measures are being put in place to improve better international access:
Challenges:
It proved to be useful insight and UK SMEs are very much seen as key to our ‘road to recovery’.
Last night I was a guest of the Norwegian ambassador who was hosting a reception to launch a new company, Green Film Practices. The company is the brainchild of Ann Kristin Glenster, who previously ran a film fund & studio facility in Norway and has extensive experience of film finance & production .
The Green Film Label is a pioneering initiative to measure & reduce the carbon footprint made by film. Ann Kristin also intends to advise productions on environmentally-friendly goods & services. See the links for more info.
Ann Kristin was one of the guests at our events to launch the Green Filmmaking Guidelines. Following the work South West Screen undertook with Working Title on their latest feature The Boat That Rocked, we're committed to promoting best green practice wherever possible in the creative sector. We’ve got the Guidelines up on our website for production managers to download and are also reviewing our own carbon footprint with a view to making cuts where possible.
Our Executive Producer, Chris Moll, is to meet with Ann Kristin again in Cannes in a couple of weeks’ time. Watch this space for further updates.
Spent much of today putting together a long list of "asks" for our meeting tomorrow with BBC Drama supremo Ben Stephenson, BBC Wales Drama Head Piers Wenger and BBC In-House Head of Production Nick Brown.
With the 'Casualty' nerve still very raw, I suddenly have a Reggie Perrin moment and a strong temptation to follow Laurence Olivier's lead in Marathon Man by probing the cavity left behind by that show while asking Mr Stephenson "Is it safe ? Is BBC Drama in Bristol safe?". Caroline (CEO), being more squeamish, counsels a softer, more conciliatory approach but I think I might take the dentist's instruments..... just in case.
Having read recent glowing reviews of Christine Molloy's new thriller, Helen, I was intrigued to see the film and hear from its co-director.
Described as a 'psychological thriller', Helen is the story of what happens to a girl who takes part in a police tv reconstruction of events of the day her college classmate, Joy, goes missing. It's a slow-burning, thoughtful film, which follows 18-year old Helen as she is selected by the police to take part and then slowly builds up a relationship with the missing girl's parents and boyfriend. Annie Townsend plays the eponymous character sparingly, her solitary life and upbringing in care having created a withdrawn character. But as she immerses herself in Joy's life, the story veers away from the anticipated exploration of identity theft and delivers a far more poignant conclusion.
This is the feature debut for Christine Molloy and her co-director (and husband), Joe Lawlor. They have previously been involved in making community group-based short films and describe Helen as the natural culmination of this 'Civic Life' series. The guiding principles were the same: the films consisted of long takes, were shot on 35mm cinemascope on relatively low budgets, and featured non-professionals from the local community. Christine Molloy also revealed that Helen was also shot in four locations: Dublin, Newcastle, Birmingham and Liverpool - the funding having come from four separate city agencies - and it's a testament to her filmmaking skills that the four locations knitted seamlessly together to form the backdrop of the story.
The story, Christine explained, evolved from discussions with the communities involved about what interested them. Identity is a common theme, both the identify of the community and that of the individual. And she was keen to stress that, whilst the press may have described the film as a thriller, she was more interested in exploring the theme of identity rather than the fate of the missing girl, hence the film's title.
Helen has played in 40 festivals around the world since it was made last year. It's received widespread acclaim and prompted comparison's with Steve McQueen's Hunger and Duane Hopkins' Better Things, but Christine Molloy describes the similarities as coincidence. Rather than consciously espousing a new trend in British filmmaking, she and Lawlor, she says, are still 'in the bear pit with everyone else' struggling to find new funding and new projects. However, this film is sure to give them a foot on the ladder out of it.
Last night the Film Club went to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What did you think of the film?
X-Men Origins: Wolverine review by midnightmovies
The sensational trepidation that is part and parcel of going to see something so long and so eagerly anticipated was certainly present as we sat down in the rather comfortable seats at the Showcase Cinema De Lux down Cabot Circus way. Aside from a little ketchup spilt in the aisles, the Showcase did a decent job preparing the auditorium- selecting theatre number ten was clearly no coincidence and its playful nature did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Then, the film began… True to the frenzied rumours X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) does fail on several counts; 1) it is not true to the original text, 2) its use of green screen is poor and thinly veiled, 3) the use of CGI is at times somewhat cringe worthy and 4) it just doesn’t hang together all that well. But of course, there are also moments of joy; watching Hugh Jackman growl in a tight vest top is certainly a visual pleasure for the female contingency in the audience, and yes some of the scenes are actually very well done – for example, where Wolverine has the Adamantium bonded to his skeleton – this does live up to what is promised in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
Upon our journey home, following both epic visual experience and epic popcorn eating (those buckets really are the size of one’s head) – there was talk of a Freudian reading of the film whereby Sabretooth represents the id, Wolverine the ego and Kayla Silverfox the superego, well supported by a certain scene in the film – but I’ll let you work that one out for yourselves! So between other minor discussions of Sabretooth being far superior in this film to the first, and some timely questioning of Gambit’s true “powers” (surely it’s not really down to some meagre card tricks?) there was one thing we all agreed upon: it had been far too long since we’d seen the first three in the series and it is certainly time for a review.
And if this film manages nothing more than the instigation of more visual viewing pleasure, well then, it can’t be that bad can it?
Not Quite A Howler review by nortonia
Poor Dougray Scott. Had it not been
for the Mission: Impossible II shoot overrunning by two months, he
would have been Wolverine, not Hugh Jackman. Superstardom would have
beckoned. He could have trousered four hefty paycheques, had the pick
of Hollywood's top scripts, and generally been lauded and applauded as
an actor of his generation. Most importantly, he would have avoided a
prolonged stint on Wisteria Lane with all those underfed housewives of
the desperate variety.
Instead, ladies' favourite Huge Jackman got the gig. Nine year
later, here he is getting a fourth stab (geddit?) at running around in
a dirty vest, sporting intimidating sideburns and making prouncements
in a gruff voice.
Now, I've always been wary of movies that need a colon in their
title, so it was some trepidation that i approached X-Men Origins:
Wolverine.
But, for all my colonic fears, it was alright. Though it pads in
places, it's also got claws. Plus plenty of action. A whole kitbox of
special effects. A galaxy of stars. And an alright-ish plot. Of
course, the most impressive feature of the film was Hugh's bulging
muscles. Ripped like a phone book in Geoff Capes hands, he is.
Apparently, he was loading his guns between takes to maintain their
buffness.
We learnt many things. For example, Three Mile Island. You thought it was a nuclear meltdown? Think again.
On the other hand, other questions remain unanswered. Where exactly does Wolverine get his Gulo Gulo qualities
from? Perhaps we'll find out when they make Wolverine Origins: All
About His Dad. And, of course, where was Stan Lee's obligatory cameo?
One other thing: considering 20th Century Fox have spent $150
million making this superhero romp, how come the lighting budget seems
to have been $5? I guess it added a certain brooding menace. However,
without illumination from the screen, the cinema was not unlike a
sensory deprivation chamber for vast portions of the film. Finding
one's popcorn became a proper palaver.
Not as cool as last year's Ironman, significantly better than the
sticky mess that was Spiderman 3, Wolverine still gets the freedom of
the forest. I'm giving it a solid 7 out 10 (even though no-one asked
for a mark).
I wonder what Dougray Scott's up to?
The next meeting of the Film Club will be on Monday 18th May. Use the comments below to tell us the two films you would like to nominate.
We say hello and welcome to Shanti Sherson (pictured right with our other new starter Shereene Amer), who is our new PA to Chief Executive.
As well as being a New Zealander, Shanti likes to enjoy flowers, and rides on her bike.
Shanti takes over from Cath Gremin who has moved on to a new role, after doing a wonderful job as PA to Chief Executive.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Our community has spoken, and the plan (thanks to midnightmovies) should be to meet for the 7:45 showing at the Cinema De Lux, Bristol
Shall we meet from 7pm at the downstairs bar?
It has been a busy week for South West Screen Locations Team as we have now officially launched our Sustainable Filmmaking Guidelines! We celebrated the launch with a screening of The Boat that Rocked at The Watershed followed by a Q & A with its producer Hilary Bevan Jones of Tightrope Productions. Asking the questions was our very own Board Member Rebecca O'Brien, Producer at Sixteen Films Ltd.
The Launch was a great success not only because we all got to watch the antics of Bill Nighy and Richard Curtis' fantastic soundtrack in the Boat that Rocked, but because we learned a great deal about the behind the scenes action and how to each, as filmmakers, make a difference to the impact that filming has on our environment in the South West.
The Boat that Rocked pioneered several green filmmaking initatives, such as supplying bikes for crew to travel to and from set, using compostable plastic for catering, and recycling on location in Weymouth. South West Screen and Hilary Bevan Jones worked closely along with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to set up these measures and it was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the small steps that can be taken to make filming a more sustainable and rewarding experience.
You can find out more about our Green Filmmaking Guidelines, adapted from the Code of Best Practices in Sustainable Filmmaking; the work of the Bristol based wildlife producer, Andrew Buchanan, and Larry Engel, a US producer, by clicking HERE.
The Prince’s 2009 May Day Summit in the South West
The Arnolfini, Bristol
The green theme continued into today when Fiona Francombe, our Production Services Manager, and I attended the Prince’s May Day Summit, hosted by Business in the Community.
Delegates from large and small organisations from both the private and public sectors packed into the 3rd floor at the Arnolfini to hear Jonathan Porritt, the founder Director of the Forum for the Future launch the West of England Carbon Challenge.
According to their website, ‘The Prince's May Day Network is the UK’s largest group of businesses committed to taking action on climate change. By sharing best practice, these businesses promise to play a powerful role in reducing the UK's carbon emissions’.
Forum for the Future is running the Challenge along with the May Day Network, Bristol-based Centre for Sustainable Energy and GWE Business West. Those who sign up to the Challenge are pledging to cut their carbon emissions, from current levels, by a minimum 10% by 2012.
It’s a tough target but also the thin end of the wedge. As Jonathan Porritt explained, the UK is committed to cutting carbon emissions by 34% from 1990 levels by 2020 and by a whopping 80% by 2050. It’s not an easy task but the message was unequivocal: if we are to stop climate change from wreaking havoc, we have no choice.
May Day summits were happening across the UK today and at 12:20 we were linked up to the London event, attended by Ed Miliband and Prince Charles, in time to receive a live broadcast from Arctic explorer, Pen Hadow from within the Arctic Circle. Throughout his two-month expedition, Pen and his colleagues had been constantly testing the thickness of the sea ice. The average was 1.77m, compared with the expected thickness of 3m. The evidence was stark.
Prince Charles then addressed the Summit with the words ‘the Doomsday clock is ticking’. More than one thousand businesses across the UK have signed up to the Prince’s May Day Network and his message to those not yet signed up was clear. ‘Until you are measuring and reporting your carbon emissions, you can’t think anyone will believe you are serious about tackling climate change. We have 98 months to turn a massive corner. We must act today.’
Consultancy and technology service provider, Capgemini, the University of the West of England and Bristol Zoo are among the first to sign up to the West of England Carbon Challenge. They have been joined by infrastructure consultancy Halcrow Group, engineering consultancies Arup and Buro Happold, Sustain IT Solutions, the South West Regional Development Agency and the Homes and Communities Agency (SW region).
The South West Regional Development Agency also sponsored the 2009 South West Carbon Positive Awards.
Award winners included: Nutshell Natural Paints www.nutshellpaints.co.uk, Plymouth City Council, Inspirations Advertising & Design www.inspirations.uk.net, Ove Arup and Partners www.arup.com, Alastair Sawday Publishing www.sawdays.co.uk, Earth Energy www.earthenergy.co.uk, CS Resources www.c3resources.co.uk, Egloskerry School www.egloskerry.cornwall.sch.uk, Bovey Climate Action www.boveyclimateaction.org.uk, Centre for Sustainable Energy www.cse.org.uk .
To see information on the nominees and winners in more detail click here.
It is now up to the rest of us to measure our carbon footprints, and start to take steps to reducing them. Take a look at the Green Filmmaking Guidelines for more information. We will also be compiling an online directory of green suppliers, so if you have anyone you wish to nominate, or if you wish to be included, email fiona.francombe@swscreen.co.uk.
The second event in our green launch took place at the Arnolfini’s Hub centre last night. With Bristol Media’s new chair, Paul Appleby coordinating, Andrew Buchanan and a specially skyped in Larry Engel (in keeping with our green policy) took the floor and talked the assembled filmmakers and producers through the Green Filmmaking Guidelines and how to adopt best practice.
The Soil Association, Footprint Television and Green Film Practices were also on hand to chip in with advice on everything from sourcing caterers to post production houses.
There seems to be no doubt that, on the whole, the will amongst filmmakers to reduce the environmental impact of their work is there. It was heartening to hear how the crew on The Boat That Rocked, who – helped by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and South West Screen - were issued with bicycles, recycling bins and bio-degradable cups for the shoot in Dorset, and continued with their new green practices when back in London.
Many of those attending felt daunted by the prospect of adopting new ways of thinking and operating. It would be good if there were an award to recognise green filmmaking, was one of the comments, whilst others wanted to know what the financial rewards would be.
The overall message from Andrew was that no step is too small to start with. He cited the example of one filmmaker who for each project, goes one step further than the last project and adopts another way of reducing his carbon footprint.
We took away the handouts (including a 10% off voucher for the River Cottage Canteen!) and plenty of food for thought. All we have to do now is get started!
After weeks of preparation, phone calls, meetings and recces it was finally time for Never Let Me Go to undertake their 3 day shoot in Clevedon and Weston-Super-Mare. The Locations Team worked very closely with the location managers and North Somerset Council in order to make the three day shoot run as smoothly as possible.
Never Let Me Go is a feature film based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and scripted by Alex Garland. Productd by DNA Films (28 Days Later, Notes on a Scandal) It stars Keira Knightley, Sally Hawkins and Charlotte Rampling. The film is a poignant love story about three children, Ruth (Keira Knightley), Kathy (Carey Mulligan) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) who spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.
Our visit to Celevdon was a great success, and the sunny weather made the most of the scenic pier awash with the film crew.
We even managed a sighting of the actors, including Kiera Knightley, as they prepared a scene on the beach.
All in all a great day out and a fantastic project to highlight our regions film-friendly councils and unique locations. Keep your eyes peeled for Never Let Me Go's release in 2010 and have fun spotting Weston-Super-Mare and Clevedon!
Until next time,
Harriet
The South West Screen Film Club met up on Monday after choosing 'In the Loop'
Review by iamkeir.
In the Loop is a hilarious, profane and somewhat exhausting film
experience. It's a political satire which takes an exaggerated and
borderline slapstick look at the frantic and absurd goings-on in the
world of both the American and British governments as they lock horns
and stumble recklessly towards an 'unforeseeable', but avoidable, war
in the Middle-East.
The film is fast-paced, deliberately muddling, and littered with
writhing sub-plots and hidden agendas, as it weaves it's way at
break-neck speed towards an inevitable anti-climax, followed by the
equally inevitable fall-out. It's characters comprise of heartless spin
doctors, clumsy politicians, indecisive brown-nosers, and naive
juniors, all struggling to keep up with the ever-changing scenario they
find themselves wedged within. As you watch the film, you feel
constantly overwhelmed by the urge to leap from your seat and demand
that every character stop where they are immediately and prevent a
spiralling situation growing any worse.
It's a very English comedy, with some superb naturalistic
'Office'-style performances (a particularly notable performance from
Steve Coogan) and relentless usage of the typical angry and obnxious
Scottish stereotype - but all used to great effect in presenting a film
that, even in it's absurdity, is frighteningly plausible.
Overall, In the Loop is a funny but slightly tragic portrayal of
how many of us suspect our governments are run and is, quite simply, a
testament to human stupidity. It leaves you believing that many
'conspiracies' are nothing more than perpetual mistakes and failed
cover-ups, rather than anything that would resemble through planning
and execution.
It's fair to say that In The Loop is utterly unforeseeable.
The next SWS Film Club is on Tuesday 5th May (Due to the Bank Holiday).
Suggetions please....!
Well the votes are in, and the winner is 'In the Loop' (8:30 at the Watershed).
It went down like this:
1st In the Loop
2nd Tony Manero & I Love You, Man
3rd The 400 Blows
4th Fast & Furious
Even if your number one choice didn't make it, come along. Tonight 'In the Loop' (8:30 at the Watershed, Bristol).
Thanks to all that voted, see you tonight!
Monday (20th) is the next meeting of the South West Screen Film Club.
Last time we went to see 'Let the Right One In', this time you have a choice of the following films:
Cast your vote by telling us which film you think we should see in the comments below. The winning film will be announced on Monday, so make your choice and come along!
Yesterday, the SWS Film Club went to the special preview screening of 'Let the Right One In' at the Watershed.
After having a few ciders, and watching the queue grow before the Cinema 1 doors opened, we took our seats to find a copy of the book and a drink waiting for all cinema goers. Sweet. I hadn't heard much about the film before hand, and was pleasantly surprised as the film unfolded. It was a interestingly shot film with a love story narrative that I also hadn't expected.
The thing I enjoyed most was the attention the film paid to the child actors. The adults that appeared had a transient feel, which really focused the mind on the characters of Oskar and Eli.
The horror is not gruesome, but is tense, with some clever twists and turns that have you thinking about the film long after you leave the cinema. Let the Right One In is one general release from Friday 10th of April, and the SWS Film Club thoroughly recommends it.
Suggestions are open for the the next film club meet on the 20th of April. Add your suggestions via the comments section below.
Today we have some new starters. One though, is not so new. Johanna Bolhoven who was here previously as Businesses and Skills Development Manager has reincarnated as our International Trade Advisor. We must say, we are happy to have her back.
Shereene Amer has also joined us as our brand new Accounts Assistant, and we are very happy to welcome her to South West Screen.
Great animation, and the music brings the whole thing to life in a fun and memorable manner.
Produced by Weebl's Stuff who made the badger song, and then the England adaptation
You may recognise the melody on this Weebl's Stuff Animation.
A few weeks ago was the first meeting of the Sout West Screen Film Club. We journeyed to the Watershed to see the fantastic Tom Hardy in Bronson.
The film club is open to anyone, and works like this: Suggest two films that you think the group should see, we all vote and work our way through the films every other week. If you are interested, simply show it in a comment at the bottom of this post. It's a great way to meet new people and watch the films we love.
I have been holding off going to this event for a while as I felt I needed to have a product I could talk about, rather than just dealing out cards like a croupier. With our new website only minutes old, my time had come. So I sat myself down with my free beer and opened my laptop to show Bristol's creative world what we had been up to.
Tim Francis was the first to park himself and ask the obvious question; "I'm Tim Francis, who the hell are you?". After running through my intro patter, he then told me about one of his projects, Mason and Son. Looks dark, I like. One of my favourite interactions from Tuesday was meeting Oliver Purches from Recalcitrant Films, a comedy writer. Not met many of them yet.
So, with my Bristol Media Tuesday cherry well and truly popped, I'll be looking forward to who I meet next, and more importantly, how we may be able to help.
After a lot of to’ing and fro’ing, Jacqui Gisborne (Communications Manager, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council) managed to secure a premiere screening of The Boat that Rocked at Cineworld in Weymouth. 
The film shot for 6 weeks in neighbouring Portland Port so Dan (our website manager) and I went down to show our support and say thank-you to all involved. A few of the local supporting artistes dressed in 1960’s outfits which really lent a flavor to the event. 
I said a few words of thanks and so did the Mayor before the film was rolled.
From the Council press release:
Producer of The Boat That Rocked, Hilary Bevan Jones, said: ‘We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the people of Weymouth and Portland for being so hospitable and accommodating during the filming of The Boat That Rocked. We truly appreciated the hundreds of fabulous supporting artists who brought our film to life, the many different businesses for offering such tremendous support and expertise and all the marine experts who helped us in so many ways'.
Jacqui Gisborne (left) Communications Manager, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council
The Boat that Rocked is out on general release from Friday 3 April 2009.
The BBC has today confirmed that Casualty will be moving from Bristol to the Cardiff area. We have previously said that, as part of the Network Supply Strategy, moving Casualty will play a significant part in fulfilling our commitment to building a creatively sustainable centre of excellence for drama in Wales and, more broadly, it will accelerate the development of the creative sector there.
Casualty will now enjoy significant benefits in joining the wider drama production community including Doctor Who, Torchwood, Pobol Y Cwm and Sarah Jane Adventures. A decision about the new location for Casualty is dependent on further value for money evaluations, ensuring maximum benefit for licence payers. The decision will be announced later in the year.
Tell us what your thoughts on this story.
Fashion doyenne Sophie Mair breezed into town to talk parcels with our own Becky Bishop.
Sporting the latest in hot pink leggings, and tweed tartan shoes, she shows she knows more than just short film!
Ahhhh, what a night in Bournemouth! An excellent event with enthusiastic and engaging students at Bounremouth Institute of Arts all geared up to make use of South West Screen (but you can see more about this on the events Blog) was followed by a lovely evening on the coast.
The morning brought an exciting recce to the Freemason’s at The Knole in Bournemouth, where Gordon Hawking, Company Secretary for the Masons, brought us around their stunning abode. 
This left me with a distinct need to know WHAT ON EARTH THEY DO in their meetings?? I guess I’m just not very good with secrets, but the location was filmically very adaptive so I will just have to be happy with that!
From the shrouding of mystery we pottered off to Poole to be taken around in a grand tour by Duncan Kerr of Poole Council, a wearer of many hats who is our man on the ground liaising film productions on his home turf. He was incredibly helpful and took us to several impressive locations starting with the Haven Hotel located on the beautiful Poole Harbour.
Leaving behind the diners with their lobster and sauvignon we hot footed it to the centre of Poole and an extreme polarity of styles, layout, and ambience. Unfortunately I can’t post the photos from this section of the recce until we have clearances from the area Manager in Poole, but keep your eyes peeled and hocks raised for photos to come!!
Finally, the time came to return to Bristol, but not without a quick detour to Sherborne for some much needed photos of the stunning little town. Of course, a lunch facing the Church was nor amiss!
COMING UP:
- South West Screen’s Location Team hits Gloucestershire – The Minchinhampton Queen Anne House extravaganza! Look out here for updates from next Wednesday (Feb 25th) Recce.
GET IN TOUCH:
- Have a location worth looking at? Interested in registering your property / local area? Get in touch here (harriet.martin@swscreen.co.uk ) and we will help and hopefully get out to see you soon!
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QUICK LINKS: also to be included in text
- Contacts mentioned
- Maps of locations visited and affiliated websites
It was a grim foggy day that we headed out on the A4, armed with dubious maps and a flagon of coffee to take on the villages of East Dorset en route to Future Film Focus event in Bournemouth. Tackling the wiggly hairpin turns under the guidance from Rachel Limb, our incredibly helpful tourism officer at East Dorset District Council, I finally wiggled my way through snow speckled field to the beginning of my tour - the B3078 from Cranbourne to Wimbourne.
First up was a stunning 13th Century whitewashed church at Charlbury perched on a high hill overlooking the valley. Unfortunately the weather was still grim and British, but the graveyard and austere ambience was touching, as was access and the solitude of the location. An excellent find!
Following on from Charlbury I headed to nearby Witchampton, a charming village complete with thatched cottages, Medieval Church and original stone walling.
I must apologise for the light levels in these photos – they don’t do justice to the quaint picturesque street, but again, February noonday light in England is a force to be reckoned with!
Running on from here I drove into Wimborne for my first meeting with the lovely Emma Ayling from The Priest’s House Museum on Wimborne High Street. This location was fascinating, a Medieval house with period Georgian conversions and full working Kitchen and Foundry I was taken with the attention to detail in each of the reconstructed rooms. Though the place functions mostly as a museum with exhibitions for everyone on the buildings unique history, it also assists education programmes, and even contains a period Victorian schoolroom!
I followed up my visit here with a stroll around Wimborne and a visit to the Minster – interspersed with a brie and bacon panini, chocolate croissant, a quick charity shop and much needed coffee – and found myself quite taken with the place!
But I couldn’t dally too long because I had an appointment with Stuart Bevan, the manager of Wimborne Model Town. Now this was quite something! I wasn’t quite prepared for he scale of the place and the strict attention to detail taken over every shop frontage that was lovingly hand restored during the winter months. Honestly, I felt like a giant (nothing new really) as I wandered through the replica village looking up to see the real Minster looming over me in the background. Though Stuart mentioned that they had some filming there, mostly small documentaries or promotional productions – I couldn’t help but feel that I had stumble onto a winner – my dream set for an epic Godzilla style drama starring me and my enormous feet!
Note the real Minster in the background!
At last I was on the final leg of my journey – to the hotel in Bournemouth for a quick turnaround to the Futue Film Focus event and to set up for South West Screen. Little did I know I would get hideously lost in the 10 miles between Wimborne and Bournemouth only to fail miserably in reaching my destination with time for a quick swim…. Grumble….
HM.
Today was the day to look a little harder at the phones and the mainstream manufacturers. The first maker to note was Motorola - their troubles are well documented in the industry, but years of living off the V3 and trying to run a myriad of operating systems has caught up. The edge of the Moto stand had 16 devices, isolated from the rest of the company's showing. Not a good indicator but perhaps a metaphor for the state of their handset business. All a little bit stale, really. Also doing stale pretty well was LG - same old, same old - no real improvements in design and not a sniff of app developer support (something Korean manufacturers are weak on). Really nothing to see on the LG stand apart from the wristwatch phone.
Sony Ericsson fared a lot better with proof that product-variety marketing isn't dead - a rash of Cybershot and Walkman devices on display - and many of them usable on the live network (brave decision!) Sony Ericsson are maintaining a good tradition of solid devices, although they are possibly lacking in the touchscreen department - the X1 got a table full of devices to itself, but frankly these Windows Mobile units are an acquired taste. I just haven't acquired it, and I'm not sure I will - I think Android will present a good opportunity to take the superb underlying hardware of the SE devices into the next generation. Blackberry had a good approach to the show. It looks like they sub-letted their stand to a plethora of other companies, with the most interesting being GoSpoken. Mike showed the GoSpoken audiobook offering and it's a really good, well-thought out service.
I was actually looking (in vain) for BlackBerry developer support but it was nice to run into the well-attended audiobook section of BlackBerry. Samsung had a nice stand, with plenty of emphasis on the Ultra device with the TouchWiz UI. I confess to being somewhat disappointed: the Ultra interface just seemed a little sleepy, not what I'd expect from Samsung. However, their handsets are flying off the shelves in the UK, so what do I know? Finally, and on the subject of touch screens, I have to mention Nokia. They had a fairly substantial area of Hall 8 marked off in Blue, with a load of handsets. Most of these were evolutions of the existing devices, and there was nothing much new there. However, I wanted to see and use the N97, of which there were a few examples (and a fair queue of people).
It's the steroid-enhanced version of the 5800, with bigger camera, flip screen to reveal a keyboard, and the kind of graphic handling seen on the iPhone. Also included is Nokia's Web Run Time environment - with Nokia's implementation of widgets on the main screen. Overall, I can see where they're headed although the software is a bit clunky - it's proto, not ready until June, and even then at EUR550 - but fair play to Nokia for showing it here. Of general interest in the Nokia stand
was the emphasis on applications and services. It's no longer about phones: this company is really moving itself into the software arena. That is the conclusion for me of the show: the market for devices is fundamentally changing. The battleground is moving to what you can do with these devices, and the old guard of 'box-shifters' needs to make way for services - sold with devices. These services are where the Congress is heading, albeit with the traditional glacial speed of the industry to begin with, but it heralds the new business arena for mobile. The future remains, as ever, interesting!
I'm about half way through the floorwalking now and the meetings are done for the day. The word 'recession' has been mentioned a few times and there's a feel that the industry is tightening its belt somewhat.
My earlier thoughts concerning on-device portals have been supported by some more people here, and there's certainly a lot related to the possible new revenue streams. The industry is at a set of interesting convergences: saturated markets, network rollouts completed, declining ARPUs, very low cost handsets... There's almost a reluctance to move into the newer digital service markets - everything still takes time in mobile. Yet the pressure on revenues hasn't generated very much that's significant: is the best thing that the industry collective can come up with in 2009 a standardised power connector? Or have I not been here long enough to see something earth-shattering?
I've walked a few of the halls here in Barcelona to get the feel of the show. The weather is warm and sunny so it's easy to get distracted, but there are a few distinct themes emerging.
Firstly, the device world is clearly - and finally heading toward a touch screen smartphone led future for the high end. Some of these devices are very good - Nokia's 5800 looks very impressive and works well. The touch screen is quick to get used to and the full screen qwerty is well-implemented (bar the confirm key at the top left). These sort of devices are showing the way: the queue I saw in the HTC Android section is indicative of the interest.
Secondly, there's a lot of buzz around on-device portals and widgetry (like wizardry only less well defined). Ariel at Sun Microsystems showed a very nice Java implementation of their portal software and a lightweight client for mobile devices. Discoverability and Access to services is clearly important.
More later!
The last day for Mobile Pie was an interesting one, with finally some mention of content as we attended a morning of conferences named 'Mobile Entertainment Unwired' , meant to 'explore the potential of mobile to turn the traditional entertainment industry on its head'.
The speakers included the creator and CEO of MySpace Chris DeWolfe, talking about the opportunities of his site in the mobile space, and senior executive of Orange Ofaf Swantee, talking about Orange's plans, which didn't seem that different from the things I heard at the Future of Mobile conference 2007... However they both agreed there is lots of scope for advertising revenue by combining their services!
Then the creator of MoFilm, a startup which allows independent short film makers to distribute their work via mobile, gave a brief lowdown on his company before introducing actor Kevin Spacey to emphasis the importance of the medium to allow grass roots directors to have a paying audience. Surrounded by press cameras, he spoke with genuine enthusiasm for the project, and talked about the website he launchd in 2002, TriggerStreet.com, which was a similiar place for budding screenwriters and directors to upload and share their work. There then followed some great examples of the movies themselves in an awards ceremony.
One amusing moment was enjoyed in hall 2, as we were taking footage using our FlipVideo camera, a great easy to use video capture device from Pure Digital Technologies. A tap on the shoulder turned out to be a very excited Yoshitaro Kumagai, the inventor of the device who could not hide is joy at seeing someone using one! A deservedly proud man - look out for the camera as we have the hot tip it will be released in the UK this year...
So, on the way to the airport, what conclusions do we take from the congress as a whole? The one question we kept asking is 'what about the content?' In the 8 exhibition stands, there really was not anywhere near enough emphasis on the games, applications, and artwork which will stimulate and engage the user. Consumers don't care what the technology is, they care what the experience is. Poems via SMS can be just as effective as feature-rich, high bandwidth, location aware applications.
The tech is important, the business models need to be defined, but people seem to forget what the purpose of all this infrastructure is. For Mobile Pie that is entertainment, education, and the sharing of culture. And that needs the creative people who were missing or lost amongst the sea of black suits.
Attending the congress has been a great experience which has broadened our view of what people are doing and saying about the future, but more vitally is has made us more determined to create cool stuff!
The highlight of today was attending a panel discussion and networking lunch put on by UKTI, to discuss the future of mobile. After a introduction from the Minister of State for Trade, Investment, and Consumer Affairs, we heard the views of industry experts which included a visionary, a venture capitalist, a technology expert and a representative of the end users.
Questions asked included why 3G services had yet to take off such as mobile tv and video calls, how an outsider managed to pretty much reinvent the mobile internet (Apple!) and what would be key drivers for the future.
However what I learnt from the sessions (and the other delegates I talked to all agreed on this) is that there is a great state of confusion in the industry, with no one knowing how to take the lead. The iPhone has shown the way and everyone else needs to catch up. But there is a danger of 'me-too' services being launched which don't fulfil user's needs.
I get the sense this confusion is mirrored in the whole congress itself, as I mentioned before there is no focal point to the event and everyone seems to be unclear on where the interesting stands are.
In particular there is not much emphasis on content, with the majority of companies showcasing new geeky network technologies. Where is the display of all the great games and apps that actually get end users excited?
It all ends up with the event seeming a little dry. It is still absolutely fascinating though to get this overview of the industry, even if it does seem to be in more disarray than thought!
It is also encouraging for a startup business like Mobile Pie that there is room for a great idea to come through. We saw some good new devices today, the sexy Palm Pre and the new Android supported HTC Magic - but maybe the best stand is tucked away in the corner with no one paying attention!
An impressive and slightly overwhelming first day at the Mobile World Congress - all the big names were there and showing off new devices, desperately trying to create the sort of stir that the iPhone has made in recent years.
Out of the big players, Nokia impressed, in particular with the N97, which uses customisable widgets on the home screen, which give quick access to the device's applications - a trend expected to be seen over a wide range of handsets in the next few years. Also displayed was the N86 8MP, which could have one of the most impressive cameras on the market, claiming to be comparable to high-quality digital cameras.
However the impact of the iPhone on other manufacturers was most notable with the announcement of Nokia's Ovi Store, to open in early May, which will allow content providers to distribute games and applications to Nokia users, and also suggest applications to the user via its 'recommendation engine' and location awareness.
The Ericsson stand was enjoyable, with a range of future gazing prototypes that were like something from Minority Report, but according to the representative, complete fantasy. It is nice to know someone is trying to imagine the devices we will use in 20 years time!
The other big manufacturers all had their new devices on display but there was nothing that really stood out that was creating a buzz at the arena.
On the application side - of the cooler things we saw was LifeVibes MixDJ FX by NXP Software. This product turns a handset into a mixing desk, by taking ordinary tracks from your phone and gives you a whole range of controls over it such as scratching, sampling and cross-fading. It was great fun to try and would be a hit at any party!
Disappointingly, we haven't seen much emphasis on gaming yet, which is what we are primarily interested in - so will be on the hunt for that tomorrow!
How far is Bristol from Plymouth?!* It’s only when you get out and about that you realize how big the South West region is. With busy diaries, it’s difficult scheduling in visits to all parts of the South West, but our trip to the Antony House stately home really brought home how important it is to get out on the road to see what is going on and meet the people who are making it happen.
Fiona Francombe, our Production Services Manager, and I were invited down to the National Trust property, Antony House, for a chat about the best way to promote Tim Burton’s new film, ‘Alice’, which is due out in the UK in July next year.
They can’t give much away about the film too far ahead of the launch date, but, with the property manager about to go off on maternity leave, they want to get some ideas down so that they can roll out a joined up PR campaign when the time is right.
Fi and I drove down to Plymouth in torrential rain to meet with the National Trust’s Rebecca Miller and Sabine Eberle as well as representatives from Visit Cornwall. The National Trust has worked with our opposite number, Screen East, promoting the 2005 feature film ‘A Cock & Bull Story’ with Steve Coogan. They are keen to work with us on a regional and national level using the publicity surrounding a film launch to attract new visitors to their properties.
A film launch offers all kinds of opportunities: from arranging a premiere at the film site to spin-off exhibitions and themed tie-ins. Rebecca and Sabine have plenty of pictures taken during filming of the crew at work, which they will put into a ‘behind the scenes’ exhibition. On a more general level, they’d also like to work with us on a ‘movie map’ of the region, showing where high profile films have been shot. With ‘The Young Victoria’ just out, which was partly shot at Wilton House in Wiltshire, and ‘The Boat That Rocked’, which was filmed in Portlans and is out in April, there are already three big features from the region to add to a ‘movie map’. It would be a great feature for our new website, so now it’s just a question of getting our tech gurus to make it happen.
It was, in the end, a whistle stop visit to Torpoint (Antony House is just the other side of Plymouth Sound) and sadly the rain did not let up at all for our mammoth drive back. The long drag was punctuated by a flurry of publicity surrounding the question of whether ‘Casualty’ will move from Bristol to Cardiff. Inside Out West is running a feature on the story tomorrow night and had put out a press release, so we were fielding calls and putting up speakers for the local press.
All in all, a constructive meeting, and it will be interesting to see whether the National Trust can attract new and younger visitors thanks to their association with this, and other, films. Now we’ve just got to get that movie map up and running….
*the answer, by the way is 122 miles! Web ED.
It was a rude reminder of the life I thought I’d left behind when I got an office job. The start of a 17 hour day but one that had no prospect of a caterers’ breakfast, parking vehicles, checking honey-wagons had toilet paper or any crew to banter with. Instead I was heading for the quarterly meeting of my opposite numbers from the other 8 UK screen agencies, which was this time to be held in Glasgow (hence the early start.)
I caught the 07.00 Easyjet from Bristol to Glasgow, and landed in snow. The runway was open, but snow ploughs were standing-by and just after we landed another runway inspection was done. The airport bus got me to the centre of Glasgow; time for a coffee and a croissant and then into the meeting at Scottish Screen’s offices.
The meeting was well attended; not surprisingly a lot of Scottish people due to the large number of smaller film offices that make up the overall Scottish film network. A few agencies couldn’t make it (Screen South, Screen East, Wales Screen Commission) and I was the only one from our region.
The agenda for these meetings is generated by the screen agencies suggesting what would be useful to talk about. We heard about a pilot scheme that the Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission are about to undertake that will accredit hotel accommodation for crews with a ‘Film Crew Friendly’ kitemark. Accommodation providers will have to prove that they can be flexible with rates and services and sympathetic to the needs of crews, e.g. storage for equipment, parking, quiet rooms for use by crew working on night shoots, rates that exclude breakfast, etc. This will all be accessible from their website and if successful the aim would be to roll it out to all the other screen agencies and film offices.
The next major agenda item was a presentation from the UK Film Council’s Information Office. Paul Richardson talked to us about the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act, which was, if not enthralling, very interesting and useful – especially given the recent copying of our Production Guide. I’m clearer on our responsibilities and on the rights of those asking for information under Freedom of Information, on what information we can hold on file, and how often we need to keep ‘cleansing’ the databases we have as holding out-of-date information is a no-no. So for anyone reading this who is listed on our Guide, UPDATE YOUR DETAILS OR TELL US IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE ON THE SYSTEM ANY MORE, please.
After a quick buffet lunch we were treated to a slot by PDG Helicopters who ran through the basic things that we as screen agencies should bear in mind when dealing with enquiries from productions about aerial photography, specifically using helicopters. A lot of it I knew from my days of working as an Associate Producer on ‘Casualty’, when we had two episodes that were very helicopter-heavy.
The rest of the afternoon was more about the screen agencies sharing information, best practice, giving a round-up of activity in their region, etc. Screen Yorkshire touched on the painful subject of the 600 job losses that had been announced only two days before, and I reflected on how fortunate we were that at least we’ve got a chance to fight the proposed ‘Casualty’ move whereas they had nowhere to go with the ITV announcement. Even though the screen agency had rumblings of the threatened closure a few weeks before, there is very little a public agency can do when faced with a commercial company making a cold, hard business decision.
The round-up of filming activity didn’t take long as there wasn’t that much to report. A few feature films are in pre-production (Nanny McPhee2, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter 7&8, Gulliver’s Travels, etc.) It was galling to hear that two productions that I have spent a lot of time on recently have gone to two other regions: ‘Married, Single, Other’ by Left Bank Pictures went to Leeds instead of us because they have a studio and Screen Yorkshire can offer a production fund, which we can’t. ‘Survivors’ is looking set to go to Birmingham as Bristol couldn’t offer the scale of high-rises and development that they needed.
Still, we’re looking very healthy for series re-commissions and that caused some envy around the table. More of that in our Locations newsletter later this week..
So, all-in-all a really useful day as ever. I offered that the next one will be in Bristol so other people can do a long day coming to us instead. 17 hour days used to be the norm for me, but I’ve softened in the last 18 months. Someone asked me if I’d go back into production – judging by the recovery time and how grumpy I was on Friday the answer would have to be ‘not if I can help it!’
Fi.
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