Mick Travis
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Comments (12)
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Comment on: What we could learn from Iron Man’s Masters
The idea that the UK has a small handful of IP Mike is just simply daft. At any given time the UK publishing industry from childrens books to genre titles represents a huge wealth of creativity, ideas, stories and characters. That production companies do not tap this probably more illustrates their own lacunae. But Arvind has accurately described why there is no unified approach. Call it the British disease. Every dog for himself. Cliques. Tribes. Class. Opportunism. All eyes on getting out to LA. I also think your comment that Arvind is saying that the British film industry would become a 'sausage factory' completely misrepresents his article and it certainly isnt what I thought he was saying at all. When JK Rowling wanted to film Harry Potter she wanted a British Studio to Produce it. There wasnt one. Loss of millions. Fact. Producers shrug, just concentrate on their film and look to America. Get the money where you can,when you can. It is entirely understandable in such a culture. Who needs leadership or vision - just get the money. The reason why a British unified approach wont happen is because of the British mentality. It is one reason why the US dominates. Every other European country protects their film industry. Not the UK. Why? Well perhaps it is because to forward the ideas that Arvind is representing, or to, for instance, get the British Government to insist that one screen should be exclusively reserved for British films, might jeopardise distribution for British film companies like Working Title in the US? Anger America and you can kiss goodbye to your chances. Keep your head down. Keep things as they stand. Ambition = a passport to America. Its something that the British are good at. What a proud nation of people.
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Comment on: The price of festivals
ha ha yes and put it on a mountain top so the buggers'll have to climb up!
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Comment on: Hunting down film finance
Oh I get it now. You are going to decide for me what I can and cannot see. Thankyou for that sir. I didnt quite understand. Thankyou very much sir. May I go now?
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Comment on: Hunting down film finance
Contradictions contradictions! So what is it then? Re; 'You can't blame the UKFC for you not writing and making something people actually might want to see or a distributor willing to pick it up and release. It's like you entered the Monza Grand Prix in a pedal car facing backwards and then moaned when you lost/were disqualified because you insisted on being so bloody minded.' or that its all down to 'poor scripts' - which I dont believe. This sounds like a lazy excuse to me. Given the hits for internet series like Dr.Horrible exhibitors and distributors are still missing a trick in not understanding that there could be well attended niche audiences for this kind of thing. It just needs cultivating. Is the belief that there is one big mass audience wanting to see the same product or are you saying that the UKFC isnt making films that exhibitors want to show? Given that distributors and exhibitors have in the past not even given such financed films adequate distribution eg; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A88dwqSN9j4 it does beg the question dont you think? This is coming from Robert Carlyle one of the UK's leading movie stars not just one indie production company alone. So whats the problem? Dont the UKFC and distributors/exhibitors communicate with eachother? Dont exhibitors meet with Producers? Or do you sit around saying 'that is not my job' and instead wait for the next US movie to release? How come leading British directors and film-makers are saying the UK film industry is wrecked? Come on Anonymous above tell us!
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Comment on: Pinewood Shepperton sees profit slump by 55%
Well said Jonathan Stuart-Brown - but just remember when, or if, you build the studios in the West Midlands to make then affordable for film-makers and companies at all levels - whether its micro/low budget film makers or bigger companies - dont just make them a facility for big budget productions and those who have the big dollars. All these studios such as Pinewood did that years ago and are currently merely serve as a US production base or are open to the highest bidder - which means that many creative British companies and freelancers are locked out of a London-centric closed shop market - hence at Pinewood the prevalence of US movies and television game shows. Infact the fact that you are British does not even come into the equation - and it should. Its about money pure and simple - and as America owns the multiplexes in the uk they also use British box office money to support American production. To see how this badly affects the British Film industry read the 'Where Have all the screenwriters Gone?' opinion and subsequent comments on this same site. Ownership of Production has to be linked to ownership of exhibition - owned by the British for the interests of the British - from the creative industries to all film connected industries - even if it works in an international context for international productions/co-productions. I live near Pinewood and this has not happened in Pinewood Studios for many years. A new studio should not repeat this mistake. For more info on how the set-up works go to; www.pleasedsheep.com click on articles/film politics
