2 The cost of independent production
After this journey back in time to the archives of the Dr. No production, now it’s time to look to the future.
It is perhaps surprising how much remains the same in the industry, despite the growth of new distribution platforms and alternative entertainment. The mechanics of developing and releasing a film remain largely the same. The cinema release is still generally the all-important first window.
However, Charles Moore, who appeared earlier in the course, foresees fundamental change, as he explains in this video clip. As a film lawyer he works with many, many producers, helping them raise the funding for their films. Raising money for independent productions, according to Charles, is becoming more and more difficult.
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 5 Charles Moore explains that it is becoming more difficult to get funding for independent productions
Transcript: Video 5 Charles Moore explains that it is becoming more difficult to get funding for independent productions
CHARLES MOORE
There will be a sort of polarisation in terms of budgets, because I think what will happen is that you will- the producers who are making independent films are going to have to make them at a fairly low budget, and that's beginning to happen. There are very good film-makers that we're working with who are making films at the 150, 200,000 pound budget with a particular audience in mind, and they're not dependent on getting theatrical distributors involved, and the more complicated finance. They can actually- some of them sole finance out of of moneys that they have actually achieved from other films. Some are able to get finance from regional organisations, whatever it may be.
But I think the days of the three, four, five million pound film in the UK are numbered, because I think that's a budget level which is- it becomes more and more difficult to finance without some sort of lead name cast attached, and of course it's quite difficult to attract a lead name cast to that level of budget, because they obviously wouldn't be paid what they're used to being paid. So the only way that you can generally do that is if that cast member has a particular allegiance that film-maker or that producer.
Clearly film-making a film, like an independent film like a Philomena or an Exotic Marigold, or one of these films where you have a lead cast, and then you're able to attract distributors who want to work with that cast, and director. Then, of course, that side of independent film-making is very much alive and quite vibrant. There's a lot of very successful TV producers out there making those sort of films. But there's prob- when I say a lot, there's probably 20. There's probably a lot more producers who are really struggling because they're not able to attract that talent, and they're not quite at that point were they're making those very low budget, micro budget films.
Video 5 Charles Moore explains that it is becoming more difficult to get funding for independent productions
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