Advice From The Pros – Part 6

While I was exploring the possibility of studying a year in the states and how I could go about funding such an expedition, I came across this interview by film finance expert Tom Malloy which made for a really interesting read. Money is a hideous obstacle to all creative minded individuals and it takes a little out of the box thinking to build up funding to create a short film.

http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/film-finance-tips-with-tom-malloy/

This reminded me of a resource provided to us back a few weeks that could be of use when considering the financial side of filmmaking. A list of useful links to information relevant to financing a film and gaining production support throughout the film distribution process:

About UK creative industry tax reliefs
http://www.bfi.org.uk/film-industry/british-certification-tax-relief/about-tax-relief

BFI Film-Fund
http://www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/funding-filmmakers

Film London Micro-Wave Scheme
http://microwave.filmlondon.org.uk/

iFeatures
http://www.ifeatures.co.uk/

Ideas Tap
http://www.ideastap.com/

FLAMIN
http://flamin.filmlondon.org.uk/resources/production_funding

Arts Council
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/apply-funding/apply-for-funding/

BBC Films
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms

Working Title
https://www.workingtitlefilms.com/

Warp Films
http://warpfilms.com/films

Vertigo Films
http://www.vertigofilms.com/

Sixteen Films
http://www.sixteenfilms.co.uk/

Film4
http://www.film4.com/film4-productions

Advice From The Pros – Part 2

“Of all the Chris Foss paintings that inspired Guardians of the Galaxy, this may be the one that inspired us most. Yellow is an underused color in films, especially science-fiction and fantasy films. In Guardians, I used it as a signifier of change, rebirth, and redemption – the yellow prison uniforms, Drax drowning in the yellow spinal fluid, the yellow Groot spores, and the yellow interlocking Nova Corps net… I believe color is a part of what made Guardians successful. When so many huge, spectacle films have the beige color palette of Saw, the brain becomes thirsty for color. We were that technicolor pitcher of water at the edge of the summer desert.
This doesn’t mean all movies should be colorful, just that color in general is important, and too much of one thing is boring. If, over the next few years, films become oversaturated with bright colors, brains will be relieved by a film entirely hazel and gray.
Anyway, this painting, along with other Chris Foss works, was a part of my original presentation to Marvel when I pitched myself as director and I explained the visual direction I was going to take with the film. They were immediately on board, and we ended up hiring Chris Foss to help design some of the spaceships in the film. He was, of everyone, my biggest visual inspiration on Guardians.
He has a page here on FB – Chris Foss Artist Page. I’m not sure if it’s Official or not, but it’s worth checking out nevertheless.”

– James Gunn