Page 13 - Fujifilm Exposure_4 Samantha Janus_ok

Producer Philip Morris
work out a precise schedule. When the cof- fee morning stopped we moved into that room, when the lunch room emptied we moved into there. And they’re all on differ- ent floors, there are no lifts, so we were lugging these eight foot camera tracks up and down, along with a ton of dolly equip- ment. I was glad to see the back of that day.”
In talking to Morris one gets the impression that he is not only deeply com- mitted to this remarkable project, but he loves the chance to make the seemingly impossible possible.
“My personal enjoyment is the logis- tics,” he affirms. “I enjoy getting it right. I’m a trouble-shooter, a problem solver. This gives me the perfect opportunity to exploit what I know I’m good at.”
Before embarking on the Treasures of the World project, he was involved in producing commercials, and had won awards for the animatronic film Dragonworld, which still airs on Sky tele- vision. He admits with a smile that his involvement with his current project came about almost by total chance and good-fortune.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” he explains. “We were recom- mended to a German broadcaster to pro- duce three films in the UK. They were Bath, Westminster, and Stonehenge & Avebury, which counted as one site.
“We said we’d love to do it, and I must admit at that time I knew nothing of World Heritage Sites. Then when we saw the finished films, I thought there might an opportunity to do some more. We were absolutely convinced that the English arm had been taken care of; that was pri- marily what we were interested in as well as any other English territories that were available.
“And we found that the door was open. Then we realised that we could bring other benefits to the project, such as marketing, public relations and creating a brand. We could help sell it around the world and therefore create new revenue to carry on and complete the project.”
As a hands-on producer, and a self confessed student of history, Morris seems ideally suited to the immense task ahead. But he looks forward to it with a smile, and the suggestion that his involvement might become even greater, follow- ing in a proud family tradition.
“Who knows, maybe it will say ‘Directed by Philip Morris’ on one or two of them,” he nods. “That would be great.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
Treasures of the World was originated on Fujicolor Motion Picture Negative.
rs Of The World