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THE BEST OF BRITISH
ENTERTHEDRAGON
In the space of five years Dragon Pictures have produced nine films, a staggering output for a company that, in that time, boasted only two founding producers – Damian Jones and Graham Broadbent. And it is all the more impressive for the diversi- ty they have achieved, exemplified by their first two films Welcome To Sarajevo and Gridlock’d.
Former runners at Working Title, Jones and Broadbent take their lead from the highly successful track record established by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner over the years. “There are very limited models of successful production companies in the UK,” says Broadbent, “and there’s no doubt in terms of pro- duction record and financial return, Working Title is very well placed.
“What Tim and Eric have been amazingly successful at is, because they have an infrastructure around them, of taking productions forward as executives. There are far too many companies in this country that are one, two or three man bands, which means that things tend to stop when you have a production and then start again when your production has finished.”
The important difference between a small scale British produc- tion company and its American coun- terpart is, largely, in ambition. No-one could accuse Dragon Pictures of lack- ing this trait however, as they cur- rently have a slate of 15 films in vari- ous stages of development, as well as their newest feature, Thunderpants, in post production.
“You need a diverse slate of pic- tures,” Broadbent continues. “You need films that the audience wants to be involved in, but one of the great things about being a producer is that you can be quite eclectic. You can have a range of material under your belt and what attracts me very often is the director.
“In the same way that Michael Winterbottom created a vivid world in Welcome To Sarajevo, so Peter Hewitt has done with Thunderpants. They are quite different subject matters, but they are both signature filmmakers, not directors for hire. Good stories and that level of talent is always what inter- ests me most.
“Damian and I took the view that if we were going to make a busi-
ness of this we were going to approach it in a different way,
it’s not just about making a film it’s about a range of films, iden- tifying what is interesting about them, why they are strong, why might they work, why are they distinctive, what elements are involved. And we’re trying to
take that forward as a company.”
To this end Dragon Pictures
are growing, attracting fresh investment and new personnel. But the principle will remain the
same,
selecting
interest-
ing, sometimes offbeat materi- al that appeals to Broadbent and Jones’ varied aesthetic.
“I’m sure it’s possible to make a film that you don’t yourself like but can see the appeal of,” says Broadbent.
“I’ve never done it, and I suspect that I wouldn’t. It takes so much time and energy that you have to like what you’re getting involved in and think it’s special and interesting.
The two men, both 36, are sea- soned enough to know the pitfalls and dangers inherent in a precarious busi- ness, but are still young enough to pos- sess the enthusiasm, energy and ambi- tion to develop even further.
They are also pragmatic enough to realise that some films fall by the way- side, such as Splendor and Texas Funeral, which failed to secure a UK release. Interestingly, Some Voices was critically well received when it opened here, Very Annie Mary less so, but both offered distinctive storytelling opportu- nities for distinctive filmmakers.
And perhaps the fact that they can be made at all is testament to the buoy-
ant health of UK production, a sign that money is available to producers and that opportuni- ties to break out with bigger, more accomplished movies are slowly increasing.
“There’s been a huge sea
change in the UK industry in the last five years,” adds Broadbent. “We probably make too many
films here, and maybe the selection process isn’t quite strong enough, but I think it’s going to be interesting to see where people making their first and second films now are in two or three years time.” ■ Anwar Brett
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Photos top: Dragon Pictures’ newest feature Thunderpants; above: Damian Jones and Graham Broadbent