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People & Places In The News
THE BEST
FINDING
YOUROWN
VOICE
No sensible person would attempt to ski down a moun- tain without first mastering the nursery slopes. But all too often, debutant filmmakers are given the budget and the means to make their movie, only to emerge bruised by the experience, ruing the missed opportunity that more experi- ence might have given them.
Which is where FilmFour Lab comes in, the venture set up to cham- pion the spirit and practice of low bud- get filmmaking, offering the right com- bination of opportunity and expertise for the budding filmmaker. The key is really in keeping budgets low - between half a million and £800,000 -
or those of a nervous disposi- tion it can be a terrifying experi- ence. A trip into a completely unknown environment, dislocat-
almost half of which might come from just another form of distribution for
FilmFour Lab itself.
The advantage for the filmmaker is
being involved with a company that has an impressive track record in nur- turing and developing new talent, as well as the means to get the finished film seen by audiences - if not theatri- cally then on the FilmFour digital chan- nel and Channel Four itself. The Lab has set itself the target of producing four features per year, a figure it has met in this, its first year of operation.
“We’re involved in all aspects of production,” explains FilmFour Lab head Robin Gutch. “Sometimes the ini- tial relationship is working with some- one on a short, then developing a fea- ture, then raising the finance, getting it made and getting it out there to audi- ences. It can be a long process.
“Obviously there’s a hope that peo- ple who made their first or second fea- ture with us will make other films, probably at a bigger budget in the future with FilmFour. So what’s in it for us is partly some R&D for talent in the long term. The value of Lab may only manifest itself in six or seven years, through features that come out then.”
But this is not simply a cloning ground for the next generation of film talent, instead there is a more radical adventurous quality to the work of the Lab. A glance at completed films would underline this point. These include the teen comedy Large (co- funded by the Film Consortium, to be released by UIP), This Filthy Earth, directed by Andrew (Gallivant) Kotting and adapted from Zola’s La Terre, and Shane Meadows’ guide to guerrilla filmmaking, Shane’s World.
In addition there is Dom Rotheroe’s My Brother, described by Gutch as a British take on the Dogme school of filmmaking. So technical inno-
vation is very consciously to
the fore. “We’re keen to encour-
age people to discover their
own voice,” continues Gutch,
“because you don’t get a vital
film industry if everybody’s
always aping what has gone
before.” ■ Anwar Brett
www.filmfour.com
me, as a filmmaker.
“If you come to our website you get
HORRORhigh quality graphics, and high quality films, but we’re in a medium where
we’re able to wrap that film with a whole load of other material, in a way I wouldn’t be able to do if it was just on TV. So you can watch the film then go off and explore aspects of it that are outside the linear experience.
F
stations
worldwide. Director Nick Stillwell, one of the founders of the company, sees this as the logical route for interactive filmmaking.
“I can’t really see the dif- ference between the internet and television,” says Stillwell. “When they eventu- ally converge, it will blur completely. The internet is
ONLINE “You can look at case files, see pho- tographs, video clips and news reports that were part of it. If you just want the
ed from all that is safe and familiar. But then the internet is, some believe, the future - and one British company has managed to carve itself a niche in the market that may yet devel- op into greater things.
Extreme Motion are the production company behind Urban Chillers, umbrella for a series of high quality, highly scary short films available online and seen on cable and satellite
want to immerse yourself in the story even further you can do that.
“This to me is what interactive film- making is about. It’s not choosing the ending. I’ve never found any example anywhere in storytelling where you have a vote on what happens to the reluctant hero.
“Interactive is about this ability to build and expand the story, wrap the experience with extra material so peo- ple can explore the story further. I find that really exciting.” ■ Anwar Brett
www.urbanchillers.com
linear experience that’s fine, but if you
Photo above left: FilmFour Lab head Robin Gutch
Photos from top left: Web images for Urban Chillers and other product; Director Nick Stillwell
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