roughcuts magazine_ June 2010 by stephen mcewan

the scottish screen industries magazine

Front cover image:

editorial

The Illusionist

editorial

contents Hello, and welcome to the final edition of Roughcuts magazine. As editor of the magazine, my responsibility with this particular issue has been to look forward to the future, and specifically to the integration of Scottish Screen into Creative Scotland, while also looking back over the past 13 years of Scottish Screen itself. The current edition features interviews with the key figures involved in the transition process. Ken Hay, the chief executive of Scottish Screen, Andrew Dixon, the chief executive designate of Creative Scotland, and culture minister Fiona Hyslop have all given generously of their time to ensure that the ideas and values behind the change are thoroughly documented and explained. We also look back on the development of Roughcuts magazine itself, from a slim, photocopied volume to the expansive, colourful publication you’re currently holding. To consider the changing nature of Roughcuts over the past decade is to consider the changing nature of the Scottish film and media industry. The publication has expanded and improved in direct correlation to the growth in the industry itself. There’s more news and more success to celebrate, and in an industry where communication is arguably the key element, everyone involved in Roughcuts has taken pleasure in reflecting the positive changes which have taken place since 1997. This edition also continues the regular Roughcuts tradition of giving our best practitioners the chance to discuss and share their diverse experiences of working in the screen trade. These range from leading figures like composer Craig Armstrong OBE and producer Douglas Rae to first time shorts makers and teenagers getting their first taste of the industry. Fresh talent like Amy Hardie, Diane Bell and Colin Kennedy take their place in our pages alongside previews of such forthcoming attractions as the longawaited animation from Sylvain Chomet, The Illusionist. There’s also festival reports from Turkey, and the Arctic Circle, plus closer to home at the Glasgow Film Festival. And we look forward to the presence of Scottish features and shorts at the forthcoming South by Southwest festival, and some of the technological advances, such as Vast

Blue’s VideoTheque, which will offer new opportunities for filmmakers to display their work, and provide a vital bridge to the marketplace. As always, Roughcuts is there to give each individual the space to represent their work, in words and in pictures, and to document their success. But it also provides a bigger picture, of creative people working as individuals and in parallel to further their own reputations, and, in turn, the reputation of Scotland as a powerhouse of creative ideas and thought. One person whose patience, effort and skill in bringing this picture to you should be recognised is Celia Stevenson, Scottish Screen’s Head Head of Inward Investment & Communications. I first met Celia after co-writing a Tartan Short in 1999, and was immediately impressed by her sensitivity to the needs of filmmakers, her diplomacy, and her straight-talking advice, which helped me through a decade of writing about and contributing to the output of the Scottish film industry, and to completing my first feature, Dark Nature, in 2009. On behalf of the many filmmakers who have benefited from Celia’s care and attention, I’d like to thank Celia for making Roughcuts what it is today. And acknowledgment is also due to Scottish Screen communications staff Amy Fairbain and Lauren Ferson, plus a special mention for our talented designer Stephen McEwan, who all worked so effectively to make this final edition of Roughcuts into such a grand affair. Over a decade ago, back in the days of VHS and 16mm, the internet and digital media had yet to play the central role they now have, and it’s this constant, sweeping wave of technological innovation that has meant that change has been necessary. I hope that Creative Scotland will continue the tradition of support that Scottish Screen represented, and that the importance of recording, celebrating and publishing the successes of Scottish filmmakers will continue to be recognised as a central tenet of our industry. Enjoy the magazine, and let’s hope that the instigation of Creative Scotland will enable it to follow in the footsteps of Scottish Screen, and harness the vibrant array of talent that Scotland has to offer. Eddie Harrison Editor

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Investment Awards Call For Entries Celtic Media Festival MEDIA

8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21

Ken Hay Andrew Dixon Fiona Hyslop MSP Craig Armstrong Douglas Rae The Illusionist Glasgow Film Festival

22 23

Murray Grigor by Mark Cousins William McLaren by Jim Hickey

24 25 26 27 28 29 30-31 32-33 34

Diane Bell I Love Luci by Colin Kennedy Artworks Mum’s Birthday by Graham Fitzpatrick Kurdi by Marie Olsen and Doug Aubrey Accidental Media by Andrew Green Roughcuts Through the Years The Edge of Dreaming by Amy Hardie and Jonathan Stack Martin Compston

35 36 37

Heading North by Adrian Mead Document 8 by Paula Larkin South by Southwest

38 39 40 41 42-43

Second Light Bacon Boy/First Light BAFTA New Talent Awards 2010 Food on Film Festival NETS by Kay Sheridan

44 45

Digital Media Central Station by Suzy Glass

46-47 48-49 50 51

Blipfoto Education by Scott Donaldson Glasgow Short film Festival by Rosie Crerar and Matt Lloyd The Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Award

52-53 54 55 56-58 59

Vast Blue/Clermont Ferrand Location of the Month New Age Calendar Celia Stevenson

investment awards

Between November 2009 and February 2010, Scottish Screen has made the following

INVESTMENT AWARDS: Audience Development Fund Project: Kill Your Timid Notion Company: Arika Ltd Amount: £15,000 Project: Middle Eastern Film Festival Company: Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace Amount: £7,710

Content Development Fund Project: A Gravedigger’s Tale Company: Makar Productions Ltd Amount: £3,608 Project: Yinka and Dinka’s House of Hoax Company: Sinner Films Ltd Amount: £18,750 Project: War and Football Company: Autonomi Ltd Amount: £24,999 Project: Blood or Water Company: Synchronicity Films Ltd Amount: £17,843 Project: The Master, The Slave and The Bank Manager Company: Crow Hill Films Ltd Amount: £11,140 Project: Silversand Company: Makar Productions Ltd Amount: £9,330 Project: The Widow Company: 4 Way Pictures Ltd Amount: £10,000 Project: Fire in the Night Company: Beriff McGinty Films Ltd Amount: £23,666 Project: Silver Darlings Company: Young Films Ltd Award: £4,990

Digital Media IP Fund Project: You Booze You Looze Company: Digital Goldfish Ltd Amount: £8,250 Project: My Police Company: My Police Amount: £35,850

Grant in Aid Project: Scottish Students on Screen Company: BAFTA Scotland Amount: £25,000

Market Development Fund Project: Scotland-Kolkata Connections Company: British Council Scotland Amount: £8,000 Project: Legacy Company: Black Camel Picture Co. Ltd Amount: £9,000

Opportunities Fund Project: Alasdair Gray: A Life in Pictures Company: Hopscotch Films Ltd Amount: £885 Project: Encounters Film Festival Applicant: Sam Firth Amount: £287 Project: Encounters Film Festival Applicant: Julia McLean Amount: £299 Project: Encounters Film Festival Company: Digicult Ltd Amount: £1,102 Project: Kling Klang Company: Synchronicity Films Ltd Amount: £340 Project: Motion/Static & Shutdown at IDFA Attendance Company: Accidental Media (UK) Ltd Amount: £1,500 Project: Berlin Film Festival Attendance Company: Savalas Ltd Amount: £600 Project: Berlin Talent Campus Applicant: Billy Campbell Amount: £300 Project: Berlinale 2010 Attendance Applicant: Digicult Ltd Amount: £323 Project: History Makers Conference Applicant: Lichen Films Ltd Amount: £1,000 Project: Skeletons at Rotterdam Film Festival Company: Edge City Films Ltd Amount: £1,125

Project: Berlinale 2010 Company: La Belle Allee Productions Ltd Amount: £833 Project: Berlinale 2010 Company: Sinner Films Ltd Amount: £833 Project: Cinemart Rotterdam and Berlin International Festival Company: Brocken Spectre Ltd Amount: £1,500 Project: ICO Cultural Cinema Exhibition Course Company: Scottish Mental Health and Film Festival Amount: £960 Project: Outcast SXSW Festival Attendance Company: Makar Productions Ltd Amount: £905 Project: SXSW Festival Attendance Company: Scottish Documentary Institute Award: £1,405 Project: Crying with Laughter at SXSW Company: Synchronicity Films Ltd Award: £1,500 Project: Pollphail at SXSW Applicant: Matt Lloyd Award: £1,275

Talent Development Fund Project: Starting Block Company: Diversity Films Ltd Amount: £75,000 Project: Rotterdam Lab Company: Cinemart Amount: £4,801 Project: Inside Pictures Company: Inside Pictures Amount: £10,000 Project: She Writes Company: Birds Eye View Ltd Amount: £10,000 Project: The Story Works Company: Edinburgh International Film Festival Amount: £25,000 Project: Interdoc II Company: Scottish Documentary Institute Amount: £25,000

call for entries

CALL for ENTRIES Ideas Fund Shorts Deadline: 29 March 2010 IdeasTap has recently launched a new £40,000 fund called Ideas Fund Shorts. The new fund is to help young people realise their short film projects.  Recognising the wealth of talented young filmmakers in the UK, IdeasTap is offering eight awards of £5,000 each for the most original, engaging ideas. Entries must be for films no longer than five minutes and can include documentaries, conceptual pieces, trailers for features, music videos, fashion films and animated shorts.  Aiming to make the funding process easier for young people, the Ideas Fund is dedicated to providing opportunities for up-andcoming talent.  Ideas Fund Shorts is part of IdeasTap’s annual £150,000 Ideas Fund that first launched in June 2009. The awards are open to 16-25-year-old UK filmmakers. For further details and to apply please visit:  W: www.ideastap.com

Rushes Soho Shorts 2010 Deadline: 21 April 2010   Rushes Soho Shorts is now calling for submissions for their 12th celebration of everything short. Now recognised as one of the United Kingdom’s foremost short format champions, the festival maintains a significant bridge between the independent and commercial filmmaking communities.  RSSF 2010, for the first time in the festival’s history, is now accepting entries online.  The submission form is available from: W: www.entries.sohoshorts. com  By choosing the DVD link or file option, filmmakers can enter their details in the online submission form, print it off and send it to the festival with their DVD or they can simply upload their material or provide a link to their material at other online locations.  Further information can be found at: W: www.sohoshorts.com

Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival Deadline: 30 April 2010  The 4th annual Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival will take place across Scotland from 1-22 October 2010. The festival is committed to finding and celebrating the works of filmmakers who explore mental health and its meaning in their work.   Mental health, in its broadest sense, is a term which applies to most aspects of our lives; from our relationships at home, at work and with friends, to how we respond to the world around us and our own personal circumstances. The festival

is looking for films which show that mental health is something we all have, and something we all need to think about from time to time.   Previous winning submissions have looked at topics such as moving home, ageing, grief, loss, endurance, support, friendship, equality, sport, music, personal journeys and epiphanies, as well as films about specific diagnoses or conditions.   For details of last year’s winners and to download an entry form, please visit: W: www.mhfestival.com

Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival Deadline: 30 April 2010 The theme of the 5th Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival is ‘celebrations’, and African filmmakers are invited to submit documentaries relating to this theme to be considered for inclusion in the October 2010 festival. This is an opportunity for African filmmakers to showcase their work at one of the most prestigious African film festivals worldwide and to gain exposure to a wide audience in the UK.   This year, 17 African countries are celebrating 50 years of independence and the documentaries should explore the legacy of colonisation, liberation struggles, independence and nationalism of any of these countries.   Submissions can also explore other themes of celebration from historical, traditional as well as contemporary perspectives - music and dance celebrating African creativity; documentaries dealing with African traditions, rituals, initiation and rites of passage ceremonies; mask making and wearing, clothes and costume designing and wearing, culinary traditions, tattooing, jewellery and decorations such as sculpture, wall painting and architecture.   African film specialists will select the films to be included and these will be announced by the end of August 2010. For full submission guidelines and to download the entry form, please visit:  W: www.africa-in-motion.org.uk/callfordocs

JIM POOLE scottish short film award Deadline: 26 APRIL 2010 See page 51 for full details. W: www.jimpooleaward.com

Leith Short Film Festival Deadline: 7 May 2010 The 5th Leith Short Film Festival is now open for submissions.  The festival is scheduled to take place in June 2010, during the Leith Festival (11-20 June).    Films of all genres and budgets will be considered. In addition, there will be a screenplay competition for the best short and feature screenplay. The winner will be awarded The Edinburgh Screenwriters’ Official Award for Best Short or Feature Screenplay. The winning entries will also be broadcast or performed by a professional cast on local radio.    For application guidelines and entry forms, please visit:  W: www.leithshortfilms.co.uk

Document 8 - International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Deadline: 17 May 2010   Document 8 invites applications from both established and emerging documentary filmmakers, to take part in the only UK-based festival dedicated to international human rights.  To download an application form, visit:  W: www.docfilmfest.org.uk  For more information, email: E: documentsubs@googlemail.com T: 01413574212  T: 07765396226

Africa In Motion Short Film Competition Deadline: 31 May 2010 Africa in Motion’s 3rd annual short film competition invites African filmmakers to submit short films of up to 30 minutes to this year’s competition.  The competition specifically targets young and emerging African film talent; filmmakers who enter must not have completed a feature-length film previously.  A shortlist from all the entries will be announced by the end of August 2010. The competition winner will be chosen by a high profile jury of local and international film specialists and established African filmmakers.  All shortlisted films will be screened at the festival. In addition to the overall winner selected by the jury, there will be an Audience Choice Award announced at an awards ceremony at the end of the festival in October 2010.  For full submission guidelines and to download the entry form, please visit: W: www.africa-in-motion.org.uk/shortfilmcomp/

Celtic Media Festival Féile na meán ceilteach

Newry, Northern Ireland 21 – 23 April 2010

call for entries

www.celticmediafestival.co.uk

MEDIA NEWS media news

New Funding from MEDIA International 2010 MEDIA International explores ways of encouraging co-operation between European and third-party professionals from the audiovisual industry on the basis of mutual benefit. This call has a budget of €1 million and focuses on actions in training and market access taking place between 1 August 2010 and 31 March 2011. Deadline: 31 March 2010 For further information please go to http:// ec.europa.eu/information_society/media/ overview/international/funding/index_en.htm

MEDIA Networking Sunny Side calls UK documentary filmmakers Sunny Side of the Doc, the specialist factual and documentary market, will take place in June in 22-25 June 2010 in La Rochelle, France, and is an international hotspot for documentary funding. In 2010, the focus is on UK professionals, and they will be hosting special events to help UK producers attending the market meet international co-producers and financiers, and turn their projects into reality. Deadline to register for Sunny Side is 14 May 2010. www.sunnysideofthedoc.com

MEDIA Funding Initial Training Funding to support the networking and mobility of European students in the audiovisual industry, in particular through collaboration between European film schools, training institutes, and with the participation of partners. The applicant consortium must be made up of at least three higher education institutions/film schools from at least three countries participating in the MEDIA programme. The consortiums will propose training initiatives in the areas of economic, financial and commercial management, new technologies and script development. Applicants can apply for a grant of up to 50% of the eligible costs. If one of the members of the grouping is based in one of the new accession countries, then a grant covering up to 75% of the eligible costs is available. Deadline: 30 April 2010 Continuous Training Funding is available for training providers to deliver continuous vocational training activities for film and television industry professionals in the areas of new technologies, economic, financial and commercial management and script development. Applicants from the UK can apply for a non-repayable grant of up to 50% towards the costs of the training activity. Training activities applying for funding must address one of the following topics: • Training in new audiovisual technologies • Training in economic, financial and commercial management • Training in script development Deadline: 9 July 2010

i2i Audiovisual The i2i Audiovisual scheme supports production companies that bear the costs of bank financing and/or associated insurance and completion bonds costs. It offers a grant to cover up to 50% of the following costs, capped at €50,000 per project: insurance costs, completion bond costs and financial costs (interest on a loan). In order to be eligible companies must present a signed credit agreement, insurance contract or completion guarantee for the project. The minimum allocation is €5,000 per project. The following programmes are eligible, for theatrical release or television, one off or series: • Fiction with a minimum duration of 50 minutes • Animation with a minimum duration of 24 minutes • Creative documentary with a minimum duration of 25 minutes. Deadline: 7 July 2010 - for projects that have started between 1 January 2010 and 7 July 2010 i.e. the credit agreement with the bank of financial institution has been signed within that period and the first day of principal photography has not taken place before 1 January 2010. Development – Single Project Single Project Development funding is aimed at companies who have produced at least one previous project which has been distributed recently, and who wish to invest in developing another. The applicant must have been registered for at least a year. The company must provide evidence that they have completed, as the majority producer, a previous work in one of MEDIA’s eligible project categories (see below). This work must have been commercially distributed since 1 January 2007. MEDIA’s eligible project categories: • Fiction (one-off and series, minimum duration 50 minutes)   • Creative documentary (one-off and series, minimum duration 25 minutes) • Animation (one-off or series, minimum duration 24 minutes) Up to 50% of the development budget is offered as a non-repayable grant . Matching funds (in cash) are the responsibility of the applicant. Grants of €10,000 to €60,000 are available, with the exception of animation feature-length projects for cinema release for which a maximum of €80,000 is available. Deadline: 12 April 2010 Development – Slate Funding Slate Funding is aimed at medium-sized companies which have experience at an international level and the financial capacity to support the simultaneous development of several projects. The applicant must have been registered for at least three years. The company must provide evidence that in the five years prior to submission they have completed and internationally distributed, as the majority producer, two previous works in one of MEDIA’s eligible project categories. MEDIA’s eligible project categories:

•

Fiction (one-off and series, minimum duration 50 minutes)   • Creative documentary (one-off and series, minimum duration 25 minutes) • Animation (one-off or series, minimum duration 24 minutes) Up to 50% of the development budget is offered as a non-repayable grant . Matching funds (in cash) are the responsibility of the applicant. Slate funding supports three to six projects. Grants of €10,000 to €60,000 are available per project. The total support per slate is from €70,000 to €190,000. Deadline: 12 April 2010 Development – Interactive Projects Interactive Projects Development funding is aimed at companies who have produced at least one previous interactive project which has been distributed recently, and who wish to invest in the development of another interactive project which complements an audiovisual project. Digital interactive content specifically developed for at least one of the following platforms: • Internet • PC • Console • Handheld device • Interactive television. This digital content must present substantial interactivity with a narrative component and originality, creativity and innovation against existing works. The digital content must complement another audiovisual project in one of MEDIA’s eligible project categories: • Fiction (one-off and series, minimum duration 50 minutes)   • Creative documentary (one-off and series, minimum duration 25 minutes) • Animation (one-off or series, minimum duration 24 minutes) A company can submit up to two projects per Call for Proposals. Up to 50% of the development budget is offered as a non-repayable grant . Matching funds (in cash) are the responsibility of the applicant. Grants of €10,000 to €150,000 are available. Deadline: 12 April 2010 TV Broadcasting TV Broadcasting helps European independent production companies produce a television programme (in principle not intended for theatrical release) with at least three European broadcasters attached. Television programmes, must belong to one of these eligible MEDIA categories: • Fiction, minimum duration 50 minutes  • Creative documentary, minimum duration 25 minutes (per episode)  • Animation, minimum duration 24 minutes A grant of up to 12.5% of the production budget, capped at €500,000 is available for fiction and animation projects and up to 20% of the budget, capped at €300,000 for creative documentaries. Deadline: 28 June 2010 Audiovisual Festivals This is to support film festivals that programme at least 70% European content, and can be used for support towards costs

such as subtitling, translation, catalogue printing and travel costs for professionals accompanying a film at the festival. Festivals starting between 1 November 2010 and 30 April 2011 should apply for the deadline on 30 April 2010. Access to Markets This scheme supports organisations that propose events and activities (including computer-based information tools) designed to promote European audiovisual works and facilitate access to markets for European professionals. Promotional events and activities applying for funding must address one of the following topics: • Action 1: Access to markets for European professionals • Action 2: Promotion of European audiovisual and/or cinematographic works before and / or during the production phase • Action 3: Computer-based information tools on the audiovisual and cinematographic industry, intended for professionals • Action 4: Common European promotional activities. Deadline: 30 June 2010 is for annual activities in 2011 relating to computer-based information tools on the audiovisual and cinematographic industry (Action 3), and for events (Actions 1, 2 and 4) starting between 1 January 2011 and 31 May 2011. Selective Scheme This is to facilitate the transnational distribution of European films. Distributors wishing to distribute one or more non-national European films must form a grouping, co-coordinated by the film’s sales agent or the producer, which will set out to release the film in several European territories. Deadlines: 7 April 2010 and 1 July 2010

MEDIA TRAINING Maia Workshops 2010 Maia Workshops is an advanced training programme for emerging European producers which aims to provide them with the fundamental creative and managerial skills needed to steer a fiction or creative documentary project through the different phases of development, production and distribution. Workshop 2 - Legal and Financial Issues  21-25 June 2010, Trencin, Slovakia  Deadline: 21 May 2010   Workshop 3 - Marketing and Distribution  4-8 October 2010, Dubrovnik, Croatia  Deadline: 3 September 2010 Fee: €600 per workshop For further information contact Maia at maia@ fabulafilm.com or www.fabulafilm.com Documentary Campus: 1st Open Symposium 2010 MY MONEY, MY FILM by Leena Pasanen, YLE Finland and Stefano Tealdi, Stefilm Italy Money is welcome for documentary production and while necessary, it can be hard to secure. Broadcasters have traditionally been the main financial resource but now that’s changing. When funding comes from

media news

film funds, social institutions, NGO’s or even corporations willing to fund social or environmental issues, how does this change the rules of the game? March 20, 2010 - March 21, 2010, Graz, Austria Fee: €170 regular fee; €110 students and East Europeans; €155 reelisor premium members Deadline: 15 March 2010 For further information please contact info@documentary-campus.com or www. documentary-campus.com MFI Script to Film Workshop 2010 MFI Script to Film Workshops, an advanced script and project development workshop, based on group work, Q&A sessions, case studies and individual consultations. It consists of four intensive workshops: two in the Greek islands, Nissyros and Samos and two on-line hosted on the MFI website. June, September, October and December 2010, Nissyros and Samos, Greece and on-line Fee: €1,500 for screenwriters; €1,000 for producers; €1,000 euro for a third person attached to a project (co-writer, director, etc). This include accommodation and board. Deadline: 12 April 2010 For further information please contact info@mfi.gr or www.mfi.gr Story Doc Training Programme 2010 This project-based training for historical documentary will follow each of the 20 selected projects from development to financing, production and distribution in order to ensure that high quality productions are completed and delivered. It is delivered in two sessions with a rewrite period in between. July 5 - July 7, 2010, Athens/Corfu, Greece October or November 2010, Leipzig, Germany or Copenhagen, Denmark Fee: €300 covers significant travel and accommodation costs Deadline: 30 March 2010 For further information please contact stellalitou@gmail.com or www.storydoc.gr Screen Leaders EU 2010 Participants explore company structure and strategy, new business opportunities, funding sources, developing a strategic plan, selfmanagement, strategic leadership skills, financial planning skills, cash flow management systems, and building international networks across industry sectors.  April, June, July and November 2010 in Ireland, Barcelona, Spain and Berlin, Germany Fee: €5,000 per company for two participants, includes accommodation, food, surface travel when on programme (not flights).  Deadline: 31 March 2010 For further information please contact helen.mcmahon@fas.ie or www. screentrainingireland.ie TOSMI 2010 This course consists of two residential workshops on: • 3D animation: for purely animated

production and for motion pictures; software used: Blender, Trac, SVN, Audacity GIMP; • Simulation and post-processing: physical simulation in virtual reality; software used: Blender, Trac, S+VN, Cinepaint, YAfray, DrQueue. May 24 - May 29, 2010, Sofia, Bulgaria (deadline March 31, 2010) August 23 - August 28, 2010, Sofia, Bulgaria (deadline June 30, 2010) Fee: €1,000 per session, scholarships available. Deadline: 31 March 2010 For further information please contact info@ tosmi.org or www.tosmi.org SOURCES 2 Script Development Workshops 2010 SOURCES 2 is advanced training for European Film professionals working in the field of script and story development. Workshops last for seven days, followed up by either a small group session or an individual consultation of one day. The focus is on feature-length film projects for both cinema and television. Workshop 3: November 2010, Potsdam, Germany Deadline: 1 July 2010 Fee: €1,800 per writer/project and €900 for each additional person committed to the project (co-writer, director, producer) Fees include accommodation and meals during seven-day residential workshop For information please contact info@ sources2.de or visit the website at www. sources2.de Essential Legal Framework 2010 Workshop 1 – Rights Clearance April 21, 2010 - April 25, 2010, Baden (near Vienna), Austria Workshop 2 – Digital Distribution Strategies June 2, 2010 - June 6, 2010, Berlin, Germany Workshop 3 – European Co-production October 13, 2010 - October 17, 2010, Mallorca, Spain Fee: first person €1,250, second person from the same company €900 including accommodation and meals. For further information please contact radojevic@epimedieninstitut.de or www.epi-media.eu

For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact MEDIA Antenna Scotland on 0141 302 1776.

Alternatively, you can also email us at

Scotand@mediadeskuk.eu or visit our website:

www.mediadeskuk.eu MEDIA Antenna Scotland operates with the kind support of Scottish Screen and the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

ken hay

looking to Since 1997, Scottish Screen has been the national development agency for the screen industries in Scotland, and since 2005, Ken Hay has been the Chief Executive. Since he came from EM (East Midlands) Media, which he established in 2001, Hay has taken responsibility for guiding the Scottish screen industries through an exciting period of technological development, but also through a difficult period economically.

media kennews hay

the future Looking back on his five years at Scottish Screen, Hay points to the body’s adherence to the goals outlined in the Scottish Screen annual plans, in the wider sense of inspiring Scottish storytelling, but also specifically, building the scale of businesses and skills in Scotland, and attracting businesses and business activity to Scotland. He believes that Scottish Screen has been successful in fulfilling its remit to develop audiences and market opportunities, while also building a fresh talent base to produce more high value, onscreen content. But his pride in past achievements doesn’t stop him having a clear vision of the future, as Scottish Screen joins with the Scottish Arts Council to become part of Creative Scotland. ‘Creative Scotland will have a scale of influence and responsibility way beyond that of either Scottish Screen or the Scottish Arts Council. It will be better positioned to work with the sector and with the rest of the public sector in creating an environment where individuals and companies can succeed,’ says Hay. ‘Both Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council have committed themselves over the last four years to ensure that we pursue business as usual during the transition to Creative Scotland and as the new organisation comes into being, that commitment remains firm.’ The transition process may be a case of ‘business as usual’, but maintaining a continuity of approach to the screen industries actually requires constant readjustment for the individuals and companies who consider themselves to be market leaders. ‘The environment we all work in has been transformed by technology. It’s affected and affecting all aspects of how we make, share and enjoy screen media. And critically it’s affected and affecting how people can earn a living out of the sector. Scottish Screen’s job has been to assist

the sector in navigating that transformation,’ says Hay. ‘Compared to even five years ago, let alone 10 or 20, the sector is unrecognisable. Whether you’re a producer, distributor, publisher, broadcaster or exhibitor, the nature of the business is changing before our eyes – the impact of 3D, HD, VOD, digital switchover, superfast broadband, mobile platforms and networks, PVRs and ever bigger memory chips and faster processing speeds are all radically altering the landscape.’ To ensure that Scotland is keeping up with the digital revolution, Scottish Screen has introduced recent innovations like the £3m Digital Media IP Fund, run alongside over £1m in business development loans and slate finance for 13 Scottish screen companies, and £1.9m in skills and talent development over the last five years. Critical successes like Red Road and The Last King of Scotland are only part an overall investment of over £10 million in screen production activity, with a further £125m of production business brought into the country with support from Scottish Screen Locations. Hay’s period in charge has also seen an increase in commissioning commitment from the BBC and Channel 4, worth up to an additional £30m per annum, plus £1.88m of UK Film Council investment in the EIFF, and £1.2m of Scottish Government investment in the CashBack Creative Identities scheme. Add in a national strategy for screen exhibition, investing almost £4m in developing audiences for film and other screen content, and increased access to moving image education in Scotland’s classrooms, and there’s plenty of evidence of Scottish Screen’s commitment to Scottish media. ‘Scottish Screen has been incredibly successful given its remit and the level of cash resource. The integrated screen agency model has been replicated

throughout the rest of the UK and internationally as far afield as Australia,’ says Hay. ‘There are many companies in this country who are leading the way , not just at a Scottish level, but on the global stage. It would be unfair to pick out individual companies, but the attributes I admire in any company are the ones who are forward-looking, adaptable, passionate about quality and excellence, passionate about thinking, working and succeeding internationally, embracing the new digital world rather than fighting against it, seeking to work in partnership and collaboration rather than remaining isolated and those who are committed to succeeding in Scotland – developing Scottish talent and building an industry that maintains our global reputation for creative excellence.’ Having watched Creative Scotland develop for four years, Hay says he’s personally looking forward to ‘working with Creative Scotland continuing to drive forward the development of Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries.’ And in terms of the future of Scottish screen industries, he sees the potential for national and international success on the horizon. ‘The future is exceptionally bright – increased levels of investment from the BBC, increased levels of commitment from the Scottish and UK governments to support the development and growth of the sector, the breaking down of traditional barriers across creative and public sectors, and the opportunities created by the digital revolution, including easy access to international markets and lower costs of entry into the business.’ says Hay. ‘All of these factors are contributing to what I believe will become an explosion of activity and opportunity for Scotland’s screen industries.’

andrew dixon

Meet the Head of Creative Scotland B

ringing together Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council, Creative Scotland is the title of the new overseeing arts body for Scotland, and Andrew Dixon is the Chief Executive Designate. It’s an appointment that’s been a long time coming; Creative Scotland was first mooted back in 2006, but under the direction of Ewan Brown, Dixon’s appointment was finally announced at a press conference on February 12th 2010. ‘I said at the press conference that I wanted Creative Scotland not to be just a body that supports investments, but to be a rallying call for Scotland’s creative communities' says Dixon. ‘So one of the first things I want to address is finding the best people for the Creative Scotland team, filling the gaps internally and externally. Creative Scotland is about supporting the specific brand of Scottish culture, and I want to employ people who will be proud to be on board, whether they’re artists, administrators, journalists or otherwise. They’ll have a responsibility for developing the right values in the organisation.’ But what exactly are these values which Creative Scotland will stand for? ‘The key values I see as being important are equality, engagement, and distinctiveness. If you think about what’s great about French cinema, for example, there’s a unique quality to it which you can recognise from a distance. I think

there’s already elements of that within the Scottish arts community now,’ he says. ‘And I think it’s important that people feel that their contributions are respected. The key elements here are respect, pride and celebration. It’s vital that we properly celebrate the quality of work that’s achieved here. ‘ ‘Yes, it has taken a long time for Creative Scotland to come into being, but what’s good about that is that there has been a great deal of positive consultation about making sure voices are heard. People are talking about it, writing about it, in fact, there’s been over two million hits on Google for Creative Scotland. My feeling is that all the right ingredients are in place; now I want to make sure that we’re using the right recipe. Don’t judge me now, or by my CV; judge me on what I’ve achieved two years from now.’ Starting out, by his own description as a ‘semi-professional musician’, Dixon’s background in the arts started when he was a rock music promoter whilst a student at Bradford University, booking acts like Dire Straits, Annie Lennox and U2. ‘I booked Elvis Costello for his Get Happy tour. I was, I suppose, being thrown in at the deep end of events management, but the experience of running a marketing operation was a useful one. I also worked with theatre companies, learned about programming and marketing local government-run cinemas, and eventually merging various regional film and arts bodies together.

So I think the experience is there to make sure that theatre, music, cinema and other elements of Scottish culture all get a good shop window.’ But, does he like films? ‘Of course. My favourite film is Guiseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso, but I’m also a big fan of, say, Luc Besson’s work. One thing I particularly enjoy is films which are specifically rooted in places, like Stephen Daldry’s Billy Elliot, Ken Loach’s Kes, or Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero. But I’m also interested in all kinds of film, like Patrick Collerton’s The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off, which is an important film because it changed public perception of a disease and affected social change’ Dixon says. ‘One project I was particularly proud to work on was when we screened Sergei Eisenstein’s The Battleship Potemkin at Gateshead to an audience of ten thousand people, with the Pet Shop Boys playing a live soundtrack. I love what performers like David Bryne do on-stage with film, and the way that digital media can infuse a dance performance. So yes, I like film, but I see it within a wider cultural context, and that’s exactly what I’ll be taking responsibility for as Chief Executive of Creative Scotland.’

fiona hyslop msp

FIONA Hyslop

msp

'Culture is a vital part of our lives'

Fiona Hyslop is Minister for Culture and External Affairs, and is responsible for the parliamentary aspect of getting the legislation passed required to make Creative Scotland a reality. With Andrew Dixon now installed as the Chief Executive Designate of Creative Scotland, a key part of the make-up of the new body is now in place, and she’s looking forward to seeing the body up and running in a matter of months. 12

‘When I took on the position of Culture Minister, I recognized that I had a responsibility to deliver in all aspects the legislation required, so it was up to me to move the necessary amendments forward, so that everything is on target and in place by June 2010,’ she says. ‘The stage we’re at, at the moment, involves recruiting our board members and our chair. It has been a long process, but we’re on the final leg now, and the questions remaining about Creative Scotland are not ‘if’, but ‘when’ and ‘how’.’ It has been a long process, and Hyslop acknowledges that the consultation process has been a highly detailed one, but it’s that very nature which she sees as being its strength. ‘What we do have, because of the length of time it has taken, is a real sense of expectation, and I think Creative Scotland will be able to deliver on that expectation. What’s very positive is that now we have a clear and thorough understanding of the

current needs of people in all aspects of the creative industries, whether in film, music, theatre or otherwise. I want to make it clear that my role is to help create conditions for that success, and that success can only come from the quality of the practitioners, the artists themselves,’ she says. ‘There are lots of questions about how best to do this; whether we should be supporting ‘safe’ projects, or where and when should we be taking risks, and that’s the kind of issue we want to continue to debate and discuss.’ With Scottish Screen integrated into the Creative Scotland structure, some in the film community have expressed anxiety about whether Creative Scotland will show the same sensitivity to their needs that Scottish Screen, as a dedicated body, was able to provide. Hyslop points to the consultation process as central to ensuring that such anxieties are dissolved. ‘I’m specifically involved in delivering the parliamentary side of things, but I’m

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop announced £50,000 additional funding for Arts & Business Scotland for its New Arts Sponsorship grant scheme. The Minister is pictured with Professor Jon Oberlander of Edinburgh University at Inspace gallery, one of the projects that has previously benefited from the scheme.

pleased that there has been substantial cross-party support for what we’re doing. I’m really appreciative of what Ewan Brown has done in terms of steering the creation process, and also impressed by the drive and determination that Scottish Screen has shown over the years. The challenge is now to make sure that, in opening this new chapter for Scottish arts, we can mobilize the existing resources that we have, create cutting-edge work and find ways to grow the cultural sector,’ she says. ‘And the dialogue process on how best to make that happen is an ongoing one. There are forums for artists and practitioners to express their ideas, and I’ve been taking part in dialogue sessions to make sure that we’re able to function as an enabler to creative industries. And there are online podcasts of these meetings, so that anyone interested in finding out more about the process can bring themselves up to date on the debate.’

Stressing that, while building on the work of Scottish Screen, Creative Scotland is very much a body for the 21st century, Hyslop is looking forward to seeing how the body can nurture and develop new talent, and take advantage of the new opportunities offered by changing technologies. ‘Culture is a vital part of our lives, it’s at the heart of what we do, and supporting the arts is a crucial part of how the government supports the country. I think Creative Scotland will be able to help with crosspollenisation in the arts; after all, theatre, music and dance events regularly use film as part of their performances. I recently attended a National Theatre of Scotland production, Wall of Death, which featured exactly that. So we want to be working in partnership with those in the creative communities, driving forward that cultural agenda. That will be one of the tests of the new body,’ she says.

‘I do want to pay tribute to the work done by Scottish Screen, and hope that we can expand on the opportunities they offered. There’s a new generation coming up that, through technology, see making films as something achievable. I’ve got a 12 year old son who, rather than going to the park to play, would happily go there to make a film. We want to tap into these new generations, support them, and work out the best way to get their films to market. After all, film is a vital part of who we are, and that’s why Creative Scotland has a vital role, not only to serve the cultural community we have, but also the nation itself.’

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/ArtsCultureSport www.creativescotland.org.uk

Artfully Composed-

Craig Armstrong

Neds

Composer Craig Armstrong OBE, has just finished work on his latest project; Peter Mullan’s Neds, a drama about youth in 1970’s Glasgow. For Armstrong, working with Mullan on this project is the latest episode in a valued collaboration.

‘It was great for me to work with Peter again, I’ve contributed to all his films to date, including the shorts, and I think that Neds may well be one of the best films he’s made,’ says Armstrong. ‘I was able to get on the set while the film was being shot, and as always, found it helpful to meet up with Peter and get some kind of feel for the film. Although the period is the 1970s, I’m keen to avoid going down a literal route with the score; I’m trying to ensure that the feel is more modern and electronic, rather than doing something nostalgic for the seventies.’ Armstrong has become one of the world’s most sought after composers with acclaimed scores including Ray and Moulin Rouge! 2010 sees Armstrong managing a slew of projects, cinematic and otherwise (‘I do try and keep them separate, it’s got to be a case of one at a time, it’s just impossible otherwise’ says Armstrong). He’s working on an opera for Scottish Opera, due to be performed in 2012, and he’s also teaming up with Cathie Boyd and Theatre Cryptic for their forthcoming theatre production of Orlando. He’ll be working with artist and composer Antye Greie to write music which will then be used as part of the company’s

technologically innovative Living Canvas approach to performance. He’s also just completing work on a French animation called The Prodigies, and then there’s the little matter of a solo album, which Armstrong hopes to be working on towards the end of the year. ‘I probably won’t do another film this year, although you never know, you never ‘not want’ to do a film. Recently, I was over doing some work for Oliver Stone on the soundtrack for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I’ve got a good relationship with him, and enjoyed working on his World Trade Centre film; I think it helps with the collaboration if you’re a fan of his work,’ says Armstrong, whose scores have proved so popular that they’re often licenced to more than one project. ‘It is good to know that people like and enjoy what you do; I don’t mind the music turning up in new places; I’ve been lucky that pieces like the one I wrote for the balcony scene in Romeo + Juliet have been played in many different places. In general, I’m just happy to see the music used; that’s what it was written for. ’

that the art of film-scoring is dying out. ‘Although he uses a lot of source music, I loved Woody Allen’s scoring for Vicky Christina Barcelona. Alberto Iglesias’s work on Broken Embraces was superb, and I enjoyed Clint Mansell’s score for Moon.’ And in terms of the future, Armstrong can’t say exactly where he thinks his gift for music might take him; ‘the important thing is to find new challenges.’ ‘I’m off to Sydney next to look into writing a score for a Broadway musical, and I’m also looking into providing music for iPhone apps. I’m enjoying the fresh challenge of The Prodigies, because I’ve never done an animation before, but I’m pleased to get the chance to diversify. I’m lucky in that I’ve been given the chance to be more eclectic in what I do; we’ll see where it takes me.’

Armstrong’s enjoyment of cinema and the art of creating a great score extends to a wider appreciation of the work of others, and he takes issue with those who believe

douglas rae

DOUGLAS RAE ‘The Genius of the System’ was the phrase used in the 1940s to describe the alchemy of the Hollywood producer. Home-grown producer Douglas Rae, who cut his teeth as a television presenter on teatime show Magpie, is too modest a man to describe himself as a genius, but he’s certainly got the knack of working the system to his advantage.

His company Ecosse Films, made an international impact with Mrs Brown, and since then have completed one high profile venture after another, including Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup in Charlotte Gray, a starring role for our very own Loch Ness Monster in The Water Horse, revisiting Evelyn Waugh’s classic text Brideshead Revisited, and getting artist Sam Taylor Wood to add her artist’s sheen to John Lennon bio-pic Nowhere Boy. We caught up with Rae as he made his way down London’s King’s Road, to a meeting about a highly anticipated project. ‘It’s a very exciting time for Ecosse because we’re working with Andrea Arnold on a new version of Wuthering Heights,’ says Rae. ‘Her short Wasp, then features Red Road and Fish Tank showed that Andrea has a strong vision, and that’s why we commissioned her. We hoped to shoot some of Wuthering Heights in Scotland, but when your director has been visiting the Yorkshire moors where the book was written, and responding to that, you have to support her vision.’ ‘ Yes, we’re facilitating the director, but I think there’s more to being a producer than that, it’s more creative; you’re coming up with the right story, casting the right writer, director and so on. I’m always inspired and excited by this stage of the creative process, when you’re sprinkling magic dust over a project, there’s a kind of alchemy about it.‘ With Wuthering Heights set for production later in 2010, Ecosse Films are also about to exhume another much loved classic, with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. ‘ We are developing Treasure Island as a movie, and why not? I think it’s a book which has resonated throughout the whole world as one of the greatest adventure stories ever written. We’re looking to re-interpret it, that’s seemed to work well for Guy Ritchie and his Sherlock Holmes adaptation. People might think that it’s arrogant to want to make your own version of a classic text, but again, why not? We tackled Jane Austen in Becoming Jane, Evelyn Waugh for Brideshead, so we’ve a track record for taking on some of the greatest ever writers for our adaptations. We never look at the previous films, like, say the Olivier version of Wuthering Heights, because I think you’ve got to be honest to your own vision.’ Rae cites Saul Zaentz as an example of what a great producer should be. ‘Look at Saul Zaentz, he’s 79 and still looking for new projects. He’s a visionary. His work is literate and eclectic. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus and The English Patient were all Oscar winners for him. That’s the kind of achievement that all other producers look up to, a kind of unique magic. You have to follow your heart when it comes to the material.’

Yet the trick of adaptation doesn’t always work for audiences and critics, Rae is candid about the negative reaction to his adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. ‘Of course, when we announced it, lots of people said, you can’t do Brideshead again, but looking at the television series, it’s incredibly slow, long and ponderous, and a film shouldn’t be like that at all’ says Rae. ‘ I think the main problem was that something about the television programme reminded the critics of their memories of their gilded youth, and because we produced a different version, they hunted us in a pack. It wasn’t a success, but I don’t regret it. We’re not trying to be Merchant Ivory, we wouldn’t be hiring Andrea Arnold if we were. Rules are only there to be broken.’ It’s the same determination that led Rae to cast Billy Connolly as John Brown, Queen Victoria’s confidante in Mrs Brown, ‘Judi Dench was known for her acting in a way that Billy wasn’t at the time, so people told me it simply wouldn’t work. And he was a West Coast Catholic playing an East Coast Protestant, so they said that wouldn’t work either. Of course, Billy claims he took inspiration from me, and decided to play the character as if he had ’a poker up his arse’, which seemed to solve the problem.'

sure things are good with Harvey (Weinstein), Fox and the others. ‘ ‘I suppose what we’ve learned from our experiences is that if you want to produce, you should also retain the rights. When we made Jay Russell’s film The Water Horse, it cost $45 million, and made $150 million, but all that money went to the studios, and only a small amount was put into our development pot. He who puts up the money, retains the rights. The only way around it is to make material which is irresistible to the studio, which we can own the rights to. Yes, the British film industry is something of a cottage industry, but if a company like Working Title can do well, there’s no reason that others can’t break through.’ ‘The key thing is relationships, we constantly nurture our relationship with say, Jeremy Thomas and Hanway, and there are various sales agents and distributors who always make good sounding boards. And that also goes for Tanya (Seghatchian) at the UK Film Council, Tessa (Ross) at Film4 and Christine Langan at BBC Films. You have to be tenacious about pursuing your aims, you haven’t a hope otherwise.'

And before the double header of Treasure Island and Wuthering Heights makes it onto our screens, there’s plenty more on the way from Ecosse Films. ‘We’re going to release Nowhere Boy in America on John Lennon’s birthday, and then there’s Pelican Blood, a really hip novel we’ve had adapted. And we’ve got Black Death, the medieval epic starring Sean Bean working with Triangle director Chris Smith. He’s a very talented film-maker, and I’m delighted by the review Black Death just got in Variety’ says Rae. ‘At Ecosse, our plan, or perhaps our ambition, is to make two to three films like these a year. We’re looking at things on an international rather than domestic scale, so we spend a lot of time in Los Angeles and New York, making Andrea Arnold

Nowhere Boy (Ecosse Films)

preview

THE ILLUSIONIST

ylvain Chomet’s long awaited follow-up to The Triplets of Bellville, The Illusionist, got its first screening at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival, and the warm reception that Chomet’s film received should ensure a wide distribution. Based on an unmade script by French comedy genius Jacques Tati, Chomet’s film was made in Edinburgh, and features a storyline which revolves around Scottish characters and locations. For producer Bob Last, the rapturous reception in Berlin is the culmination of a long, difficult but ultimately triumphant creative process. ‘The Scottish connection was one of the key things about The Illusionist; Sylvain had come to Edinburgh when Bellville was at the EIFF, and loved the city and the country. Tati’s original script took place in Prague, but Edinburgh turned out to work in the same way for the analogy which; in the script, the

city had to be a charming place in the 1950s where the main character is backing away from the modern world as it takes over,’ says Last. ‘So the repositioning was a natural change, and I think Sylvain made it work brilliantly.’ The Illusionist officially went into preproduction in June 2006, but did not start lead animation until 2007. Last is justifiably proud that so many Scottish artists were involved in the production. ‘The vast bulk of the work was done here in Edinburgh, where Sylvain and I set up Django Films to make it. Although any animation on this scale has to be put together internationally, we did have a significant Scottish element within the crew. The reason they came to me was because I’d already established (animation company) ink.digital in Dundee, so there was an existing team already there. This scale of animation also requires a huge team for clean-up, scanning, digital painting and other tasks, so there was, as with most

animations, some outsourcing to places like Korea. In terms of the animation pipeline Chomet and I set up for The Illusionist, it was a huge-scale operation.’ The film, like many of Tati’s best loved films, has little dialogue, which should help give it the wide appeal of its internationally esteemed inspiration. In the wake of the Berlin screening, Variety described The Illusionist as ‘charming’, while Screen International praised its ‘timeless, universal appeal.’ ‘The response from Berlin was fantastic, we were worried that it might be buried in the programme, but it seems to have had the impact we’d hoped for,’ says Last. ‘It’ll probably be out in early autumn in France and the UK, and Pathe, who financed the film, are negotiating the rights elsewhere. We’re thrilled with the result, and hoping that The Illusionist will get the wide audience it deserves.’

festivals

festival report

glasgow film festival 18-28 February 2010

ou could argue that the biggest surprise about Glasgow Film Festival is that it’s taken so long to come into existence. It’s only six years since the festival’s inception, but now the GFF is a key date in the international festival calendar. That’s largely to do with the stalwart efforts of co-directors Allan Hunter and Allison Gardner, who have programmed the festival for the last four years while overseeing new strands involving youth films, music and shorts. With around 30,000 attendances at over 200 screenings, events and special appearances, the 11-day festival has surpassed expectations, climaxing in three sold out screenings, including a ‘school reunion’ of key members of the cast of Gregory’s Girl, reunited after 30 years for a special screening of the iconic film. Equally sought after were tickets for the new Mogwai documentary Burning, a black and white concert film shot over three nights in Brooklyn by Vincent Moon and Nat Le Scouarnec, and was followed by a special secret live DJ set by band members at super-hip venue Mono. And the closing gala was the world premiere of Legacy, the second feature directed by British/Nigerian Thomas Ikimi and produced by The Wire star Idris Elba and Glasgow-based production company Black Camel. “It has been an amazing year for the festival and finishing with the world premiere of a film from a Glasgow-based production company has been the icing on the cake. Audiences have really responded to a programme that runs the gamut from cutting edge music events to a nostalgic retrospective devoted to Hollywood great Cary Grant,’ said Allan Hunter. “The attendance figures represent a huge vote of confidence in the scope and quality of the programme and in the tireless efforts of every member of a hard-working team. We have already started work on the Glasgow Film Festival 2011 which will run from 17 to 27 February, and can’t wait to build even further on the success of this year.” The festival also saw the launch of a new award named after the pioneering Scottish artist filmmaker Margaret Tait (1918-1999) for artists working with film and video. Supported by Scottish Screen, Scottish Arts Council and in partnership with LUX, The Margaret Tait Award was set up to recognise artists who are experimental, innovative and who work within film and moving image. The winner of the inaugural Award was Glasgow based-artist Torsten Lauschmann. He received a £10,000 commission to create a new piece of work which will be exhibited at next year’s Glasgow Film Festival.

Legacy

Other notable events included the Norwegian black metal documentary Until the Light Takes Us, two sessions with writer director Richard Jobson on his short The Journey, which was produced by Emma Thompson, an appearance by Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes with his film From Time to Time, and an opening gala for quirky comedy Micmacs, with director Jean Pierre Jeunet in attendance. Throw in cutting- edge Brit-flicks like Down Terrace, Bomber and 1234, plus the perennials like Frightfest, including a preview of the restored version of A Lizard in A Woman’s Skin, and you’ve got a film festival that’s doing the business. And business, as they say, is a- booming. Allan Hunter and Allison Gardner. Photo by Stuart Crawford

Burning: Mogwai

Gregoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Girl: Dee Hepburn, Clare Grogan and John Gordon Sinclair. Photo by Scott Neil

space and light revisited

Murray Grigor

by Mark Cousins

The celebrated Scottish filmmaker-curator-author Murray Grigor’s work is usually spiced by what’s been called the “ludic” – a playful, sometimes mocking sense of fun, so at first it’s a shock to see that his new film, Space and Light Revisited is so mournful.

But he’s right to mourn. Space and Light Revisited is about the death of a building, Isi Metzstein and Andy Macmillan’s St Peter’s Seminary in Cardross, North of Glasgow. Hailed as a modernist triumph in the late 60s and early 70s, it’s a wreck now. Break through the fence and walk along the forest path that leads to it today and it looks like a shipwreck, as if the Titanic washed ashore there and, over the years, has become a drug den. Grigor’s film is a small requiem mass for this shipwreck. You enter the cinema. A new candle is lit on the left of a little altar, below a suspended screen. A second candle, long burnt out, on the right of the altar, is surmounted by another screen. The lights go down. On the left screen, Grigor’s almost wordless 70s film about the building, all tracks through space and alert to sunlight, begins. On the right screen, an almost exact replica plays, except that it’s in black and white, wider screen, it is snowing, and the building is the corpse of its former self – roofless, litter strewn, graffiti painted. Our eyes flick between the screens and, as they

flick, we mourn. We are watching one of cinema’s greatest obituary films. Yet there are ironies. It’s hard not to bristle at all that Catholicism on the left screen. And it’s hard not to see a hint of the sacramental in the snow on the right. And it’s hard not to notice that, stripped of its wood, doors and glass screens, we can see the building’s beautiful concrete skeleton far better, as if it was always intended to be a sculpture, like Victor Pasmore’s Apollo Pavilion, scaled to the size of a nation. Both screens show poetry and memory. Such ironies are Grigor at play, again, perhaps. Andrei Tarkovsky would love this film and, of course, the BBC should show it when the Pope comes to Scotland.

festival report

WILLIAM McLAREN AN ARTIST OUT OF TIME by Jim Hickey, director The documentary William McLaren - An Artist Out of Time that Robin Mitchell and I have recently completed is the first attempt to document the life and work of the Scottish painter, illustrator and decorative artist, William McLaren. Our interest was sparked as we came across some of his early work in the research for our film And So Goodbye which had been made for STV’s This Scotland strand in 2004. McLaren was the son of a miner living in Cardenden, Fife. In the 1940s the young McLaren had contributed artwork and designed covers for some locally-produced magazines about film and theatre. The quality of the illustrations and the hand-drawn lettering was of a high quality and we decided to find out more. The main facts of his life were contained in an article in the Scots Magazine from 1993, based on some initial research by Tom Kirk who had been a friend of McLaren.

We began to set up interviews with family and others who knew McLaren, conscious that we should record people’s stories and memories before it was too late. There were plenty of stories and a clear picture of McLaren’s personality began to emerge. We began to compile a chronology of McLaren’s work that could be accurately dated, a document presently running to 12 pages. McLaren was a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art in 1944 and, having found a London agent, his illustrations were published in the Radio Times for 16 years. He created the paintings on the walls of the grand staircase at Hopetoun House, the back wall of the stalls in the Lyceum Theatre and the ceiling of the King’s Theatre, Edinburgh. He also illustrated more than 150 books, worked for Drysdale, the Edinburgh interior decorating firm, and as a result of the Hopetoun commission, went on to paint murals in many fine houses. He excelled in creating trompe l’oeil effects. We were convinced that there was a film to be made; a

possible feature film. From this material there was a substantial role for a leading actor and a rare challenge to bring to the screen the Edinburgh of the years when McLaren lived there, 1963 to 1987. But McLaren was virtually unknown and initial attempts to raise funding for a film documentary or feature - in 2004 were unsuccessful. We continued to do interviews and hunt down his work while making other films. In 2009 we decided to make the documentary ourselves, to reflect the present state of our knowledge and we included first-hand accounts that gave a clear impression of how he lived, who he knew and how his art developed. Finishing this film is a first step in bringing McLaren’s work to a wider audience, but it is also a Scottish story worth telling and celebrating. The response from the first screening in Filmhouse’s Made In Edinburgh slot was tremendous and people travelled to it from across the country,

including members of the McLaren family that we hadn’t already met. When the screenings at the Glasgow Film Festival were announced, someone who had known McLaren for years contacted us to put us in touch with the family in Paris with whom he regularly stayed on his European trips. From this, more gaps in our knowledge have been filled and more works have come to light. The research continues. There is still more to uncover: there is another film that could be made, a book to be written, perhaps an exhibition to be organised. Robin Mitchell and I may not be the people to do all this, but somebody else now could. William McLaren’s grave is in Bowhill Cemetery, Cardenden; the place where Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson’s memorial can be found. We have recently been raising funds from donations to install a headstone for McLaren as the grave has been unmarked, until now.

film production

Retro Style Diane Bell on her Sundance entry Obselidia 2010 started off in fine style for Scottish film-maker Diane Bell, whose first feature, Obselidia, won her a Grand Jury nomination at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Sitting in a 1,200 auditorium with every seat sold, and with Robert Redford in the audience, is far beyond what she’d imagined for her low-budget film. But Bell isn’t complaining about the way things have turned out. ‘Sundance is the most phenomenal festival to attend. So often, filmmakers feel isolated, but when you come to Sundance, you feel accepted into a community, and that means a lot,’ says Bell. ‘There are times when I wonder ‘how did our film ever get in there?’, because we never anticipated this kind of reaction when we were shooting it. It was always designed to be this small and humble thing, so this kind of response is amazing.’ Bell relocated from Scotland to LA in 2006, and worked on a number of other scripts before the notion that was to become Obselidia came along. ‘I was coming out of the public library at Santa Monica and saw a pile of second-hand books which were being sold, and while I was poking around in the box, I found a whole set of Encyclopedia Britannicas, they were practically giving it away. So I lugged the whole set to my car, and it set me thinking; there was a time when these books were perceived to have an incredible value, I remember it was considered a big thing to have a set of encyclopedias before the internet came along.’ ‘So I came up with the character of George (Michael Piccirilli), a man who was an encyclopedia salesman who now works in a library and devotes his free time to writing an encyclopedia of obsolete things. He’s also collecting examples of all the objects which he

realises are disappearing, from typewriters to vinyl. I shot a few interviews with people about this, and the format we used for that was VHS; it seemed right for the theme of the film.’ As Obselidia’s story develops, George finds himself unexpectedly connecting with a cinema projectionist (soon to be obsolete herself), played by Scots actress (Gaynor Howe), and together they take a trip out to Death Valley. ‘I like to write based on my own experience, and I’d been on a camping trip to Death Valley which was extraordinary. It once was a sea, and when you go there, you feel that, the smallness of man in a giant, ever-changing world. When I showed people the script, they really responded to it, and it probably helped that it reflected on current issues like species extinction and climate change.’ ‘But I’d never directed a feature before, so I had to convince them I could pull it off. I had a director of photography from New York, and roped in Michael, an actor who turned out to be perfect for the lead role. We went and camped out in the desert to shoot tests. It was a perfect way to develop a visual vocabulary, and we managed to make a little film-poem which really gave people a good idea of what we were capable of doing. We also budgeted the film at just under $500,000 - if you make a film for a smaller amount like that, it means you don’t have to appeal to everyone, so there’s not masses of pressure. We never bothered to think about commercial viability, we just focused on getting the film made, the best way we could, and I’m glad we did it that way.’

film production

Colin Kennedy on

I Love Luci I Love Luci is my first film proper. What follows is a précis of the journey that took us to one of the most prestigious short film festivals in the world and back again. Luci was conceived while smoking on the office steps. Next door was a drug rehabilitation clinic and the afflicted patrons came and went in a steady stream. Marjory and Tommy were two such people, chatting as they passed. Marjory had lost her teeth and her man was getting out of jail in the near future. When quizzed about her missing falsers, Marjory explained ‘the dug ate them.’ Right on cue said dog bounced out the clinic. Marjory, Tommy and dog disappeared off up the street. I have never seen them again. That was five years ago. What followed was a year of recounting the story in the pub, thinking around it in my floaty moments and eventually feeling there were two great scenes in there. All the while I was working on other projects, chiefly David Mackenzie’s Hallam Foe, a serious turning point for me. With the experiences of Hallam and the support of close friends, came the confidence to write something of my own. So the anecdote became a script in the space of two short weeks in September 2007. Together with Brian Coffey, who came on board as producer in November that year, we decided that we should go to Clermont-Ferrand and check out some of the best shorts around. We met dozens of interesting people, consolidated some old friendships and laid the foundations for funding our film. Once home, I re-wrote the script and from that point on Luci seemed to lead a charmed life. Brian and co-producer James Lees pulled together a complex co-production plan that saw Scottish Screen, EM Media, Screen WM and Zentropa of Denmark get behind the new script. By late November 2008 winter loomed and we were finally ready to shoot a story set largely on the streets at the height of summer. I was terrified. The clocks had gone back and there were only six and a half daylight hours in the day. To make matters worse I had pushed to shoot on 35mm so our kit was unwieldy and would put great demands on the crew to move quickly. Thankfully the charm held out and we had a five day run of glorious sunshine. By January 2009 we had a film we were proud of and felt hopeful of great things. We pressed on with post-production and,

to all intents and purposes, had finished the film when our luck ran out.

Over the following few months I Love Luci was rejected by seven major film festivals. The film just wasn’t working with an audience. I was devastated. All the hard work felt like a waste of time and more importantly, all those that had invested in the film and believed in the script would be proved wrong. I was facing the idea that I would probably never get a chance to do this again. It’s very difficult to pick yourself up and get on at times like this. Of course there was a great deal of discussion during this time, lots of conflicting opinions and ideas. But it took me a while to see the problem, to unravel the puzzle. It was actually something I had lost sight of during the development process and was really a technical story issue. I had learned from Alexander Mackendrick’s On Fimmaking – a must for any budding filmmaker – about dramatic irony. A pivotal device in the opening moments wasn’t working. It was there, but audiences weren’t getting it. It’s not easy to spot something’s missing when it’s already there. It just wasn’t obvious enough though.

through that we had got in. Instantly all that angst had been worth it, all the hardwork and dedication of everyone involved was validated and the film was in international competition at one of the most lauded festivals in the world. In February 2010, I Love Luci won the Prix des Mediatheques, one of eight prizes at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. It has screened at the Glasgow Short Film Festival and been invited to compete at IndieLisboa and the Norwegian International Film Festival.

A big decision had to be made. We needed a day of pick-ups. I never thought this would be possible on the remains of our budget, as this is a comparatively costly exercise once the film has already been finished. But I wrote an alternative scene and we got the blessing of our production company, Sigma Films, and our financiers, to shoot another day and complete the film for a second time. By autumn 2009 we were all done and it was time to submit our film to festivals again in full knowledge that this was our last chance. First on the list was ClermontFerrand. Needless to say it was an emotional moment when the news came

production

Aly Bain with Nicola Benedetti

douglas Gordon Alan Cumming and Stanely Baxter

Shirley Manson and Douglas Gordon

Artworks The latest strand of BBC Scotland’s ArtWorks pairs Scots from various arts genres with common ground, while also creating profiles of arts subjects in Scotland through a mix of in-house and independent production. Three of this year’s programmes have been made by the BBC Scotland team in Aberdeen. Bringing together distinctive talents like Douglas Gordon and Shirley Manson, Alan Cumming and Stanley Baxter, and Aly Bain with Nicola Benedetti, this strand combines high-profile names with a relaxed, conversational style that digs deeper and reveals more about the creative process. ‘The biggest challenge is, as you’d imagine, getting two very busy people to the same place at the same time. The budget is modest so it would be tricky to film, say, in the States. So we were lucky in that we managed to get both Alan Cumming and Shirley Manson when they were back in the UK,’ says Andy Twaddle, producer and director of When Alan Cumming Met Stanely Baxter. ‘In the case of Alan Cumming, he told us that he would love to work with Stanley Baxter. Stanley had been an inspiration to

him. We then approached Stanley and it transpired that he was a big fan of Alan. They were both excited at the thought of working together. And both men loved the finished product.’ Creating ‘dream teams’ for the show is a mixture of matching talents to find the right combination, and paying attention to the development in the work of each individual artist. ‘Generally we try to pair people where there is common ground or an existing acquaintance and interest in each other’s career,’ says Twaddle. ‘The fact that the contributors have such a big say in selecting their ‘opposite number’ means that they are generally going to get on just fine.’

These Artworks strands represent something of a coup for BBC Scotland, and Twaddle is particularly happy that the programmes are based in Aberdeen; one of the challenges for the BBC in Scotland is to make sure that there’s not too much emphasis on the central belt. ‘Aberdeen is a small but busy production base for us,’ says Twaddle.’ We currently have two directors working on documentaries. Last year we made three films for BBC Four, two on the art of Henry the Eighth and one on Scottish soldiers, with Rory Bremner.’ And with profiles of artist Peter Howson and sculptor Andy Scott in the pipeline, reflecting the breadth of artistic talent coming from Scotland looks like a growth field for documentaries, both for the BBC’s in-house production, and for independent production companies.

mum's

Birthday

ackling personal issues of heartache, broken families and bullying is an achievement for most adults. To have such issues met head-on by a group of disaffected youths living in Edinburgh’s residential care homes or peripheral housing scheme is testament to their strength of character and desire to show the reality of their troubled lives.

As part of Pilton Video’s Scottish Screen funded Creative Identities programme, the plan at the outset was clear; bring together a group of Edinburgh’s most hard to reach and excluded young people who were willing to devise a story and perform in a half hour drama based on their lives. In May 2009, the journey began. Producer Sarah Drummond made contact with every residential care home and social work team in the City, alongside several high schools within each housing scheme. Over the next three months, drama worker/actor Elek Kish and I ran story devising and acting workshops with 80 keen young people. As part of some of the most fun, but frustrating, creative, yet challenging, workshops ever undertaken in the history of film-making, we would be dealing with some of the most difficult little darlings in town… or so we were told! All that mattered to us, however, was that they were from similar backgrounds to ourselves and had stories to tell beyond the norm for their age, heartfelt emotions to portray and talents which had never before been given an opportunity to shine. After the initial workshop stage, 30 youngsters were keen to carry on to the second, more intense stage of workshops. From August to October, we met on a regular basis, with a greater trust built up between us all, and their skills developed further. Opening up to us, the young people’s lives, past and present, their feelings and their hopes were shared alongside our own, leading to many story ideas, characters and issues. We settled on a main story drawn from the most common shared experience – family breakdown. The screen writing process ran alongside these workshops, with invaluable training and support given by tutors James Mavor and Brian McGill, while I undertook a Post Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting at Screen Academy Scotland.

By Graham Fitzpatrick, Writer/Director

The resulting film, Mum’s Birthday, is a poignant drama about a newly single parent father who must overcome despair to save his relationship with his son on his wife’s birthday. Life has changed beyond recognition for Alex and son Stephen since mum left; a move to a grim flat, a home life devoid of normality, and a new school for Stephen, where he struggles to become accepted. The one ray of light is mum’s upcoming birthday, except Alex, struggling to deal with things, refuses to take his son to see her. Helped by friend Chelsea, Stephen takes matters into his own hands and goes without dad, an act that should kick-start the process of moving forward for Alex - otherwise he risks losing the one thing in life that’s still good! Into November, we now had an outline script and a final core group of 15 young people eager to move to the next stage, on and off screen. Alongside an up-and-coming freelance crew, professional actors came on board to perform alongside, and mentor, the young people throughout the experience, including Elek Kish in the role of Alex and Tam Dean Burn playing his father. A five week rehearsal period followed, with further devising, based on the real experiences of those acting, bringing great depth and truth to the characters. The role of Stephen was played by Chris Robertson, 15, resident in an Edinburgh care home. With a background steeped in a family breakup, school exclusion and abuse from peers due to his situation over the years, Chris brought so much to the role, portraying the character in a mature and affecting way. Ashleigh Shephard, 15, from a tough housing scheme, played Chelsea, shaping the role from her experience of not having a father around since very young, and facing up to bullies throughout life, with a feisty yet caring nature shining through. In December, an 11 day shoot took place, remarkably free from any mishaps or un-matching weather. It was undoubtedly the most positive and rewarding film shoot I’ve ever undertaken, with the young people at the heart of it creating an intense and moving film. Beyond just being an achievement to be extremely proud of, the experience has changed each one of them. Coming from difficult backgrounds, as I knew only too well at their age, there’s a familiar sinking feeling that life’s mapped out, and you’ll never amount to much. To see all that change over the months into a confidence and determination from each youngster to carry on being creative, to study screenwriting, acting or one of the many areas of production beyond school, was the biggest achievement of all.

Creative Identities is an 18-month pilot initiative for young people aged 10-19 funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities fund using £1.2 million from the proceeds of crime, and is managed in partnership by Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council.

festival report

What

Kurdi

did next

by Doug Aubrey and Marie Olesen

hat happens when your film is selected to screen in a place on the planet that you’d least expected?

A couple of weeks ago, producer Marie Olesen and filmmaker Doug Aubrey took BAFTA Scotland nominated feature film Kurdi to the Istanbul International Film Festival in Turkey. What was it like to take a film to Istanbul about a man, Peri Ibrahim, who is still unable to travel to the country that’s hosting the current European City of Culture? Here are some of their thoughts on the experience and on the making and screening of Kurdi: Doug Aubrey: 'When the chance to screen Kurdi in the last place we ever imagined arose, effectively ‘the belly of the beast’, we jumped at it. At the very least we’d meet a wall of hostility in Istanbul and at worst, risk arrest. Yet despite initial misgivings, we instead ended up surprised by both the rigour and intellectual willingness of a large audience and some passionate MCs, to lift the post-film Q&A and subsequent roundtable to a different level that cast prejudice aside. The discussion as it unfolded, although tough, wasn’t afraid to mix art, filmmaking and politics. Equally, it also soon became evident that there was a rigour and scrutiny that the festival organisers applied to all the subjects they covered in this high profile event, which included a dedicated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender section.' Marie Olesen: 'We all admire filmmakers who put themselves on the line. In the case of Istanbul, (who also screened the film I’d made with Peter Mackie Burns, the Berlin Bear winning Milk in 2007), it was formidable to see festival organizers do likewise - for short as well as feature films, whether low/ no budget world cinema or Hollywood blockbusters. Judging by the audiences present, it was a risk worth taking, as sell-out crowds in massive theatres were buzzing.' Doug: 'As a filmmaker in search of an audience, Istanbul highlighted for me a problem I think we have here in Scotland, aside from obviously often getting to make our films, namely the lack of recognition and quite professional respect for less high profile or non-broadcaster endorsed output.

Here I’m talking about the significant number of films made in Scotland which happen to hit a mark in foreign fields, if not in their own backyard. Scotland is very good at welcoming all manner of wonderful and passionate films from across the planet to our own festivals and film houses, yet often not so good at acknowledging the fact that such home-grown films might deserve the same attention. We can put the blame on a celebrity-endorsing press, lack of distribution options and under-funded suffering independent exhibitors, but isn’t there also more to it? We know our film is far from perfect, yet being at Istanbul – and to elsewhere we’ve been so far - reaction and critical acclaim, positively reinforces why we (and many others like us) do what we do in the first place.

dismissed as being political filmmakers, and it infuriates me. Not so much the political bit – as everything, lest anyone forgets, in this life is indeed political – but the negativity with which the claims are served. Kurdi, for instance, isn’t a political film, nor is it a formatted documentary that fits a 54’ TV slot. It’s a deeply personal story, and one which it is both a privilege and a necessity on the part of any filmmaker to bring to a wider audience. That it took the best part of six years to realise is an entirely different matter. We’re looking forward to sharing the film with more audience across Scotland soon. Hopefully we’ll be coming to a cinema near you?' Kurdi is a film by Peri Ibrahim, directed and filmed by Doug Aubrey and produced by Marie Olesen. For more info, visit www. autonomi.tv.

In addition to the above mentioned, after its premiere at Documenta Madrid, Kurdi has enjoyed popular outings at 4 Screens European Film Festival in Paris, at DocuDays in Beirut, Krakow Film Festival, and at the London Kurdish Film Festival with more, we sense, in the offing. For more info www.autonomi.tv.

Kurdi’s producer Marie might be half Viking, I’m an Englishman and the life story a Kurd’s, but we’ve spent the best halves of our lives here and there is no question that Scotland is Kurdi’s spiritual heartland as much as the mountains of Kurdistan are.' Marie: 'We were apprehensive to say the least at the prospect of taking Kurdi into a country where the majority still don’t even acknowledge the Kurdish ‘question’. But as Doug points out, our worries were put to rest by an appreciative – if not necessarily 100% sympathetic audience. It reminded me of how we often fail to stand up for, nevermind constructively discuss our work in Scotland. We at Autonomi are often

Marie Olesen and Doug Aubrey

Peter Gerard and Andy Green

Accidental Media in competition at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam By Andrew Green The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the largest documentary film festival in Europe and includes the Docs for Sale market and the FORUM that facilitates co-financing between different territories. In November 2009 IDFA selected Accidental Media’s two short docs for competition for the ‘Best International Short Documentary’ award. I had been to IDFA once before as a delegate, in 2007, when we were pitching our upcoming feature doc Eat Songs in the prestigious FORUM. But this time I was very excited and honoured seeing as I’d produced Motion/Static, Peter Gerard’s film about travelling show people, and I was executive producer on The Shutdown, directed by Adam Stafford. Motion/Static was hot off the HD-online suite for its world premiere, and The Shutdown was fresh from its double-victory at the Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Awards. With the support of the Scottish Screen Opportunities Fund, I arrived in Amsterdam, checked into my hotel and headed straight for the delegate centre. There was a nice buzz in the air, with the legendary docmaker Fred Wiseman in attendance for his retrospective. This was also the first year with a Scottish feature in competition at IDFA - Amy Hardie’s The Edge of Dreaming. The next day Peter and Adam arrived and while they were registering in the delegate centre, I met filmmaker Carol Salter who also had a film, Unearthing the Pen, in the Shorts competition. Both Motion/Static and Unearthing the Pen have had Bridging the Gap assistance, which meant there were three Scottish shorts in the same competition! We set about promoting our two films and going to see a few films each day. The Shutdown was first to screen (each film would be screened four times over the course of the festival). We got a full house and we were paired with The Last Truck by Steve Bognar and Julia Reichert, which was nominated for the best short documentary Oscar. The local IDFA audience is the toughest I’ve seen when it comes to the Q&A; my guess is that after having the biggest

doc festival in Europe for more than 20 years, they have seen it all before. Maybe it’s the Amsterdam personality but I found the questions confrontational. Adam was at his best and charmed the savage crowd even when asked “Is Scotland in Europe?”! Next up was Motion/Static and after The Shutdown’s audience I was ready to fend off the interrogation, but Peter’s cowboy shirt was sure to deflect any overly zealous comment. I actually enjoyed answering a couple of questions and relaxed into my position as producer. People were generally impressed by the visual and spoken poetry of the film. Peter - the showman entertained as always and we left the cinema with a small crowd in tow and went on to toast our hard fought successes. From here on in our agenda was to secure commitments for our feature length doc Babel’s Market (directed by Tomás Sheridan). Given that we had two films in competition, arranging meetings was straight forward and we were successful in getting the right people to attend our screenings. We secured early interest from distributors in this exciting project in development. As usual many people from The D-Word (www.d-word.com - the worldwide community of documentary professionals) were in attendance and quite a few had films screening. The annual D-Word IDFA dinner was a fantastic networking event, and we received praise for the d-word.com community website that Accidental Media designed and built. While there, we made friends with some of the other short-filmmakers and are looking forward to possible international co-productions on our next projects. Adam Stafford

1998 pre Roughcuts - the very expensive outsourced Freeze Frame

The Belmont cinema opens its doors

1st issue of Roughcuts - Collectors item

Screen Machine gets its first outing

the scottish screen industries magazine

Iain Smith receives his OBE

the scottish screen industries magazine

june - aug 2009

oct 2008 - nov 2008

april 2008 - may 2008 bafta new talent awards | PILOT | skillset scotland | new entrants training fast track

Steve McIntyre becomes chief executive of Scottish Screen

Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s History | Screen Academy Scotland | Discovery Film Festival | Africa in Motion Film Festival

The best cover design, ever ?

EIFF special | New Town Killers | Cinema of Dreams in China | Celtic Media Festival | Film City Glasgow

Roughcuts goes full colour 52 pager

Roughcuts goes colour (for one edition only)

Move to 249 West George Street

the scottish screen industries magazine

roughcuts oct-nov 2007 BBC Scotland Pacific Quay launch | River City | Shantha Roberts | New Scottish Screen guidelines...

Glasgow Film City opens

Re-design.

Another re-design and colour cover

the scottish screen industries magazine

1998 - 2010 over 100 issues. The final issue

news

Jonathan Stack

Amy Hardie and

in conversation

Oscar nominated documentarymaker Jonathan Stack saw Amy Hardie’s new feature documentary, The Edge of Dreaming at its world premiere in open competition in the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam. This is a condensed version of their dialogue about the art of documentary, and why Scotland is producing work of such extraordinary quality. Jonathan: The Edge of Dreaming is a story in real time that takes in love, death, fear, a journey headlong into what we can know about the workings of our mind. It also has the pace and compelling narrative tension of the best fiction movies. What lies behind this film? Amy: Other films, great films. Emma Davie at Edinburgh College of Art shows documentaries every Wednesday and at the Scottish Documentary Institute we screen master-classes most Fridays. Curating for Docspace over the

last few years has allowed me to see a huge selection of the documentary greats, including your film The Farm. Jonathan: It’s that experience you also give the audience – that they can be there, share this journey with you as the main character. Documentaries can do that so well. I go to harsh and dark places, that’s where most of my films are set, but what I try to do is to find a way of making my exchange, as a filmmaker, with a person or a place, a positive one. Documentary making is an intense engagement with the world. I could even say it is my spiritual practice, finding something in the person so that I can keep that exchange a positive one. Our films are set at opposite extremes, but I think we are both doing the same thing. One striking thing in your film is the love in your family. The story, the investigation, the suspense – that is all great, but what is so unusual is the way you look at things – you created so many beautiful images, and such intensity. You immerse the audience in a world both inside and outside your head.

Amy: That’s what I love about documentary making. That the frame always contains more than we can consciously and even unconsciously comprehend, much less control. So meaning can grab the audience, way beyond your own intentions for the film. It’s heightened in this film because I wanted to show what I was dreaming. I saw images and personages that didn’t make so much sense to me. But I decided to be as accurate as I could be about portraying what I had seen, even if I didn’t understand it myself. Audiences have then interpreted the events and images in their own ways. They fit them into their own context, which is often illuminating for me. I’m reading The Origin of Stories by Brian Boyd now, who looks at play and the

narrative hook as part of our evolution towards social intelligence. He shows how our brains are hard wired for stories. Because my own experience began with a prophetic dream about the death of my horse that came true, followed by another dream about my own death, I could not escape story structure for this film. It was like the universe was determined to give me a narrative hook to hang my exploration of death on. Jonathan: It’s not a simple exploration. Death is real in the film – you see it and you see how you and your kids respond to it in the moment. But it also works on an allegorical level. Not just in your reflections on death and rebirth as routine for nature, but also in the film as a whole. In fact, you could see the whole film as a much wider allegory for the damage we are doing to ourselves and our planet. There are strong visual links between the clouds and your lungs, for instance, and between brain axons and ice shapes: did you do that consciously? Amy: I followed the visual material and I saw those links. But I think it’s exciting that the film can be read that way. That is more usual in fiction film-making. Documentary

news

celebrates the actual moment, the actual situation. And we go to documentaries with an appetite to be brought into a real place, to meet real people who are new to us. So to read a whole documentary as an allegory is unusual. Jonathan: That’s the richness of your subject matter. You are exploring the big themes – life, death, what we can know, love, family. And all in this intimate homemovie style. But then you bring in Jung and Vico and we begin to realise we are being led by someone who really knows their history of ideas. How were you able to dedicate that sort of attention to one film? Amy: Edinburgh College of Art offered me their first PhD by practice in film. It took me off the television production line and let me take time to meander through death, dreams and how you can make them into image and sound. So they had time to percolate right into my sleeping self.

intimate personal film, and explore the big issues and make it stunning to look at. You have inspired me to make my first personal film. Jonathan Stack is best known for his remarkable documentary The Farm, winner of two Emmy Awards, Sundance Grand Jury Prize and nominated for an Academy Award. He started his love affair with documentaries by co-curating the Margaret Mead Film Festival in NY, before going on to make more than 25 films distributed through HBO, BBC, CH4 etc. Amy Hardie is a documentary director and head of research in the Scottish Documentary Institute. Since her NFTS graduation film in 1990, the IDFA-award winning Kafi’s Story, she has made more than 20 documentaries. This is her first personal film.

Jonathan: The cafetiere of documentaries. Really good films are like Rorschach tests: it’s not so much what the audience learn about the apparent subject matter, it’s what they learn about themselves. And you managed to do that whilst making a very

news

martin

Martin with Gemma Arterton and Eddie Marsan

compston N

o longer Sweet Sixteen, Martin Compston has turned out to be one of Scotland’s most prolific and sought after actors. Not all of the unknowns who find fame working with director Ken Loach go on to successful careers, but Compston has parlayed his electric performance in Loach’s 2002 film into an impressive list of credits. From learning the ropes in Brooklyn with Shia LaBeouf in A Guide To Recognising Your Saints to co-starring in Andrea Arnold’s Red Road, he’s demonstrated a real versatility, and now he’s returning to lead actor status in the summer’s Comedown. ‘You could say I’ve come full circle, and that’s what it feels like. Comedown is a London-based horror film, in which I play a guy who has just got out of jail and goes to a pirate radio party in an abandoned tenement. They’d seen me in Red Road, and I got the central role on the back of that’ says Compston. ‘When there’s a recession on, it’s good to find any work at all as an actor, but I’m pleased that the roles show no sign of drying out. It’s taken a lot of hard graft to keep things on track. And it is hard, sometimes...I’ve just done two dramas which involve kidnapping, in fact, I’ve just spent a month tied to a chair for a thriller called Four.’ There must be something about Compston and kidnapping, since he’s also featuring as a kidnapper opposite Gemma Arterton in The Disappearance of Alice Creed, which premiered at the Toronto Film

Festival, screened at the London Film Festival, and is set for a UK release this spring. ‘That was a cracking job for me to get, particularly since Gemma is such a popular actress right now. And working with Eddie Marsan was great, he’s someone whose work I really admire.’ He says. ‘It was just the three of us in a room for a large part of the film; it’s not intimidating to me working with such good people, it just makes you raise your game and brings out the best in you.’ Compston also takes pleasure in appearing in short films, working with fresh directors and writers, and ensuring that he’s ready to catch each wave of new film-making talent. It might not pay quite so well, but for Compston, it’s just as satisfying. ‘There’s a film called Spunkbubble which, I’m not sure why, people keep asking me about. It’s an interesting little short, and Darren Aronofsky is apparently a fan. And I did a low budget short called Paris/Sexy which I’m very proud of’ says Compston. ‘It’s always better to work than to sit around waiting for things to happen. I’m helluva lucky to have worked alongside actors as good as Peter Mullan (on fishing boat thriller True North), it takes away the fear factor. I’d love to work alongside Paddy Considine as well. It’s great working with these people, particularly as they’re often really decent human beings too. And there’s a short I’m hoping to do with my own production company, Kickabout Films, that’s re-teaming me with Red Road’s Kate Dickie. Trying to forge an acting career can be a stressful experience, but right now, it does seem to be paying off for me.’ The Disappearance of Alice Creed will be released on April 30th.

news

Heading North Adrian Mead takes Night People to the Arctic “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes” is a phrase that defines Yellowknife in the North West Territories of Canada. We arrived for the third annual Yellowknife Film Festival off a flight at 8.30pm into -12c, and they said we must have brought the good weather with us. Apparently the only time they’ve ever shut the local school was when the temperature dropped to -60c, even when it’s -45c the kids have wait till dead on 8.30am before they get let in, and that’s the primary school. This mining town has a population of about 17,000 people, a mix of Dene aboriginal people and settlers from everywhere else in the world. The gold prospecting and the opening of a huge gold mine brought people here to work until a strike and the murder of nine miners closed the big mine for good in 1992…. Then they discovered diamonds here, and Yellowknife continues to grow. The film festival has invited us to run a workshop for screenwriters called ‘Making It As A Screenwriter’ and to show our feature film Night People. This may be the most northerly screening ever of a Scottish film. Our workshop took place over three days, offering new writers and writers from other disciplines an overview of the role and working practices of a screenwriter; demystifying some of the fundamentals like how to get an agent, what to expect when you get your first commission and working with script editors. The class also covered techniques for coming up with story ideas and adaptation of books, articles, folk tales and true stories. Storytelling in the far north is a fundamental part of the culture. We were just 250 miles from the Arctic Circle and the Dene people

Night People

have a story for almost every natural land mark from here to the Bearing Straits. Tales of giant beaver seem to have a base in fact – the local museum has a beaver skull which proves that at one time beavers were the size of grizzly bears, so no great stretch then to imagine that, as the legend tells, the island at the mouth of Yellowknife river into Great Slave Lake was once a huge beaver lodge. It’s a complex community, and it feels that we’ve just scratched the surface in our nineday visit. The film festival brings all kinds of Yellowknife residents together. The big hit of the festival is CBQM Radio, a documentary portrait of a small town radio station - the “Moccasin Telegraph” - displays how much a radio station can mean to a community. The stories could easily take place in the Scottish highlands and islands, and the audience’s enthusiasm for seeing their own folk on screen reminds me of the warm response Night People received in Scotland. Night People gets a great response from Yellowknifers – as usual, each story in the film has its fans for various reasons, and people debate why they liked one more than another. As we step out into the freezing night after our screening it feels grand to have made a film that can touch people thousands of miles from where it was made. Afterwards there’s an end of festival party Yellowknife style – which involves beer, delicious Arctic Char fish and watching the northern lights from the frozen surface of Great Slave Lake. Many festivals throw great parties but none I’ve been to is quite like this, no point wondering what dress to wear – we just wear as much clothing as possible. www.meadkerr.com www.wamp.ca/events/film-festival

festivals

by Paula Larkin Document Festival and The Poverty Alliance have been successful in their bid to develop and deliver a major new film project as part of 'The European Year to Combat Poverty And Social Exclusion.' The project will seek to raise awareness of the reality of poverty in Scotland from the perspective of those who experience it by producing three short films based on the following themes: Young People and Poverty Adults and Poverty Older People and Poverty We will work with existing groups from both rural and urban areas across Scotland to create films about people and organisations that are taking action to directly address poverty and social exclusion to create better lives for themselves, their families and communities. In tutor-led workshops and through handson experience, participants will be trained in camera operation and sound recording, as well as script writing, editing and directing skills. They will then go on to produce films which explore their experience of poverty. Each film will be launched in the communities where they were developed and produced, and showcased at a day dedicated to poverty at Document 8. Poverty has been a recurring theme of our festival since it began. We have screened films from across the world that highlight the issues affecting people experiencing poverty and challenging stereotypical understandings of it. Our day dedicated to poverty will bring together local, national and international films, filmmakers, activists and professionals

working in the field, and those with direct experience of poverty to re-examine and critically engage with the issue. We are really excited about this opportunity, which marks a radical development in the nature of what Document does. Through this initiative, we seek to broaden our impact as an organisation, from simply being a platform for socially engaged documentary to producing and commissioning work that critically engages with the vital issues of our time. The project is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. Document 8 Call For Submissions www.docfilmfest.org.uk Document Festival Document - International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival was founded in 2003 as a direct response to the discrimination faced by asylum seekers/refugees in Glasgow. We provide a platform to raise awareness of these and many other issues, in the context of international human rights. Our festival takes place in October in Glasgow each year. The Poverty Alliance Their vision is of a sustainable Scotland based on social and economic justice, with dignity for all, where poverty and inequalities are not tolerated and are challenged. The Poverty Alliance was formally established in 1992, growing out of an informal network of groups and individuals active since the mid 1980s. They are a membership organisation with a range of varied experience in addressing issues related to poverty and social exclusion. Their membership is made up of a wide range of organisations including grassroots community groups, individuals facing poverty, voluntary organisations, statutory organisations, policy makers and academics. They now act as the national anti-poverty network in Scotland, working with voluntary organisations, policy makers and politicians at Scottish, UK and European levels.

festival

SXSW Last year it saw the launch of Duncan Jones’s BAFTA winner Moon, and this March sees it snare the first public screening of the highly anticipated comic book spoof Kick Ass, but the South by South-West Film Festival in Texas is also hosting three Scottish films, Outcast, Crying With Laughter and Skeletons. Starring Kate Dickie and James Nesbitt, Outcast is the debut feature from Scottish director Colm McCarthy (Murphy’s Law, The Tudors), and has its world premiere at the Festival opening the SX Fantastic strand. It is joined by Crying with Laughter, winner of the BAFTA Scotland Best Film 09 Award, and Edge City and Forward Films’ Skeletons, which have their US premieres at SXSW. Skeletons will be released by Soda Pictures in the UK later this year.

Skeletons

Outcast

Crying with Laughter

“We were absolutely delighted to hear from SXSW. When an exciting and prestigious festival says your film is ‘gorgeous, original and wonderful’, you’ve got to be happy” said Skeletons’ director Nick Whitfield. In addition to the three features, two Scottish short films - Peter in Radioland directed by Johanna Wagner and Pollphail directed by Matthew Lloyd - made through the Bridging the Gap initiative screened at SXSW. Commenting on the Scottish films selected, SXSW programmer, Jim Kolmar, said: “SXSW is consistently impressed with the talent and sheer originality emerging from Scotland’s vibrant film industry. This year is no exception, and we’re thrilled to be playing host to some of the country’s finest.” www.sxsw.com/film

gmac

Raisah Ahmed

Second Light New UK talent scheme Second Light promotes diversity in film-making In February 2001, ten apprentices and two staff members from GMAC in Glasgow went to Pinewood Studios for a two-day visit to network and find out more about the film industry. 'Working in film was never a realistic career choice." says Raisah Ahmed, Second Light participant. 'It was a pipe dream that should have been forgotten once I â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grew upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It was ridiculous to think that I, a first generation British Asian Muslim, could make it in the industry. Finding myself at Pinewood Studios on the 9 February 2010, along with 29 others from Glasgow, London and Bristol, who shared my dream, could only be described as surreal. This dream became reality thanks to the Second Light apprenticeship, set up by First Light, which aims to develop diversity within the industry. Second Light is more than an apprenticeship; it is a programme that has many big industry names such as Pinewood Studios, BAFTA, and Future Publishing on its side. Through working with its supporters, it aims to give us budding film trainees a chance to

network, train and develop our individual talents. Day one began with a session on ideas and screenwriting led by Alby James, it left me, as a writer, with ideas for new writing techniques. We ended with a creative challenge that forced us to work with new people, to a deadline, in order to create a story through six stills. The fast paced constantly changing environment of day one was a taste of life in the industry. Day two provided more than just the opportunity to see a world famous studio. The tour was both inspiring and unreal, but the cogs were turning and the excitement was contagious. The networking opportunity after the tour involved round table discussions with the likes of Barbara Broccoli (James Bond Producer), Aubrey Day (Editor-in-Chief, Total Film), Kate Gerova (Soda Pictures) and Callum McDougall (Exec Producer). Each individual speaker left me with invaluable advice through their own experiences. Their eagerness to stay in contact with us over the next year, and possibly beyond, combined with the whirlwind of the two days at Pinewood, left us ready to shout ACTION!' Second Light is a new talent development scheme supporting 30 young people from BME backgrounds seeking careers in the

film industry. The scheme will provide these people with bespoke training, work placements, production opportunities and mentor support over a period of 15 months and is being delivered in Scotland by GMAC. Second Light was created by First Light, a leading nationwide initiative enabling disadvantaged young people throughout the UK to realise their creative potential through filmmaking. Originally the brainchild of filmmaker Sir Alan Parker and now chaired by James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, First Light has helped almost 30,000 young people between the ages of five and 19 to write, act, shoot, produce, edit and screen more than one thousand films and hundreds of media projects since launching in May 2001. These films are funded by National Lottery cash through the UK Film Council and as well as via its Mediabox programmes on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Second Light is being managed by First Light in partnership with three delivery organisations; The Video College (London), the Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC) and Calling the Shots Films (Bristol). It is funded by Skillset and the UK Film Council with the support of Pinewood Studios, BAFTA, the Cultural Diversity Network, Framestore and Future Publishing as well as other prominent industry partners.

The Bacon Boy and the First Light Awards by SKAMM producer Sandie Jamieson

Zander

In January 2008 a group of teenagers pitched us ideas for films that they would like to make if they had sufficient funds and resources. The group selected three ideas and those ideas formed the basis of an application to the UK Film Council’s First Light initiative. Fast forward to February 2010 and not only have all three films have been made, but all three films have been selected for film festivals and one film, The Bacon Boy, was nominated for two categories in the First Light Awards 2010. The Bacon Boy is a dark comedy set in a small rural village in Scotland in 2013. There is a Europe-wide meat ban, so when a young boy appears on Mr Goodheart’s doorstep selling bacon rolls, Mr G. is tempted to break the law. It is left to his daughter Katie to try to protect her father from himself and the bacon boy. The film was written and directed by Zander Mavor, as he explains 'The process of making my own film was an incredible journey. The idea came during a brainstorming session after listening to someone else’s film pitch. He happened to mention a boy delivering milk and bacon to people’s front doors. This made me think of two things; that bacon is something a lot of people couldn’t live without, and the idea of a boy delivering bacon being somehow sinister.' 'From this idea came several different drafts and after a few months I finally had the finished script. We filmed it over a week in Oxton near Lauder after auditioning cast and crew. I was allowed to make the film exactly how I wanted and I learnt so much about directing through doing it. Each day’s shoot was completely different to the last and there were so many different experiences that made this the most intense yet rewarding experience of my life.' The organisation that made it possible for Zander and the group of young filmmakers to realise their dreams is Scottish Kids Are Making Movies (SKAMM). SKAMM is an Edinburgh-based charity that aims to help young people learn about filmmaking through training, production and working with industry professionals. It runs regular Saturday sessions in the Guild Rooms in Filmhouse as well as productions during the holidays and weekends. The three films were funded by the lottery through First Light and with match funding from the Steele Trust and the Marina Kleinwort Trust. Zander has nothing but praise for SKAMM 'I joined in 2005, and since then I have made my most accomplished films with them. There is so much trust given to the young

film-makers and this really promotes a confidence within them to create amazing projects together. Film-making is now something that will always be part of my life. Showing The Bacon Boy at film festivals and having been short-listed for two categories in the 2010 First Light Awards are things I never imagined happening when I first joined SKAMM. It has played such a huge role in my life and potentially my future.' Thanks to funding from Scottish Screen, Zander and members of the crew and cast travelled down to London for the star-studded awards ceremony at the Odeon, Leicester Square, on the 2 March. Unfortunately The Bacon Boy was pipped to the post in the Best Screenplay category by Backfire, written and directed by a group of young filmmakers from Lenshead Film School in Bellshill. The winning film was described as ‘Convincingly written with good, realistic dialogue. A nicely constructed story between reality and paranoia on a topical subject,’ by Sir Alan Parker (Writer/Director – Evita, Angela’s Ashes, Bugsy Malone). Other Scottish success on the night included St Ninian’s High School, Glasgow, which won the Best Filmclub Award. For Zander and his cast and crew of The Bacon Boy, there was some consolation with Frank Darabont (Writer/Director/Producer – The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) describing the film as having a: ‘Very clever premise and a great sense of foreboding. Reminiscent for me of the great EC horror comic stories of the ‘50s, though rendered in a very classy and classic style. May I single out the actors for praise? Very natural, very professional. An exemplary effort all around.’ See www.skamm.org.uk and www.firstlightonline.co.uk/fl-awards/

bafta

bafta new talent Bafta Scotland is delighted to announce the New Talent Awards 2010. Due to last year’s success and for the second year running, the New Talent Awards are now open to students as well as emerging professionals. This prestigious red carpet ceremony will take place at the Mitchell Theatre on Friday 19 March. Tickets should be bought in advance on 0141 302 1770 / info@baftascotland.co.uk priced £10 and £5 concession.

Since they began in 1996, BAFTA Scotland's New Talent Awards have served to highlight and promote some of the most innovative and exciting new talent in Scottish filmmaking. As well as encouraging and welcoming new talent in all areas of the moving image industries, BAFTA Scotland's New Talent Awards play a vital role in the promotion of new work, giving nominated work the opportunity to reach the largest media, press and public audience possible. This year BAFTA Scotland is proud to announce that the digital media categories are being sponsored by Scottish Enterprise.

“We are immensely proud of our moving image practitioners in Scotland and BAFTA Scotland continues to work hard to promote the excellence of our Scottish productions. Our message for this event is clear: invest in your industry, reward your talent, encourage innovation and deliver excellence.” Catherine Murtagh, Projects Director, BAFTA Scotland

New Talent Awards 2010 – nominations Acting Performance Darren Osborne A Good Mate 14c Studio Kelly Parish Freeze VOMO Eric Robertson Narrow Gauge Hopscotch Films Keira Lucchesi River City BBC Scotland

Animation

Battenberg Written and Directed by Stewart Comrie Produced by Anna Odell DigiCult Monster In The Toilet Writen and Directed by Ania Leszczynska Edinburgh College of Art Welcome to Twister Written and Directed by Owen Rixon Edinburgh College of Art

Director

Marc de Launay Dark Nature Mandragora Productions Ltd. Sharon McCance Glasgow Urban Collective – The Legacy Diversity Films CIC Michael Ferns Kirk RSAMD 40

Experimental

Fiction

Music Video

Spring Forward Fall Back Written, Directed and Produced by Gerry Hay

Entwined Written and Directed by Reeve Rixon Produced by Ryan Blackwood Edinburgh College of Art

The Stand Off - Le Reno Amps Written, Directed and Produced by Felix Gilfedder Produced also by Andrew Green Felix Films

I Am Nothing. I Am Just A Man Written, Directed and Produced by Joshua Loftin Edinburgh College of Art

Symmetry Directed and Written by Steven Shand Edinburgh College of Art

Factual

Fistful of Roses Directed by Leo Bruges Produced by Peter Gerard Accidental Media Just To Call You Dad Directed and Produced by Patricia Delso Lucas Edinburgh College of Art Maria’s Way Directed and Produced by Anne Milne Edinburgh College of Art The Shutdown Directed by Adam Stafford Produced by Peter Gerard Written by Alan Bisset Accidental Media

Choices Written, Directed and Produced by Ryan Hendrick Magic Works Entertainment

Parliamo Glasgow Directed by Hope Dickson Leach Produced by Vicki Patterson Writen by Stewart Thomson Talking Piranhas Written, Directed and Produced by Gregory Vardarinos Edinburgh College of Art

Game

Colour-Coded Directed, Written and Produced by Liam Wong, Murray Sinclair Fay Wright Sean Donnelly, Nnanna Kama University of Abertay Dundee Shrunk Directed, Written and Produced by Michael Cummings, Vykintas Kazdailis, Andrew Macdonald Stuart Kemp, Jacek Wernikowski University of Abertay Dundee

Interactive

The Devil’s Plantation Written, Directed and Produced by May Miles Thomas Elemental Films The Lost Book Directed and Produced by Helen Jackson and Adam Brewster Binary Fable

Lamb and the Lion - The Mae Shi Directed and Written by Natalia Stuyk Edinburgh College of Art

Jonquil - Lions Directed and Produced by Steve Warne and Julian Krubasik Written by Steve Warne Edinburgh College of Art

Producer

Breid McLoone Comic Relief’s Naughty Bits BBC Scotland Britt Crowley Wind Over Lake Screen Academy Scotland

Writer

Eddie Harrison Dark Nature Mandragora Productions Ltd. Joe McArdle Stix and Stanes McArdle Media

festival

Kingussie’s 3rd FOOD ON FILM Festival Over 500 people turned out to support Kingussie’s third winter festival – Food on Film 2010, a series of events celebrating the links between food and film.

s well as screenings of foodie films like Julie and Julia, there was a cooking demonstration by Crying With Laughter director and ex chef Justin Molotnikov, and an Oscar Night celebration which saw Kingussie High School transformed into a glitzy awards venue complete with red carpet and a huge flame torch at the door. After an introduction from Food on Film patron, BBC’s Craig Anderson, the audience watched a series of short films made for the Highland Youth Award for Short Food Films with a panel of film industry judges providing feedback to the aspiring filmmakers after each film. The winning film, Now Casting by Kingussie High School S3 students Duncan Rossi and Lewis Faulkner, was an accomplished short about a boy catching his own fish supper. Bev Smith from Fortrose whose son Oliver won an award for best documentary on the opening night said “Congratulations - it was a great night. I loved the venue `dressing` and as usual the films were interesting and to a high standard. I am always amazed at the originality!” For more information see www.kingussiefoodonfilm.co.uk Photos of Oscar Night on www.carrbridge-films.co.uk/media/

So another successful year of NETS training has completed and trainees are launched into a freelance career as practitioners with some great credits already on their CV. Many have been snapped up for paid work while others are honing their skills and standing by as projects go into production. Here’s a look at the past year of production placements secured and what each trainee is up to now.

Gill Brown - Researcher Trainee Credits included: Troubled Young Minds – Hand Pict Productions Secret Guide to Women – Tern TV 150 Years of Scotmid – Media Co-op

“Being part of the NETS programme has given me the confidence for my first job as a make up artist in the industry. Without the NETS programme I wouldn’t have had half the experience. Its been a great way to meet people and would encourage anyone to be part of It.“ – Lee Melrose

Gill completed her training at the end of February and will start employment as a researcher with Hopscotch Films on a 6 x 1 /2 hour series called Films of Scotland for BBC Scotland and will screen this autumn.

Stuart Dale - Factual Production Assistant/Runner

“I’ve had a equal mix of working in development and production during my year as the factual research trainee. This has been ideal as the production work provided invaluable experience will hopefully lead to more work this year.”- Gill Brown

Andy Nutt - Camera Assistant Trainee Credits included: Eagle of the Ninth – Belmont Productions NEDS - Bluelight Neds Ltd The Deep - Tiger Aspect

Andy completed his training as the camera trainee on Tiger Aspect’s drama series The Deep for BBC. He was then kept on as a paid member of the crew until they wrap in March.

Ella Williams - Art Department Assistant Trainee Credits included: The Last Word – Sigma Films Garrow’s Law – Twenty Twenty Productions The Deep – Tiger Aspect

Ella is continuing to increase her graphics skills and technical drawing experience while she seeks her next job. “NETS has been such a brilliant experience. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I have learned so much and met so many inspiring people. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.” - Ella Williams

Lee Melrose - Make Up Assistant

Trainee Credits included: Eagle of the Ninth – Belmont Productions The Wicker Tree - Tressock Films Ltd The Last Word – Sigma Films Lee completed training at the end of January and has travelled to Manchester for her first paid job on the Boy George biopic Worried about The Boy for Red Production Company.

Trainee Credits included: The Boy from Georgia – The Media Co-op 150 Years of Scotmid – The Media Co-op

Stuart completed his training on the course while working at the Glasgow Film Festival and is seeking more events and factual production runner work.

Nik Parker - Locations Assistant

Trainee Credits included: Eagle of the Ninth – Belmont Productions NEDS – Bluelight Neds Ltd Whiteout – Constantine TV / Capricorn Films

Steven Moore - Drama Assistant Co-ordinator

Trainee Credits included: NEDS - Bluelight Neds Ltd One Night in Emergency – BBC Scotland Lip Service – Kudos Film and TV On completion, Steven’s first paid work was on The Iron Chef, a cookery quiz show for IWC Media and he has now started on A Single Father for Red Production Company as their production office runner. “It’s the highest quality of learning and experience a newcomer to the industry can obtain Throughout the year I have established the skills and contacts that will last my entire career. Now at the end of the course I feel I have the confidence to hold my own in any situation. It has given me access to the minds of professionals at the top of their game and I’m honoured to be one of the trainees in the course’s 30 year history.” Steve Moore

Rebecca Day - Trainee Producer

Nik has just completed her training on the course on Burke and Hare for Ealing Studios and is currently discussing opportunities coming up.

Trainee Credits included: Peter in Radioland – (as Producer) – Bridging the Gap Factual Researcher – Bungalow Town Productions

“Being a Scottish Screen NETS trainee has allowed me to develop skills and given me the opportunity to work with some of the best qualified people within the Scottish film industry. It has given me the confidence and the practical know-how to hopefully have a successful career in the future.” Nik Parker

Rebecca has now stated work as a Trainee Producer with Bungalow Town Films for the next year. Bungalow Town have made awardwinning documentaries such as The English Surgeon and Garbage Warrior.

Rachel Clachrie - Animation Production Co-ordinator/ Production Assistant

Trainee Credits included: Marvo the Chicken – Red Kite Animation Denis and Gnasher - Red Kite animation Live action and animation development – Kolik Rachel has completed the course and her first job is a short contract with Scottish Screen Education as a Production Assistant on their web projects. “I can’t believe it has been a year! I guess it is time to test out the skills I have learned along the way. No treading softy either – it’s full guns blazing!’ - Rachel Clachrie

Rachel Fiddes - Assistant co-ordinator

Trainee Credits included: Eagle of the Ninth – Belmont Productions Outcast – Makar Productions Rachel has just finished work as the coordinator on Ever Here I Be, a short Digicult Film shot on RED Camera. She will complete her training on A Single Father for RED Production Company and then starts paid work as Head of Guest Services at Edinburgh International Film Festival “NETS has been a great opportunity for me. I have worked with some amazing people and know that I have a better understanding of the industry, having had the chance to work at the centre of it.”- Rachel Fiddes.

rmation will be posted TS training programme and info NE t nex our ng nni pla tly ren ht be looking for We are cur like more info on what we mig uld wo you If re. futu r nea the runners for on our website in If you are looking for trainees or 8. 176 302 141 (0) +44 on n please call Kay Sherida runners with CVs that have a database of trainees and we as you p hel us let , tion duc your pro number above. we can provide. Call Kay at the

Lee Melrose

Andy Nutt Ella Williams

Rachel Clachrie Rachel Fiddes

Gill Brown

Stuart Dale Nik Parker

Rebecca Day

Steven Moore 43

digital media

Funding innovation through the An interactive drama project for 15-22 year olds, a unique Scottish online photographic journal and a social networking site for the creative industries which encourages collaborative working, are just some of the projects that have been funded through the Digital Media IP Fund since its inception in June 2009. Scottish Screen’s recently revised Investment Guidelines are available and contain information on the funds that Scottish Screen will operate in the financial year 2010/11, during the process of transition to Creative Scotland. A new Digital Media Seed Fund has also been launched. Funding is available for - Early stage research and development of interactive digital media content and Proof of concept or prototyping of interactive digital media content. For more information, go to: www.scottishscreen.com/investment.

Being Victor

Digital Media IP Fund

eing Victor tells the story of Vinnie Dupe and his vastly more successful online alter-ego Victor Sage. Each week viewers will follow the lives of Vinnie and his friends as they muddle their way through college, family, work and the nightmarish social rules of teenage life. Developed and produced by Shed Media in Scotland, this frank and funny project will be populated by characters that 14-18 year olds can relate to. The online blog goes live in July and the drama is due to launch in September. “Being Victor is a drama that will raise real issues. It will play out online across a number of platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to engage its teenage audience. This multi-platform approach was greatly enhanced by the funding from the Digital Media IP Fund which allowed us to follow the ambition and scale of the project that we were aiming for.” Robert Elliott, Director, Being Victor 'We commissioned Being Victor to encourage discussion and debate around social, moral and ethical issues amongst 15-22 year olds. The challenge for us was reaching the audience, teenagers are spending more and more time online and a conventional soap using traditional media just wouldn't do the trick. We are thrilled to be working on a project that 20 years ago, simply wouldn't have been possible. Our new media and multi-platform approach will engage the audience and encourage them to interact with the material in an exciting and new way.' Peter Weil, Chief Executive, CTVC

From right to left, images by: John Butler, Ross McLean, Eleanor Young, The Gin Palace and Jason Duckmanton.

Central Station, the story so far...

by Suzy Glass, producer at ISO and Central Station member. Central Station launched in September 2009. Since kicking off with a crowd-sourced members film, we've made a piece featuring YBA Gavin Turk, have uploaded previously unseen work from Turner Prize winner Gillian Wearing's personal collection and we've set up possibly the world's least bureaucratic commissioning fund. We're fast becoming the creative online hub for creatives in Scotland and further afield, with visits from over 14,000 people in 90 or so countries. Members have uploaded over 6,500 images, videos and audio tracks, they've written over 400 blogs. Central Station is a creative social network for people interested in art, film and design. People use it to become part of a creative community, find opportunities, find talent or simply be entertained. It's a cross-discipline melting pot that helps creative people use social media tools to promote and support themselves and their work. It also exists in the real world. We make collaborative projects and host events because we're adamant online networking only works if complimented by human contact. Earlier this year the Central Station Member Fund opened for business. Every month we give £1,500 to members to allow them to work on innovative projects. It's a chance for members to get their hands on hasslefree, low maintenance money, the perfect antidote to the recession and the increasingly tricky world of arts and film funding. In month one we've had dozens of exciting and incredibly diverse proposals from people wanting to create collaborative comic books, shoot virally distributed shorts and create live, crowd- sourced installations. Our team of Creative Heads will be picking the first successful project in March. What happens if you throw a group of unknown film-makers and photographers

into the world's biggest contemporary art fair with one of Scotland's most exciting young bands? At the Glasgow Short Film Festival 2010 we premiered one of our ﬁrst member projects, Art/Roc/Doc. Back in November '09 we put an open call out for a shooter and photographer. Less than 48 hours after naming the winners, we dropped Aberdeen-based Tom Duncan (member name All The Rage) and Dagmar Vyhalkova (member name Dasha) off at Frieze Art Fair along with Glasgow-based band Isoceles. On hand to cajole and steer were Central Station Executive Producer Paul Welsh and Content Producer Yvonne Bray. The team's task: capture the chaotic energy of Frieze and the London art world as seen through the eyes of the band as they prepare for their album preview gig at Volume, a 100-hour-long party in a disused building decked out with the work of 70 artists including Tracy Emin, Douglas Gordon and Damien Hurst. Very little sleep, a cardboard van (courtesy of member Ruth Parker) and an impromptu interview with Gavin Turk later, the crew returned.

plus win a contract with Savalas's new label.

The ﬁnal 25 minute doc was edited by Andy Brown (member name ab0181) with titles and graphics by London-based designer Deborah Caswell (member name Deborah.) The results? A multi-voice, energy-fuelled journey through the rollercoaster world of contemporary art.

Given that we're at heart a community of creative talent, perhaps it makes sense to sign off with a quote from one of our members. “I have been inspired by joining the central station community...it's going to open up all sorts of exciting possibilities for me, at a time when I have really felt the need to strike out in new ways.” Tam Dean Burn (member name Tharmas.)

Right now we're working on a new ﬁlm piece with sound geniuses Savalas and internationally acclaimed visual artist Roderick Buchanan to create a piece of work that we'll be premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Following a period of group mentoring, one lucky member will get the chance to work with Roddy and Savalas to compose and master a soundtrack for Roddy's ﬁlm,

Later in the year, Central Station will be at the Shanghai Expo with the British Council, documenting the high-octane chaos of UK Day. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to work with members both here and in China. We'll be looking at new ways to represent a massive event, experimenting with crowd-sourced and real-time techniques. In the meantime, we continue to source and curate collections of hidden gems. At the moment on the site you can browse the FilmFour collection - trailers for ﬁlms made by artists turned ﬁlm-makers. Soon we'll be publishing work by Henry VIII's wives, Turner Prize 2009 nominee Lucy Skaer's collaborative project. Plus we're working on opening this section of the site up to members so they can build their own collections from the rich library of materials and references within the community.

Central Station is funded by Channel 4's 4ip fund for online innovation, Scottish Screen's Digital Media IP fund in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund, and is the recipient of a Scottish Arts Council Inspire award. You can ﬁnd us at www.thisiscentralstation.com.

digital media

Blipfoto Blipfoto is the BAFTA Scotland awardwinning on-line platform that allows anyone to set up and maintain a free photo journal. Along with Channel 4 and the National Theatre of Scotland, last year Blipfoto launched 'Unstaged' a series of photographic competitions which aim to ‘expose the extraordinary aspects of everyday life’. The first competition, 'Scotland at Play' has closed and the winners will be announced in March. The next competition will open in Spring 2010 with the theme 'Young at Heart'. Blipfoto is visited by almost 70,000 people worldwide - a figure which is growing daily.

"2009 was a tremendous year for us – partnering with Channel 4, the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Screen to launch Unstaged has been a great experience, and it doesn’t get much better than winning a BAFTA Scotland award!” Joe Tree, Founder, Blipfoto

The Digital Media IP Fund is a co-investment initiative that aims to stimulate the development and production of innovative non-broadcast interactive digital content. It works to encourage co-investment from the private sector and generate revenue for Scottish based companies. It is jointly financed by Scottish Enterprise and the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund and managed by Scottish Screen. For more information go to: www.scottishscreen.com/ investment

education

MOVING IMAGE EDUCATION online

by Scott Donaldson, Head of Education Development, Scottish Screen A key part of Scottish Screen’s education strategy is advocating moving image education in Scotland’s new schools curriculum, Curriculum for Excellence. Central to this are online resources to support teachers using film, games, and other screen media for learning and teaching across the curriculum – especially in literacy, which has been redefined to include moving image texts. The website www.movingimageeducation. org is the premier moving image education site for teachers, produced by Scottish Screen in partnership with award-winning animation company D fie foe. Currently undergoing a major expansion and reorganisation to make it even easier to use, the site provides comprehensive coverage, learning ideas and resources, from first steps to advanced techniques, plus high-quality downloadable short films for classroom use.

Scotland on Screen (www.scotlandonscreen. org.uk) is an online partnership between Scottish Screen, National Library of Scotland and Learning and Teaching Scotland. The first phase, launched at the Scottish Learning Festival in September 2009, put over 15 hours of footage from the Scottish Screen Archive online, connecting teachers and learners to over a century of social, environmental and technological film records. The second phase, currently underway, will more than double the number of films and learning resources that can be used by teachers. A key element of Scotland on Screen is that users of GLOW, the Scottish schools intranet, can download the films, opening up limitless creative potential for pupils to make new work with the material, in any part of the curriculum.

Following the success of these websites, a third online resource, Languages on Screen, is now being developed with Learning and Teaching Scotland to provide short films in foreign languages, with learning and teaching resources, to support foreign language teaching. www.scotlandonscreen.org.uk www.movingimageeducation.org

Peter in Radioland

Glasgow Short Film Festival 2010 by co-directors Rosie Crerar and Matt Lloyd This year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival was an intense, frenetic weekend with the highest turnout since launching in 2008. Drawing from the approach we’ve honed in our regular Magic Lantern programmes - grouping an eclectic mix of narrative, experimental and archive film under a single theme - for this year’s GSFF we sought to explore the multifarious possibilities of the short film form. We celebrated the innovative, outward-looking, boundarydevouring nature of Glasgow’s film, art and music scenes by placing the most exciting local work alongside a programme of international films, events, workshops and parties. We were met with a packed, buzzing CCA where young filmmakers mingled with established auteurs, curators with emerging artists, musicians with musos. We squeezed in together to view brand new work, engaged with the possibilities of the form through various retrospectives and master-classes and ended each night dancing to live music and DJs who closely align themselves to the medium. We were enthused and invigorated by the diversity of our audience, who by their presence at GSFF exploded the restrictive myth of short film as merely a stepping-stone to feature production. Scottish filmmaking was represented across the weekend, from Murray Grigor’s extraordinary cinematic diptych Space & Light Revisited, which presented the modernist St Peter’s Seminary at Cardross before and after its abandonment, to the selection of new work by members of online creative community Central Station. Workshops, master-classes and happy hour drinks afforded networking opportunities to up-and-coming local filmmakers. After much consideration we agreed not to present a Scottish showcase programme, as we believe that Scottish short filmmakers are best served by having their worked placed in an international cross-genre context. The local work screened bears testimony to that. Henry Coombes’ The Bedfords beautifully evokes both the historical representation of the Highlands as a playground for the Victorian elite of Landseer’s paintings, and the internal struggles of the commissioned artist. The Bedfords sets up Coombes as a filmmaker who is sure to burst forth onto the international stage with his next project Little Dog Boy, currently in development with Brocken Spectre and Scottish Screen. Paul Wright is a filmmaker who we’ve been excited about since his RSAMD grad film Hikikomori. This film was nominated for a UK BAFTA, and secured him a place at the prestigious National Film and Television School as well as on the Sigma/Zentropa Advance Party 2 feature development programme. Believe was made in the summer of 2008 in Wright’s summer break from the NFTS with Scottish production company Young Films. Featuring Sonny & Cher’s I’ve Got You Babe reimagined via the dulcet tones of Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat. Believe captures the aching limbo of a grieving widower resisting the pressure to move on. A more recent RSAMD graduate, Louis Paxton, brought us the hilarious satire Choreomania. Ostensibly a film about a plague

of uncontrollable dancing, Choreomania offers a knowing and imaginative take on the zombie genre, whilst making a (semi-)serious point about Scottish identity. Another brand new film making its Scottish premiere was Colin Kennedy’s I Love Luci, the comic story of hopeless love shot around Glasgow’s West End. I Love Luci came to us fresh from success at Clermont-Ferrand, the Cannes of short film festivals, where it won the Prix des Mediatheques. And Jørn Utkilen, a familiar face on the Scottish short film scene ever since the creation of his brilliant no-budget My Job series ten years ago, brought us Little Red Hoodie, his dark twenty-first century reimagining of the familiar fairytale. And we were delighted that our inaugural jury award for Best International Short Film went to the sixth Scottish production in our core programme. We invited filmmakers Cynthia Beatt and Ray Tintori (attending with retrospectives of their films from Berlin and New Orleans) and local novelist Louise Welsh, to select a winner from amongst the 33 international titles, and they unanimously chose Johanna

Wagner’s Peter in Radioland, a Scottish Documentary Institute Bridging the Gap production featuring the director’s father and his rejection of the modern, digital world. Selecting Johanna’s film over several award winners, not to mention works by heavyweights Werner Herzog and Tsai MingLaing, they cited Johanna’s ‘ability to approach a complex and personal subject with unusual honesty and compassion, and her formal innovation and experimentation with imagery.’ The post-festival mop-up is coming to an end and we’re beginning to focus on our regular Magic Lantern screenings again. But we’ve been bowled over by the positive reception this year’s event received, and we’re already scheming ways to try and out-do it next year, to raise awareness for the festival internationally and become one of the most significant short film events on the UK festival calendar.

The Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Award The Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Award was launched in 1999 by The Cameo Cinema jointly to celebrate its 50th anniversary, to demonstrate a commitment to supporting emerging filmmaking talent in Scotland, and as a tribute to the late Jim Poole who re-opened the cinema as The Cameo in the late 1940s. The Award has become a key feature of the Scottish filmmaking calendar and now includes major involvement from The Belmont, Aberdeen plus substantial support and the winner’s cheque of £1,000 being supplied by Scottish Screen. Jim Poole’s acquisition of the Cameo, formerly the Kings Cinema, continued the Poole family’s long history of association with the world of entertainment and when Jim reopened the Cameo on 7 March 1949 he was immediately credited with introducing specialist continental cinema to Edinburgh, a tradition which continues at the Cameo (and The Belmont) to this day. The Cameo’s Jim Poole Scottish Short Film Award is a fitting commemoration to a man who spent a life in cinema exhibition. From his experiences as a film officer with mobile cinemas during the Second World War through his early participation with the first Edinburgh International Film Festival, Jim Poole was a man of firsts. The winner of the inaugural award was Adrian J McDowall with Who’s My Favourite Girl, which went on to claim further recognition throughout the year including the Scottish BAFTA for Best Short Film. Ten years on Adrian has considerable experience in the field and has agreed to be one of the judges for this year’s award. The following year, 2001 saw the top prize being claimed by Rachel Bevan Baker with The Green Man of Knowledge. The first of three animated shorts to have won the award, this was an early indication

of the scope and variety of the competition; a competition in which amateur films with a budget of a few pounds can compete directly against professional productions with budgets in the region of six figures. To date, the award has been won by drama, comedy, animation and documentary, with one filmmaker, Zam Salim, claiming it twice – in 2003 with Cold Light of Day and in 2007 with Laid Off. What is clear from the winners and short-listed finalists over the years is that the essence of what makes a Jim Poole Award contender is the skill of storytelling first and foremost, and that anyone with an idea strong enough can rightfully feel they have a good chance at coming out on top. The fact that the audience award, which was introduced after the first few years, has often gone to the main prizewinner illustrates that this award is not presented from a purely academic filmmaking point of view but as an appreciation of talent and the gift of entertainment. Last year’s winner, The Shutdown by Adam Stafford was both a surprising winner yet a popular choice (taking the main prize and audience award). A narrated piece on the social impact of the Grangemouth oil refinery and the explosion within that nearly killed the narrator’s father, it was further proof that you can expect the unexpected when it comes to a Jim Poole Award winner and hopefully an indication of that trend continuing for many years.

Adrian J McDowall

The submissions deadline is Monday 26 April 2010. The short-listed films will be screened before the awards ceremony on Sunday 30 May 2010. The Belmont, Aberdeen will offer an Audience Award of £500, which will be voted for at the screening and presented at the awards ceremony in The Cameo on Sunday 30 May 2010. Shutdown: Adam Stafford and Alan Bissett

vast blue

Vast Blue It’s easy to embrace technology when it solves problems that previously seemed insurmountable. Take the humble Videotheque. At film festivals around the world, catching up on short and feature films in the videotheque was often hard work, for journalists, delegates, film-buyers alike. Ben Rashleigh ‘s Vast Blue company were brought in to solve this problem for the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), and came up with the VTheque, a revolutionary video-screening system which made watching films a pleasure rather than a chore. ‘We’d been working with EIFF since 2006, helping them with the redevelopment of their internal management system, covering everything from scheduling film screenings, to sending press releases, creating ID passes, and allocating VIP airport pickups,’ says Rashleigh. ‘From this, we saw that there was a big gap in terms of a digital videomanagement system which could be applied to their existing DVD based videotheque, a question of general logistics which included having the right number of DVDs available, people wanting to see the same films, problems with the equipment, and of course, security issues; it’s easy for someone to slip a disk into their bag or even copy it on a laptop. Other festivals like Rotterdam were addressing the same problem, so we set about finding a solution.’ In ye olden days, aspiring film-watchers would have to pile through pages of printed brochures, only to find out that VHS tapes and DVDs were doublebooked, missing or faulty, but with the newVTheque, Vast Blue were able to ensure that viewers saw what they wanted, when they wanted, a highly useful development in the EIFF as a marketplace for seeing films.

‘We saw a 200 per cent increase in the number of films viewed, across the approximately 500 films in the library. We also found that people had been successful in actively seeking out lesser known films, which resulted in a 93 percent coverage. That’s an important statistic. Additionally, we were able to create exact statistics on viewing behavior, for example, who watched what and when, which is helpful for filmmakers and future planning.’ says Rashleigh. Through their successful relationship with the EIFF, Vast Blue then found themselves working with Scottish Screen to work their same magic over another tricky problem; how to give access to potential film viewers across the world without literally handing out DVD copies, and losing control of the films involved. ‘Scottish Screen were interested in the development of a new platform for screening shorts, so the next challenge was to create a platform for screening short films online, for domestic, European and international film markets. DVD, as a format, had restrictions in terms of the number of films on a disc and timing, but having an online platform gives us back control over the video content itself,’ says Rashleigh. ‘The system uses our Content Delivery Network (CDN), which is an interconnected set of servers around the world which provide immediate, full speed content to users, based on their locations. It means we can provide up to HD quality wherever and whenever. ‘ With other clients including Park Circus, Walt Disney Studios, and the new Doha Tribeca Film Festival, Vast Blue are ideally situated to continue to use technology to solve the problems that have encumbered film and creative sectors in the past.

‘Basically, our plan is to further develop our video technologies, delivering more content to more people and expanding our global content delivery network,. We’re always looking for ways to refine the existing technology that we’re using. It’s a changing world, and we at Vast Blue want to ensure we’re keeping Scotland’s film community, and those connected to it worldwide, up to date with the latest development.’

festival

Videotheque in Clermont Ferrand by Jennifer Armitage Scottish Screen’s visit to Clermont Ferrand in 2010 was an exciting one. We’ve attended this short film festival, and the major short film market that accompanies it, every year since 1998. We’ve promoted Scottish short films on VHS and DVD to eager festivals and distributors. But this year we had a new medium…. the Scottish shorts online videotheque, www.scottishfilms. com. This is a secure platform for film industry professionals, allowing them to view the latest short films from Scotland online. Scottish Screen had a stand on the British Council stall, where programmers, sales agents and the like could speak to us about their short film requirements. Armed with a catalogue of recent Scottish shorts, we were able to highlight the films that were most likely to be of interest, and sign them up to www. scottishfilms.com.

the website, which allows them to view films, curate their own programmes, then send these to themselves or colleagues, and email rights holders directly. People received it very enthusiastically. Pleased, not only because they didn’t have to carry another DVD home with them, but also because they could organise the films in a way that was most useful to them. They were impressed by the quality of the video, and the range of films that were represented on the site. A number of people were sad to see the demise of the DVD, because it provided them with a physical aide memoir which they could pass between colleagues, but overall the reaction to it was very positive. The beauty of this approach is that we can add to the films as time goes on, creating a ‘one-stop-shop’ for Scottish shorts.

Naturally, people asked for DVDs initially but we were pleased to introduce them to the wonders of

On www.scottishfilms.com are a number of short films to be viewed which have done particularly well over the last few months. The Finger Trap Best Animation Award Bafta Scotland New Talent Awards 09 and Best Fiction Award Bafta Scotland New Talent Awards 09. Munro Official Selection Encounters Short Film Festival 09 Pollphail Screened at the London Film Festival 09, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival 09, the World Film Festival of Bangkok 09, CPH:DOX 09 and the Inverness Film Festival 09.

Peter in Radioland Winner of the Glasgow Short Film Festival Best International Short Film Award 2010 Winner of Edinburgh International Best Scottish Short Film Award 2009’ Nominated for European Academy Short Film Award 2009 Nominated for International Young Documentary Competition Leipzig 2009 Nominated for CPH DOX – Short DOX Award 2009 Nominated for Best Short Film BAFTA Scotland 2009

Rewind Screened at the 20th Queer Festival and Brisbane Film Festival and Official Selection for Outfest Festival LA 09. Has also just secured a distribution deal with LA based Village Lighthouse. Sporran Makers Official Selection for Edinburgh International Film Festival 2008. Screen as part of BBC Scotland’s transmissions of Bridging the Gap films, over 17,000 viewers tuned in to watch.

Location of the Month - The Shetlands Where did the inspiration come from for James Cameron’s Oscar-winning Avatar? National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson recently caused a stir of interest in Scottish locations by posting a series of images that he believes suggest that Cameron’s world of Pandora reflects the same look and feel that the Scottish Hebrides offer. So picking up where Richardson left off, our location of the month features another of the more remote outposts of Scotland, the Shetland islands, which can, on its day, look more beautiful, rich and otherworldly as even $500 million worth of Hollywood special effects could create. The azure blue sea and sandy beach might suggest the distant planet feature in Robert Zemekis’s sci-fi epic Contact, but it’s actually

one of Shetland’s most famous spots, St Ninian’s Isle. It’s over five times the length of a football stadium, and more than 100m wide. And it is one of the best examples of a tombolo beach, where a sandbar extends from the mainland to connect with an island.

original idea; after all, Stanley Kubrick used the Hebrides to double for the surface of an alien planet in 2001: A Space Odyssey. But for film-makers looking to create fantastic environments for storytelling, there’s nothing like a stunning Scottish location to fire up the imagination.

Just as alien to city-dwellers are two other Shetland features, Mousa Broch, the only complete free standing broch in the world. It’s stood at over 13m high for over 2000 years, and comes complete with a twisting staircase in-between the walls which takes you to the top. And going back another 2000 years before that, there’s the deep, underground Viking settlement - Jarlshof. Using the remote areas of Scotland to suggest other planets and universes isn’t an

Further information: The Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission +44 (0) 1463 710221 | trish@scotfilm.org www.scotfilm.org

film production

NEW AGE

Morgan M. Morgansen’s Date With Destiny Aspiring short filmmakers looking for inspiration need look no further than Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly, two indie filmmakers from Fife who not only got their film made and shown at a special event at Sundance Film Festival, but also managed to ensnare a major Hollywood star to appear in it.

‘Screening the film at Sundance was great for us, not least because Robert Redford popped in to take a look at it!,’ says Brewster. ‘So now we’ve had some great producers get in touch with us to discuss what projects we have on the go, and I’m delighted to say that Joseph Gordon Levitt is eager to work with us again.’

Daly’s short script Morgan M. Morgansen’s Date With Destiny was picked up by 500 Days of Summer star Joseph Gordon Levitt’s revolutionary online production company and collaborative art website, www.hitrecord.org.

While Gordon Levitt narrates and stars in the six-minute piece, artists on the hitRECord website contributed artwork and music to the project from Brewster’s Scottish production company New Age Film. The charming, semi-animated result can be found online at www.hitrecord.org/ records/23276.

This is the final issue of Roughcuts, but eroughcuts will continue as usual weekly in the run up to Creative Scotland. If you haven’t signed up for eroughcuts, email roughcuts@ scottishscreen.com with your details.

‘Me and Sarah Daly work together on all our projects, and like so many micro-budget type films there is a lot of multi-tasking for technical duties on my part, while she is our scriptwriter’ Brewster says. ‘In a way, its all a bit overwhelming too, because being Fife indie filmmakers (of which there aren’t that many anyway) the prospects are great but daunting! And to be honest, getting the exposure really helps to build up my credibility as a film producer too!‘

Don’t forget you can also catch up with Scottish Screen news on our website, www.scottishscreen.com, or follow us on twitter.com/scottishscreen and through our Facebook page.

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FESTIVAL – SXSW Film Festival, USA (www.sxsw.com) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece EVENT – Scottish Students on Screen, Glasgow (www.scottishscreen.com) FESTIVAL – SXSW Film Festival, USA (www.sxsw.com) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Lewis Coastal Film Festival, (www.theatrehebrides.com/lewis_coastal_film_festival) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece FESTIVAL – SXSW Film Festival, USA (www.sxsw.com) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Lewis Coastal Film Festival, (www.theatrehebrides.com/lewis_coastal_film_festival) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece FESTIVAL – SXSW Film Festival, USA (www.sxsw.com) FESTIVAL – Glasgow Mountain Film Festival, Glasgow (www.super-7.co.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Lewis Coastal Film Festival, (www.theatrehebrides.com/lewis_coastal_film_festival) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival, (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) EVENT – BAFTA New Talent Awards, Glasgow (www.baftascotland.co.uk) FESTIVAL – SXSW Film Festival, USA (www.sxsw.com) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Lewis Coastal Film Festival, (www.theatrehebrides.com/lewis_ coastal_film_festival) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival, (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – SXSW Film Festival, USA (www.sxsw.com) FESTIVAL – London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Lewis Coastal Film Festival, (www.theatrehebrides.com/lewis_coastal_film_festival) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – FILMART, Hong Kong (www.hkfilmart.com) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Greek Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – FILMART, Hong Kong (www.hkfilmart.com) FESTIVAL – Flatpack Festival, Birmingham (www.flatpackfestival.org.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – FILMART, Hong Kong (www.hkfilmart.com) FESTIVAL – Flatpack Festival, Birmingham (www.flatpackfestival.org.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – FILMART, Hong Kong (www.hkfilmart.com) FESTIVAL – Flatpack Festival, Birmingham (www.flatpackfestival.org.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – Flatpack Festival, Birmingham (www.flatpackfestival.org.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – Flatpack Festival, Birmingham (www.flatpackfestival.org.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL – Flatpack Festival, Birmingham (www.flatpackfestival.org.uk) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL – Bradford International Film Festival (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/biff) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff) FESTIVAL - London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/llgff)

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FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Tribeca Film Festival, USA (www.tribecafilm.com/festival) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – FAB Fest, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Tribeca Film Festival, USA (www.tribecafilm.com/festival) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – FAB Fest, Edinburgh (www.filmhousecinema.com) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – London International Documentary Film Festival, London (www. lidf.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Hot Docs, Canada (www.hotdocs.ca) FESTIVAL – Dumfries Film Festival, Dumfries (www.rbcft.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de)

FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Doc.Fest International Documentary Film Festival, Germany (www.dokfest-muenchen.de) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festivalcannes.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Cannes International Film Festival, France (www.festival-cannes.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl)

calendar news

Calendar JUNE 1

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FESTIVAL – Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl) FESTIVAL – Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl) FESTIVAL – Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl) FESTIVAL – Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl) FESTIVAL – Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl) FESTIVAL – Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Krakow Film Festival, Poland (www.krakowfilmfestival.pl) FESTIVAL – Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France (www. annecy.org) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France (www. annecy.org) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France (www. annecy.org) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France (www. annecy.org) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France (www. annecy.org) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France (www. annecy.org) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Seattle International Film Festival, USA (www.siff.net/festival) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Leith Short Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.leithshortfilms.co.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Sunny Side of the Doc, France (www.sunnysideofthedoc.com/ uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Sunny Side of the Doc, France (www.sunnysideofthedoc.com/ uk)

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FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Sunny Side of the Doc, France (www.sunnysideofthedoc.com/uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www. edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Sunny Side of the Doc, France (www.sunnysideofthedoc.com/uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.edfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVAL – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.edfilmfest.org.uk)

celia

THEN AND NOW CELIA STEVENSON

Head of Inward Investment and Communications at Scottish Screen, Celia Stevenson has been one of the few constants over the 13 years of the organisation. For many Scottish filmmakers, it’s been Celia’s hand which guided you round premieres and parties, and her seasoned nous infused the official publications Roughcuts, charting the developments within the Scottish media ...And not surprisingly, she’s got the stories to prove it. ‘It has to be a good job to do when a day’s work can involve having dinner with Mel Gibson.’ she says. ’He was incredibly handsome and incredibly shy. The creation

George Street. Over the following 13 years, Stevenson has seen filmmakers and administrators alike come and go, and is forthright in her praise for those whom she believes have furthered the cause of Scottish cinema. ‘When I took the job as chief executive of Scottish Screen Locations, which is where I started, the first person I met was Mark Cousins, who was the Artistic Director of EIFF at that time. Mark continues to amaze and delight me, he is now our international ambassador for film, whether it’s China, Iraq, Sarajevo or more recently Haiti. And Gillian Berrie…. she is another amazing person. She’s like a human dynamo. You

‘I’m a front of house person. If I worked in a cinema, I’d be selling tickets or ice cream.’ of Scottish Screen was really all to do with Mel shooting Braveheart up in Glen Nevis in 1994. When the film was complete, Michael Forsyth, the then-Secretary of State for Scotland, was keen to have the premiere in Stirling Castle as it was in his constituency, and we got it. There was also a dinner for Braveheart held at Edinburgh Castle, and Michael Forsyth said, "There’s no such thing as a free dinner, we want you to answer a few questions."'

could say that her interest in Govan Town Hall was central to creating the buzz about Pacific Quay,’ says Stevenson.

‘When Forsyth asked Mel Gibson about working in Scotland, Gibson said it would have been handy if there’d been a one-stop shop, that could have given him everything he needed. He said, he’d gone to Edinburgh for his locations, Glasgow for his crew, so he was going from one side of the country to the other. I could see the light-bulb going on above Michael Forsyth’s head. That conversation is where Scottish Screen originated.’

And there's Janet McBain at the Scottish Screen Archive, another remarkable woman: the archive started in 1976 as a job creation scheme, she’d gone to the Scottish Film Council where they had all these cans of film and didn’t know what to do with them. She had to sort them out and make sense of them. From these small beginnings, she went on to create the Scottish Screen Archive, a national treasure now at the National Library.

Stevenson was with Forsyth in Times Square NYC when he announced the formation of Scottish Screen would be on the 1 April 1997, (‘one month later, there was an election which the Conservatives lost, and so all the promised funding failed to materialise’ notes Stevenson). Scottish Screen saw the Scottish Film Council, Scottish Screen Locations, Scottish Film and Broadcast Training and the Scottish Film Production Fund merged, together with the Scottish Screen Archive, into one premises, originally at Victoria Crescent in Dowanhill, Glasgow, later moving to the current office in West

And I'm very impressed by how Allan Hunter and Allison Gardner have built the Glasgow Film Festival into a major highly popular event in only a few years. '

‘Another person whose contribution I admire is the actor David Hayman, you get the impression that every penny he makes from his acting, his voiceovers and all of that goes to his charity, Spirit Aid. He’s a true believer, someone who truly puts his money where his mouth is.

(thankfully not all of them came to Cannes) and it’s never been the same one twice, which means they are all ‘Cannes virgins’, which is quite a struggle, as there’s a huge amount of protocol when you’re looking after a Minister. I think the secret of Cannes is to wear comfortable shoes. The sales of sticking plasters must go up two thousand percent when the festival is on’ she says.) And Stevenson has plenty of happy memories of Scottish Screen duties, one favourite being taking actor Brian Cox to meet some primary school children in Brechin as part of a media literacy initiative. (‘He was a bit jet-lagged and grumpy on the way up, but the enthusiasm of the children changed that, and we had a wonderful 'Oscar' day with the children.’). But to Stevenson, the integration of Scottish Screen into Creative Scotland isn’t the moment for looking back on the good times. She believes that for Scottish filmmakers, and indeed all artists, the good times have only just begun. ‘There’ll always be people in the industry who’ll say the glass is half empty, rather than half full, but it doesn’t have to be like that. The industry is growing, and I believe that university courses, Media Academies, the RSAMD, all of that is beginning to make a difference. Yes, it’s nice to have a Braveheart every so often, the media love that, but it’s not so much about bringing over a Hollywood film every so often...it’s about having a real sense of confidence in ourselves. I think there’s a great future for the industry ahead of us here in Scotland, I really do.’

Like Hayman, Stevenson has walked the walk, as well as talked the talk. She reflects with some pleasure on the formation of the Roughcuts magazine you’re currently reading, which Stevenson edited for eight years. She’s also candid about the practicalities of her job, and such situations as taking Arts Ministers to the Cannes Film Festival. (‘I’ve known ten Arts Ministers,

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