the scottish screen industries magazine
sept - nov 2009 Believe wins at Locarno | Shooting A History of Scotland | GASP! At Annecy | Directors Lab at EIFF | GMAC
news
Front cover image:
Rhianna Andrews, Producer of Believe collected the Leopards of Tomorrow international short film award in Locarno, Switzerland
© FOTOFESTIVAL/DAULTE
editorial Hello and welcome to the autumn edition of roughcuts magazine. In the aftermath of the Edinburgh TV Festival and as we start to look ahead to the autumn schedules, it is fitting that we open this issue with two big hitters from the BBC – one factual, A History of Scotland, the second part of this successful series presented by Neil Oliver, and a new animated children’s sketch show, OOglies: both made in Scotland. Neville Kidd, DOP on A History of Scotland, talks to us about working on the series, winning a BAFTA and how a close encounter with a deadly caterpillar nearly stopped him collecting his award. Jessica Ashman was one of Scottish Screen’s latest GASP! trainees and worked on a placement for OOglies, helping to create the characters, Bonkers Conkers. And on the film side, we congratulate Valhalla Rising, the Scottish Danish coproduction on its selection to both Venice and Toronto Film Festivals this month. Scottish Screen will be out in Toronto and would like to hear from anyone who is attending: toronto@scottishscreen.com. The summer was a busy time for film festivals and we hear back on a few recent ones: Rhianna Andrews writes about collecting the Golden Leopard for Best Short Film at Locarno Film Festival for Believe, the film, written and directed by Paul Wright, which she produced. We also hear from film producer and professor, Roger Shannon on his thoughts, impressions and experiences at this year’s EIFF, and from writer/director Johnny Barrington who took part in the Directors Lab programme at the festival. Noe Mendelle and Sonja Henrici from the Scottish Documentary Institute attended the renowned French documentary film festival, Sunny Side of the Doc, promoting Scottish documentary making. And fresh from being selected for Cannes, Ronnie Goodwin went to Palm Springs Short Film Festival, where his film The Shooter, was selected to screen. Back in Scotland and looking ahead to the next few months, the 6th Inverness Film Festival gets underway in November
at the recently renovated and refurbished Eden Court, which is having a spectacular first year since re-opening, with audience figures trebling on last year. And from the south of Scotland, we hear about the recent investment and increase in cinema provision in Dumfries and Galloway. On the Creative Scotland front, there have been a number of key developments: in June, the Scotland’s Creative Industries Partnership Report was published and work is underway to establish the first of the reference groups, which will represent the needs of the various sectors. Also in June, the Minister gave his second quarterly update at the Lyceum in Edinburgh and Creative Scotland 2009 Ltd launched their Innovation Fund packages, of which the Digital Media IP Fund was the first to be launched. This £3m fund co-financed by Scottish Enterprise is now live on Scottish Screen’s website. And recently Creative Scotland 2009 Ltd has launched Vital Spark, a new £1m fund that will enable collaborations between practitioners across the creative sector, making awards of between £20,000 to £100,000; the fund launches on 14 September. Please see Scottish Screen’s website for news of both the Digital IP Fund and the Vital Spark Fund. This is the last edition of roughcuts I will be editing as I am leaving Scottish Screen at the end of September to take up a post in publishing in Edinburgh. I have enjoyed producing roughcuts for you and delighted that we now have a full colour edition. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to the magazine during my stewardship. Enjoy the magazine and the autumn festival season.
LINSEY DENHOLM Editor
Published by: SCOTTISH SCREEN | 249 West George Street | Glasgow | G2 4QE | UK e: info@scottishscreen.com | w: www.scottishscreen.com | t: + 44 (0)141 302 1700
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contents 3
Investment Awards
4-5
Call for Entries
6-7
Media News
8-9
Shooting A History of Scotland
10-11
Last Gasp!
12-13
Believe wins in Locarno
14-15
Festival Report-EIFF-Roger Shannon
16-17
EIFF Director’s Lab
18-21
Festival Report – Annecy
22-23
Festival Report -Sunny Side of the Doc
24-25
Paul Hunter – Shooter
26-27
Preview – Inverness Film Festival
28-29
Dumfries & Galloway Film Scene
30-31
Shed – Writing for TV
32-33
New Home for GMAC
34-35
Accidental Distribution
36-37
New Company – 126 Miles
38-39
Justin Illusions Creative Studio
40-41
Location of the Month
42
Scotland on Screen
43
Clarity - Selected for Good Pitch UK
44-47
Events calendar
investment awards Between June and August Scottish Screen has made the following investment awards.
INVESTMENT AWARDS AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT FUND
MARKET DEVELOPMENT FUND
Project - Aberdeen City and Shire Film Festival Company - Aberdeen City and Shire Film Office Amount - £15,000 National Lottery Meeting Date – 26/05/2009 The inaugural Aberdeen City and Shire Film Festival focused on rural access to cinema, cinema by and for young people, along with a celebration of films made by local directors or in the local Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire area.
Project - Crying with Laughter Company - Synchronicity Films Ltd Amount - £3,325 National Lottery Meeting Date – 02/06/2009 Synchronicity’s debut feature film Crying With Laughter premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009. This award supported marketing and promotional activities around the sales and premiere screenings at EIFF and supported a consistent marketing strategy for the film across several other forthcoming industry events, and festivals throughout the coming year.
Project - A Pilgrimage Company - 4 Way Pictures Scotland Ltd Amount - £11,000 National Lottery Meeting Date - 14/07/2009 Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton and film writer, broadcaster and producer Mark Cousins masterminded, A Pilgrimage - a film festival with a difference. For the first time in the world, in a celebration of movies community and landscape, Scottish film lovers pulled The Screen Machine mobile cinema across the country, stopping in places where the cinemagoing experience is limited, to showcase a brilliant range of world films.
CONTENT PRODUCTION FUND (SHORT FILMS) Project - Artists’ Film and Video Company - Scottish Arts Council Amount - £21,000 National Lottery Meeting Date - 16/06/2009 The Artists’ Film & Video Fund is a project run jointly by the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen. It makes awards available to support innovative and experimental work by visual artists using film and video.
Project - Scottish Stall at Sunny Side of the Doc (22-25 June 2009) Company - Scottish Documentary Institute Amount - £5,492 National Lottery Meeting Date – 02/06/2009 Scottish Documentary Institute took a group of Scottish companies to Sunny Side of The Doc in La Rochelle, France to promote Scottish documentary films at the 20th anniversary of one of the key documentary film markets in June 2009.
OPPORTUNITIES FUND Project - The Shutdown at Silverdocs Attendance (15-22 June 2009) Company - Accidental Media Amount - £1,173 National Lottery Meeting date – 02/06/2009 This award supported Accidental Media to attend Silverdocs 2009, where their short documentary, The Shutdown, was screening. Project - Galway Film Fleadh Attendance (7-12 July 2009) Company - Mead Kerr Ltd Amount - £630 National Lottery Meeting Date – 16/06/2009 This award supported Mead Kerr Ltd to attend the Galway Film Fleadh with their film Wide Open Spaces. Project - Showcomotion Children’s Media Conference Attendance (1-3 July 2009) Company - Super Umami Amount - £653.25 National Lottery Meeting Date – 16/06/2009
This award supported Super Umami to attend Showcomotion Children’s Media Conference, the only event in the UK dedicated to children’s content and to the creative, financial and regulatory challenges of working in the industry. Project - Outfest Film Festival Attendance (9-19 July 2009) Company - Blindside Productions Ltd Amount - £1,493 National Lottery Meeting Date – 16/06/2009 This award supported Blindside Productions to attend Outfest Film Festival 2009 in LA, where their short film Rewind was screening. Project - Palm Springs ShortFest Attendance (23-29 June 2009) Company - Ronnie B Goodwin Amount - £742 National Lottery Meeting Date – 16/06/2009 This award supported writer/director Ronnie Goodwin to attend Palm Springs ShortFest with his short film The Shooter. The Shooter (Paul Hunter) is on a mission in the mountains, lochs and forests of Scotland. When the beauty of nature touches his senses, he makes his choice of weapon.
TALENT DEVELOPMENT FUND Project - Market Ready Screen Plays Company - The Screenwriters Festival Ltd Amount - £4,000 National Lottery Meeting Date - 16/06/2009 Funding awarded to Market Ready Screen Plays has given five Scottish screenwriters the opportunity to train at and attend the Screenwriters’ Festival in Cheltenham and to help them forward their writing careers by improving their market awareness. Project - Director’s Lab Company - Lifesize Pictures Amount - £5,000 National Lottery Meeting Date - 16/06/2009 The Director’s Lab provided bespoke training to six writer/directors or directors during Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009. It equipped them with the skills, knowledge and contacts to generate financially viable feature films.
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call for entries
CALL for ENTRIES
BAFTA SCOTLAND AWARDS 2009
MEETMARKET
Deadline: 1 September 2009 Scotland’s most prestigious screen industry awards are now open for entries.
MeetMarket is Doc/Fest’s pitching initiative designed to match documentary makers’ most innovative project ideas with UK and international buyers.
The BAFTA Scotland Awards exist to celebrate and promote excellence in the Scottish moving image industries, celebrating excellence across the moving image industries in Scotland and Scottish talent wherever it resides.
This year, 50-60 projects will be selected to pitch, all of which will have one-on-one meetings with key decision makers match made and scheduled. The innovative format means they can take more projects than many pitching forums.
Awards will be made in the following categories:
If you are selected you are offered the opportunity to request meetings with, and pitch to, a high number of decision makers last year 117 in total.
Television Categories
Deadline: 4 September 2009
News and Current Affairs Programme Factual Programme Factual Series Entertainment Programme Television Drama Childrens Programme
This year, BBC, Channel 4, PBS, SBS, DRTV, Cinetic Media, PBS Interactive, Wellcome Trust, Magnolia, Indepix, National Geographic, ARTE, ARD/MDR, ITVS, Arte France, Sky Arts, Tate Media, TRT, NRK and 4IP have already confirmed participation.
Film Categories
The application process requires a synopsis, one-minute trailer, headline budget figures, and biographical information on participants. You can submit your application online. For full advice and tips on how to make your application successful, visit: W: www.sheffdocfest.com
Short Film Animation (if longer than 30 minutes, work should be entered into the feature category) Feature Film
Scottish Individual Performance Categories and Criteria
Entrants into the individual categories can be considered Scottish by meeting one or more of the following criteria - Scottish place of birth, parentage (both parents to be Scottish) or residency (resident for a minimum of 5 years). Acting Performance in Television Acting Performance in Film Writer’s Award Director (in Film or Television)
Digital Media Games Web Interactive
Full criteria, categories and entry forms are available at: W: www.baftascotland.co.uk Or by contacting BAFTA Scotland: E: info@baftascotland.co.uk T: 0141 302 1770
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DEPICT! 09 Deadline: 7 September 2009 by 5pm Set your timers to 90 seconds, ultra short film competition DepicT! 09 once again challenges filmmakers worldwide to strut their stuff in just a minute and a half. Whether live action or animation, experimental or documentary, they’re looking for tiny films, which are hugely distinctive, imaginative and engaging. Part of Encounters Short Film Festival, DepicT! 09 offers talented filmmakers a unique range of industry prizes as well as priceless exposure through Encounters, the Digital Screen Network, depict.org and beyond. In addition to the main DepicT! 09 award of £2,000 and the popular Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award, this year sees the introduction of the brand new DepicT! British Special Mention Award, a package of career development opportunities from NFTS, BAFTA, British Council and Shooting People for a UK based filmmaker. All shortlisted
filmmakers will also receive Encounters Network delegates’ passes and a range of other perks. To read the rules and enter your film, please visit: W: www.depict.org
SUNDANCE INSTITUTE 2010 Deadline: 8 September 2009 The Sundance Institute/Alfred P Sloan Commissioning Grant is an annual cash award for a science or technology related film that is at an early stage of development, such as full treatment or early screenplay draft. The program is funded by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation and administered by the Sundance Institute. The award includes a cash grant of up to $20,000 to provide support during the writing period, a stipend of up to $5,000 for a science advisor, plus creative support during the writing process from a select group of advisors, the possibility of a fellowship to a Sundance screenwriters lab, and strategic and practical support from the Sundance feature film program staff. Screenwriters with any level of experience may apply. To be eligible, projects must have science or technology as a major theme or scientists as major characters. Science fiction projects or projects that stray too far from a base scientific reality will not be considered. Projects must be narrative features and not documentary in nature. Projects must be in the English language. Projects currently in development within the studio system are not eligible. For further information, please visit: W: www.sundance.org
FOYLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009 Deadline: 12 September 2009 Date: 20-28 November 2009 Location: County Londonderry, Northern Ireland Ireland’s 22nd Foyle Film Festival is calling for submissions. This year the competition strand has been streamlined to four categories. The selection process will see entrants battle it out for selection into one of the following
categories: Best Irish Short Best International Short Best Animation Best Documentary Recipients of the Lights in Motion Award in any of the shorts categories, Irish/ international/animation, will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy awards without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. In order to increase access to this very popular aspect of the festival programme, all films entered into competition this year will be eligible to screen on DVD if selected for inclusion in the programme. However, filmmakers should be aware that if their short film wins at Foyle Film Festival, the winning film will have to be available on 35mm film print only if the filmmaker wishes to enter it for Oscar consideration. The Academy will make no exception to this rule. Entries must be made through: W: www.withoutabox.com For more information please contact: W: www.foylefilmfestival.org E: adele@foylefilmfestival.org T: 028 7126 0562
CAUGHT SHORT Deadline: 30 September 2009 by 5pm Caught Short is a new venture from the Edinburgh Skillset Screen and Media Academy in conjunction with Filmhouse. Curated by students on the MFA Advanced Film Practice course and invited guests from the film industry, it aims to champion and showcase emerging talent from filmmakers with a Scottish connection, regardless of background or training. It will run twice a year - in December and May. If you’re an emerging filmmaker who’s made a short film you’re proud of, and that demonstrates a bold, original vision, then they want to see it. They’re looking for films that will surprise, delight and challenge, anything from drama, documentary and animation to experimental works. It’s a chance to see your work on the big screen, showcased in a programme of selected Scottish shorts in one of Scotland’s leading independent cinemas, the Filmhouse. The screening of selected shorts will take place at 6pm, 7 December 2009 at the Filmhouse. The next screening will take place in May 2010 with a call for submissions in February 2010. For submission form and guidelines, please go to: W: www.screenacademyscotland.ac.uk
call for entries Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2010 Deadline: 30 September 2009 Date: 18-28 February 2010 Location: Dublin, Ireland The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (JDIFF) is inviting feature film and documentary submissions for the 8th edition of the festival. JDIFF is Ireland’s largest feature film festival presenting over 140 screenings and events from over 30 countries worldwide. All submissions should be over 60 minutes and must have been completed after December 2008. JDIFF accepts short film submissions by invitation only. For full conditions of entry, please visit: W: www.jdiff.com
BIG SKY DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2010 Regular deadline: 4 September 2009 Final deadline: 20 October 2009 Date: 12-21 February 2010 The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the premier venue for non-fiction film in the American West is seeking submissions for its 6th annual event.
up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world. The Berlinale Talent Campus lasts for six days and offers a huge variety of different programme elements for directors, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, producers, editors, sound designers, composers, production designers, film critics and visual artists. To find out if you are eligible to apply, and for more information, please visit: W: www.berlinale-talentcampus.de
FILMG 2009 Deadline: 20 November 2009 FilmG, MG ALBA’s innovative Gaelic online short film competition has been launched for a second year. The competition will be offering training and development support in the form of online video tutorials and on site workshops. The FilmG 2009 website has gone live with full details of this year’s competition and how to enter. W: www.filmg.co.uk For further information please contact Michelle Cotter or Lorna Inglis: E: fios@filmg.co.uk , T: 01471 888 500 E: lorna@mediahouse.co.uk, T: 0141 220 6040
The festival will screen 100 films, including world and American premieres, classics, rare and experimental works on Montana’s largest screen at the historic Wilma Theater in downtown Missoula, Montana. In addition to ten days of screenings, the festival will feature many public and VIP events including panel discussions, galas, receptions and networking.
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2010
The competitive event is open to non-fiction films and videos of all genres, subject matter, lengths and production dates. Awards and cash prizes will be given for Best Documentary Feature (over 50 minutes), Best Documentary Short (15-50 minutes), Best Mini-Doc (under 15 minutes) and Best Documentary about the American West (the Big Sky Award).
The 6th Glasgow Film Festival is now open for 2010 submissions.
Enter via Withoutabox.com at: W: www.withoutabox.com Or download an entry form in PDF format at: W: www.bigskyfilmfest.org
THE BERLINALE TALENT CAMPUS 2010 Deadline: 7 October 2009 Date: 13-18 February 2010 The 8th Berlinale Talent Campus is a creative academy and networking platform for 350
Deadline: 30 October 2009 (early bird deadline 2 October 2009) Date: 18-28 February 2010 Location: Glasgow
The festival is the fastest growing film event in Britain, attracting audiences of over 24,000 in 2009 when it played host to a bumper crop of European and UK premieres including In the Loop, Last Chance Harvey, Gran Torino, Four Nights with Anna, The Burning Plain, Everlasting Moments and Marley and Me. The festival welcomes the submission of features, shorts and work in all genres. Glasgow Film Festival is committed to supporting Scottish talent and providing audiences with the opportunity to see the best of world cinema. Further information and booking forms can be found online at: W: www.glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk For information relating to the festival please contact, Seonaid Frame: E: info@glasgowfilmfestival.org.uk T: 0141 352 8613
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MEDIA NEWS media news
MEDIA in October
Media is proud to present our current training deadlines, there is a lot happening in October with application deadlines for both the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, as well as numerous training events taking place. Below is a list of what is coming up in October. Cartoon Master: Feature Start date: 20 Oct 2009. Deadline: 9 Oct 2009 EAVE European Producers Workshop 2010 Start date: March 2010. Deadline: 1 Oct 2009 Documentary Campus: Masterschool 2010 Deadline: 2 Oct 2009 Berlinale Talent Campus Start date: 13 Feb 2010. Deadline: 7 Oct 2009 FOCAL: Digital Production Challenge Start date: 3 Dec 2009. Deadline: 15 Oct 2009 Documentary Campus: Final Pitching Session 2009 Start date: 24 Oct 2009. Deadline: 18 Oct 2009 European Co-production - Legal and Financial Aspects Start date: 21 Oct 2009. Deadline: 21 Oct 2009 For further information please refer to our training section below for go to www. mediadeskuk.eu/training
Channel 4 Pitch at Sheffield Doc/Fest
Channel 4 Pitch will offer up-and-coming UK-based directors the opportunity to win a 10-12 week placement with Channel 4 and to direct a half-hour documentary with a £50,000 budget for the critically-acclaimed ‘First Cut’ strand of new documentaries. Six selected candidates will pitch in front of a panel of television executives, including Channel 4 commissioning editors, who will decide which director will be awarded the potentially lifechanging experience. Deadline: 25 September 2009 For further details, and to apply, please e-mail jbotting@channel4.co.uk
The banking sector and the European film industry
The European Commission has published a timely report on the role of banks in the European film industry. The report is the result of a study conducted by the consultancy firm Peaceful Fish, and aims to provide a current overview of the film banking landscape in Europe with a specific emphasis on making recommendations to the MEDIA Programme for actions that it can take to increase the access to bank loans for production companies. The report recommends, among other things, the need to increase understanding of the film banking world among European film professionals. The full report can be downloaded at www.mediadeskuk.eu/news
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Networking
Training
11-15 November 2009, Mannheim, Germany www.mannheim-filmfestival.com/en/ Mannheim_Meetings/
MAIA Workshops is a training programme for new professionals in the European audiovisual industry, supplying them with the fundamental skills needed to steer documentary projects through all development phases. The final residential workshop will focus on Marketing and Distribution in Development; from digital rights management to distribution strategy.
Mannheim Meetings
The Mannheim Meetings offer a unique and innovative concept of one-to-one business meetings, pitchings and training for film producers, distributors, and sales agents in the arthouse arena. In Mannheim you can arrange international co-production and distribution co-operations, find financing partners for your projects or sell your finished film, and also foster your knowledge - all during five intense days in November. The Mannheim Meetings offer an efficient and cost-effective opportunity to meet respectable and committed arthouse business people from all over the world. Project-based and pre-arranged individual meetings of about 30 minutes make up the core of the Mannheim Meetings. Valuable long-term business relationships are the result - and an impressive number of concrete success stories. The deadline for registration as a potential coproducer without a project is 21 October 2009.
The Baltic Event
30 November - 3 December 2009, Tallinn, Estonia 2008.poff.ee/main.cgi?lang=2&id=601 The Baltic Event takes place during The Black Nights Film Festival and is open to projects from the Baltic Countries, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia. The market screens the newest films from the Baltic Countries while the co-production market which runs along side it, revolves around one-to-one meetings between project representatives and potential financiers and aims to extend and promote international networking.
European Film Awards
12 December, 2009, Ruhr Metropolis, Germany www.europeanfilmacademy.org Every year, the various activities of the European Film Academy culminate in the presentation of the European Film Awards. The European Film Awards include 19 categories (amongst them the Jameson People’s Choice Awards voted for by cinema audiences across Europe). Regulations regarding the entry of films for selection at the European Film Academy website. www.europeanfilmacademy.org
MAIA Workshops
Deadline: 25 September 2009 Dates of Session: 5 to 9 October 2009, in Bratislava, Slovakia. Participation Fee: €600 per workshop inclusive of accommodation. For further information please contact maia@ fabulafilm.com, or visit the website at www.fabulafilm.com
FOCAL: Digital Production Challenge This workshop focuses on the production workflow in the digital era and will give both an overall and specific outlook to the production teams. It encompasses the full range of means involved, from shooting the film to delivering copies to enable partners in these many steps to work in concert and coherently. Upon completion of the workshop, participants will have acquired precise, comprehensive and practical knowledge on today’s production and postproduction digital chains.
Deadline: October 2009: 15 October with a project, 30 October without a project Dates of Session: 3-5 December 2009, Zurich, Switzerland. Participation Fee: €400 including subsistence (meals and accommodation) for 2-5 days. For further information please contact info@focal.ch or visit the website at www.focal.ch.
Cartoon Master: Feature
Creation, financing, distribution and exploitation of animated features on all media (cinema, TV, DVD, online...). New funding sources and impact on production. What is the best marketing for animated features? Impact of digital distribution on the industry. Making money out of VOD and new digital forms of exploration. Professional benefits will be networking with key players of the sector. Professional insight on what is changing in the industry and what the trends are. Deadline: 9 October 2009 Dates of Session: 20–22 October 2009, Malaga, Spain. Participation Fee: €400 (€200 fees, €200 meals). For further information please contact yolanda.alonso@cartoon. skynet.be or visit the website at www.cartoon-media.eu
EAVE Producers Workshop 2010
Eave Producers Workshops is a year long professional development programme for European audiovisual producers delivered through three seven day English speaking workshops. Participants are invited to apply with or without a project. The majority of projects tend to be, although not exclusively, low to medium budget fiction and documentary features. Projects range across many genres and forms. At the point of application fiction projects should be at least at well developed treatment or first draft stage, the producer must have the rights to develop and produce the project. Deadline: 1 October 2009 Dates of Sessions: March 2010 – November 2010 (exact dates to be confirmed). Participation Fee: please see MEDIA website www.mediadeskuk.eu/training For further information please contact patricia@eave.org or visit the website at www.eave.org
Documentary Campus: Masterschool 2010
The Documentary Campus Masterschool is a unique project development course for a group of European documentary filmmakers and producers. In the course of the tenmonth Masterschool, the participants receive an explicit insight into the development, production and distribution of documentary programmes for the international market. The Documentary Campus Masterschool offers professionals and talented up-and-coming filmmakers a novel chance to find their way into the international non-fiction market. Deadline: 2 October 2009 Dates and Sessions: The Masterschool programme is divided into four 5-day workshops, which are followed by weekend long public Open Training Sessions. The events usually take place in February / March, May, July and October being held in Munich, Leipzig Germany, and two different European cities outside Germany. Participation Fee: Participants only pay for travel and accommodation expenses during the four workshops. The training costs are however to be repaid to the promoter when the developed Masterschool projects go into production. For further information please contact info@ documentary-campus.com or visit the website at www.documentary-campus.com.
Berlinale Talent Campus
The Berlinale Talent Campus is a creative academy and networking platform for 350 up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world, the event lasts for six days and offers a huge variety of different programme elements: Grand Format Lectures Atelier Workshops Excursions Hands-on training / Personal tutoring
media news
The Berlinale Talent Campus has, over the years, welcomed a diverse array of internationally acclaimed experts and film professionals willing to share their knowledge and giving insight into their life and work. The Campus experts meet the talents either through on-stage interviews and panel sessions, or by giving small-scale workshop sessions and by providing mentorship for the hands-on training programmes. Deadline: 7 October 2009 Dates of Session: 13-18 February 2010, Berlin, Germany. Participation Fee: Free if you are selected For further information please contact campus@berlinale.de or visit www.berlinaletalentcampus.de
Documentary Campus: Final Pitching Session 2009
The Open Training Sessions cover a broad range of fields important to independent filmmakers, producers and the media industry, and they offer excellent networking possibilities. In the Final Pitching Session up to 50 international commissioning editors and distributors will be present and documentary projects developed at the Documentary Campus Masterschool 2009 will be presented. Deadline: 18 October 2009 Dates and Session: 24 Oct 2009 - 25 Oct 2009, Leipzig, Germany Participation Fee: 110 successful applicants will pay €150 (reduced fee for East Europeans and students ca: €90) which includes catering for the entire weekend. For further information please contact info@ documentary-campus.com or visit the website at www.documentary-campus.com
European Co-production - Legal and Financial Aspects
European Co-production – Legal and Financial Aspects workshop offers comprehensive and practice-orientated information from leading industry experts. Participants will not only gain knowledge and valuable insight into the business, but will also get the opportunity to build up or expand their professional network, the practice-orientated approach helps the adoption of the newly acquired knowledge and skills into daily working life. Deadline: 21 October 2009 Dates of Session: 21–25 October 2009, Baden, Austria Participation fees: €1,250 including accommodation and full board. For residents, the cost is €770 including meals. For further information please contact radojevic@epi-medieninstitut.de or visit the website at www.epi-media.eu
EAVE: Film Marketing Workshops
The Workshop is a thorough exploration of marketing and marketing practices and methods. It focuses particularly on cost effective ways from marketing projects to targeting international markets and festivals; attaining the higher level of skills and knowledge necessary to successfully market your film in the highly competitive European industry; gaining a greater understanding of the marketing process both in broad terms and for the individual films which in turn results in creating a successful company. Deadline: 15 October 2009 Dates of Session: 3–6 December 2009, Luxembourg Participation Fee: First participant (full fee) €1,100 Second participant (same project or company) €500 Full fee lowered to €800 for graduates of the EAVE Producers Workshop and Film Finance Forum. For further information please contact patricia@eave.org or visit the website at www.eave.org
Nipkow Programm 2009
The Nipkow Programm provides professional training to promising participants from across Europe in order to develop their business skills, thereby supporting and improving the quality of European co-production. Nipkow is responsive and flexible and works through project development. Participants have specific activities tailored to their individual needs and to the needs of the industry sector in which they work. Deadline: 30 November 2009 Dates of Sessions: Grant financed long term training through practical professional guidance, internships and workshops, taking place throughout 2009 and 2010 in Berlin, Germany Participation Fee: The Nipkow Programme awards grants for 3 to 6 months (€1500 per month). For further information please contact nipkow-programm@t-online.de or visit the website at www.nipkow.de
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.
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production
Shooting A History of Scotland: an interview with Neville Kidd
T
he award-winning BBC Scotland programme, A history of Scotland, presented by Neil Oliver, returns to our television screens in early November 2009. Co-produced with the Open University, it’s the flagship television series of the broadcaster’s Scotland’s History project and in Scotland a third of the audience - 1.6million - tuned in across the first five parts.
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production
With the second five parts promising 300 years of dramatic storylines, getting the right look and feel to the programmes is a vital part of the remit, and experienced cameraman Neville Kidd was delighted to step up to the plate again. “It was an ideal situation in that I was brought on-board early, so was involved in the planning of what kind of look we’d be going for. I work as a cameraman for both documentary and drama, so I hope to be able to provide the best of both worlds. I used prime lenses which is what we use in drama where you change lenses for each individual scene. Richard Downes (Series Producer) wanted to make sure that different historical periods had different looks, so I used all kinds of lenses, as I would on a drama.” The latest five-part series, taking the story on from the mid 1600s to the modern day, resumes on BBC One Scotland in the autumn, with transmission at a later point on network BBC Two. Ground covered includes the battle of Culloden, the Enlightenment, and our role in forging the British Empire as Scotland rose to become a major industrial player on a worldwide scale. As Director of Photography, the challenges involved in such a wide-ranging project were non-stop. “We went to Jamaica to look at the migration of Jacobites there after Culloden, as part of the programme that deals with the slave trade. I worked closely on the script with the director and producer to get the right visual style for each segment,” says Kidd. “We want people to be sucked into the visuals, so it wouldn’t be jarring to mix location work with studio scenes; we want to keep the audience in the world of the film we evoke. Using the prime lenses helped us to keep certain things out of focus when filming on 21st century locations, helping us to avoid things that were too modern and might wrench the audience out of the programme. “Having gone right back to the Romans and Picts, part of the attraction of A history of Scotland is finding out more about what actually happened; there were many Scots, for example, who went on to start a new life in America. Over a third of those who signed the Declaration
of independence were Scots or have Scots descent,” says Kidd. “It’s a remarkable story, so we have gone to great lengths to make sure the programmes reflect that visually. We tried to film as much as possible during the golden hour, in the early morning or evening, making sure that the visuals were inspiring rather than grey or drab; the primes really give it a trademark look.” Having also worked on the drama series Rome, and the Japanese history of Shogun, Kidd has made a career out of evoking different senses of time and place. It was a career which was nearly ended prematurely on A history of Scotland by an exotic creature which attempted to make its way into showbusiness up Kidd’s trouser-leg. “When we were filming in Jamaica, I woke up on the day I was meant to be flying home with a two-inch black spot on my ankle. The veins started to turn black, like something from a horror movie, and I started to get nauseous, watching another inch of my leg turn black every ten minutes,” he says. “I didn’t know it, but I’d been bitten by a deadly caterpillar, and the venom was spreading up my leg. Fortunately I got to a doctor, and he was able to give me an antidote injection. It was pretty lucky that I had clocked the bite; if I had got on that flight without spotting it, I would have been in dead trouble.” As it was Neville was able to get the antidote, make his flight and two days later was in London collecting a BAFTA for his work on A history of Scotland, trumping Ross Kemp in Afghanistan, Amazon with Bruce Parry, and The Victorian Sex Explorer which had Rupert Everett in Africa. A History of Scotland will be broadcast in early November on BBC One Scotland and will be broadcast on BBC Two later in the year. This article is reproduced from Scottish Screen’s new Made in Scotland TV brochure. To obtain a copy please email: info@scottishscreen.com
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training
Last
GASP! By Jessica Ashman, former GASP! trainee
It’s finally happened. I’ve been avoiding its existence for months now, but the day has arrived - I’ve officially come to the end of my time on the Generating Animation Skills Programme (GASP!). Me? Scared? Of course not. But I think this is a perfect moment to reflect on my time on this scheme. The idea behind GASP is quite simple really: a 10-month Skillset funded course, managed by Scottish Screen, which focuses on training in animation for five new animators into the industry. And it’s not just any old training either. Scottish Screen try hard to embody the ethos of old school apprenticeships with actual on-the-job training and involvement in studio briefs, rather than constant photocopying or tea-making. All of this is under the watchful eye of Penny Sharp, our scheme manager. Or ‘Animation Mum’, as we came to call her. For each of us trainees, our individual two placements were based on our specialisms: for myself it was my interest in motion graphics and past work in stop-motion. So for my first placement, I was plopped into the laps of Glasgow based studio, ISO: an award-winning company whose work spans from animation to motion graphics to interactive experiences. My time in these offices of ISO provided me with a great introduction into the world of multidisciplined studio practices, all in the company of some very talented directors and designers. Working in such a busy company proved slightly daunting at first, but Anna Odell, the studio coordinator and my mentor during this placement, helped me to find my feet and made sure to throw interesting projects my way. My time at ISO gave me the opportunity to work on title sequences for TV comedies, major interactive museum experiences and a whole host of bits and pieces (like making a giant finger to use as
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a prop. Good times). Also, a studio whose CD player occasionally plays German reggae and has an all-consuming love affair with Haribo receives a hearty thumbs up from me. For my second placement on the scheme, I was sent to the doors of the BBC to work on their new animated children’s TV sketch show, OOglies. What are the OOglies? They are the weird and wonderful characters who come to life around your very home. The show itself is filmed entirely in stop-motion (BBC Scotland’s Children’s Department first series of this kind), providing me with my first exposure of working on an animation series. Best of all, I was getting a chance to experience this by working in almost all of the departments on set - design, animation and post-production. First off, I was placed into design where I had to tackle the beast that is eye production. Googly eyes in 8 different sizes and 29 different expressions, to be exact! Oh, and did I mention that they’re handmade too? Whilst it might sound like a tedious task - and frankly, it wasn’t the most thrilling job on set - I was helping to create a vital part to the show in the form of which the OOglies express their emotions. The design department also gave me a chance to help with model making, where some of my jobs included creating a fake rubbish tip and sewing animatable wire mesh into underpants. Not your typical 9-to-5, is it? I was also given some insight into the postproduction department. As an animator interested in mixed media that was something I particularly wanted to get stuck into. The post-production team’s job is an important one, involving intricately cleaning up the rigging, unusual shadows and general noise from animator’s shots, as well as editing and providing effects work. With 70+ OOglies and an
average of 10 sketches per character, that is a hell of a lot of metal rigs to paint out. Never will I the utter the words ‘fix it in post’ ever again. Of course, the thing I was really looking forward to was getting involved in the animation. After series producer Nick Hopkin and researcher/ sketch writer Austin Low saw my past stopmotion work, they decided to give me a set of characters to animate. Those characters were Bonkers Conkers. Think of your typical game of conkers but with a few anger management issues. I have to say, bringing the Conkers to life was one of the best feelings ever. Attending animatic meetings and discussing the sketches with lead animators, Mole Hill and Bruce Husband (whose valued mentoring pushed me in the right direction), all contributed to this feeling of responsibility and involvement in the project. As you can imagine, I’m very excited for when it comes on air! So, that is that. My time as a GASP-er has been an incredible one and I can honestly say that I’ve learnt more in these past few months than I have in the three years it took to gain my animation degree. Without GASP, I wouldn’t have a clue where to start getting work into the industry and that’s something I definitely feel prepared for, especially in and around Scotland. Now, if can only let Penny take me on again for next year’s scheme…
production
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festival report The Piazza Grande, Locarrno, where the awards ceremony took place © FOTOFESTIVAL/DAULTE
BELIEV by producer Rhianna Andrews
T
he Leopards of Tomorrow competition at Locarno is (in the words of the head programmer) an ‘arena for revelation and discovery’. Previous winners of this international short film section include Paul Thomas Anderson and Laurent Cantet. It’s prestigious, it’s European and for Paul Wright (writer/director) and me, it’s really a tale of two parts.
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Part One. The film is selected in competition. Paul and I toast the film over a drink sitting in a garden outside the Magistrale, a beautiful stone building that was once a convent. The elevated setting of the Magistrale gives it a view over Locarno and out towards the lake and mountains. It’s stunning. I make a note to move here as soon as I can afford more than one beer. The short film section features 22 productions; Believe is the only British film in competition. Attending with Paul is a fantastic experience - meeting filmmakers from a number of different countries, discussing films and comparing our experiences, and all in this wonderful setting. Part two. Believe wins the competition and Paul has a golden leopard (I have to say, the leopard signature of the festival is perhaps the best I have ever seen). Paul isn’t able to attend himself, so suddenly it’s me and not him that’s fretting about the speech and not falling up the steps!.
The awards ceremony is held in the Piazza Grande, a beautiful public square that seats up to 8000 people and as daylight fades, the dark outline of the surrounding mountains frames the town - it is simply gorgeous. At the bottom of the square is a stage and above that a screen, onto which live proceedings are projected. The screen is perhaps 110ft by 60ft, and to add to the sense of occasion, a bank of photographers and television cameras are poised at every angle. The ceremony is televised live in Switzerland. My parents are in the front row. It is, happily, a warm, and balmy evening. The ceremony itself is very European chic, excited and yet relaxed, every second person smoking a cigarette (and looking like they’ve just stepped off the set of Casablanca) and it is brilliantly multi lingual. I considered a few words of Italian but nerves got the better of me. A lovely moment came at the end of the ceremony when several directors who had been with Paul and me at the beginning of the festival
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training
© FOTOFESTIVAL/DAULTE Rhianna with Leopards of Tomorrow fellow competitors © FOTOFESTIVAL/DAULTE
and who’d stayed the course, raced down the aisles to congratulate us. Locarno gave me a new perspective on what it is to make a film and the impact a film can have on an audience. And for Paul and me, as two young filmmakers, to be part of such a prestigious and long running festival (is it older than Cannes…both festivals have lost a year or two along the way?), and one that is so obviously adored by so many people, was a real honour. To feel part of this process, to be invited to Locarno and to meet really brilliant, inspiring people, was a fantastic experience. We were lucky to work with a superb cast and crew on the film, and every person involved gave it so much. That good feeling and hugely positive experience which will stay with us, is very special. And Paul’s name is now etched into a golden leopard and I have my picture receiving the award. How exciting is that?
Rhianna Andrews, Producer of Believe collected the Leopards of Tomorrow international short film award Believe
Believe, written and directed by Paul Wright and produced by Rhianna Andrews (Young Films) won the Leopards of Tomorrow international short film competition at Locarno in Switzerland.
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festival report
A Festival of Discovery: Edinburgh 2009
By Roger Shannon, Professor of Film and Television at Liverpool's Edge Hill University, and a previous Head of Production at Scottish Screen
T
he air is yeasty and fresh as I arrive in Edinburgh for my 29th visit to the Film Festival. Last year the Artistic Director, Hannah McGill, bravely moved the film festival from its mid August date to a June stand alone slot, so as to escape the sprawling shadow of the voluminous International Arts Festival, and to establish the event, independently on its own terms, as ‘a Festival of Discovery’. Backed by the UK Film Council, the aim is to do for international independent cinema in the UK what Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival has done for American Independent Cinema; and judging by this second year, they are well on track to realise that ambition, as the 2009 Edinburgh International Film Festival, 17–28 June, boasted a jam packed line-up of 135 features from 33 countries and 23 world premieres, including feature films, documentaries, shorts, animation, workshops, discussions and masterclasses. The festival oozes informality and conviviality, bringing the best out of the key independent cinema venues, the Edinburgh Filmhouse and the Cameo, while opportunities to chat to visiting directors and producers is now made that much easier in the absence of the August culture crowds. To me this is the essence of a great film festival - that mix of discovery, sociability, and finger on the pulse flair, when you know you are in at the beginning of something new, as in this year’s festival: the discovery of a new talented director (Duncan Jones, aka Zowie Bowie, son of David Bowie, and director of Moon), the arrival of a fresh take on an established genre (Black Dynamite, the Afrosized parody of 1970’s Blaxploitation films), the revival of a cult favourite (Roger Corman, in person !), the japes of a maverick director (Shane Meadow’s and Paddy Considine’s mockumentary of the roadie manqué, Le Donk), a peek into an unfamiliar world (Pomegranates and Myrrh, an intense love story set in Palestine; Only When I Dance, ballet hopefuls from the favelas in Brazil). The festival opened with a new and sprightly film by the UK director Sam Mendes, Away We Go. Skillfully outwitting all those who thought he’d simply become a Hollywood heavyweight, Mendes here revealed a delightful and delicate knack for sharp-witted indie comedy, as a heavily pregnant couple ‘road movie’ across the States to decide where to bring up their imminent offspring. Maggie Gyllenhall and Jeff Daniels, in comic roles, enjoy themselves as two kooky characters, who pepper this parenting quest. Written by cult writers par excellence, David
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Eggers and Venelda Vida, Away We Go is also a case of Sam Mendes letting go. A low budget UK film world premiering at Edinburgh, Kicks is an intelligent take on teenage girl fandom and on WAG culture. From the same Liverpool based Digital Departures initiative, which last year backed Terence Davies’s award-winning Of Time and The City, Kicks is a film with a stylish and cool look by music video director, Lindy Heyman. Two teenage girls, from different sides of the tracks, bond over a crush on the same premiership football player; they kidnap him and then embark on an innocent adventure that soon spirals out of control and away from their teenage hands. Kicks is a tense thriller underpinned by a smart script by Leigh Campbell, commenting sharply on celebrity life styles and sexualised teenage girls. It’s a handsome film, regionally rooted, sparkling in its look and full of ideas, exactly what a low budget film should deliver. In its first programme, 63 years ago, the Edinburgh International Film Festival concentrated on documentaries; consequently, attention to the best of factual filmmaking has remained a key part of the programme. Two stand out documentaries for me this year were No Greater Love and The September Issue. Although focusing on, respectively, a cloistered order of Carmelite nuns in Notting Hill and the editorship of the New York-based fashion bible Vogue, both films draw on the sharp feminine intellect at work in these seemingly contrasting contexts. Michael Whyte’s access to the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity has delivered a beautiful and inspiring study of a way of life at odds with the unseemly pace of the outside material world. R J Cutler’s behind the scenes documentary places Vogue editor Anna Wintour, fashion’s most powerful player, on the cinematic ‘catwalk’, and examines her inscrutable individuality, as the legendary editor puts the September issue of Vogue together. The Carmelite Sisters and the Vogue fashionistas speak tellingly, frankly, self doubtingly and with a truthful candour. . “Is Anna Wintour the High Priestess of Fashion?” someone is asked. “No, she’s the Pope,” comes the reply. So, it’s not just the Devil that wears Prada; the Pope too. Such changes as Edinburgh is embarking on also prompts thoughts on the role film festivals play in cities, and their contribution to the wider creative economy. The Edinburgh International Film Festival and the London Film Festival are the two most prestigious film related events in the UK, attracting thousands of visitors and
profiling their respective screen industries. In recent years the two have evolved a mutually distinctive duopoly. As Edinburgh mines the potential of the Sundance model of Discovery, London is establishing itself as more glitzy and starry than hitherto, possibly modelled on the (thus far) grander examples of the Berlin and Venice Film Festivals. There is a third way for festivals and Birmingham’s very own Flat Pack Film Festival, run by 7 Inch Cinema, is uniquely and creatively pioneering in that direction. Yet, when all is said and done, it’s the pictures on the screen that matter - when that golden beam of light hits the silver screen and the illuminated alchemy of moving images is once more revealed in the deep purple dark.
Paddy Considine, Scorz-ayz-ee, Shane Meadows & Mark Herbert
Director Duncan Jones (left) and Producer Stuart Fenegan of Moon receiving the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film from Sir Sean Connery
Black Dynamite
EIFF opening Party
Kicks all photos copyright EIFF 2009
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talent development
DIRECTORS LAB LABOTOMISED: Edinburgh International Film Festival Directors Lab 2009 By Johnny Barrington
The Directors Lab at EIFF is an opportunity for six directors to live under one roof and meet people involved in film, ranging from financiers and distributors to writers, actors and of course, other directors. It seemed as if Nicole Dade and everyone at Lifesize Pictures who organised the event, had plucked a fruit from every branch on the great, big, tree of film. Upon arrival in Edinburgh, we were presented with a smorgasbord of salad-y delights and an informal introduction from producer extraordinaire Stephen Woolley, who gave us a quick peek into his encyclopedic film mind and let us know what to expect for the coming week. I remember going to bed that night and looking through the EIFF screening guide and thinking: I’m not going to see any films because there is so many talks and seminars to attend, so many workshops and Q&A’s!!! zzzz…zzzzzz… beep beep beep… Groan The next day, Sam Horley spoke about her distribution company, Salt, which has Donkey Punch and a new film called The Infidel coming out soon. She didn’t touch her glass of water the WHOLE morning. Even when answering questions she NEVER said any Ums or Ahs or Ers, Whilst most live talk is littered with grunts and stammers, broken sentences, and loose ends, hers was immaculate, as if she had an internal autocue. Along with Sam and Peter Buckingham (Head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK Film Council), we played a very interesting game where we theoretically bought and marketed films such as This is England, Kidulthood, Man on Wire - kind of like playing Monopoly using films instead of properties. Pete Buckingham got up and gesticulated wildly on the flip chart, hurling out sound advice about box office takings, and opening nights in cinemas, but the one thing I couldn’t get over was how much he looked like a young Bill Nighy. Sat next to Sam at lunch and was glad to see that she did have liquid refreshment with her meal. Screenwriter, Tony Grisoni (Red Riding, Tideland, Brothers of the Head) was a comfort and joy and talked about the good old days at the BBC when Leigh and Loach were… germinating… and you would have shot your film, edited it, and be at a test screening before any execs would turn up and ask, “So, what’s it about?” and, “What’s your name again?” Wow…
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Meeting Duncan Jones, director of Moon in a strange basement bar trying to look like a futuristic set on The Man Who Fell to Earth. We met him in a pod-like capsule with waiters delivering drinks to the refrigerated table, mainly because it was almost impossible to get out of the pod without squashing someone’s legs. He spoke at great length about the technical aspects of Moon and his producer repeated that the budget for the British-made film was “five million DOLLARS”… Sounds better than 2.94 million POUNDS. Nice, round numbers - I like that. Bill Forsyth came round for a fireside chat and thanks to the tact and Desert Island Disc interview skills of Lab participant Esther May Campbell, we were party to a very revealing talk about parenthood, creative freedom and working across the pond. Another highlight was Marten Rabarts, a fantastic guy who came over from Amsterdam where he is Artistic Director of Binger Film Lab. He enthused us all about finding different ways to explore our characters and their motives. He really helped me take one character out of a script I am developing and hold him up to the light… He also offered an incredible guided tour of Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, that made me wish he was standing by the screen discussing the subtext, metaphors and subtle meanings in every film I watched from now onwards…. With a mute button of course...! After all this it was a good thing that actress Kerry Fox came along when she did and gave us some breathing exercises, as I was beginning to hyperventilate from the amount of information and discussion and debate. Oh, yes… and I got see some films, A Romanian/ Hungarian feature called Katalin Varga directed by Peter Strickland which was staggering. Watch it. Out soon. October release date. Also caught some new shorts directed by Paul Wright, Tom Geens and Ralitza Petrova. They were well well worth it; refreshing departures from well-trodden paths. The best thing about the Lab was the chance to meet fellow directors and talk about the ins and outs and ups and downs of making films. Thankfully we’re all going to meet up again as the Lab continues with us all being assigned mentors which should be great fun. The organisers, Nicole Dade, Rebecca Mark
Lawson, Kate O’hara, Jude Goldrei, Julia Caithness and Ciaran Humphries were all brilliant company through the whole week and made the event chug along nicely. EIFF Directors Lab 2009 was a great experience and I would urge anyone thinking of filling in an application form, to DO IT. The Directors’ Lab is a UK Film Council New Cinema Fund/Lifesize Pictures initiative for six filmmakers moving from shorts to features, which is also supported by Skillset, Scottish Screen and EIFF.
Rose Street
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festival report
Jess
Claire
Ulli
Scott
Rachel
PENNY
GASP! It’s all ov By Penny Sharp
The creative industries are currently being touted as key to driving the UK out of recession. Animation is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of creative and technical development, and its applications from 2D handdrawn animation to high-end digital special effects are seen daily on films, TV screens, computer games, mobiles, etc. It is an industry that seems to be right here right now, providing immediate original content and proven stimulated learning outcomes. 18
Animation is the new Rock n Roll here to save the day! The recently finished 10-month Generating Animation Skills Programme! run by Scottish Screen in association with Skillset provided five new highly qualified and industry trained workers to step out into this exciting industry at the beginning of August. As part of their training, the five attended Annecy Animation Festival in June, which has been showcasing the very best in animation for over 45 years, making it the industry’s leading international competitive festival. Annecy is a festival like no other, to which its overwhelming, enthusiastic and exuberant followers can attest – it is a unique phenomenon as it is such a huge event and yet each individual can feel they are part of a small like-
minded group. This year saw quite a high number of the Scottish animation industry attend, including representatives from Super Umami, Once Were Farmers, Red Kite, Sprouting and West Highland Animations. In true Rock n Roll style (well, much more like Smash Hits actually!), I asked Elaine McElroy from Super Umami, the five GASP! trainees: Scott Morriss, Jess Ashman, Claire Thacker, Steven Barbour, Ulli Keil and the GASP! Manager, Penny Sharp (that’ll be me then!) to give us the low-down on the highlight event of the animation calendar…
Steven
over - it is now 2. Which film stands out most in your mind that you saw? Elaine: Mary & Max Scott: I loved My Dog Tulip. Never got to see Mary and Max, but One Star
1. You attended Annecy this year – why did you go? Elaine: To promote Super Umami at MIFA and because One Star was accepted to the competition!
Scott: Because I could - and to discover what I could about
the shape of the industry today in Europe and worldwide. Also to meet other animators and animation enthusiasts. Jess: I attended Annecy this year to experience a major international animation festival and gain some insight into what‘s current in the animated short/feature world. I also went along to try and do a little bit of networking (even if I’m not that great at it!). Rachel: To gain a wider knowledge of the animation world and to obtain a broader spectrum of techniques and styles. Claire: When given this fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend this world class animation festival, I could not resist. I’ve been wanting to go for some time now but it would never have been financially possible without the support of GASP! Steven: I attended the Annecy Animation Festival 2009 as part of the GASP! trainee programme.
Ulli: Because I was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky
GASP! trainees who got to go as part of the Scottish Screen sponsored training scheme. Penny: Because I am fortunate enough to be in the superbly wonderful job of being the Manager of GASP! We all had to attend Annecy as it is essential to keep abreast of what is happening in this fast changing field of work and also to fill the well of inspiration on a regular basis.
everyone was raving about it. Cuddle Sticks will be hard to forget about.
Jess: Genius Party Beyond was the film that blew me away. It is a collection of five short films by five Japanese directors/studios, with varying themes, but all amazing to witness. Rachel: The film which stands out most in my mind has to be Mary and Max. This film really captivated me. I felt really lucky to view this film in Annecy with an audience that really appreciated the high calibre of the craft in Mary and Max. Claire: The beautifully crafted emotional rollercoaster that is Mary & Max. Steven: The film which I most enjoyed was Mary and Max. It was such an amazing story so well told, really heartfelt, sad and funny. One review I read pointed out that two of the best developed characters on screen in 2009 were made out of plasticine, and I would agree with that. Great film. I would also mention Panic au Village. I booked a ticket knowing nothing about it and it was great. Colourful, surreal and hilarious. And Sword of the Stranger was amazing too, even though I could only understand about 25% of the story, since it was in Japanese with French subtitles. Ulli: Oh, so many! I guess the most memorable were the feature films, just because of their length. And the ones I’ve managed to see were all special. I loved the bizarre Korean film The Story of Mister Sorry, as well as the heartfelt one about the dog Tulip. And of course Adam Elliot’s perfect feature Mary and Max. As for the shorts, I have a few that I will remember for quite some time. We watched a hilarious Swedish short called The Tale of Little Puppet Boy and a short called Spaghetti Western, as well as one called L’ondee. They really stuck out to me because of their simplicity. Penny: I really loved Mary & Max – it was fantastic!
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ax
Mary & M
3. Which were your top 5 favourite films? Scott: In no particular order; Cuddle Sticks, The Tale of Little Puppet Boy, My Dog Tulip, Western Spaghetti, Runaway.
Jess: I would say my top 5 films of the fest would be (in no particular order)
Genius Party Beyond - see above!, Codswallop by The Brothers McLeod, The Tale of Little Puppet Boy, Runaway and The Chick. Rachel: My top 4 films were: 1: Mary and Max, 2: Sword and the Stranger, 3: Boogie, el aceitoso and 4: Western Spaghetti
Claire: Mary & Max, The Cat Piano, Balance, The Tale of Little Puppet Boy and Judas and Jesus, followed very closely by Rains, Runaway, Unbelievable Four and Cuddle Sticks. Steven: Mary and Max, Panic au Village, Sword of the Stranger, The Tale of Little Puppet Boy, A Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. Ulli: 1: Max and Mary, 2: My dog called Tulip, 3: The Tale of Little Puppet Boy, 4: L’ondee, 5: The story of Mister Sorry (I’m sure I forgot a few!) Penny: …I thought Bredan and the Secret of Kells was very beautiful. I loved some of the shorts from the Animation With Attitude: Animation Goes Green section, in particular Farewell and Don’t let It all Unravel. Western Spaghetti and Kurt Turns Evil were both feel-good fun films and whether or not I liked it, images from Life without Gabriella Ferrita are still orbiting around my mind…as are Mei Ling, Syotti, Chainsaw Maid, The Employment and The Black Dog’s Progress…! And Mike & Spike’s Politically Incorrect selection was outstanding!
5. Why do you think you would be that particular character?
4. If you were a character in an animation who would you be? Scott: Remy from Ratatouille Jess: I think I’d be the cooker robot
from the Wallace and Gromit film, A Grand Day Out. Rachel: Chihiro from Spirited Away Claire: I would love to be Jessica Rabbit! Steven:I would be the horse in Panic au Village.
Ulli: Hm... maybe a little snail... Penny:Probably the wolf in Log Jam
Scott: I’m a rat that likes to cook. Jess: I mean well, but sometimes pull things off
the wrong way! Which sometimes ends up with me stranded on the moon. Rachel: I would be that Chihiro because she faces many challenges in the strange land in which she ends up. I find that I’m in a similar sort of position. I am in an industry, which is still strange to me and will face many challenges like Chihiro along the way. Claire: I would love to be Jessica Rabbit because, among other more obvious things, she was blessed with three qualities that I have always wished for but sadly don’t have: super-confidence, a beautiful singing voice, and the perfect long red hair!
Steven: He had a great adventure and got the girl at the end. Ulli: Because snails take things at their own pace, but always get there in the end. Also, they’ve got that little house that sort of weighs them down. But when they get fed up with things at least they’ve something to retreat into. Penny: Because of the way he stands with his wee arms, but also because of his amazing jazz singing, obviously!
6. What is the best thing about Annecy? Elaine:
Other than the lake, the sunshine and the Captain’s Pub (!), being immersed in all things animation for five whole days is a great way to inspire creativity. Both MIFA and the festival provide an opportunity to meet and mix with like minded people from all over the world, and a reminder that we’re not working in isolation!
Scott:The sheer variety. Jess: It’s quite hard to choose one best thing from Annecy. Apart from the
films and talks, obviously, I’d say that the audiences at the film showings are something else. They whoop and cheer and throw paper aeroplanes at the stage! Who knew a crowd full of animators could be like that? Rachel: The best thing about Annecy is the atmosphere. You are among people who are as enthusiastic as you about the industry. It’s great you can just bump into someone and instantly have common ground for conversation. The landscape and surroundings of a beautiful French town adds to the magic that is the Annecy International Film festival.
Claire: Apart from the amazing and inspiring animations, food, sun and scenery, it has to be the energetic, positive atmosphere and sense of community created by all the people who attend, from animators to the general public. Steven: The lake and the town, with all its bars and restaurants and coffee shops, and cobbled streets and canals. And the festival itself of course. Ulli: The fact that you get to see the world’s most creative outputs in animation, all in one place. There really is nothing more inspiring! And then, of course there is the atmosphere in the main cinema, the town, the scenery and the great weather! Not to mention the million and one flavours of ice cream that are being sold on every corner. Penny: It is so utterly amazing really to be able to spend a whole week solid indulging in the wide variety of material on show at Annecy. There is something for everyone from student films to feature block-busters in as many different animation techniques as there are films. As a practitioner, it is by far the most inspiring and accessible festival in Europe.
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7. Is there anything bad about Annecy?
skillset news
Scott: It only lasts six days. Jess:Trying to fit in seeing and doing everything can get a bit stressful, especially if it’s your first
time at the festival. I managed to miss Adam Elliot’s stop-motion feature, Mary and Max and I’m kicking myself for it. Rachel: There is nothing bad about Annecy. It cannot be faulted. Claire: I felt both the website and ticketing system was a little confusing at first but apart from that it was all wonderful. Steven: There was nothing bad about Annecy. Ulli: Nope! Penny: Nothing about Annecy no, it’s a very safe environment with beautiful scenery aside from the magic of the festival. All the local people are very friendly too. Oh, maybe the confusing French keyboards with the keys all mixed up – that wasn’t my favourite thing and the fact that just like every festival, each decision you make to see or do something usually means the compromise of missing out on something else (particularly when you have to book things on the internet with the funny keyboards..).
8. What would be your best advice to someone wanting to attend an animation festival? Would Annecy be your top suggestion or is there another festival you would suggest instead? Elaine: Annecy is probably one of the top animation festivals in the world so it’s definitely worth attending. It’s also very accessible, with the festival pass priced very reasonably (although the town itself is expensive!). See as many films as you can; listen to some of the experts talk; and make sure to leave time for that all important networking! Scott: It’s the best (only) animation festival I have attended, but I would recommend it for the variety on offer and for the beautiful setting. Jess: I would most definitely suggest Annecy as a festival to attend if you’re seriously interested in animation. It’s one of the biggest festivals out there, so as you can imagine, there are a lot of premieres and world firsts. My advice would be to not get too overwhelmed by the choice there (or flummoxed by the booking system, as I did!). Plan the key things you want to see and work your way around those things, but don’t feel the need to completely pack your day. I felt some of the best experiences I had at the festival were hanging out with friends, soaking up the atmosphere and meeting other animators. Rachel: Go with the flow. Listen out for what films people are talking about. Be flexible with your agenda which can lead to things you wouldn’t even consider going to see or doing and in retrospect you feel richer in seeing it. Claire: The only festivals I’ve been to are Animex, EIFF and Annecy. All are fantastic and offer different things, but if animation is your thing then I would highly recommend Annecy as it has the widest variety of animations I’ve ever come across and caters to all tastes. Steven: I think that Annecy would be the top of the list. Ulli: I think Annecy is a Must at least once in every animator’s life. It fills me up with inspiration for a good couple of years. But it is also the biggest and therefore most competitive festival. So just for perspective I think it’s worth exploring some of the smaller festivals around Europe, or also some other main ones, like the one in Zagreb. Penny: I think if you’re in Europe on a budget and want an instant hit of inspiration, go for Annecy. If you have more money then there is always the Toronto International Film Festival (I would absolutely adore to go there!) and the Hiroshima Festival or if you have more time, then the smaller festivals like Projector (I’ve been to this many times and it’s great quality) and Zagreb are favourites.
9. How do you feel now that you are back from Annecy? Elaine: I can’t wait to go back! I’m also keen to see short animated films on a more regular basis and keep up to date with new techniques. Scott: Enthused, inspired, encouraged, determined. I feel I must endeavour to have a film screened at Annecy within three years. That’s my goal. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Jess: Having spent a week in the gorgeous sunshine in a quaint, provincial town in the south of France, surrounded by animation…. I’m understandably a little down now. But I certainly feel that I’ve experienced more of what a professional animation festival is like and how important these events are for the industry. Rachel: I feel more inspired. I am more excitable now than ever was about this industry. My head is still spinning with the films and visions I viewed at Annecy. Claire: Apart from being wet and cold, I now feel inspired and reassured that there is a very appreciative animation community out there no matter what style. Steven: It was sad to leave but I had a great time. It’s inspiring to see what there is in animation in terms of variety of styles and storytelling. I have watched a lot of animation but still have a lot to learn about it and to see so much in such a short period, with an audience that is really into it, is something quite special. Ulli: Inspired to the level of bursting and motivated to see that if you just go for it, everything is possible. Penny: I want to make my own work now! Now please. Thank you.
10. Anything else you would like to add for the article about your availability now GASP! is over (or in Rachel’s case keep schtum as you still have 6 months to go, girl)? Elaine: Although we didn’t win the competition – Super Umami’s One Star was listed in the top five films viewed in the digital library at MIFA, which was attended by 1900 delegates! Jess: It’d be nice if you could mention that I’m hoping to stay in Glasgow and the Scottish animation industry in general, and will be looking for work from, well, the end of the scheme really. Or is that too cheeky? Claire: I am always excited about the opportunity to work and learn and I am currently looking for employment in the field of 3D animation. I look forward to continuing to develop my skills and face new challenges. Although I am interested in all aspects of animation I wish to now focus more on modelling, lighting and texturing as the final look and atmosphere of a project is very important to me. I would also at some point love to gain experience in stop motion set/prop building and animation as this more hands on tradition medium is something I have always been fascinated with. Steven: Available to work and looking for a job in a 3D studio!
Penny and the GASP! trainees attended Annecy with support from Scottish Screen.
festival report
Sunny à La Rochelle:
Scottish Producer Stall at Sunny Side of The Doc By Noe Mendelle & Sonja Henrici, Scottish Documentary Institute Armed with a bottle of whisky, ample flyers and the odd French dictionary, five Scottish production companies travelled to La Rochelle, France, between 20-24 June to take part in Sunny Side of The Doc, one of the biggest documentary markets in the world. This year was the 20th edition, and Sunny Side had promised to throw a big party in celebration. John Archer (Hopscotch), Aimara Reques (media co-op), Marie Olesen (autonomi tv), Stephen Anderson (Kelpie Films), and ourselves decided to club together and run a Scottish producer stall at the market for the first time, supported by Scottish Screen. Wedged between the Portuguese, the French, the Balkans and the Nordic countries, and incidentally quite far away from the UK Village, we really felt embraced by the ‘Europeans’ around us. After setting up the stall and a few early meetings, we started
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our first afternoon with a Scottish Cocktail Hour, served, French-style, at our stall (a choice between wine or a sneaky shot of whisky on the side). It was a great way to break the ice and get to meet many people at the beginning of our three-day stint. Our Scottish hour was soon followed by the EDN (European Documentary Network) cocktails, and FilmKontakt Nord drinks, so our area was particularly lively that afternoon. The weather was indeed sunny, and there was a buzz in the corridors, despite the long shadow of the credit crunch, and a tough year for the French independent producers after a serious restructuring of France Télévision. Sunny Side is one of the top markets in Europe for documentaries. About 350 decision makers (broadcasters, distributors, funders) from around the world come every year and mingle amongst 2000 industry
professionals. It is a great place to take part in industry events and discussions affecting the sector, and to market your documentary programmes. There are very few film screenings, it is a place to sell via stalls, your listing in the catalogue, and the videotheque. It’s known for its convivial atmosphere and as such conducive to meeting old and new co-producers from Europe, maintaining existing and developing new relationships. All of us had set up meetings ahead of time, which does prove to be invariably difficult. It’s easy to forget that many Commissioning Editors also use these markets to meet with fellow commissioners to talk about their co-productions, especially since Sunny Side also hosts an annual EBU (European Broadcasters Union) meeting, one day prior to the market. This is a meeting where broadcasters pitch to each other, and should your project be one of the lucky
ones, will gain instant exposure to 50 plus broadcasters around Europe. (You’ll have to trust your Commissioning Editor to pitch your film in the right way…) Sunny Side also hosts public pitching sessions, which are structured by themes (Environment, Society, etc). Each project needed to be selected/supported by a national broadcaster or funder, however, so getting in wasn’t easy, and very few UK productions were pitched. Even if you hadn’t managed to convince many Commissioning Editors to set up a meeting ahead of time, it’s always possible to meet them in the corridors, over lunch or coffee during the day - as long as you know what they look like! This is why attending public forums as an observer is incredibly useful, as you will put faces to names, and learn about their likes and dislikes. For us it was great to come back with a gang of Scottish producers after our first tour to La Rochelle two years ago. Many of us often work in isolation and mutual support and introductions to contacts are a much needed bonus of attending together. Over the years all of us have acquired and deepened many international relationships, and it’s great to share them where possible. It is always great to realise how much Scotland itself always holds a special appeal for people. One of the big topics during Sunny Side was developing and fundraising content for cross platform and 360° projects. How to deal with online rights (exclusive or non-exclusive?),
and where VOD is going for the film industry as a whole. More and more non-exclusive seems to be the way forward for your online rights, so that you can add your film to as many portals as possible and maximise your exposure, and/or income this way. (We are keen to incorporate training around this topic in our next set of masterclasses.)
The Scottish producer stall at Sunny Side of the Doc was supported by Scottish Screen National Lottery through the Market Development Fund.
Our Scottish Stall worked really well as a Scottish focus, where appointments could be made and facilitated. We also met with many of our Interdoc training programme participants, who were working the market as hard as they could. It was great to see their projects flourish in the real world too. The 20th anniversary party was indeed a big one - an entire hall had been carpeted with real grass, which made most people take off their shoes and enjoy the feeling of summer. Drinks flowed freely until the early hours and the DJ left many industry bods sweaty and dancing non stop. Really, the only downside of Sunny Side is its date: it clashes with the second week of the Edinburgh international Film Festival! Contact us if you are interested in taking part in a Scottish producer stall at Sunny Side of The Doc in 2010. www.scottishdocinstitute.com
Good to Know about Sunny Side: La Rochelle is reachable via Bristol on Flybe, via Stansted on Ryanair, and infrequently direct from Edinburgh or Glasgow. The festival usually runs from Tues-Friday, with most people leaving early on Friday, so Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the key days for meetings and business. 23
film production
A GOOD-WIN By Paul Hunter, Co-Writer
Paul Hunter
Up until a few years ago, Ronnie Goodwin was up to his eyes in paperwork from his job as a lecturer of Digital Photography and Film Production at Clydebank College, with his idea for a short film put on the back burner. Five days a week, he stayed behind after class like a nutty professor creating his monster. A few years further on, and Shooter, a four minute short, is done and dusted, and as an added bonus, a well-cut piece of decorated slate with the inscription ‘Winner’ stands on his mantelpiece, paying homage to this little gem. Ronnie Goodwin’s gem shone at the Heart of England Film Festival, where it won Best Short Film. The idea for Shooter, started through a discussion I had with Ronnie, whilst reminiscing about his troubled times in the past. Ronnie says, “I carry a lot of demons from the past just like most people and the best story to shoot, is from real life - to delve deep into memory and imprint this onto film; it also acts as an exorcism or counselling for some people. I can face my past now after all these years, as I’m a lot more at peace with myself, now that I know who I am.”
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In November 2008, Ronnie left the College to spend time with his sick father, and started to push Shooter into the festival circuit. “I lost Dad in February this year, and during his illness I realised I should be pursuing my film career, and with his blessing, I did,” says Ronnie. Shooter tells the story of a returned battle fatigued sharp shooter (sniper) to his native home in Scotland. The thread of Ronnie’s troubled years runs through the story within a vein of flashbacks reflecting the protagonist’s guilt, dark lost time, disregard for human life, resilience and living at the forefront of life at a hundred miles an hour. Our character accepts this fact. He understands that to survive in his own world he can’t switch off and has to be true to himself, and takes to roaming the tamed lands of his home, hunting enemies, stalking victims with the high tech equipment he was trained to use. Filming and editing took about a seven months to finalise. The film was shot entirely in Scotland in one of the most beautiful
locations on Loch Lomond, half an hour from Glasgow. But it’s not your typical tartan and shortbread Scottish cliché. The movie could have been shot anywhere, and indeed, people have commented about its French cinematic style. The whole financial side of making Shooter came from the director’s own pocket, so it became a real labour of love. Ronnie has worked in every area of the movie making business: working on major film productions as a horseman and extra, teaching film production, making corporate videos for various companies. Shooter put all Ronnie’s skills and experience to use. The film is also up for nomination in Ireland in September, and has secured Official Selections in South Africa, Notting Hill, Clermont-Ferrand, Short Film Corner, Cannes, and the videotheque at Edinburgh International Film Festival. Shooter was also invited to the prestigious Palm Springs International Short Film Festival 2009, where Scottish Screen helped fund Ronnie’s trip through their Opportunities Fund. Since that trip, Shooter has been invited to the
Paul Hunter
Merging Art Festival in the US, Ronnie is meeting with Sony in the autumn, and Indieflix.com are currently in negotiations to distribute The Shooter non-exclusively, with Shorts International also looking at the film. If something in life tugs at your heartstring, you’ll remember it, and ultimately it will affect others too. Real life and emotion is what the audience recognises in any story, be it science fiction or a cartoon. Shooter has the stamp of success, because others can relate to it through their own life’s struggles. We all find beauty in something, more so if it has that ‘wow’ factor. For instance, a hair-standing music score, scenic panoramic views of stunning natural landscapes, colours of the rainbow, dark versus light,
slow camera pans, the perfect acting performance, dreamlike sequences or even an unexpected or surprise ending. Give the audience credit by letting them work it out for themselves. Let them be part of the process by putting what’s on the screen into their own thought process, as we all love our own mystery tours. Ronnie Goodwin is not resting on his laurels. His new film, The Rape Fields of Findo Gask has been in pre-production for a year, and has moved one step closer to a production start, with lead actors and a script on the table. Again it tells a story of man’s journey within himself, this time set in the future.
Ronnie Goodwin attended Palm Springs Shortfest in June this year with support from Scottish Screen’s Opportunities Fund.
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inverness film festival
The Girlfriend Experiment
inverness
filmfestival
at Eden Court Theatre & Cinema 11-15 November 2009 By Paul Taylor
The 7th Inverness Film Festival will take place at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness from Wednesday 11 to Sunday 15 November 2009. The festival will again screen Scottish premieres, previews of upcoming future releases and other films which may not gain UK cinema distribution. This means that the Inverness Film Festival may be the only chance audiences have to see these films in the cinema. Previous highlights have included Scottish premieres of Academy Award-winning films such as The Last King of Scotland, No Country for Old Men and, the Oscar nominated, Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
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It has always been the intention of the festival to celebrate Scottish, and in particular Highland, filmmaking. This year we want to screen a Scottish-made short before every main feature. By doing this we hope to show that Scottish films are as good as the best that are made around the world. Also in our celebration of Scottish film we will be holding a retrospective of possibly, Scotland’s finest director: Bill Douglas. We will be screening his Trilogy (My Childhood, My Ain Folk and My Way Home) and Comrades, as well as screening his shorts and two documentaries about his methods and work. The line-up of films has yet to be confirmed but as well as Scottish premieres we’ll have some of the best new films from around the world. A couple of highlights will be the first screening in Scotland of Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant!, and we will also show The Girlfriend Experiment, so people can see the difference between the ‘mainstream’ and ‘arty’ Soderbergh. We will also show the Scottish premiere of Gustav Deutsch’s experimental
piece Film ist a Girl & a Gun, in which he took lost footage from different film archives around the world and mixed them with quotes from philosophers from ancient Greece. I found the film mesmerising when I saw it and I’m looking forward to the reaction from Highland audiences. In the past we have held free workshops and masterclasses on aspects of filmmaking, such as editing, cinematography, animation and sound recording. During this year’s festival there will be a digital filmmaking workshop, stretching over the 5 days of the festival, with the resulting short screening on the last day. There will also be a screenwriting class for budding writers who wish to pick up any help with their Ullapool set gritty crime drama or Aviemore heist film. The highlight of this year’s festival could well be the film that will take away the inaugural Audience Award. I have always felt that it’s important for the audience to be able to engage in the festival and this award would be the
cannes film festival photo by Paula Garcia
Film ist a Girl & a Gun
Eden Court
perfect way for those attending to let me know what they thought of the films screened. A pilot version was run last year to test the logistics of the voting process, the award would have gone to Time To Die (Poland, 2007, dir: Dorota Kedzierzawska). This festival will also be the second anniversary of the re-opening of the redeveloped Eden Court Theatre and Cinema. The building was closed for over two years for the work to be completed, with the cinema continuing to run full time using Screen Machine 1 on a site just along the river, but all those cold winter nights were worth it when we saw what we were moving into. The building now comprises two theatres (one with 850 seats the other 260), two cinemas (with 138 and 86 seats) and two dance studios. This all adds up to Eden Court being the largest multi-arts venue in Scotland. In last year the attendances at the cinema at Eden Court have risen in excess of 300%, up to almost 49,000, and we have also become a part
of the Europa Cinemas network. This proves that Inverness does need an art-house cinema, a year round alternative to the mainstream multiplex, and that Highland audiences want to experience the very best films from around the world and not just the biggest, the loudest and the most edited to within an inch of their lives movies of the moment. Eden Court is the only independent cinema north of the central belt which screens cultural cinema from all four corners of the world, day in day out, all year round. We want to inspire audiences into believing that cinema is meaningful. That it doesn’t just have to be something instantly forgettable that fills two hours of your life before you have to do something more important: cinema can be an important part of life; it can be what you remember most and what inspires you most.
Eden Court is a designated Cultural Cinema Hub supported by Scottish Screen.
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exhibition
Dumfries and Galloway
Film Scene
By Alice Stilgoe, Film Officer
Machars Movies in the Isle of Whithorn
Scotland’s hidden south-west corner, welloff the beaten tourist track, not only boasts an inspiring landscape of hills, forests, sandy beaches and rugged coastline, but a burgeoning film culture too.
Dumfries and Galloway • To work with Scottish Screen and other key partners to minimise gaps in exhibition provision in areas of Dumfries and Galloway
From cinemas and film festivals to village halls and open air screenings, there is a range of opportunities to see films in this beautiful, rural part of Scotland. There are four cinemas in the region and a growing number of alternative venues equipped for showing films making a patchwork of picture houses right across the 120-mile breadth of Dumfries and Galloway, from a multi-use arts venue in the ‘Muckle Toon’ in the east, to a village hall on the Isle of Whithorn, Scotland’s southernmost tip, where scenes from The Wicker Man were filmed.
The Council directly supports the provision of theatrical exhibition in two venues on a part time basis: the Ryan Centre Theatre/Cinema in Stranraer which hosts screenings of mainstream commercial and family films on a monthly basis, and the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre in Dumfries which has aspirations towards art-house.
It’s crucial that small towns and rural communities outside the central belt have vibrant and healthy cultural lives, and cinema makes a vital contribution to the cultural landscape in the south-west of Scotland. The importance that the local authority attaches to cinema exhibition is reflected in its development of a strategy that aims to create the best conditions for film culture to thrive locally, ensuring that the region benefits from economic, cultural and educational aspects of the moving image sector. Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Moving Image Strategy seeks to build upon achievements of the past and grow this sector in order to promote the region as a first-rate UK film location. It also aims to deliver a modern cultural cinema service involving outreach and learning activities, and to ensure that the people of Dumfries and Galloway benefit from the opportunities that digital television switchover will provide.
In addition, the Council funds the post of a full-time film officer whose remit is to assist in the development and implementation of the aims and objectives of the Moving Image Strategy, to manage the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre’s screen exhibition programme and associated learning and outreach activities, and to advise and support Council colleagues, independent, voluntary and community organisations across Dumfries and Galloway in the delivery of screen exhibition and moving image-related learning and outreach activities. The film officer supports anyone with questions relating to screening films through providing one-to-one advice and support, and the Dumfries and Galloway Exhibitors’ Forum. The forum is an opportunity to share sector news, opportunities, best practice and to facilitate developing ways of film exhibitors working together in new and exciting ways, as well as to nurture and support new exhibitors. The forum meets three times a year and each session involves a presentation by an invited guest followed by a discussion and informal networking over a pub lunch.
Working with a range of partners, the Council has identified the following key objectives in terms of exhibition:
Four sites in the region were awarded funds from Scottish Screen’s Digital Projection Fund earlier this year to install digital projection equipment and allow access to a wider range of films.
• To directly provide and encourage a broad and diverse range of cultural cinema programming across Dumfries and Galloway • To develop audiences for cinema across
The grant to the recently opened Buccleuch Centre will enable cinema to return to Langholm and Eskdale after an absence of 40 years. David Stevenson, chairman of The Buccleuch Centre, says,
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“It will be more economical and much more convenient as we currently have to cross the Border into England to access our nearest cinema.” The new screening facilities in St Ninian’s Village Hall on the Isle of Whithorn make this most southerly cinema in Scotland. The film club, Machars Movies, is entertaining the Isle population of just 300, as well as the neighbouring communities of the Machars peninsula with their eclectic programme, mostly recently, Battleship Potemkin accompanied by a soundtrack created by the Pet Shop Boys. Two existing cinema providers in Dumfries and Galloway will see their operations enhanced. Scotland’s smallest cinema, the Robert Burns Centre in Dumfries, which already presents a diverse programme, will use the new equipment to upgrade its existing kit as well as to bring live opera and theatre to local audiences. The Cinema in Newton Stewart will install state of the art equipment after ten years as a successful community run venue, attracting around 20,000 film-lovers per year. Sara Matchett, manager of the Newton Stewart Cinema comments, “Each venue, in its own distinct way, plays a key role in bringing the community together by welcoming audiences to a variety of different events, depending on the venue, equipment available and the local needs of the area. Each venue is particularly helpful to visitors to the area who are perhaps overloaded on the Scottish liquid sunshine, which we are prone to! As the area’s reputation for rural cinema and as a film location grows, the benefits of targeted funding and sharing of best practice can only be for the good of all.” Scottish Screen’s Digital Projection Fund gave grants to: the Buccleuch Centre, Langholm; the Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries; The Cinema, Newton Stewart; and St Ninian’s Village Hall, Isle of Whithorn.
Machars Movies in the Isle of Whithorn
Machars Movies in the Isle of Whithorn
Creetown Band
Robert Burns centre
Newton Stewart Cinema
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training
Writing S
for TV
hed Media use the slogan, ‘we know drama’ to encapsulate one of television’s most enviable track records for producing popular TV entertainment creating series like Waterloo Road, Bad Girls and Footballers’ Wives. And writer Ann McManus certainly knows more than a few things about engaging an audience; as well as working on all of the above, she worked on Coronation Street as a deputy story editor and cut her teeth on fondly remembered stv series High Road.
structured. Young writers have to get a sense of how that structure can be created, how to build up the drama to the hook before the advertising break, or the end of a show,” says McManus. “I wouldn’t say there’s a specific formula, there’s a big difference between how Coronation Street and Eastenders are written. Eastenders is more hard-hitting and gritty, whereas Coronation Street often has a warmth and campness in the way that Bad Girls did, or that Footballers’ Wives took to more extreme levels.”
Now McManus and her Shed colleagues are looking to share their knowledge and knack of good drama by launching their own course, in writing for television, in conjunction with Glasgow’s Caledonian College.
“Eileen Gallagher was approached when Gus Macdonald became chancellor at Caledonian University. He wanted a course built around the media of TV, specifically drama and she brought the idea back to Shed to cook up the course,” says McManus. “I think it’s something that is really needed; I had my own training on High Road and Coronation Street, but I’m also well aware that chances for writers are few and far between and to take full advantage of them they have to be properly trained. The building blocks of TV writing can be taught so students can move to getting writing jobs directly in the industry, jobs which can be lucrative and rewarding.”
“I’d hesitate to say there’s been a snobbery about teaching TV writing as opposed to film writing, but if you look at the number of TV productions against the number of films, then compare that to the many writing courses preparing students to write for film rather than television, the figures tell their own story,” says McManus. “There’s a tendency to see television writing as a step down from film, but if you look at the stars of popular US television shows that’s simply not true; I’m sure they don’t think they’re slumming when they’re reaching bigger audiences with television than their films ever managed.” The new course is a practical one, looking at how a writer can develop their craft to meet the needs of mass audiences and also examining how the television industry has developed, preparing students for the tricky business of making a living as a script writer or editor. “Good television drama is about characters and action, but it only works if it’s well-
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While scriptwriting courses for film are ten-apenny, writing for television is less frequently favoured in UK colleges and universities, but Shed Media is keen for their collaboration with Caledonian University to break new ground and offer fresh opportunities to students.
“We’ll be involving industry experts like Gaynor Holmes and Anne Mensah, and we’ll also be using materials created for programmes like Waterloo Road. Shed’s experience is substantial; we’ve done over three hundred hours of television, including fifty Footballers’ Wives and a hundred Waterloo Roads, so we can show different drafts of scripts to students and let them see how the work develops. We can also show them upcoming scripts, or recent work like Hope Springs and discuss why certain things do or don’t work,” says McManus. “With Hope Springs, we spent two years developing the project; at first when
the women came to Scotland they fell in love with it, then we changed it around so that they hated it because they’d rather be in Barbados. Then the final version at the treatment stage saw a mixture of both, with the main characters changing their opinions over the eight episodes. Looking back, it might have worked better if the episodes had been self-contained; you have to work with the attention span of the audience, and maybe we weren’t successful in estimating what that attention span was for a Sunday night drama. But it’s all useful experience.” www.shed-media.com The MA Television Fiction Writing course starts in September 2009. See www.gcal.ac.uk for more details Scottish Screen has sponsored a scholarship on the new MA Television Fiction Writing course. Daniel Jackson has been awarded the £15,000 scholarship. Playwright and cartoonist Daniel is currently writing for the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Court, as well as creating a sitcom. This article is reproduced from Scottish Screen’s new Made in Scotland TV brochure. To obtain a copy please email: info@scottishscreen.com
Hope Springs
Waterloo Road
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gmac
inside the new GMAC
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New Building Fresh Ideas same old values By Mark Langdon, Chairperson, GMAC This September GMAC, Scotland’s unsung hero of independent film, throws off its Clark Kent persona and slips into the architectural equivalent of a sparkly, spandex suit. Thanks to the support of Glasgow City Council, Culture and Sport Glasgow and the Scottish Arts Council, GMAC has moved to state of the arts premises in the penthouse of Scotland’s newest centre for creativity and art: Trongate 103. As many readers will be aware the past 18 months has been a difficult one for GMAC, our members and partners. The UK Film Council’s decision to award to digital shorts funding to DigiCult resulted in the loss of half the company’s staff team and a significant amount of our revenue. Not the ideal preparation for moving to a new building, Then we lost our brilliant head of the GMAC Second Unit, Beth Armstrong, to the BBC and CSV to run their creative apprenticeship scheme. Ouch and ouch – then three important Board members resigned: Audrey Connelly, Barbra Orton and Linda Campbell. However thanks to their previous support, the continued hard work of the remaining staff, a fantastic new recruit Sheena MacDougall to run the 2nd Unit, and a new board team, we have emerged from this period even stronger and more determined than ever.
So for those of you who don’t know who GMAC are and what we do, we began 26 years ago as Glasgow Film & Video Workshop. Twenty six years, four buildings, ten BAFTAs, numerous international film awards and a Golden Bear Award later, we’re still about the same things: • bringing creative people together to support each other and nurture their collective creativity • supporting the production and distribution of a wide variety of work • providing opportunities to enhance and share skills • offering creative – paid and voluntary opportunities within the creative sector • delivering excellent media related services to friends and partners (some people refer to these as clients!) • encouraging national and international creative collaborations Our new Board includes Kath Pick from the BBC’s The Culture Show, Shona McIver owner of LOCOFOCO, Claire English from Voluntary Arts Scotland and development executive, Paul Welsh. We are keen to hear from anyone interested in supporting the organisation as we look to undertake a review of our services and begin our ambitious programme for our new space while developing ideas for our Albion Street Studios. But the best way to find out more about GMAC is to call in or come to one of our up coming events or screenings.
Coming Up Trongate 103, the new centre for creativity in Scotland, opens its doors to the public, Saturday 12th September. Doors Open Day Weekend (18-19 September) - a range of activities and screenings will be taking place throughout our new space, 5th floor, Trongate 103. Merchant City Festival (24-25 September) - GMAC and BAFTA Scotland present two nights of award-winning films and interactive innovation. Thursday 24 September – a showcase of BAFTA Award winning films from the past year – with an audience award voted for on the night. Friday 25 September – A night of interactive innovation – come meet the talent behind award-winning online content and interactive media, this will include presentations, screenings and question and answer session with those leading the way in Scotland in the interactive world. These are all free and open to all, so come on in and see the new GMAC. While the technology might change month by month, and advertising revenue will rise and fall with the market – the heart of creativity is about people, relationships and trying to make sense of the world around us, GMAC remains committed to these values – in a world awash in corporate bullsh**t - someone has to be! www.g-mac.co.uk
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Just to Get a Rep
distribution
Acc idental By A ndrew Green, producer, Acc ident al Media Just to Get a Rep is an hour-long documentary film produced, directed and edited by Peter Gerard. He describes it as ‘the first true story of graffiti and hip-hop, featuring exclusive interviews with New York’s legendary pioneers and today’s leading artists from Europe and the US’. It tells the definitive history of graffiti writing. The film has played at many film festivals and has had a limited broadcast release in Europe, Australia and Russia, and a DVD release in Japan. We looked at the next stage of distribution and after discussing possible Minimum Guarantees with DVD distributors we decided to go down the DIY route. Peter’s efforts had taken it to this stage and the increasing capabilities of technology presented some exciting options. During this year’s Cannes Film Festival we attended talks at the UK Film Centre about new distribution models. Liz Rosenthal (Power to the Pixel) and Jamie King (Steal this Film and Vodo) were discussing Adventures in Independence. Part of what they advocated is “Seed – Share - Sell”, where a film is selfdistributed online via peer-to-peer sites like The Pirate Bay and Mininova. The audience is then encouraged to make a donation to the filmmaker. We thought that this was perfect for our film, as the subject of Just to Get a Rep – the international graffiti community – really suits ideas of ‘public art’, ‘pay what you think it’s worth’, freedom and self-motivation ethos. Crowd-sourcing is nothing new, and the debate surrounding the potential to monetise ‘decentralised peer-generated video’ continues to divide and inspire the industry. However, what rings true for Accidental Media is the notion of hip-hop culture being the first massmedia community that demonstrates a shift from traditional social hierarchies to social networks.
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“It’s like the internet without the technology,” says legendary Parisian graffiti artist Jayone in Just to Get a Rep. He and other graffiti writers describe the open, sharing nature of their art, contrasting it against other art forms and the media. We will reflect this in our distribution strategy. New forms of expression (graffiti, breakdancing, rap, DJing) were created by disenfranchised youth in New York’s outer-boroughs who could not identify with generic mass-media culture. The unique art forms they created were subsequently hijacked by the very media institutions they opposed. The media invented ‘hip-hop’ as a popularised fabrication of what the art forms originally represented. That media-swindle is the story told by Just to Get a Rep, and also forms the basis for our distribution strategy. Hip-hop’s modern day claim to represent all youth rings true to an extent, but this has not prevented its dilution into a marketing campaign like any other, heavily affected by copyrights and limitations to sharing. That is where Just to Get a Rep can reclaim a voice, by trusting and knowing our audience. Seed – Share – Sell. How we make information, how we get it, how we speak to others, and how others speak to us are core components of the shape of freedom in any society. Graffiti is already a social network of non-propriety. It is also a part of hip-hop culture - a four-billion dollar industry where the vast majority of participants can only find their voice through what they write online or what they paint on walls and trains. The method of distribution employed with Just to Get a Rep encourages an unprecedented level of sharing amongst its audience. Viewers have the option to pay before or after viewing, and are then encouraged to share the film
among their peers, earning rewards for effective sharing. By using this method, we are sure that Just to Get a Rep will reach its target audience, and by not imposing any restrictions on sharing we are returning to the spirit of the original graffiti-writers. Like a tag scrawled on the side of a train, we want the film to travel around the community freely, confident that the incentives provided to share through our website will result in the audience feeling that they are part of the distribution. By distributing Just to Get a Rep in this way, we aim to empower the audience and to create an atmosphere of inclusion, where people feel comfortable expressing their opinions. Just to Get a Rep will be distributed online from September 2009, available directly from www.justtogetarep.com or from any peer-topeer file-sharing site. Peter Gerard completed Just to Get a Rep two years ago, while at the same time filming the upcoming feature documentary Eat Songs, directed by Peter Gerard and Nicholas Soldan, which will be released using a similar technique next year. Accidental Media produces award-winning documentaries, fiction films and interactive media, including The Shutdown, which was recently nominated for the Scottish Short Documentary Award. Accidental Media works with formats ranging from 35mm to HD, and are constantly pushing production and distribution to new creative limits. www.accidentalmedia.com
Distribut ion
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Jim Brown
126 miLES J
im Brown (b4films) and Paul Gavin (ExtraVeg) have worked together many times over many years but last year one of the pair, Jim Brown, decided it was time to stop travelling the world and set up an independent company back home in Scotland. So in 2009. (although the pair will still operate their original companies out of Edinburgh and Aberdeen) Brown and Gavin have joined forces and formed 126 miles an independent production company to develop and produce for the home and international market out of Scotland.
For over 20 years Jim Brown has been writing, producing, directing and running shows throughout the world. The muchtravelled Scotsman started his career as a camera operator at Pinewood Studios, working on feature films, Superman and
Paul Gavin
In a recession it takes courage to establish a new company, they told roughcuts how it came about?
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The Spy Who Loved Me before going on to develop and produce the hugely popular Star Search, almost a template show for the talent shows of today. Says Brown, “Another claim to fame is that I am the only
Scot, indeed the only Brit ever to direct Neighbours. That was when I worked for Grundy in Australia.” After a few years travelling, Brown returned to the UK and became Head of Entertainment for three of the country’s main ITV broadcasters. “When I was at Anglia, my brief included The Time..The Place, Vanessa, Trisha and the awardwinning Bring me the Head of Light Entertainment with Graham Norton. At Yorkshire my responsibilities included Countdown and The Price is Right. These were the glory days of ITV,” says Brown. After spells as an international consultant for Granada, developing and producing series in Italy and Turkey and some time at the BBC, Brown went to American to write and direct, 90 Days in Hollywood. “I suppose you could say I was a restless spirit because, after Hollywood, I travelled all over the place, to the Arctic Circle, Singapore, Holland, Germany, Norway and North America producing a documentary series for Discovery Worldwide,” says Brown. In recent years Brown has been commuting back and forth across the Atlantic working with a positive galaxy of music’s biggest stars including George Michael, Bob Geldof, Duran Duran, Twiggy, Olivia Newton John, Deepak Chopra, Grace Slick, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Bono, The Spice Girls, The Sex Pistols and Fleetwood Mac producing and directing shows for almost all the European
GamerZ.
and American broadcasters. But after so many years on the road, the pull of home became irresistible. “In 2008 I decided to come home,” says Brown. “I set up b4films as an international independent production company creating quality material for the national and international markets. All you really need to be successful are the right ideas, the passion and belief in those ideas, the right people round you to realise those ideas and the support of a creative body prepared to push the boundaries and breathe life into your creations. All the boxes were ticked. So it really was a nobrainer. Scotland as the production centre for b4films made so much sense.” Once back on home turf Brown met up again with Edinburgh’s Paul Gavin, an award-winning Director of Photography, who had shot many films for him around the world. Paul has filmed everything from BBC’s hugely successful Driving School and RTS Award-winning Four Tarts and a Tenor (about the late, great Pavarotti), to the war zones of Angola and the crumbling communist state of Cuba. Sharing Brown’s interest in the music scene, Gavin has worked with artists including Justin Timberlake and Paolo Nutini and bands such as Oasis, Aerosmith and the Osmonds, winning a Kodak Award for his work on BAFTA-nominated Candy Bar Kid. Through his own production company, ExtraVeg Films, Paul created, produced and filmed
the drama series Bombay Blue for Channel 4, and produced and shot the feature film GamerZ. For Brown and Gavin, it seemed a logical move to work together. “Separately we were strong; together we had all the bases covered,” says Gavin. “We made a formidable team. So to handle the selected projects we created 126 miles as a production base to support writers and GamerZ with ideas for the home and producers international markets. Content for the world produced in Scotland.” 126 miles has several titles on the slate at various stages of development. Features include, Between Weathers, set in Shetland looking at the rapidly falling population and one man’s attempt to reverse the trend, which will have a musical score by Shetland’s favourite son, Aly Bain. A Shortage of Competent Liars is a love story about Chic Murray and his often forgotten wife and stage partner, Maidie. The Girl That Would Be Elvis is the story of the queen of rock and roll, Suzi Quatro and her parallel life with’ the king,’ Elvis Presley, and Bad Pay Lousy Living, the real story of guitar god, Jimi Hendrix.
will take three of the world’s top fashion photographers to the slums of Mumbai to shoot the ultimate rags to riches story. As they both agree, “Everywhere you look in India the women and girls are beautiful, despite the desperate poverty. We know we will discover real catwalk stars there and as we are hopeful of a tie in with one of the major fashion magazines in the US it could transform the lives of some of these women.” So, 126 miles is underway. Paul Gavin and Jim Brown are seasoned professionals, each with their own formidable track record and a true belief in home, in Scotland. The Year of Homecoming 2009 indeed. www.126miles.com www.b4films.com www.extraveg.com
Television series in development include, Bollywood Dreams, The Bird Woman of Rum, The Last 100 Gallons in America and Slumdog Catwalk, where Brown and Gavin
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production company
In and Out of By Justin Wilson
I
have traded under the name of Justin Illusions, sculpture, models, props, sets and visual effects for 24 years: for the first 15 in London and for the last nine in East Ayrshire. I studied Fine Art at Hornsey and lived in Hackney, east London. On leaving college I soon found my way into freelance creative work and worked in many of the best model and special effects workshops in London, for top class designers, photographers and directors as well as producing work for clients directly. After taking over the premises of an old employer, buying a house, setting up my own studio and starting a family, I ended up working full time at Shepperton Studios in the far west of London. I was working for Jose Granell for what was Magic Models and is now Cine Site, as part of a team of three producing all the prop guns for Judge Dredd and breakaway lances for Braveheart. The company grew to over 20 for building the miniatures for First Knight and Pinocchio, and continued to expand and contract until I was part of a team of over 200 freelancers building models and sets for Lost in Space and The Avengers. Work at the studios, although extremely well paid and exciting, was insecure by its very nature. I moved from one contract to the next, but after 3-4 years of steady employment, friends and colleagues began to be laid off. I was working 10 hours a day and travelling for
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the
three, and my son was soon old enough to plead with me not to go to work, as we would barely see each other. It was at this point I decided to have a break from the city and leave London for a more rural outlook. I opted for the childcare role and my partner found a full time job in Ayrshire. We sold our small terraced house and within three months of the decision being made we found ourselves racing the removals lorry up to Scotland. We rented at first, and searched for the best part of a year for a house cheap enough to buy on a mortgage, with outbuildings for me to use as a workshop and studio. We eventually found Blackwood Farm near Moscow, it had been empty for three years and looked in a very bad state, which was fortunately enough to dissuade other possible buyers. Through my knowledge of weathering and distressing surfaces for the camera, I could see the damage was mostly superficial and we managed to buy it for a snip. The farm has so many outbuildings; to us it is like a small village. It reminded me of a mini version of Shepperton, and I foresaw the potential of creativity happening in every building from design to production. I looked into grants and funding to realise my ideas for a small film/ animation studio but to no avail. Rather than going back to steady work and employing builders and childminders, I decided that I
would enjoy bringing up my son, being in the peace and quiet of the countryside and doing up the buildings myself. The outbuildings comprise two rows of old stone and slate buildings, each 100ft long x 20ft wide, with some having an extra storey. All the spaces remain flexible as to their use, although I have dedicated areas, such as a wood and plastic workshop, a metalwork room, a painting and photography clean studio, casting, mouldmaking and sculpting studios along with a blacked out animation and photography space. We also have a 50ft square corrugated tin shed I am converting into filming and larger scale set building space. We have paved areas for outdoor construction and filming along with a building with a two storey open front, which makes an ideal resin and fume area. We have planted 3 3/4 acre sites, once pasture, with hundreds of trees, wild flowers, ponds and a large vegetable patch, so that we are almost self sufficient. Although the buildings have provided good working space for some time now, due to my son developing a heart condition when he was seven, I have been restricted from getting back into the long days and deadlines of media work, as I have been on call for him in case of emergencies. My son, now 14, went in for an operation at Yorkhill Hospital last October,
Justin in his studio
Film Game which was entirely successful and a positive life change for us all. I have since launched my first rough website/online portfolio, (soon to be updated), as a starting point to rejoin the media industries under the new name of Justin Illusions Creative Studios. Since the launch I have successfully completed a number of commissions including: Management and production of a model set and prop build for Robinsons Be Natural fruit juice, commercial for the designer Mike Gunn and Rattling Stick, built in my workshop and filmed down in London. Construction manager for a set and prop build for a kids art show for stv’s Gaelic dept production Sasta, for the designer Jamie McWilliams built at stv’s prop store and filmed at Effingee studios in Glasgow. Pavement drawings and portraits produced in my studio for, the tears welled, Dh Eirich na Deoir, a Gaelic short film for Sorbier Productions Ltd, for the designer Emer O’Sullivan.
A reproduction as new of a 400 year-old leather and feather covenanters mask and wig for the Museums of Scotland collection. The design and construction of a life size statue of Elvis Presley, for outdoor exhibition produced in a white marble effect, for a private client. The design and construction of the Hong Kong skyline in 3x1.2 sq metre panels of etched glass for a Chinese fusion food restaurant. I am currently developing a script, and stop frame animation puppets and sets to be filmed here. I am interested in working collaboratively on a project-byproject basis with freelancers as well as clients and would welcome contact from any and all interested parties.
The Avengers, Cleaning set after the shoot. We built the whole of Trafalger Square and much more, then covered it all with snow. For feature film The Avengers. As part of team for Magic Model/Magic Camera Co. 1997.
www.justinillusions.co.uk
Toppling Skyscrapers Buildings. For life insurance company ad. As part of team for Darius Wilson Ass. and Gerry Judah Ltd. 1990.
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locations
LOCATION OF THE MONTH
Trades Hall, Merchant City,
Situated in the Merchant City in the heart of Glasgow, the Trades Hall is one of the most important historic buildings in Glasgow. Designed and built from 1791-1794 by Robert Adam and his brothers, the Trades Hall was built to serve as a public hall and meeting place for the city’s Trades House and 14 Incorporated Crafts. This film-friendly location has recently undergone substantial refurbishment, which brings fresh and modern additions to this traditional property. Jennifer Reynolds, Film Commissioner for Glasgow Film Office says: “We are delighted that such an important building to Glasgow’s history has continued to support and facilitate film requests. The mixture of old and new means that different elements of filming can now be done under one roof.” The interior of the Trades Hall has many notable highlights including the opulent Grand Hall, which was originally designed by Adam in classical style to occupy the entire first floor. It has several unique features including the original Adam white marble fireplace, a large central ceiling dome, Spanish mahogany panels and spectacular windows, which have been restored during the recent refurbishment. Adjoining the Grand Hall is the smaller Saloon, which also boasts various original features such as mahogany panels, an original Adam fireplace and beautiful stained glass windows. The traditional is set off by the new modern elements of the recent renovation. The pristine Reception Room provides modern clean lines and is bright and airy. The room can be split in two with a full soundproof screen, making it a very versatile and flexible location. The South Gallery located on the top floor has also been freshly refurbished. This smaller conference room, in a stripped Adam style is well-lit and has an adjacent kitchen and toilets. The ground floor of the property has undergone the greatest transformation. On either side of the main entrance the space has been converted into stand alone retail units. The light and fresh units feature large elegant windows, that make a positive contribution to the streetscape. Carole Nelson, Operations Manager for the Trades Hall comments on their support for filming, “The Trades Hall has had plenty of filming in the past and can also be hired for functions and events. We do hope that the new refurbishment will offer a flexible film location and will be happy to help if we can.” If you would like more information on this location or any film location in Glasgow, please contact Hamish Walker at Glasgow Film Office. Glasgow Film Office is the film commission for the city and can offer all kinds of logistical support from finding the right location, crew and facilities to locating build and office space. We can also assist the brokering of deals with local hotels and liaising with local authorities and ancillary services. Check out our website at www.glasgowfilm.com for more information. Glasgow Film Office, City Chambers, Glasgow, G2 1DU T: 0141 287 0424 E: info@glasgowfilm.com W: www.glasgowfilm.com
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Glasgow
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education
St. Kilda The Lonely Islands
Health
Scotland on Screen Scotland on Screen is a major new initiative from Scottish Screen, Learning and Teaching Scotland and the National Library of Scotland, to make films from the Scottish Screen Archive available to schools through the GLOW schools intranet network. With a few notable exceptions, such as the early short Macnab’s Visit to London from 1903, these films were all made in Scotland and date from 1895 to the 1980s. This innovative resource will not only connect Scotland’s learners with over a century of Scottish social history, moving image culture and environmental change, but it will also enable them to download archive footage for creative use, such as editing their own documentaries, compiling their own moving image essays and inspiring original moving image education projects. What makes Scotland on Screen different from other archive sites is that this resource has been developed with teachers at the ‘chalk-face’ to ensure that it fully supports the ambitions of the new Curriculum for
Excellence to provide relevant, inspiring, engaging education for every child and young person in Scotland. Each film and film clip comes complete with its own educational resources and activity suggestions, while there are also feature resources that relate to specific sub-sets of films, based on their subject matter, filmmaking technique or specific classroom use. There is also a public-facing website at www.scotlandonscreen.org.uk <http://www. scotlnadonscreen.co.uk/> where parents and other interested members of the public can view the clips and the wide selection of
educational resources that accompany them. Initially users will be able to access online over 200 records and 15 hours of film footage selected from the Scottish Screen archive, though the aim is to significantly expand both the number of films and educational resources in successive years. A partnership between Scottish Screen, Learning and Teaching Scotland and the National Library of Scotland, Scotland on Screen will be launched at the Scottish Learning Festival 23-24 September 2009.
CLARITY PRODUCTIONS SELECTED TO THE GOOD PITCH UK Documentary After the Apocalypse, filmed/ directed by Antony Butts on location in Kazakhstan and produced by Sarah Tierney for Clarity Productions (www.producingclarity. com), has been announced as one of eight projects selected to the Good Pitch UK (www. britdoc.org/goodpitch). Clarity Productions founded in 2004, is an award-winning independent producer of specialist factual with a strong focus on scientific, social and environmental issuebased content. Producing for the broadcast and independent sectors, Clarity Productions work has been produced on locations ranging from Pakistan to Kazakhstan, Ukraine to America, twice awarded the CBA/ DFID Programme Development Fund for programmes “made in and about developing countries”. The Company’s work has screened at numerous prestigious festivals ranging from Edinburgh International Film Festival to HotDocs: Canadian International Documentary Festival, with work commissioned or acquired by broadcasters including Channel 4 Television, BBC, the British Documentary Film Foundation, Canal+, RTP, TG4, TVE, UR, Al Jazeera, BELSAT, Press TV and Current TV. Producer Sarah Tierney combines a background in biological science/conservation with experience of documentary, drama and live-broadcast production on locations ranging from Russia to India to Ukraine. These have included several award-winning productions such as the 2005 Oscar-nominated short drama Little Terrorist, and 2007 BAFTA Scotland Best Short Film Losing Myself: Annie. Sarah’s projects have screened at more than 150 international film festivals, with work featured in The Sunday Times, The Big Issue, The Scotsman, 4Ten Magazine and Shooting People’s Shooters Films. Sarah is a graduate of International EURODOC Programme 2006 and was nominated as Scotland’s CEC Creative Entrepreneur of the Year 2007. Director Antony Butts combines a science, journalism and banking background, with experience of political and current affairs filmmaking in the former Soviet Union. A fluent Russian speaker
and hostile environment trained, Antony has made films in Russia, Ukraie, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Antony’s completed projects include Picnic in the Death Zone for More4 News, and a series of films for Al Jazeera English which include: Black Russian documenting the rise in neo-Nazi gangs in Russia; Kidnapped Brides revealing the practice of 'bride kidnapping' in Kyrgyzstan; and Odessa Girls about ‘marriage tourism’. The Good Pitch is a partnership between the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, in collaboration with Working Films. The Good Pitch aims to broker partnerships between ground-breaking, social-justice films and organisations who can work with them to effect change. The other filmmakers/projects at The Good Pitch are: Lesley Katon (A Very Dangerous Man), Dan Edelstyn (How to ReEstablish a Vodka Empire), Hannan Majid & Richard York (Mass e Bhat), Rosa Rogers (Casablanca Calling), Mat Whitecross (Moving to Mars), Morgan Matthews (Seventeen) and Jerry Rothwell (Town of Runners). Organisations confirmed to attend include: Amnesty International UK, The Co-operative, UNICEF, Wellcome Trust, Channel 4, Sundance Institute, Freuds, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, CND, ACEVO, ActionAid, Barnardos, Cafod, Camfed, FilmAid International, NCVO, One.org, Sport England, TRAID, War on Want, Institute of Development Studies and Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. The event will be hosted by Amnesty International at their East London auditorium, on 7th and 8th September 2009, held in association with One World Media. “The Good Pitch is a brand new model, helping filmmakers to create partnerships with the Third and commercial sectors” says Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation Chief Executive Jess Search. “In this new world, charities, foundations, brands and companies with CSR agendas partner with passionate directors and
producers to forge new models for funding, distribution, outreach and participation.” “Engaging audiences with the power of a good story well-told is at the heart of Good Pitch,” says Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “It extends Sundance Institute’s core commitment to supporting storytellers who capture complex truth and address the most compelling issues of our time”. Robert West, Co-founder and Executive Director of Working Films: “This extraordinary event creates new strategies of collaboration between excellent documentary filmmakers and on-the-ground advocates and activists, and the funders who support both”. After the Apocalypse exposes the legacy of the largest, most secretive and most sustained nuclear experiment in history, and the thousands of Kazakh families living in the shadow of an unacknowledged atomic war... The project was developed through the EURODOC Programme 2006, was awarded the CBA/DFID Programme Development Fund 2006 and was selected to the Sheffield Doc/ Fest MeetMarket 2007. “Through originality, unique access and innovation, Clarity Productions aims to produce intelligent documentary that informs, inspires and engages a mainstream audience. After the Apocalypse is a challenging but hugely important story, beautifully and compassionately filmed, and encapsulates all the values at the heart of Clarity Productions”, says Producer and Company Director Sarah Tierney. “We have been producing this film over the last three years and are hugely excited at the opportunity presented by The Good Pitch UK to partner with such heavyweight organisations in a common goal to affect change for the communities featured in the film”.
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DEADLINE – Entries to BAFTA Scotland Awards (www.baftascotland.co.uk) EVENTS – Archive and Auteur, University of Stirling (tinyurl.com/on2xsb) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Screenplay 09, Shetland’s Arts and Film Festival (www.shetlandarts.org) EVENTS – Archive and Auteur, University of Stirling (tinyurl.com/on2xsb) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Screenplay 09, Shetland’s Arts and Film Festival (www.shetlandarts.org) TRAINING – Starting Out, Glasgow, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/lpjzoo) EVENTS – OMPT Mobile BarCamp, Edinburgh (38minutes.ning.com/events/omtp-mobile-barcamp) EVENTS – Archive and Auteur, University of Stirling (tinyurl.com/on2xsb) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Screenplay 09, Shetland’s Arts and Film Festival (www.shetlandarts.org) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Screenplay 09, Shetland’s Arts and Film Festival (www.shetlandarts.org) DEADLINE – Applications to Opportunities Fund for San Sebastian International Film Festival (tinyurl.com/pa7rud) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Screenplay 09, Shetland’s Arts and Film Festival (www.shetlandarts.org) TRAINING – FilmG Weekend Residential Workshop, Skye (www.filmg.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) EVENTS – Next Level, Dundee (nextleveldundee.com/) TRAINING – FilmG Weekend Residential Workshop, Skye (www.filmg.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) EVENTS – Next Level, Dundee (nextleveldundee.com/) DEADLINE – Entries to Sundance Film Festival (www.sundance.org/) TRAINING – Film Writing, Kiltrality, HIE (bit.ly/dhSGO) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) TRAINING – Market Day, Edinburgh, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/m9fmo7) EVENTS – Next Level, Dundee (nextleveldundee.com/) TRAINING – Film Writing, Kiltrality, HIE (bit.ly/dhSGO) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) TRAINING – Planning your Time and Projects, Glasgow, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/mqz6bg) TRAINING – Growing Audiences: Audience Development, Aberdeen (www.ganeaudiences.co.uk/gane-training.htm) EVENTS – Next Level, Dundee (nextleveldundee.com/) TRAINING – Film Writing, Kiltrality, HIE (bit.ly/dhSGO) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) EVENTS – Next Level, Dundee (nextleveldundee.com/) TRAINING – Film Writing, Kiltrality, HIE (bit.ly/dhSGO) FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) TRAINING – Film Writing, Kiltrality, HIE (bit.ly/dhSGO) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) TRAINING – Film Writing, Kiltrality, HIE (bit.ly/dhSGO) FUNDING – Vital Sparks Fund opens for applications (tinyurl.com/lsql3q) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) TRAINING – Starting Out, Dundee, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/nj4nak) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) TRAINING – CEO Advice Sessions, Dumfries and Galloway (www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk) TRAINING – Making Applications and Proposals, Glasgow, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/mmdjg7) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) EVENTS – CEO Advice Sessions, Dumfries and Galloway (www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk)
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FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) TRAINING – Making Applications and Proposals, Edinburgh, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/nf84kt) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) FESTIVALS – Strategic Partners (www.atlanticfilm.com/sp/) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) TRAINING – Screening Artists Moving Image, ICO, Berwick-upon-Tweed (www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (tiffg.ca/default.aspx) MARKETS – Toronto International Film Market (tiff.net/default.aspx) FESTIVALS – Strategic Partners (www.atlanticfilm.com/sp/) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – Strategic Partners (www.atlanticfilm.com/sp/) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) FESTIVALS – The Scottish Learning Festival, SECC Glasgow (www.ltscotland.org.uk/slf/) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) EVENTS – Scottish Parliament and Government: 1999-2009, Scottish Enterprise (bit.ly/LwUhB) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) FESTIVALS – The Scottish Learning Festival, SECC Glasgow (www.ltscotland.org.uk/slf/) TRAINING – Growing Audiences: Marketing Strategy, Aberdeen (www.ganeaudiences.co.uk/gane-training.htm) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) DEADLINE – Entries to Film Bang (www.filmbang.com) TRAINING – Growing Audiences: Marketing Strategy, Aberdeen (www.ganeaudiences.co.uk/gane-training.htm) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – San Sebastian International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) TRAINING – Making Applications and Proposals, Huntly, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/klztqh) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) FESTIVALS – Take One: Action! Edinburgh (www.takeoneaction.org.uk/2009_festival.html) FESTIVALS – Reykjavik International Film Festival (riff.is/EN/page/320/) DEADLINE – Applications to BBC Blast/BAFTA Screen Skills Bursary (www.bbc.co.uk/blast/screenskills/) DEADLINE – Entries to the Dublin International Film Festival (www.jdiff.com) DEADLINE – Entries to Caught Short Film Screening Event (www.screenacademyscotland.ac.uk)
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DEADLINE – Applications for EAVE Producers Workshop (www.mediadeskuk.eu) EVENTS – Arts and Business Scotland Awards, Edinburgh (bit.ly/hCeCQ) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Small Islands Film Festival, Islay (eileananbeaga.wordpress.com) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Mip JR, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPJUNIOR) FESTIVALS – Small Islands Film Festival, Islay (eileananbeaga.wordpress.com) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Mip JR, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPJUNIOR) FESTIVALS – Small Islands Film Festival, Islay (eileananbeaga.wordpress.com) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Mip Com, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPCOM) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) EVENTS – Digital Engagement, London (www.digitalengagementevent.com/) FESTIVALS – Mip Com, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPCOM) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) DEADLINE – Entries to Berlinale Talent Campus (www.berlinale-talentcampus.de) FESTIVALS – Mip Com, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPCOM) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) TRAINING – Making Applications and Proposals, Dundee, Cultural Enterprise Office (tinyurl.com/qkxfjj) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – British Film Festival, Dinard (www.festivaldufilm-dinard.com) FESTIVALS – Mip Com, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPCOM) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – British Film Festival, Dinard (www.festivaldufilm-dinard.com) FESTIVALS – Mip Com, Cannes (www.mipworld.com/en/MIPCOM) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – British Film Festival, Dinard (www.festivaldufilm-dinard.com) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Asian Film Market (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – British Film Festival, Dinard (www.festivaldufilm-dinard.com) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Asian Film Market (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Asian Film Market (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Asian Film Market (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Pusan International Film Festival (www.piff.org) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival (www.edinburghmountainff.com) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival (www.edinburghmountainff.com) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/)
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FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) DEADLINE – Entries to the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (www.bigskyfilmfest.org) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Document 7 Human Rights Film Festival (www.docfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com/) FESTIVALS – Document 7 Human Rights Film Festival (www.docfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Rome International Film Festival (www.romacinemafest.it) EVENTS – Thistle Awards, Visit Scotland (bit.ly/15L1Xp) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Document 7 Human Rights Film Festival (www.docfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Document 7 Human Rights Film Festival (www.docfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Document 7 Human Rights Film Festival (www.docfilmfest.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival (www.screenwritersfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival (www.screenwritersfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival (www.screenwritersfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London International Film Festival (www.bfi.org.uk/lff) FESTIVALS – Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival (www.screenwritersfestival.com) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) DEADLINE – Entries to Independent Days Film Festival, Germany (www.independentdays.de) DEADLINE – Entries to Channel 4 Comedy Lab (www.channel4.com/programmes/comedy-lab) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – AFCI Cineposium (www.afci.org/events/cineposium.htm) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/)
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FESTIVALS – Discovery International Film Festival for Children/Young People (www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Africa in Motion, Edinburgh (www.africa-in-motion.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – AFCI Cineposium (www.afci.org/events/cineposium.htm) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – AFCI Cineposium (www.afci.org/events/cineposium.htm) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – AFCI Cineposium (www.afci.org/events/cineposium.htm) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Sheffield Doc Fest (www.sheffdocfest.com) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Sheffield Doc Fest (www.sheffdocfest.com) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Diversions Experiments Music and Film Festival (www.diversionsfilmfestival.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Seville International Locations Expo (www.silesevilla.com/en/index.php) FESTIVALS – Sheffield Doc Fest (www.sheffdocfest.com) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Diversions Experiments Music and Film Festival (www.diversionsfilmfestival.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Seville International Locations Expo (www.silesevilla.com/en/index.php) FESTIVALS – Sheffield Doc Fest (www.sheffdocfest.com) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Diversions Experiments Music and Film Festival (www.diversionsfilmfestival.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2009/) FESTIVALS – Seville International Locations Expo (www.silesevilla.com/en/index.php) EVENTS – BAFTA Scotland Awards (bit.ly/O6cb6) FESTIVALS – Sheffield Doc Fest (www.sheffdocfest.com) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Diversions Experiments Music and Film Festival (www.diversionsfilmfestival.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – Seville International Locations Expo (www.silesevilla.com/en/index.php) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – Inverness Film Festival (www.invernessfilmfestival.com/) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – American Film Market (www.ifta-online.org/afm/home.asp) FESTIVALS – Inverness Film Festival (www.invernessfilmfestival.com/) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk)
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FESTIVALS – Inverness Film Festival (www.invernessfilmfestival.com/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – NEoN Digital Arts Festival, Dundee (northeastofnorth.ning.com/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – Inverness Film Festival (www.invernessfilmfestival.com/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – NEoN Digital Arts Festival, Dundee (northeastofnorth.ning.com/) EVENTS – ICO Screening Days, Sheffield (www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/screening_days.html) FESTIVALS – Inverness Film Festival (www.invernessfilmfestival.com/) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) EVENTS – ICO Screening Days, Sheffield (www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/screening_days.html) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) EVENTS – ICO Screening Days, Sheffield (www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/screening_days.html) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (www.encounters-festival.org.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (www.encounters-festival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – The Media Festival, Manchester (www.themediafestival.com/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (www.encounters-festival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – The Media Festival, Manchester (www.themediafestival.com/) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) FESTIVALS – London Children’s Film Festival (www.londonchildrenfilm.org.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (www.encounters-festival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – The Media Festival, Manchester (www.themediafestival.com/) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (www.encounters-festival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk)
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DEC EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – Encounters Short Film Festival, Bristol (www.encounters-festival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Sounds Arts and Music Festival, North East Scotland (www.sound-scotland.co.uk) EVENTS – EAVE, Cardiff (www.eave.org/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Dundee Mountain Film Festival (www.dundeemountainfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – Dundee Mountain Film Festival (www.dundeemountainfilm.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (www.idfa.nl/) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) DEADLINE – Applications fro Vital Spark Awards (tinyurl.com/lsql3q)
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DECEMBER FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk EVENTS – Technology, Innovation and Enterprise Conference, Edinburgh (technology.holyrood.com) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk) FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk FESTIVALS – French Film Festival, Edinburgh (www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk)
CALENDAR please Contact us If you wish to add your event email: info@scottishscreen.com 47
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