London - Recans and/or Shortends???

Evan Winter · March 27, 2007

Just wondering if anyone knew the names/numbers of companies specializing in recans and shortends in London, England. I'm over here shooting a video and I'm hoping to top-up our footage count by a can or two.... Phil R. any suggestions? :)

Thank you everyone and thanks Phil!

Evan

Jon Kukla · March 27, 2007

Your best bet is probably just to contact some of the more prominent production companies and ask them if they'd be willing to sell any of their short ends. Mind you, it isn't as "guaranteed" as a company specializing in this, but if you approach prod co's which mainly work in promos and commercials, there's a very good bet that there is nearly-fresh stock lying around from last week's shoot or that sorta thing.

AFAIK, however, there are no shortend/recan companies as such.

Phil Rhodes · March 27, 2007

Hi,

> Do these mysterious elements of film exist on the great isle?

No.

I kept asking and asking and asking when FSC had an outlet on Wardour Street, and for five straight years all they had on the shelf was the same four recans of 64ASA.

It ain't that great. I still question what on earth you're doing here with the option to work in LA!

Phil

PS Sorry about the jib debacle on Tolu...

Brian Drysdale · March 28, 2007

I was shooting a 35mm short in Dublin and the producer rang around the commercials production companies for short ends while we were still shooting. They seem to hold onto the short ends rather selling them.

Jon Kukla · March 28, 2007

Your next best bet, then, is to get some good intel about features which are imminently wrapping or about to wrap, and ask them if they'd be interested in selling their short ends. In fact, I've sometimes even been able to wrangle some free stock this way, depending on the production and what I plan to use it for.

Evan Winter · March 31, 2007

Thanks everyone for all the help!

We just ended up going w/ stock straight from Kodak. I must admit that it's surprising to me that there are no such companies in the UK (recan and shortend sellers). Seems like that might be a business someone could make some cash in over here.

Hi Phil! Thanks for the reply. I actually enjoy shooting over here. The crews are cool and hard-working (Anna Carrington is a gem and a fantastic focus-puller!). I've now shot 4 videos over here and it looks like I may end up doing a few more here as well.

I can understand some of your frustration about working in film in the UK. The prices are insane. They are literally double what they would cost in North America. From filter rentals to processing it's just plain out and out more expensive. The prices alone are near enough to stifle an industry.

Other than that though, I find locations, crews, and pretty much everything else to be just as good if not better than what I encounter in North America.

My .02... :)

Evan

Phil Rhodes · March 31, 2007

> Seems like that might be a business someone could make some cash in over here.

Well maybe, but that's not why shortends aren't widely sold. The reason they're not sold is that they don't exist - so little film is turned here (because it is so preposterously expensive) that almost no short ends are produced.

The other thing that screws you is the nature of the industry. There is effectively no feature or series production in the UK, so the tiny amount that is done is shot by commercials and music videos - which are invariably run by a big agency which can use its own spare film on the next shoot.

Which is why I pursue HD. Of course Kodak have the ability to solve the price issue at a stroke, given that it's manufactured in the US and sterling is so high against the dollar, even if you overlook the high price of it to begin with. Rip-Off Britain would still exist, but it would help enormously.

Phil