New to cinematography.com

[Mark Dunn]

That's no ordinary sad robot, that's Marvin the paranoid android. Look it up.

[Phil Rhodes]

Aw, don't tell them, Mark, you'll spoil the surprise.

 

The good advice that's come out of all this is that there are brits working in the USA and many of them do very well. There is a much greater opportunity in the mid-range for those of us who are clearly never going to be shooting high end commercials, features or big series. If you have the slightest opportunity to get over there - which would imply a long and impressive production history, a lot of friends who will write you embarrassingly effusive praise, and a lot of money - then do that, by all means. Of course, getting oneself into that position in a place with effectively no working film industry is next to impossible but if you're already successful it might not be completely impossible. Or, better yet, if you happen to have an American aunt.

 

But in the UK, the point remains. You have next to no chance, and nobody can directly contest that point. Again, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but please don't shoot the messenger.

 

P

[Keith Walters]

As luck would have it, I just got accepted into Astronaunt School of Scunthorpe

Wow! Now there's an idea for a short film. I mean, what's wrong with that as a title: I just got accepted into Astronaut School of Scunthorpe"?!

You could maybe go over to Switzerland and shoot a whole pile of disconnected snowboarding stuff. (Maybe see if you can get Stephen Williams to help you). Then you hire a whole lot of people from a sheltered workshop and get them to read off a "Vox Pop" type script made up entirely of quotations from Phil Rhodes, Richard Boddington, and a couple of other characters from this forum you'll have to look up: Emanuel, Jan von Krogh, and Tom Lowe. (Use Google search directly, it's a lot faster than the forum search).

The great thing is, once you stitch all that together, with a title like: "I just got accepted into Astronaut School of Scunthorpe" you can show it at the Paris Film Festival, or Sundance and nobody will ever know the difference!!!

If they don't want to show your film, get creative; bring your own 50" LCD TV and run it off the USB socket. The TVs weigh bugger-all these days, and nobody is going to suspect somebody carrying a 50" TV into one of those places!

Waidaminnit! Snowboarding?!

Isn't what that dude on Reduser used to do. What's his name? Jim Jannard's right-hand man?? (Snap, snap...)

Jarred! That's it Jarred Land!

Oh wow! If you can get it shot on Red, then success is guaranteed!!

[Guest]

Richie, I truly do consider you a genius.

 

I am zero compared to Peter Jackson who single handily created a massive feature film business in New Zealand! I lived in NZ from 87-89, and there was no film industry to speak of of any kind. Then out of no where comes Peter Jackson, who starts by making ultra low budget "splatter movies." Still not sure how he got from there to LOTR? Anyhow, you can't really call it a fluke since he also shot King Kong there and James Cameron made Avatar there, the world's highest grossing feature film.

 

Now NZ only has 4 million people! So when we talk about the UK, "being a small market" good grief, it's massive compared to NZ!!

 

And yet Peter Jackson has thrived there. I still don't think he has a home in LA?

 

BTW James I leave on June 4th for South Africa to scout locations for feature film number 4. ;)

 

R,

[Phil Rhodes]

a massive feature film business in New Zealand

 

He has? I thought he just shot some movies there.

 

The really depressing thing about New Zealand is the amount of times it's basically standing in for a rather bucolic, memory-lane version of England. It was certainly doing that for Lord of the Rings.

 

Presumably this is done because England these days is mainly a plain of unbroken concrete smeared with a thick layer of excrement and discarded chewing gum.

[Guest]

If he had not laid the groundwork would James Cameron have brought Avatar there?

 

Isn't Star Wars shooting in the UK, again. Don't make me list off all the big budget movies that have shot in the UK. They must be employing at least one or two English crew members, they can't bring in 500 people from LA.

 

I think you are describing London? Whenever I visit my hometown of Bridlington, the surrounding area is still some of the most beautiful countryside one will see in the world. I always find London to be quite clean when I am there. You want to see a dirty city? Take a look at Toronto, yuck.

 

R,

[Richard Prendergast]

 

He has? I thought he just shot some movies there.

 

The really depressing thing about New Zealand is the amount of times it's basically standing in for a rather bucolic, memory-lane version of England. It was certainly doing that for Lord of the Rings.

 

Presumably this is done because England these days is mainly a plain of unbroken concrete smeared with a thick layer of excrement and discarded chewing gum.

 

Phil, you live in East Anglia. It's beautiful here. Seriously man, what the hell are you banging on about? I scincerely hope that I'm never as depressing as you. Given the fact that you've just compared England to excriment, which I know to not be true, I'll assume that your others views are distorted and untrue. You need to get down to Corwall or up to the Lake District and open your eyes. We have the most beutiful countryside availible... and that's coming from a guy who has lived in the Alps for 10 years.

[Phil Rhodes]

Bridlington? Near somewhere that's actually called Sewerby?

 

In all seriousness there is nothing in the UK that isn't done better elsewhere - the pastoral countryside for which we're unfathomably famous is not the best example of its type in the world. Not much here is.

 

Oh, and edit - I've been to Cornwall. It's pretty enough. But it's not exactly New England, is it? And if you put Snowdon on the Appalachian trail, it'd just barely squeak into the top ten hikable peaks.

 

 

they can't bring in 500 people from LA.

 

Well, they could, and to some extent probably will. But even if they don't, it's terrifically unlikely that people like me or - and I hope he'll forgive me - our original poster will be in the running to get behind a camera.

 

P

 

PS - And did those feeeeeeet, in ancient tiiiiime, walk upon England's mountains greeeen? Er, no.

[Richard Prendergast]

Well, they could, and to some extent probably will. But even if they don't, it's terrifically unlikely that people like me or - and I hope he'll forgive me - our original poster will be in the running to get behind a camera.

 

You're going to great lengths to project your failings onto others. I do wonder why that is. If you put in the hard work, you can do whatever you want. Maybe you just didn't put in the hours. Or maybe it wasn't your bag. I don't know but sitting on chat forums complaining isn't going to generate anything positive. I'll send you an update when I inevitably prove you wrong.

 

PS. Over the past ten years I've seen sunsets from the top of the world on nearly every continent and I have to say that filming in Cairngorm 2 weeks ago was a real eye opener. Absolutely stunning!

[Richard Prendergast]

Wow! Now there's an idea for a short film. I mean, what's wrong with that as a title: I just got accepted into Astronaut School of Scunthorpe"?!

You could maybe go over to Switzerland and shoot a whole pile of disconnected snowboarding stuff. (Maybe see if you can get Stephen Williams to help you). Then you hire a whole lot of people from a sheltered workshop and get them to read off a "Vox Pop" type script made up entirely of quotations from Phil Rhodes, Richard Boddington, and a couple of other characters from this forum you'll have to look up: Emanuel, Jan von Krogh, and Tom Lowe. (Use Google search directly, it's a lot faster than the forum search).

The great thing is, once you stitch all that together, with a title like: "I just got accepted into Astronaut School of Scunthorpe" you can show it at the Paris Film Festival, or Sundance and nobody will ever know the difference!!!

If they don't want to show your film, get creative; bring your own 50" LCD TV and run it off the USB socket. The TVs weigh bugger-all these days, and nobody is going to suspect somebody carrying a 50" TV into one of those places!

Waidaminnit! Snowboarding?!

Isn't what that dude on Reduser used to do. What's his name? Jim Jannard's right-hand man?? (Snap, snap...)

Jarred! That's it Jarred Land!

Oh wow! If you can get it shot on Red, then success is guaranteed!!

 

Haha, I'm getting straight on it first thing tomorrow morning. I'll message Mr Land, I'm sure he'll give me a few of those Red's. Because if it wasn't shot in 6k, it's not worth watching :)

[Guest]

Bridlington? Near somewhere that's actually called Sewerby?

 

I've been to Sewerby several times, beautiful place. The countryside around Bridlington is magnificent. As it is in other parts of the UK.

 

R,

[Phil Rhodes]

Maybe, but nobody's ever going to go to a place called Sewerby, are they?

 

Anyway, as I say, I might just be an idiot, but I still don't think the numbers look particularly good. Go to the local gigaplex. Look how many movies there were shot by Brits. Especially in the UK.

 

(It'll be none. Week after week, month after month, none.)

 

If you can leave, leave, if you can't, you're probably as screwed as the rest of us. And if your life to date involves that many intercontinental sunsets, if you believe nothing else I say, please, whatever you do, do not put yourself in the position of sitting in someone's back room with your expensive and desirable FS700 outfit, trying to make it look nice for no money. You will not like it.

 

P

 

PS - Couldn't resist it. First image search match.

 

[Guest]

Go to the local gigaplex. Look how many movies there were shot by Brits. Especially in the UK.

 

 

Phil, you're talking to the guy who lives in a country where the national theatre chain content looks like this:

 

Canada: 1%

USA: 99%

 

And those are not the exaggerated numbers, those are the real numbers. Here's the Cineplex offerings near me right now:

 

http://www.cineplex.com/

 

R,

[Phil Rhodes]

So?

[Guest]

So, it's impossible for anyone in the English speaking countries to compete with the Hollywood machine. The only protection the local film industries have in the non-English territories is the natural language barrier. The rest of us, well.....no chance our work will be seen in cinemas, that's just the way it goes. So..it's not just a problem for filmmakers in the UK.

 

All we can do is work on lower priced DVD and TV projects, or get a job making the US product. Which a huge number of British and Canadian DOP & directors have succeeded in doing. Gareth is moving onto a Star Wars movie now, FYI.

 

R,

[Keith Walters]

 

Haha, I'm getting straight on it first thing tomorrow morning. I'll message Mr Land, I'm sure he'll give me a few of those Red's. Because if it wasn't shot in 6k, it's not worth watching :)

At last! Somebody's talking sense on this forum! :D

[Phil Rhodes]

 

 

it's impossible

 

Well, yes. That's sort of what I've been saying.

 

P

[Keith Walters]

 

He has? I thought he just shot some movies there..

Weta Digital actually do an enormous amount of CGI for US production companies.

 

The really depressing thing about New Zealand is the amount of times it's basically standing in for a rather bucolic, memory-lane version of England. It was certainly doing that for Lord of the Rings.

 

Oh come on, the UK hasn't got all those snow-swept mountain peaks. Actually the first time I visited the South Island, I remember thinking that if they ever made a Lord of the Rings movie, (well, a proper one) this would be the place to do it. And about 20 rears later, lo and behold, they did just that!

 

Presumably this is done because England these days is mainly a plain of unbroken concrete smeared with a thick layer of excrement and discarded chewing gum

 

Doesn't look like that on Google Earth, I have to say....

In fact, most of it looks as green and pleasant as it's meant to be.

 

Actually the worst thing I remember about New Zealand was all the acerbic whinging Poms who had settled there.

Well it's running neck and neck with all the Scots-descended hillbillies who had accumulated in the southern parts of the South Island, who are so tight-arsed even real Scots were moved to complain about them...

[Justin Hayward]

Since you were cutting words with "it's impossible"...

 

 

I'm an idiot,

 

P

Okay, I added an apostrophe ;)

 

Just because you aren't paid what you think is enough to do what you do, doesn't mean you can't shoot for fun. Do you ever shoot projects for the luv of the craft? You can do it on your cell phone these days.

 

Maybe you would be more satisfied finding a regular 9 to 5 job and shooting little projects on the side.... for the fun of it.

[Guest]

Do you ever shoot projects for the luv of the craft? You can do it on your cell phone these days.

 

 

*gasp* are you crazy?!?!?! :)

 

R,

[Justin Hayward]

Seriously Phil,

 

At what age did you decide you wanted to make films for the love of the craft? And, at what age did that passion disappear into only caring how filmmaking would unsuccessfully benefit you financially?

 

Do you want to be a filmmaker or an unsuccessful businessman?

[James Steven Beverly]

I am zero compared to Peter Jackson who single handily created a massive feature film business in New Zealand! I lived in NZ from 87-89, and there was no film industry to speak of of any kind. Then out of no where comes Peter Jackson, who starts by making ultra low budget "splatter movies." Still not sure how he got from there to LOTR? Anyhow, you can't really call it a fluke since he also shot King Kong there and James Cameron made Avatar there, the world's highest grossing feature film.

 

Now NZ only has 4 million people! So when we talk about the UK, "being a small market" good grief, it's massive compared to NZ!!

 

And yet Peter Jackson has thrived there. I still don't think he has a home in LA?

 

BTW James I leave on June 4th for South Africa to scout locations for feature film number 4. ;)

 

R,

Richie, you rock,dude. Hey, Peter Jackson is no slouch. LOTR kick ass six ways from Sunday. Hr got it because HE was the next on the the DGA list which I find SO ironic, I have to take a moment. He knocked the trilogy oit of tne park. I'll find out if my first feature comes to pass in a day or so. I'm chomping at the bit toget into production. We'll see what happens.

[Matthew W. Phillips]

I'll find out if my first feature comes to pass in a day or so. I'm chomping at the bit toget into production. We'll see what happens.

Good luck.

[James Steven Beverly]

Good luck.

Hey, thanks. Keep your fingers crossed. I do have a commitment for a lower budget production in mid-summer should all else fail but IF I can secure a fairly decent budget, it can only help the production value, BUT, whatever we have to work with, we'll make it work. A star or two, wouldn't hurt the box office though. :D

[James Steven Beverly]

He has? I thought he just shot some movies there.

 

The really depressing thing about New Zealand is the amount of times it's basically standing in for a rather bucolic, memory-lane version of England. It was certainly doing that for Lord of the Rings.

 

Presumably this is done because England these days is mainly a plain of unbroken concrete smeared with a thick layer of excrement and discarded chewing gum.

Oh, Good god, just slice your wrists already. Phil, don't you GET IT? The world has gone GLOBAL! You can secure distribution on YOUTUBE for Christ's sakes. You can shoot a film ANYWHERE in the world and if it has enough appeal, THE ENTIRE WORLD will embeace it. England doesn't get 200 million dollar FX driven tentpole features, WELL except for "Bond" movies, WHO GICES A 5HIT! I watch a LOT of British films because there NOT FX driven, 200 million dollar tentpoles. They're VERY COOL small films that are mainly character driven, VERY WELL DONE reality based fil, an I'm not talking THE KING'S SPEECH, I'm talking little, tiny movies that we're necessarily blockbusters, just really cool movies. Maybe YOU are the reason you're not getting work. That kind of attitude gets a

Bridlington? Near somewhere that's actually called Sewerby?

 

In all seriousness there is nothing in the UK that isn't done better elsewhere - the pastoral countryside for which we're unfathomably famous is not the best example of its type in the world. Not much here is.

 

Oh, and edit - I've been to Cornwall. It's pretty enough. But it's not exactly New England, is it? And if you put Snowdon on the Appalachian trail, it'd just barely squeak into the top ten hikable peaks.

 

 

 

 

Well, they could, and to some extent probably will. But even if they don't, it's terrifically unlikely that people like me or - and I hope he'll forgive me - our original poster will be in the running to get behind a camera.

 

P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS - And did those feeeeeeet, in ancient tiiiiime, walk upon England's mountains greeeen? Er, no.

 

 

Oh GOOD GOD, take out a straig

 

 

ht razor and slice your wrists already! Just in case noone has told you, distribution HAS GONE GLOBAL! You can get distribution on freakin' YOUTUBE for Christ's sake. Tnere are opportinities throughout Europe, Asia, India and every freakin' ELSE on earth. There's probably some Amazonian tribesman closing a deal on a feature about a gay, missunderstood headhunter who just wants to play the violin with Paramount as we speak! I watch a LOT of British films that are NOT 200 million dollar, FX driven blockbusters tentpoles, but are character driven, reality based, TINY, LITTLE, VERY COOL movies thzt I thoroughly enjoy watching because they give me an alternative to mega-films when I feel like something different, and STILL you complain about "Bond" movies being the only "real" movies being made in the UK. Maybe the reason you're having trouble findimg profuction work is you. That kind of negative attitude would NOT be acceptable on an American set and I sincerely doubt it woukd fly on a British set as well.