The reason so many filmmakers films fail is that they make films that no one wants. Sad but true. This is the reason I badger them to go to Cannes Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh, London Screenwriters Festival etc because there they will meet with a large number people who actually sell films. Too many filmmakers work in a bubble and do not engage with the market. They foolishly think that if they make it a good film it will work. Naïve to say the least. Here is a great example of someone doing it right. I chaired a talk at the London Screenwriters Festival with actor turned producer Simon Phillips and Paul Tanter. It is available online to those who attended. Simon has had much success delivering many films that have turned a significant profit for his investors many of whom continue to rollover their funds in further films he makes. As I have said before anyone can make a film however few can make them commercial viable. Simon chases the market as any businessman would do in any other sector. This is however rare amongst so many filmmakers. He stated that filmmakers must find out what is wanted and then deliver those films. He works very closely with the big supermarkets that had sold impressive numbers with most of his productions. He said zombie films are a no-no as the market is awash with them and they are not working anymore. This was a big surprise to me. Is this correct ? THE ZOMBIE DIARIES and COLIN were a huge success a few years ago. Then I recalled that Rod Smith said something similar on a panel I chaired at Elliot Grove’s Raindance Film Festival this year. Simon did not mention any other genres but went on to say that when he asked the distributors and retailers what sold best they informed him that football hooligan films were especially popular. Thus cutting his cloth accordingly he has produced two WHITE COLLAR HOOLIGAN films with a third one in pre-production. He is a young man of 32 and a totally self-taught filmmaker. While others went the short film route he went straight into feature films. Where others talk about what they are going to do, he just does it. When others struggle to recoup their budget, he produces returns quickly and has investors queuing up to work with him. He has made a staggering 17 films to date with 5 to be made in the next year. Impressive. When I first became a producer, even though I had raised money from the Prudential and Post Office Pension Fund the BBC my co-producers, for whom I had played leads in their own production, did not want me to act in the film as well as produce as they said I could not do both well. We cast an unknown actor called Kenneth Branagh in the part I was going to play. Simon not only produces he also plays leading parts. Very impressive indeed !
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 09:48:09 +0000
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