With funding in the British film industry becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, especially in the last few years, film makers are having to come up with new ways to fund their projects.
Crowd funding is a recent popular option for small productions to raise their budget by selling titles such as 'executive producer' for X amount of money and in return you can spot your name in the film credits and tell all your friends and family that you have a new fancy career in the film business. But selling productions credits can only ever raise a certain amount of money and could take some time to gain enough to fund an epic British sci-fi feature film for instance. It's time to think outside the box when it comes to fund-raising and that is exactly what one British film maker has done.
Simon Cox has worked for over 20 years in the tv and film industry and has edited and directed programmes for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 as well as writing and directed his own feature film Written In Blood in 1999. Now Simon is planning his next project Kaleidoscope Man, an epic science fiction feature film and he has come up with a novel idea on how to raise funds for the project. Simon has filmed, Discover Shakespeare's Stratford Upon Avon, an 80 minute documentary taking a look into the home town of William Shakespeare and uncovering the story behind the legacy. The DVD is being sold in many tourist outlets in Stratford Upon Avon as well as in local gift shops, hotels and online. The profits made from his documentary will go towards funding his new feature film.
Here Simon talks about his sci-fi project, filming the documentary and the difficulties facing the British film industry today.
When did you first realise that you wanted to be a film maker?
I have always been interested in films and film making but it was seeing Star Wars back in 1978 that I knew I HAD to be a film maker.
How did you get into the industry?
I started as a runner at a British Children's animation company called FilmFair. I ran for about 6 months then became an Assistant Film Editor and then went onto to edit around 300 children's programmes. This gave me a real grounding into how films are put together which has (and still) proves extremely useful.
How was the experience of directing your own feature film Written In Blood and what were the challenges you faced?
To be honest it was a bit of a nightmare. Initially the money was a problem as we had cash flowed it to arrive on certain dates which the distribution company who were funding it couldn't keep up with. So cast and crew not being paid when we had initially promised them wasn't a great place to start. For me the pressure of delivering a $200K movie was quite intense and really really scary. But it paid off in the end as the film has sold all over the world.
How hard is it for film makers to gain funding in the UK and do you think there is anyway it could be improved?
For me it has been very hard. I have had lot of promises, but rarely has the money appeared as promised. I believe this has partly been due to the economic environment of the last few years, and our previous government cut some important tax incentives which had a very negative impact on the industry. However, it does look like things may be changing over here on that front, so fingers crossed. Also, the difference between the UK industry and the American industry is that in the UK it is hard to find the right people to talk "film business" with, whereas in Hollywood, the film business IS the main industry there.
For your feature Kaleidoscope Man, did you try any other avenues to gain funding?
Yes, I have tried many. Private investors and media funds seemed the best bet. I have got close a few times but it has now fallen apart twice. Depending on how my latest funding idea goes, I will take the film around to some UK distributors to see if there's any interest.
How did you come up with the idea of making a documentary about Shakespeare's home town, were you a fan?
I live near Stratford upon Avon and made a film about my local area which was very successful. I felt that I just had to make one about Shakespeare as I knew I would be given access to his houses. I am also a bit of a fan, so it made sense. When I sold the DVD at the summer fair in Stratford I was amazed at the amount of American tourists who bought copies. They just couldn't get enough of it, so it gave me the idea of really pushing the DVD in the USA.
Were you surprised by any of the stories you found out about Shakespeare?
I was surprised at just how hard times must have been in his day. Plague was rife and as Shakespeare was being born, one sixth of Stratford's population was wiped out with it. The bodies were piled high in the streets apparently. Hard to imagine how bad it must have been.
What do you think of the backlash caused by Roland Emmerich's new film Anonymous, do you think people should be annoyed at the suggestion Shakespeare was a fraud or do you think it's being taken to seriously?
The real Shakespeare scholars believe it is nonsense. I was told by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust that this conspiracy theory has only been around for the last hundred years and that the other suspected writers of his works were all good writers but very different to Shakespeare. Personally, I think that it is good that people are still talking about Shakespeare and any debate is good. I haven't seen the film yet, but will catch it as soon as it comes round.
How is the fund-raising coming along? Do you think you will reach your goal?
I have been very impressed by the amount of sales coming in from the US press release I sent out. Not the thousands of sales I was hoping for yet, but the money is trickling in and seems to be on the increase. I will raise as much as I possibly can and then use this to attract other money.
There aren't a lot of British sci-fi's, what are your aims with Kaleidoscope Man?
I want it to be one of the greatest British movies of all time. My hope is to get it in cinemas across the world. It will not be a typically gritty and dark British film but ultimately hugely optimistic with themes that are universal. I believe people will love it.
What do you think of the British film industry in general and the films being made at the moment?
The films we are producing are fantastic, but the industry is going through very hard times. We are losing a lot of British talent as there is no re-investment and not a lot of films are being made. I believe the industry needs to focus on creating sustainability and looking after its creative talent.
Which directors do you admire?
George Lucas, Steven Speilberg, Ridley Scott and loads of others.
What advice would you give to other film makers looking for funding?
The internet has opened up some huge possibilities, but don't get too hooked up on Facebook and things like that. Work out how much you need to make your film and then ask for it. Ask everyone and anyone. You'll be amazed at how the money will flow in if you adopt this approach. Be creative, innovative and persistent and never never NEVER give up!!
To find out more about Simon, Kaleidoscope Man and to buy Discover Shakespeare's Stratford Upon Avon visit
www.scifishakespeare.com
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Last modified at 03/01/2012 20:50 by Siobhan Callas
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