I am currently setting up a production company with another filmmaker I met through Napier’s film course; Harris Palmer. Production company might be a bit of a misnomer, because it’s more than that. It’s a collective of filmmakers under one banner. It’s a support network for independent, director-led film production. It would have a shared attitude; a manifesto almost. It would put the filmmaker’s creative vision first. It would very much have an attitude, not of “We can’t do that on our budget”, but rather “How can we do that on our budget?” We may not be dealing with huge budgets, but we would make the films we want to make the way we want to make them.
It’s also a great way of pooling resources. For example, if one associated filmmaker has a microphone, then everyone has a microphone. Similarly, it would be a great way of expanding my network of connections. But ultimately, it’s also a way of holding myself accountable. Once I no longer have to make my own films because the university is telling me I have to, it would be very easy to fade away and stop making my films altogether; because after all that is the easier option. The production company would hold me accountable. It would be the responsibility of every director involved to make sure everyone is always working on something new and it would be their responsibility to support them as they do it.
Harris and I both grew up wanting to make it in Hollywood, however as we’ve grown up we’ve realised that Hollywood isn’t what it seems. The promised land that is Hollywood has either lost its way or it never existed to begin with. We have been very inspired by the attitude and approach of people like Cahiers du Cinema, but also perhaps less obviously from people in the music industry, including record labels like Good Vibrations and Factory Records. In the same way these were created by people who were disillusioned with the state of the music industry, we feel frustrated by the state of the film industry’s tendency to focus more on making mass-produced, easy to sell films. Much like Good Vibrations, we would be punk, not in sound, but in vision and in attitude.
It’s early days yet in the development of this production company; we don’t even have a name yet. However, I think it’s an incredible opportunity. It’s important to me that the company stands for something, instead of being about soullessly scratching for money. It would be a badge of honour; a mark of integrity. I’d love to build an audience for the films of the company itself. Make it less of a film studio and moreso something the audience can feel part of; they could feel like they are equally responsible for it like a community project. We could set up our own underground screenings of our films and make a trip to see a film exciting for people again. Harris and I have discussed writing articles about film or making a podcast on the side and releasing it through the company. Perhaps we could also expand to further creative avenues beyond just limiting ourselves to film. If we come across a creative who falls in line with our outlook and manifesto, we could invite them to join us and become an associated creator.
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