Get Your Film Funded: UK film finance guide 2004, Caroline Hancock and Nic Wistreich, Shooting People Press (distributed by Wallflower Press) 2004 £17.99 244pp ISBN 0954487400

Perhaps the most difficult topic to teach in film and media studies is anything about the British Film Industry -- possibly because it doesn’t exist as an easily identifiable institution. Everyone is aware of the handful of ‘Hollywood British’ films that receive plenty of press and television attention, but much less is heard about the small production companies that try to sustain a more distinctive British film production environment.

A first glance down the publisher’s blurb for this book suggests a rather dry read about funds, ‘schemes’, tax breaks etc. This is far from the case. The book is a genuine ‘guide’ with facts and figures, short explanations of industry practices and organisations and adverts for various agencies, all clustering around a large number of lively interviews with filmmakers and cultural agency workers.

The sections of the guide offer ‘Getting Started’ (on production), Film Finance, The UK Film Council, Details on all the film agencies in the ‘nations and regions’ of the UK, International Perspectives and Support and Advice.

The authors are themselves ‘operators’ in the independent film sector, with a production company (Shooting People Productions) and a history that includes the ‘Netribution’ film website – now sadly closed down. They also have ‘other jobs’ to tide them over between productions. Nic Wistreich describes himself as a ‘VJ’.

The basic premise for the book is that there are two predominant modes of film production in the UK: the mainstream productions which typically cost £3 million but generally fail to recoup the budget on a cinema release and the ‘no budget’ films, which are often well made, but because they lack distributor support are rarely seen in cinemas. This is a broadly accepted view. The UK is perhaps the most expensive country in the world in which to make a film using traditional methods. It is cheaper than Hollywood for blockbusters, but not for relatively low budget films. The authors of this book think that the mainstream and no-budget filmmakers could both learn from each other and that in doing so, they may help to create a more effective industry.

Any student dipping into this guide will come across ‘really useful knowledge’ about the industry and some very good advice and clear analysis from a wide range of informed and often witty and entertaining insiders. Budding filmmakers will have only themselves to blame if they don’t take on board what they read.

I’d say this is a must buy for the school/college library and for the teacher’s media cupboard.

Roy Stafford

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