I LOVE our economic situation!!!!!

For Filmmakers there is some hope in the economic turmoil that we are experiencing. Yesterday the UK announced a drop in Gross domestic product of 0.5 percent from the second quarter, the first contraction in 16 years. Why is this a good thing? Well in many  ways is it not. However, if you a British and have a film to sell internationally, you’ll have a big smile.My first movie, Fakers, cost a total, all in, of just under a million pounds. After the Sale and Lease back of the movie, which accounted for 20% of my budget, and the investors utilizing a tax deferment credit called the Enterprise Investment Scheme which yielded them around 40% of their original investment; this leaves a break even point for the film of around £480,000. But what does that have to do with GDP????

All films are sold in dollars! Yep, that is right. So for the past few years in order to break even I’ve had to recoup $960,000 on sales. But with the announcement that the UK will be the first to officially hit a recession, the exchange rate has shifted dramatically. So now I only have to sell the film for $748,800. And our expected sales doesn’t change. I’m currently waiting on around $150,000 of income on the movie and I am very very pleased I wasn’t paid it two months ago.

So, if you’ve got a film and (at least this week) you are British, the down turn is great! But what about other filmmakers? I believe you are in luck too! What do people do when they can’t afford expensive sports tickets, holidays, nice meals out? They go to the movies! So, hopefully we’ll be seeing an increase in global ticket sales. England is one of the only countries that has seen an increase in movie theatre attendance in recent years. Every other territory outside of the Asian markets are falling - so this could be a real boost for filmmakers. We just have to hope that the studios, who are now owned by huge conglomerates who are really struggling, will not hold the studios back from meeting the demand.

Always look for the silver lining.

Do I need to live in Los Angeles?

I have just come back from five weeks living in Michigan. Clean air, cheap cheap property (a four bedroom home fifty meters from the lake front was $300,000), fresh fish with low mercury content and wonderful wonderful small villages where people don’t honk their horns, drive at a good pace, and nearly always smile and wave as they see you walking. So do you really need to live in Los Angeles?

After my first trip to La La Land in 2003 and finding representation with CAA I commuted back and forth between London and LA on a fairly regularly basis. When ever my agent felt it would be good for me to go pitch in a room I would jump on the plane and fly over for a week. Often that week would then stretch to three. It was expensive, but thanks to friends and friends of friends I had places to stay and lots of things to do in the little downtime I had. I love LA but I also love London and had never seen myself living full time over here. That was until I met my wife, whose job meant she could only be based here. So I made the move. Two children later and my wife now directing documentaries which means she doesn’t need to be based in LA I find myself asking the question, ‘Do I (we) need to live in Los Angeles?’

So I’ve experienced both sides of the ‘Do I need to Live in Los Angeles’ question. The main problem with living in London is that there just aren’t that many movies made. I’ll go into that whole UK situation in another blog. But needless to say my own personal thinking is that the UK has an amazing talent and infrastructure, it just needs to work out what voices make it unique and create a viable distribution outlet so that it isn’t relying on US companies or competing with US product. If I had stayed in England and never made it out to the US I would probably be making TV right now.

So for me coming out to Hollywood was a must. But I never thought I would live here and, to be honest, I think, more often than not, that its better (career wise) that I don’t. And here is why:

1.) As I was only here for a week it created a ‘we’ve got to see him’ mentality. When you restrict someone’s access to something they feel they need it more.

2.) I was different. A real British director. Therefore I think there was an element where executives felt I could be discovered!

3.) When I lived in London and flew to LA for a week I’d be seen as a person you can not reschedule.

But I do live in Los Angeles. Right slap bang in the middle. Three blocks east and two blocks south of Beverly Hills. Don’t get me wrong the past three years living here I have achieved things that I would never have been able to back in the UK and I would 100% suggest that, if possible, other directors come out here to live. But why then would I suggest they come out here:

1.)    Rather than just meeting the executives you meet and begin to socialize with the assistants and junior creative execs. People who will be making the decisions in the future. People you can grow with.

2.)    There is so so so much work out here. Admittedly, you can spend a lot of time, as I have, in the development process (or development hell) but you get to learn a lot about developing all types of projects. A skill that only a hand full of people in the UK have.

3.)    You get to spend time with other writers, directors, actors. People whom you can bounce ideas off of and, again, grow with. It’s like being back at film school again where you all have a common goal… But this time it is a city!

4.)    It can make you more valuable back in the UK. You know and have contacts with most companies developing, funding, distributing movies in the US. (Although one British agent once said I shouldn’t be in LA just sitting by a pool waiting for my career to happen - hummmmmmm, a nice insight into some of the established old school in Britain.)

5.)    And, if you are really really really lucky you can find yourself and AMAZING life partner as I have.

So, has my time living in Los Angeles come to an end???? Hang on… that’s the phone… Disney want me to write a movie for them… What, I’ve got to be in Los Angeles for the next four to six months… Right then… I guess I’m going to put off thinking about any move until March. I’ll keep you posted with how the script is going.

As always feel free to post comments, suggestions or questions…

P.S. - Sorry for the lack of blogging over the last 5 weeks. Whilst the house we stayed in in Michigan was amazing the internet connection was not. After loosing two blogs I thought I’d hold off until I got back to LA!