RAISING CASH INDUSTRY.
CHOOSING A GENRE… OR NOT Then, of course, you need to have an idea that sells. You need to do your research, but should you opt for a genre you love and risk the project not selling, or just climb on board the gravy train? “I’ve never made drama, but speaking to people that do, it’s oversaturated and can take years to get green-lit,” explains Danny Fenton, founder and CEO at reality specialist Zig Zag Productions. “Indie films are a lottery,” says Green. “None of mine made a profit, and without the unscripted work they wouldn’t have happened at all.” However, he believes that drama is the only genre he would focus on today. “I think the streamers have created a golden age for scripted drama,” he adds. “So a few years ago, I seed-funded Three Tables Productions, of which I’m chairman. I would never have got involved in this genre all those years ago, but now I’ve taken the plunge and have a brilliant, young and diverse team building another kind of production company. But you can’t get involved in this sort of scripted work without investment or debt. The time frame for unscripted is much more conducive to quick results.” Nourmand says that ‘the genre is not important’, but he would suggest companies took a global outlook rather than only being UK-centric. “There are opportunities beyond our shores for producers to tap into,” he says. For Green, genre is everything. “ Hollywood Women , the first prime-time reality show on British TV and the first unscripted entertainment show rooted in documentary reality, was based on my Hollywood contacts and feature film directing experience with Disney’s Fire Birds ,” he says. “It also included me
recently found myself quoting late TV producer Michael Hurll. Queen Victoria used to say that, in times of hardship, people need food on the table and a circus – and he said that television is the modern-day circus.” He goes on: “There is always risk attached to launching a new venture, and it may become more difficult to secure funding, but talented and well- networked producers will always shine through, regardless of any headwinds in the marketplace.” KEEP IT IN-HOUSE? One old, tried and tested method businesses have deployed is to streamline things by bringing them in-house. Does that mean production companies should invest in their own camera kit and post- production facilities? According to Nourmand, ‘this is a good way to increase margins’, but there are a couple of pitfalls to avoid. “In- house editing often leads to companies subsidising productions by charging too little for these services, and production teams tend to use in-house camera kits for longer and treat them less kindly than kit hired from an outside company,” he explains. “To avoid this, production managers should keep an eye out to make sure editor days and post-production facility usage match – and productions should be charged for repairs if camera kit is returned broken.”
“Try to hold your nerve and don’t knee-jerk every time there’s a setback, otherwise you may find yourself going in circles” investment. “We kept salaries and staffing levels to the absolute lowest required to establish a company with a minimum of three years of financial sustainability. Success was rewarded via bonus and dividend schemes, to prevent inflated interviewing Jane Seymour [now his significant other] on the set of Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman .” The money from that series and a growing slate of other factual and reality programmes allowed Green to develop his passion for movies, and he made three in total: the Oscar-nominated Solomon & Gaenor , multi-award-winning House of America , as well as Breathtaking , which he directed. David Tanner, executive producer at Turbine Studios, which develops, produces, delivers and sells high-end drama and feature films to the domestic and international market, explains how his company made the step up. “We started with four equal company directors, all with similar experience but distinct areas of expertise,” he says. “We’re supported by an office manager and executive assistant, and are in the process of growing the company through recruitment and in-house training. We’re able to do this through capital investment from BBC Studios.” Tanner explains how the company managed to stay afloat prior to the
NO DRAMA Danny Fenton thinks that scripted drama content is a competitive and risky market area
SAMMY NOURMAND PLAN 9 CONSULTANCY
71. FEBRUARY 2023
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