ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXThere is a world outside London :-)
11 years, 1 month ago - Marlom Tander
Us people who live outside London always find it amusing the way that Londoners (in general, not just film types) seem to think that :-
1) Beyond the M25, "here be dragons".
2) Everyone outside London lives for any excuse to visit London, and London meetings are what we dream of, day in, day out. (We don't. Your air smells horrible).
OK, so this is a bit of a fun rant, but guys, if you are in London and can't find the locations you need, try looking outside London.
If your current logistics are "everyone takes the tube" then yes, it will add costs and maybe doesn't work, but if you are already shifting people and kit around in a minibus, then really, while there is a travel time hit, and you def wouldn't want to do it every day, look a bit further. For that key 1-2 day location it might be worth it.
So, next time you want a location that MUST BE LONDON, ask yourself, does it really, or should that read "London preferred, but SE, M3, M4, M40 corridor OK"
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11 years, 1 month ago - Daniel Cormack
I'll probably get a load of rotten vegetables thrown at me for saying this, but one of the worst offenders is the nationwide body responsible for training and skills: Skillset.
Some years back, their own industry survey showed that black and minority ethnic workers were actually over-represented by a small degree in the UK film industry, which you might logically assume would prompt various schemes to address the new landscape of 'under-representation'. They didn't tackle this point directly, but they did present an indirect justification in continued use of schemes to address 'under-representation'.
They said that as the film industry was overwhelmingly London-centred, therefore the aim should be that the stats should reflect that and mirror not the ethnic diversity of the entire UK, but the ethnic diversity of London.
So there you have it, it's official. London is a synecdoche for the entire UK, when it comes to the film industry. Those of you outside the M25 need to get with the programme.
11 years, 1 month ago - Philip Carr
Hey, just about to film a short in Kent, only about 90 minutes from London :)
11 years, 1 month ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
I agree! Having shot both in London and outside, I really prefer 'not London'! It's just about impossible to get cheap locations in London, it's dramatically easier outside. It's also possible to get accommodation and deals you'd never get in the city. Accommodation is a real cost of making a film, so it can make a big difference too!
11 years, 1 month ago - Marlom Tander
That's easy. Anywhere between Bath and Tewkesbury. London 3 hours, Cornwall 3 hours, Glasgow 6 hours, North Wales 4 hours, The Lakes 4 hours.
The only places you can't easily reach are Norfolk and Kent, neither of which I find there is much call for :-)
11 years, 1 month ago - Mark Bailey
I also find that when applying for any production role within London, as soon as you mention that you live outside those big walls (i live in Horsham, near Gatwick) suddenly no one wants to hire you. I worked on a shoot for a PR company in Leicester Square who asked me to be there for 7:30am sharp. I left at 5:40 and got there half hour early. So it really is no problem for me to get into london so why is my location so off putting? Is there some sort of pact between londoners that all outsiders can't be trusted? LOL
10 years, 11 months ago - Stuart Wright
@Alève Mine meeting in person is always preferable but the kind of budgets shooters talk about making films on, Skype is a cost effective way of cutting down travelling time during pre productiom
11 years, 1 month ago - Louise Cowley
Leaving alone the conceit that comes with assuming everyone in the country is looking to London as the paradigm of creative film making talent ...
Commenting that you'd struggle to find talent outside of London, aside from being absurd, is actually dangerous to the industry. Granted London currently has a brain-drain on the country, but to assume Britain's best and brightest will all flock to the city, so you don't have to look elsewhere, is highly damaging to progression and evolution within the industry. While prices spike, living and production costs rise, London isn't viable or even attractive in many instances. There is huge investment, talent and resources outside of London making it cheaper to produce film and TV. By that I'm not talking about 'near' London sites as a poor cousin alternative. I'm taking about the huge wealth of talent and production in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, and Newcastle to name just a few big creative centres.
Economically that means more risk taking on new talent, more edgy projects or simply better production for your budget.
And if we want to start talking more widely than just the cash in your pocket. Standard 'British' films of middle class white people, set against a back drop of Big Ben and black cabs, doesn't even represent London, never mind the entire country. Have you really got no greater ambitions to demonstrate the cultural diversity and landscapes of this country to the rest of the world? International audiences expect London scenes to say 'England' because that's all they've ever been given.
Anyone with the attitude that everything they need is in London, and that there is no talent, facilities or locations worth using outside of the M25 is simply choking the British film industry. There are far more ideas, possibilities and creative talent out there, far more so than in London alone (numbers alone would dictate that fact) Have you bothered to look??
For anyone who lives outside London and is working/has been working on new projects and wants to shout down the naysayers ... Shine a spotlight on yourself and tell everyone about it ...
10 years, 11 months ago - L. Sabia-Byrne
This time around Ive lived in London for 5 years now. Ive always hated the place and I think I always will but getting my girlfriend to understand that there is a life outside of London is like pulling wisdom teeth... only embarked on at risk of great pain!
That said however, other than the corporate clients I have and my degree finishing film I don't think I have shot a single film in London (that I have directed) and in all honesty I don't think I have the slightest interest in doing so. London is so overrun with cliches that its far easier and far more productive to find viable locations outside of the city and whilst the petrol costs of location scouting are a real headache the reality is that where there is a will there is a way.
The UK is chock full of awesome places to film I have to question why we would want to make pedestrian stories that have been done to death a hundred times that are crammed to bursting with London Cliches and do nothing for a career? I TOTALLY support the idea that we should get out of the city and broaden our creative horizons.
Wales is my home and to me it has some of the most incredible places in the UK to film... especially if you have an interest in period pieces!
11 years, 1 month ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
Don't you worry, there are plenty of hills in the UK, flooding doesn't have to be an issue, it isn't for the vast majority of people. Bath is 90 mins from Paddington by train, and awesome.
11 years, 1 month ago - John Lubran
Couldn't agree more.
London will always be at the heart of our UK industry but decentralisation is really making progress. Wales and the West have a lot to offer and the exponential growth in our region is the proof of it. Ironically, spin offs from the massively subsidised Welsh language sector and BBC Wales success with Dr Who and broad variety of TV dramas together with the highly versatile and adaptable locations for feature films have been significant drivers of that. BBC Bristol created a gravitational force stemming from World class natural history and docs that has spun off all sorts of great media enterprises in and around. It's all about critical mass, and we now have it.
11 years, 1 month ago - Alève Mine
Skype can be fine for some meetings but meeting someone in person gives you more insight. Especially if you had never met them before.
10 years, 11 months ago - Alève Mine
@Stuart Wright Sure.
11 years, 1 month ago - Robin Forrest
Hey Marlom, Can't get to Norfolk? Straight up the M11 and in a couple of hours you've got some of the most beautiful countryside and amazing beaches you'll find anywhere. If it's miles of gritty, urban, decaying, crime ridden landscape you're after, ok yeah you're stuffed but frankly that's not somewhere I want to live!
Norwich is crammed full of creative talent, yeah probably because there didn't used to be F all to do up here but now... Forget all that Alan Partrige crap, we've got motor cars, the internet and everything ;-)
It's a film makers paradise up here and where did I used to live? ...ooh yeah, London
10 years, 11 months ago - Bill Blackwood
I am an actor so my knowledge and experience is purely from the facing the technical side perspective. I live and work in the North of England and have been involved in a huge number of 'made for' BBC, ITV, CH4, Sky TV and others productions as well as Feature films (Yes Hollywood) and Short films all utilising the great locations and superb skill sets of both cast and crew who live well outside the M25.
It is sad to see the belief that all things good come from London and anywhere else is at best second rate and does not have the technical skills or abilities to produce quality work
11 years, 1 month ago - Stuart Wright
For meetings, London is just easier for most people to get to - transport links are just bias to the capital... But this age of Skype why bother travelling at all. Whereas locations being cheaper totally agree. However, if you want the world to recognise it is England London architecture is pretty iconic - even the red buses. So in theory there's some potential return when you're selling your film from thr extra investment. Yours a displaced northerner living in London these days
11 years, 1 month ago - Alève Mine
How are floodings in those regions? In the south and south-west of London it seems to be an issue. I had to skip a meeting there because of that.
11 years, 1 month ago - Ed Griffiths
Ultimately your actual location is irrelevant. I think living outside London forces film-makers to be more resourceful and versatile simply because of the lack of immediately available resources and expertise, so you have to teach yourself.
If you do get to shooting stage however you have to concentrate all your collaborators in one place for the duration of your shoot. That's why cities tend to be locations of choice, for greater ease of transport and availability of necessary supplies and equipment.
In my very limited experience, you just try to work with as small and dedicated and competent a group of creatives and crew as possible initially. The more organised and efficient you are about those essential details, the smoother a shoot should go. And it don't matter where!
Mind you, I myself live in Westminster and everything outside Zone 2 has started to look Johnny Foreign...
11 years, 1 month ago - Matt Jamie
Get unit B to get some shots of The Shard and Parliament and a stand in getting on a bus, then shoot the rest up in Newcastle.
11 years, 1 month ago - Alève Mine
I know a few film people / creatives about 1 hour from London. I wanted to meet with them but they all lived in different directions, so it would have been hard to justify the costs to see them all. Would be better if everybody agreed on a cardinal direction or town to settle in. Which place would you pick?