Screen West Midlands Blogs

Ninja Theory

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:55:50 GMT

Last Friday I attended a Q and A session at the Flip Animation Festival (Wolverhampton) with Ninja Theory, a Cambridge-based Gaming Company who developed Heavenly Sword, one of Playstation 3’s mega hit fantasy games of the last few years. The panel members were the Head of Development and founder of Ninja Theory, Nina Kristensen, Lead Animator, Guy Midgely, and Technical Art Director, Stuart Adcock who talked to BAFTA Games Committee Member Andy Nuttall about the animation tools that were used for Heavenly Sword and also about games routes into the industry for animators and what skillsets are needed to thrive in the games sector.
Not only was it fascinating to learn about how games are produced, but to be quite honest I was surprised (naively so!) by the packed out cinema, captivated audience and the fact that at the end of the event, which lasted a good 1.5 hours how many younger members insisted on securing an autograph from their 'gaming heroes.' The level of engagement was phenomenal and I really feel that there's a great audience for more of these type of educational events so a big thanks to all at Flip for delivering this brilliant session in this brave new convergent world!

Ninja Theory are known for their creativity and animation production values so it was fantastic that they took part in one of the highlight events of the Animation Film Festival which was partnered by Screen WM and BAFTA. Here is a link to Ninja Theory’s website in case you'd like to hear more!

http://www.ninjatheory.com

Game Changers

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:27:08 GMT

Just heading back from a great visit to Docfest in Sheffield, where I had the pleasure of chairing a panel on Games For Social Change. Quite timely, really, given the report last week that the UK games industry – now reckoned to be worth £4.6bn – contributes more to the UK economy than music and video/DVD combined. Given that the West Midlands is responsible for a whopping 20% of the UK market, there’s a considerable economic case for us to be investing in and supporting this sector, but with the public service remit of 4iP, there’s an equally important reason to feel excited about the whole area of serious games and games for social change.

In preparation for the panel discussion, I came across this old - but excellent - article in free pint which acts as a good starting point for anyone who thinks ‘serious games’ is an oxymoron or questions whether or not a game can influence a person’s behaviour or help solve society’s ills.

The fact is that creating deeply immersive environments allow for tangential learning in a way that a more traditional or pedagogic form of learning – text books, tutorials, videos and the like – can never really achieve.

The Docfest panel was a fascinating one to be involved in, with some great debate around the topic from G4SC’s Suzanne Seggerman, Denmark’s Mikkel Lucas Overby – whose company, Serious Games Interactive, produced the rather wonderful Global Conflicts Palestine - the ever-ebullient Margaret Robertson and our very own Roll7, whose agenda for social change influences both the subject matter of their games – like the anti-knife crime game, Dead Ends – and the way in which they build them, unearthing and developing hidden talents in hard-to-reach young NEETS.

Much of the discussion was centred around how to make serious/social games economically viable, but here again there is plenty of room for optimism. It’s not shoot-em-ups and platform games that are driving the phenomenal success of Nintendo’s DS and Wii consoles, for example, but Brain Training games, strategy games and the Wii fit board – and it’s grown adults and families who are buying them for their communal, participatory and highly active forms of entertainment. That’s social change right there.

It’s exciting to think that – as with the UK games industry in general – the West Midlands is very much at the heart of this exciting, emerging market, with the £7m Serious Games Institute in Coventry and some terrific stuff coming out of the likes of Pixel Learning and award-winning work like Digital Native Academy’s terrific Gaming The Tibby.

Want to hear more? Check out this new article posted recently on Developmag re how games are changing the workplace

Hello Digital 2008

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:56:28 GMT

The highlight of last week has got to have been the Hello Digital festival, the Midlands first digital festival which took place at Millennium Point in Birmingham with an associated Hello Digital in Hereford. The festival attracted some of the leading names in digital media including Pixar, Channel 4, MySpace and Flickr, and delegates were given the opportunity to listen to and question them. This alone, demonstrated the importance of this festival, and it was fantastic to see the digital media companies from our region taking full advantage of this rare opportunity.

One the key festival events for Screen WM was the regional launch of 4iP, which drew a large turnout of delegates for the unveiling of Channel 4 and Screen WM’s £10 million joint investment 4iP fund, supported by Advantage West Midlands.
This was accompanied by the announcement of a £1.3 million support package which will be delivered by Screen WM to support digital screen media in the region and will help with 4iP project development, major networking and showcase events, attracting top level commissioners to the region, and innovative cross-sector workshops to help encourage collaborations between regional TV, film, games, arts organisations and digital media companies.
It is going to be really exciting to see the kind of projects being submitted for 4iP (Submissions can be made to 4iP via its website, www.4ip.org.uk) and watching the development of those which are successful.

On a personal note, I would have to say a big thank you to James Fabricant,
Director of Business Development and Media, Europe for MySpace who rose from his sick bed in order to be on the panel to discuss Faintheart, the world’s first user-generated movie and whether it marks the dawn of a new era of user-generated content in mainstream media?

Hello Digital / Hello World was both inspiring and educating and I’m already looking forward to the next digital event.

Guest blog: Special People

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:51:33 GMT

Guest blog from Justin Edgar, director of the film Special People, released in cinemas on November 21st.

“Ever since I saw Todd Browning’s Freaks on TV as a kid I’ve been interested in disability and film –my first job was doing a three minute piece on my own hearing impairment for regional TV. My disability work is all about seeing life from the point of view of the disabled person. Just as feminist and black theorists tried to repaint history from a black or women’s perspective in the sixties, disabled filmmakers are now doing the same with disability and film.

This is where Special People came from –it was all about seeing the narrative from the point of view of the kids, so that the “Other” is the able-bodied. My background is in comedy so this is how I decided to approach the subject.

Over the past few years there has been a huge groundswell of interest in disability and film –festivals have emerged everywhere from Melbourne to Moscow. To me this isn’t about issues filmmaking, I want to get disability into the mainstream and disabled characters on the screen. Intertextuality was a feminist concept and without that I doubt we would have had Tarantino or Hollywood cinema as we know it today, so who knows where disability film will take us."

Guest blog: Clubbed

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:06:56 GMT

GUEST BLOG: Neil Thompson, Director of the forthcoming film Clubbed which opens in cinemas on January 16th 2009 (http://www.formosafilms.com)

CLUBBED was invited to screen at the Cinema Days event which took place at the Cineworld Leicester on 2nd October. The event is organised by Universal Pictures and Premier PR were looking after all things CLUBBED. The event is for regional journalists from all over the UK to see the best of the films that are getting released in the coming months.

I went up there with Rebecca Knapp from Route One Releasing (The UK distributor), Geoff Thompson, the writer and the actors Colin Salmon and Mel Raido who play Louis and Danny in CLUBBED respectively.

The reaction to the movie was amazing and the screening room was packed which is apparently rare for these occasions. (They are journalists after all and bar was another busy venue!)

We did a Q+A after the film chaired by Quentin Falk who grilled us on the main points of interest which was very lively and then all of us answered a host of questions from the audience which caused some debate! There was a lot of interest in Geoff’s real life story and how we decided which bits to put in the film and also which locations we utilised and how we handled the setting and period of the movie. The soundtrack also seemed to go down a storm and we had a lot of discussion over some of the great tracks in the film and how we managed to get the rights to use them.

Colin was asked about his training regime and how he got in shape to throw some convincing punches in the boxing sections. He readily admitted that it was all down to Geoff putting him on a diet and showing him how to cheat looking like an old pro on the bags and in the ring. Mel talked about hanging out with Geoff and “soaking him up” in order to get in to the role and his way of working to get the truth man.

We were inundated with more questions in that bar afterwards and Route One laid on a n 80s style meal with chicken Kiev, melon boat and black forest gateaux which seemed to raise a laugh form the assembled throng. People kept coming up to us to comment on the film and how it had moved them although that might be because Geoff was sitting there!

A brilliant event and a great start to the CLUBBED tour which next goes to Dinard in France to publicise the release there which I believe is outlined above. No sleep till Hammersmith as Lemmy once said and he knew what he was talking about when it came to this kind of malarkey!

N XxxxxxX

Guest blog: Borderlines Film Festival

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:52:00 GMT

Last Thursday saw us driving into Birmingham from Ludlow for Jaguar Landrover Awards for Arts and Business at the magnificient refurbished Town Hall and it was great to have a chance to meet up with Ruth Ward, Director of the Hello Digital programme and talk all things digital.

For those of you who don't know Borderlines Film Festival is putting on a mini festival, Hello Digital @ Hereford at the Art College, The Courtyard and other venues in town with 22 events over two and half days. There’ll be something for everyone whether novice, enthusiastic dabbler or hardened practitioner.

And we’ve recently heard that the Arts Council England will be funding some additional events, great news!

On Friday 24th Fowler+Sumner will host a one day creative exchange for emerging and established new media artists One - The Working Social, and on Saturday 25th at 12:00 Michael Baig Clifford, BAFTA award winning director, will talk about his collaboration with video artist Ravi Deepres on Pure Cinema, a haunting and hypnotic piece exploring conventions common to cinema and painting.

For more details see www.borderlinesfilmfestival.co.uk and click through.

Hitting the road

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:57:48 GMT

In about half an hour's time myself and a crack team of Screen WM operatives will be hitting the road, embarking on the first of five events across the West Midlands to promote the launch of digishorts.

Sadly we've yet to think of a better name for this tour de force other than 'a series of roadshows' - all suggestions welcome in the comments - so for now that's what we're going with, despite conjuring to mind (my mind, at least) visions of wet and windy days watching cringe-worthy 'pop' acts strutting their stuff in the back of an articulated lorry for Radio 1. (I was young, all the kids were doing it).

Still, names aside, these little events should be worth popping along to if you have any interest in the support available through Screen WM for the development and production of short film ideas. I've already written about the scheme and particularly what we are, or aren't, looking for, but it's so much easier to chat it out face-to-face and to answer your questions in person - plus this year we're not alone, instead being joined at each and every event by filmmakers who have just completed a short through the scheme and so will be able to answer honestly about their experiences working with us.

To cap it all off we'll even chuck in a couple of films to liven things up and give an idea of the breadth of material we can work with, and the quality of output that is delivered through this pioneering scheme.

And finally, if you're wondering what the point of making all these shorts is, why not join us at Birmingham's new digital media festival, Hello Digital, to ask that very question of writers, producers and directors, all of whom have made the elusive leap from shorts into feature filmmaking. We'd love to see you there.

For more details on all of these events check out the calendar on this very site, and for everything digishorts head over to our dedicated site: www.digishorts.co.uk.

Please stop patting me on the head!

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:52:11 GMT

On Tuesday night, Smethwick-born actress and comedienne, Julie Walters CBE and winner of five BAFTA’s and two Oscar nominations, returned to her Midlands’ roots for a special event organised by our agency and BAFTA in association with Radio Times.
It was a real humbling experience to meet someone who has not only managed to achieve iconic status both in TV and films, but is also a thoroughly charming down-to-earth and warm person. She is proud to be a Midlander and was genuinely interested to hear about what we do here at Screen WM.

The experience was a far cry from the first Midlands legend I ever met which was Wolves goal machine Steve Bull. I was so nervous about meeting him that when my fifteen seconds finally arrived, I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t stop stuttering and sweating. He concluded that I must be a sick man and for some reason started patting me on the head.

It is wonderful to have so many legends in our region and I hope that as an agency we can help to support, promote and develop some of the legends of the future.

Clubbed packs punch in France

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:48:22 GMT

Just got back from an amazing weekend at the Dinard Film Festival – an annual celebration of British Film in Northern France. It’s at this festival that the best new UK movies are presented to the UK and French film industries, as well as to the discerning French film-goer…so a good barometer of the future success (or not..) of the selected films.

Screen WM was very proud to be at Dinard supporting the forthcoming movie CLUBBED, which was one of just six films to be selected for competition.

CLUBBED is the true-life story about Coventry bouncer Geoff Thompson, which was shot in Birmingham last year - made by Formosa Films ’ dynamic duo Neil Thompson (Director) and Martin Carr (Producer) and co-financed by Screen WM through our Media Production Fund

The film has a real gritty, British flavour but with a beauty and truth that we felt audiences across the world would relate to…so how did it go down with the famously hard to please French?

We had a taste of things to come at the first screening on Thursday. Following a brilliant presentation by Martin Carr, who was joined by actors Scot Williams (Sparky) and Shaun Parkes (Rob), the opening credits started to roll with Chic's classic anthem Good Times – the whole audience started clapping and dancing in the aisles…and with the closing credits came a standing ovation.

The next day Neil Thompson, Colin Salmon (Louis) and Mel Raido (Danny) joined the gang, flying in from successful press screenings in the UK, and things went off the scale. The next two screenings saw people queuing round the block and were received with similar warmth, humour and passion.

Walking round Dinard the cast were mobbed on every corner by both the French and British. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive – people really seemed to have connected with the film.

Martin and I were also able to promote the film to the UK/French film industry, as CLUBBED was selected by the UK Film Council as the main case study at their prestigious Producers Forum event on the Friday. We talked about the way the film had been financed and the various ways in which Screen WM has supported the film – whether through development of Geoff Thompson as key regional talent, locations and crew, test screenings or the forthcoming Birmingham premiere. Again, the feedback from industry was very positive.

What a fantastic start to the public life of the film! We're now working hard to make sure we get the same reaction when it’s released in the UK in early January…

Unearthing our Hidden Treasures

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:33:03 GMT

On the 26th September Screen WM launched it's Digital Film Archive Fund a new fund set up by the UK Film Council to increase public access to regional screen heritage and I've got to say that it's already generating a great deal of interest ! Basically it's all about unearthing our 'Hidden Moving Image Treasures' and ensuring that we find innovative ways of making them accessible to everyone!

Screen heritage encompasses moving image media, from traditional film and television to artist's film and video, animation and digital material distributed via the internet, to contextual material including scripts, designs, marketing and publicity material and documents relating to production, distribution and consumption.

So if you hold any moving image archive footage (that you think would be of interest to others) or have specifc ideas for Digital Access Archive projects then get in touch with us and tell us all about it!

The West Midlands has a rich and vibrant heritage so let's find those Hidden Treasures and get watching!

What time is it?

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:19:35 GMT

The Hello Digital festival taking place between 23rd – 26th October looks like it is shaping up very nicely (www.hellodigital.net). It is free to attend and is being held at Millennium Point in Birmingham. It will feature exclusive showcases, talks, seminars and the Hello World Conference which will feature top names from the global digital community. There is also a Hello Digital event at Hereford between 23rd – 25th October which has over twenty events taking place over the two and a half days (www.hellodigitalhereford.co.uk)

It is a very exciting time in the digital world and it reminds me of my first ever ‘digital experience’. It was the day I got my first digital watch, and the day that I said ‘Hello Digital’. It was one of the very early digital watches, it only told you the time and the date but in order to preserve its battery life, it didn’t display the time unless you pressed a button on the side of it. In the instructions it advised you not to press the button more than twelve times a day or the batteries would soon wear down. This meant that I spent the next few days proudly showing off my new watch to everyone but hoping that no one would actually ask me the time. Thankfully digital technology has progressed somewhat since then and when I look at the line-up of the Hello Digital events, it highlights just how far it has progressed.

digishorts: what are you after?

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:05:45 GMT

Here's one of those questions we get a lot when the digishorts circus comes into town: "what are you looking for?" Which is fine - it's a natural question to ask whenever someone dangles the possibility of some funding and development support for your treasured short film idea, and it's in your interest to make sure you're not wasting your time applying for something if it's not what we're into.

Trouble is, we don't know what we're looking for. OK that's not quite it - we know we want new ideas, new voices, new stories told in new ways. But what does that look like? At this point in the conversation I'll usually default to the age-old quip: if I knew the magic formula I'd be sitting on the other side of the desk!

With this in mind I draw your attention to the upcoming preview screening of the most recent year's slate of digishorts films at Light House in Wolverhampton on 16th October. We're also going to be screening selected shorts from the scheme at the forthcoming roadshows where you can then find out more from us about how the scheme works (but not what we're looking for I guess - still, come along, it'll be worth it, honest...).

All I ask if you come along to the screening is that you keep an open mind, and most importantly, don't assume that if we made a certain kind of short last year, we'll automatically be looking to do the same again this year. The opposite! That's done, old news. What's next?

Great case in point is The Apology Line from writer/director/producer James Lees. Not caught it yet? Shame on you - watch it here (it's OK, I'll wait) - then try and figure out how you could do that again. You couldn't (could you?) - and shouldn't try to. The key question isn't 'what have they done before' - it's 'what haven't they done before?'.

Guest blog: Souled Out seeks extras in Birmingham

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:45:03 GMT

If you haven’t already heard about SOULED OUT, let me fill you in. It’s a “coming-of-age” film set in 1974 against the backdrop of the Northern Soul music and dance scene. With an incredibly evocative script and a stunning cast, the film promises to do for Northern Soul what QUADROPHENIA did for the mod movement and what SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER did for disco. I grew up with both these films and loved every minute of both of them. Why? Because they are magical films about the first time you fall in love with someone and also the first time you fall in love with a certain kind of music.

There’s something almost tribal about that sense of belonging to a music scene and SOULED OUT is no exception.

We have been filming for just over 4 weeks and the rushes (raw material) look amazing. The sets, the costumes and make-up and the performances are wonderful and even though I am biased, I think we are making a film that audiences everywhere will feel warm, inspired and entertained by. I think it’s a film that will leave you with a big smile on your face and a glow in your soul when you leave the cinema.

We still have 10 days left of filming to complete and we are looking for extras in Birmingham on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th September nights and from Stoke and Stafford the following week on Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd. If you are interested and aged between 16-25 please register on www.souledoutfilm.com and we will be in touch with more details.

As they say in the Northern Soul world “Keep the Faith” and watch out for the film at a cinema near you this time next year.

How many shopping days to Christmas?

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:36:47 GMT

It won’t be long now before we are told on a daily basis how many shopping days there are left to Christmas. Personally though I’m more excited about how many days there are left to Monday 10th November which is the closing date for submissions for digishorts 2008. I can’t wait to see all the incredibly creative and talented ideas which have been submitted for digishorts.
Previous digishort success stories have included James Lees ‘The Apology Line’ which screened at the Sundance Film Festival, and he has since been commissioned by Channel 4 and the BBC. Simon Bovey ‘The Ungone’ has screened at 59 festivals to date. Simon has just secured regional Producers Sunandan and Yugesh Walia for his latest feature film project ‘Cold Blood’. Sean Spencer is currently developing a major project with World Productions and Screen WM after the success of his digishort ‘Stripes’. Digishort ‘Bouncer’ was nominated for a BAFTA and the writer Geoff Thompson has now developed a feature film ‘Clubbed’, co-financed and supported by Screen WM which is due to open in cinemas in January.

I love digishorts and I love Christmas but my advent calendar only goes up to November 10th.

O Canada...

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:10:57 GMT

Just back from a trade visit to Canada, a country that has seen huge investment in the digital and interactive sectors over the last decade. I wanted to promote Screen WM's move into digital and to create new networks for regional digital companies. I was hugely impressed with how well the agencies are networked and coordinated in their approach from Telefilm Canada (the equivalent of UKFC but including digital), to Interactive Ontario and OMDC - they are all working together to support the sector.

A model that we have been developing here in the region, with Screen WM now strengthening our partnerships with AWM, Business Link, Arts Council and UKTI to ensure we have a joined-up regional offer to present on the international stage. Watch this space for more news on this....

My destination was Toronto, to coincide with the film festival... and what a city! The whole place was buzzing with excitement and there was a genuine effort to engage the pubic with the glitz and glamour of the event. I was lucky enough to see Slumdog Millionaire, the latest offering from Brit Director Danny Boyle, which is an amazingly original film set in Mumbai... a must-see when it's out in regional cinemas in the next few months.

What's in a short?

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:28:55 GMT

The first time I became aware of Screen West Midlands was around March 2003. I was working with Maverick in one of my first 'industry' positions helping out on a slate of four shorts produced under the IdeasFactory strand for Channel 4, written by more or less total newcomers and directed by some of the West Midlands' up-and-coming filmmaker talent (John Humphreys, Mark Lynall, Khaled el Hagar and Sarah Walker). Towards the end of that particular job I was chatting with a few of the directors and also the producer, and a couple of them mentioned that their next move was going to be making an application to 'Screen West Midlands' for something called 'Digital Shorts'.

A quick round of Google-fu, some frantic ideas-scrabbling and one failed short idea later (I made a slim under-prepared submission for which I was shortlisted but, alas, not selected - bah!) I was no closer to my own world-conquering filmmaking ambitions, but much more aware of the support available through what became my local neighbourhood screen agency. Then a few days later I got a call from Sarah, who had been selected, and needed a First AD. More short filmmaking mayhem ensued (apologies to the cast and crew here and now for all those late nights - in retrospect I was way too new to take on that most important of roles but hey, we got the thing made).

Fast-forward five years and here I am, announcing today that the Digital Shorts scheme (since rebranded digishorts since that's what we all colloquially call it anyway) is once again open for submissions, and on the lookout for new voices and new stories from across the West Midlands region.

The main 'virtual venue' for all the info you'll need on the scheme is over at www.digishorts.co.uk - but keep an eye on this site too as I'll be blogging about anything I think is relevant to filmmakers considering applying (you'll be able to hear from Lynne Stanford, another integral part of the scheme's machinations at Screen WM, over at the digishorts site). We're also going to be hitting the road in October to screen some films and talk about the scheme around the region, culminating in a big showcase at Hello Digital in Birmingham - more details coming very soon.

So for now, get thinking of your shorts ideas and keep an eye on the websites for more news soon.

A Sporting Life!

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:48:41 GMT

Despite torrential rain and a serious dose of midge bites, I've spent an enjoyable and energetic week holidaying on the Isle of Arran, part of the Western Scottish Isles. I've tried my hand at gorge walking (basically climbing through rivers and waterfalls for the sheer thrill of it!) kayaking, cycling and walking. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total adrenaline junkie but it was mighty chilly most of the time so a little bit of the sporting life coined with the odd 'wee dram' warmed the cockles and kept the spirits high!

And there's some of the sporting life on it's way to our region this month too....

The Media Archive for Central England in partnership with Screen WM and a number of regional venues will be delivering a special series of Archive Screenings recalling the competitive streak of Midlanders in Action! We’ll be opening up our great Midlands sporting heritage with a programme of archive film spanning the 1930s to the 1970s, curated and introduced by the Media Archive for Central England.

These cultural heritage screenings have been especially developed as part of the 26-28 Sept Open Weekend hailing the launch of the Cultural Olympiad, which will run until the end of the 2012 Olympics. The Cultural Olympiad will incorporate a host of inspiring projects across the UK over the next four years placing culture at the heart of the games.

So take a look at our news pages for more info and get along to the screenings to cheer on the winners, commiserate with the losers and celebrate those who just took part!

Film nights

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:49:45 GMT

It's fast-becoming customary to start each of our blog articles with a quip about the weather - but it's dry today so I'm just going to not mention it. Oh, wait...

Amongst a flurry of activity in preparation for a whole bunch of new opportunities from your friendly neighbourhood Screen Agency (watch this space), it struck me the other day that I hadn't been to a good film night in a while. Then on opening the old Inbox first thing this morning, what should be awaiting me but a flyer from the folks at Local Shorts - a charming quarterly film night held at Birmingham's Library Theatre (conveniently slap-bang in the centre of town).

Local Shorts, as you might gather from the title, takes films from regional filmmakers and gives them a well-deserved big-screen outing, often around a special theme for each event (e.g. October's theme is around Hallowe'en). But unlike a regular night at the flicks, the organisers endeavour to get as many of the makers to the event as they can muster, and conduct a live, impromptu q&a with each and every one straight after the film. The audience, made up of film-savvy folk and interested punters alike, clearly enjoys the opportunity to grill the filmmakers on every aspect of their production - make sure to ask what the budget was, in the unlikely event someone doesn't beat you to it!

There are of course a whole host of excellent film nights across Birmingham and the entire West Midlands region - enough to make it a tall order to get to every one of them, although we do our best (and I personally am committing here and now to make it out to more of them). What film-y events get you out on a cold autumn's night? Shout about it in the comments (and let us know when/where so we can get down)...

Getting amongst it

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:56:28 GMT

I used to hate playing rugby at school and would try and spend the entire match lurking on the edge of the pitch, waiting for the final whistle to be blown. Unfortunately in one particular match this turned out to be the worst place to stand because the opposition decided this was their best route for attack. As the opposition forwards charged towards me, our P.E.teacher shouted 'Carson! Get amongst it' . Reluctantly I obeyed the order and one second later I was lying on my back as the opposition trampled over me, having knocked me to the ground. This put me off 'Getting amongst it!'

However, 'Getting amongst it' has been on my mind this week here at Screen WM and I have a totally different view of it now. Through our Production Placement Scheme we have 17 trainees 'getting amongst it!' on paid work placements on four of the feature films we are co-financing giving them first-hand film industry experience. We have extras 'getting amongst it!' on the exciting Northern Soul film Souled Out (Extras required for this weekend in Birmingham - please visit www.souledoutfilm.com). The Investment Fund has just re-opened so the creative talent of our region will be 'getting amongst it!' , as they will when 4iP launches next month.

Now when I hear the phrase 'Get amongst it!' it makes me proud about all these fantastic opportunities in our region instead of thinking about being knocked down by a burly rugby player.

Keep 'em peeled

blogs@screenwm.co.uk — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:36:02 GMT

Ducking in after a weekend of DIY-ing (a week late for the Bank Holiday, naturally) and some seasonal weather, I thought I'd get you up to speed with all the different ways you can hear about opportunities you can tap into through Screen WM.

One of the most common problems felt by producers and talent working 'at the coalface' can be the feeling that there's a bunch of activity and opportunities going on 'out there' but somehow you've missed the memo or been left off the mailing list. That's where we (hope to) come in.

First off, right here on this very site our News section serves as a central point to hear about the latest news and opportunities not only from within the region, but also national and international offerings that you can get involved in. We even go to the immense trouble (OK, ticking an extra box on the submission page) to categorise each story so if you prefer, you can just look at news relevant to digishorts (just an example plucked randomly, you understand).

If you like your news RSS-flavoured, we can cater for that too. The News section has a handy RSS feed link tucked into the top right corner - depending on your reader of choice you either click the button and/or copy the address and stick it in your reader. Hey presto - instant Screen WM news feed.

If all of that sounds a bit like hard work, you could just add your email address to our mailing list. I know, I know, no one likes a bunch of circulars clogging up their inbox - which is why we only send you what we consider to be genuinely relevant news, and we divide our emails up into news specific to Screen WM and our activities, and wider news from the entire region and opportunities relevant to those within the West Midlands.

Oh, and of course, read our blogs - we'll try to point you in the direction of anything we think will be of particular interest. To kick you off, I'd heartily recommend digging around the UK MEDIA Desk site for news of funding available for TV development. Why not also check out the latest venture from low-budget feature studio Warp X in collaboration with BIrds Eye View, 'Last Laugh'.