Get Your Film Funded, the UK Film Finance Guide is a book that should have been written years ago. My initial reaction when picking it up was, “Not another book of sad anecdotes on filmmaking with only a toothbrush and a packet of aspirin as a budget,” but the book is far from that – it’s a serious piece of equipment from the creators of Shooting People (http://www.shootingpeople.org).
The first half of the book delivers a huge amount of information which includes case studies to inspire and caution you, detailed information on complex pre-sales and gap financing , how to go about obtaining script development, the workings of tax incentives, completion bonds and distribution. The second half of the book looks at the UK Film Council, regional bodies, television companies and finally the ins and outs of international co-productions. Of course this is of most interest to UK-based producers but producers in other countries who are considering the UK as a potential source of finance will also find this book invaluable.
What is so attractive about this book is that you can pick it up and flick through to find out how Gavin Emerson financed Ratcatcher (£1.8m), the account of which is full of honesty and detail about the twists and turns of co-productions; then turn to May Miles and Owen Thomas’s description of raising finance of £50K for One Night Stand, a huge feat which left them creatively free to do what they pleased with the film. This book tells all sides of the stories from the micro, mid and high budget British Film production; however it is so much more than just toilet side reading.
The details on UK film finance are excellent, and one would assume all accurate. There are listings of who pays what for development deals (though not what they might want in return), sales agents, how they work, where to find them and the distribution climate in the UK (understandably this section is very small). The book goes into detail with statistics and interviews with the people who matter in finance; from the Isle of Man Film Commission’s criteria to what DTI (Department of Trade & Industry) can do for you as a producer.
One of the best things about this book is the face that it doesn’t moan about the lack of finance, the state of the UK Film Council, or the domination by US cinema (which we all do enough of anyway), nor does it go into creative details on films. It simply does exactly what it says it will: guide you through UK Film Finance. I am glad to see that it will be updated each or every other year as producers need this sort of information (which has historically cost a lot to obtain) at our finger tips. I get the feeling as time goes on, and as the format is refined and focused, this book may become the bible of anyone looking to finance feature films in the UK.
This book is available directly from Shooting People and there is a discount for Shooting People members.