There’s an interesting piece in today’s Scotsman, entitled “Why isn’t Scotland making more popular films?” and bemoaning the poor condition of the Scottish film industry.
At the end it contains the following paragraphs.
“The ready comparison is Ireland, where the film industry is more robust than Scotland’s. According to film critic Brian Pendreigh, Mel Gibson said that the real reason he shot Braveheart in Ireland wasn’t the tax breaks: it was that it had more horses than Scotland.
More obviously perhaps, Ireland simply has more work for film crews. Recently, I was looking to hire a Dublin-based cinematographer for a commercial I was shooting in Ireland. My two top picks were unavailable. One was working on Game of Thrones, which is shot in Northern Ireland; the other was shooting a movie in LA.
They were both members of the Irish Society of Cinematographers. You won’t be surprised to learn there isn’t a Scottish Society of Cinematographers.
The real difference is that Ireland has an integrated screen industry based on national commitment. It’s a virtuous circle which creates both critical mass, experienced personnel and strong output. Yes, there are tax breaks, and support for filmmakers.
But, more importantly, Ireland also has its own national broadcasters who invest in home grown talent. There’s a healthy advertising scene, too, where Irish clients are committed to Irish creative agencies who, in turn, are committed to Irish commercial production companies. So, there’s a bedrock of work in which film folk can earn a crust and learn their craft. And then they make films which appeal to Irish people.”
If only we could draw some sort of conclusion.
Yesterday the Times also ran a story on the Scottish film industry, in which culture secretary Fiona Hyslop was attacked for not attending the premieres of two recent Scottish movies and the Scottish Government was berated for not “recognising the value” of film and failing to invest adequately in the business.
Yet we all remember what happens when it does invest in movies – it gets savaged for wasting money that could have been better spent subsidising brutal Tory welfare cuts, no matter how big the return on the investment is. And if the First Minister does go to a premiere, he gets it in the neck from all the opposition parties and media for his scandalous frivolity and shameless junketing.
(Johann Lamont has now been banging on about the “Brave” trip at First Minister’s Questions for the best part of a year, and shows no signs of stopping.)
It’s a tricky business being in government, to be sure. Perhaps that’s the reason Labour seem so hell-bent on ensuring that it never happens to them again.
One day, there will be films produced in Scotland telling the story of this transformational era in our history……
Another example of Unionists’ cognitive dissonance over independence.
Rev
Didn’t you run a piece about Sir Sean Connery wanting to set up a Scottish Film Studio in 97…..only for it to be dropped once Blair found out he supported the SNP ?
“Didn’t you run a piece about Sir Sean Connery wanting to set up a Scottish Film Studio in 97…..only for it to be dropped once Blair found out he supported the SNP ?”
What, something like this?
link to wingsoverscotland.com
No, don’t think so.
So promoting Scottish Films is bad…..but promoting Scottish Films is good. Have I got that right?
I believe one of the main issues behind the state of Scottish Film is the complete absence of studio space. ‘Filth’ had to be part-shot elsewhere because there wasn’t any and Game Of Thrones chose Ireland over Scotland because there wasn’t any.
Now, if the Scottish Government commits to creating a studio for Scottish film, will it be decried as a waste of public money or a sound investment?
Or both?
A severe lack of investment in film making in Scotland so the Scottish people can hardly ever see Scottish stories about themselves or their country. Can we take a WILD guess and wonder why that is?
Spot on!
@The GreatBaldo:
Beat me to it, Baldo.
There’s a piece about here:
Sir Sean Connery has claimed that Scotland could have had an international film studio capable of producing blockbusters similar to Star Wars and Harry Potter if he had agreed to change his allegiance from the Scottish Nationalists to Labour.
link to seanconneryonline.com
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
That couldn’t possibly be happening in Ireland – they are completely#&*@ed over there, arc of insolvency and all that…!
The very idea of investing in anything… people, industry or education is almost incomprehensible to your average Westminister type. They don’t do pro-active, they only do knee-jerk, focus group driven short term reactionary shit. Planned, long term, coordinated investment (and only through tax breaks in this example) does not fit well with their short-term Anglo* corporate balance sheet mindset.
The Unionists are truly unfit for the purpose of intelligent government, as is repeatedly shown.
*In the US and UK investment is almost a dirty word. This lack of investment in people and industry manifests itself in unfair social outcomes for larges swathes of their populations. In contrast, in more participatory democracies, such as Germany, Scandinavia…and Ireland the concept on investment is seen as a strategic necessity for a healthy society. This manifests itself in these societies as being more inclusive, richer, fairer and with higher degrees of economic mobility.
I remember going to Westminster to see Roseanna Cunningham take the oath after winning the Perth & Kinross by-election (and yes, she did have her fingers crossed behind her back).
Before we got to that stage in the proceedings, there was a debate about the film industry. (One of the security men told me the man in the seat in front of me was a very famous film producer, there to observe that debate.) In the middle of that debate, Alex Salmond stood up and pointed out the complete absence of any provision for a film industry in Scotland in the proposals. With all its advantages in spectacular locations and so on, why was nothing being done to promote filming in Scotland.
The minister responsible, who might have been Ben Bradshaw but I’m not sure, replied patronisingly that Scots would be able to go to the cinema see the great films produced in England by the initiatives being discussed, so of course they would benefit.
Sickening.
Nope, I’m not seeing any sort of conclusion – and you’d have to be a fool and a ‘separatist’ to make one!
Scots pay £350 million or so in tv licence fees. There’s plenty of money in there alone to fund film-making (as well as provide the national broadcaster we have never had). Of course, we would have to have control of the money as well as the institutions and infrastructure for a film industry. We would then have to make sure the right people were in charge in order not to repeat the experience of the National Theatre, National Gallery and Edinburgh International Festival. Anyone see all that happening without independence?
There were big plans in the late 1990s for a world-class movie studios to be set up near Edinburgh by Sony Pictures and championed by Sean Connery (a keen investor) at the time. Plans were scuppered by the Labour Party (who else!) because they said it would be in direct competition to the studios in the south of England. This is the thinking among unionist parties, but especially Labour, Scotland is not allowed to compete with England. That’s why we don’t have proper film studios, an airport hub, large sea container facilities and the run down of our heavy industries. Scotland is not allowed to produce to it’s maximum potential.
It is utterly sad that our broadcasting output is so minimal, River City soaks up most of what little BBC Scotland telly cash and talent there is. Sports coverage is abysmal, news coverage equally so. Even Hogmanay is the same old same old. Film production virtually non-existent but when something is produced with a Scottish story to it then it’s always a negative, violence, rape, alcoholism, drugs, despair. But where there is an uplifting story to be told then it’s usually funded out with the UK. But if Scotland was allowed to broadcast to its full potential then that would champion and foster the Scots identity, which of course would not be allowed under SLAB.
It’s quite obvious that for Scotland to achieve it’s maximum potential, in all areas of industry and creativity, it will have to do it through Independence and break free from the restraints imposed by this rancid Union!
VOTE YES!
Just confirms that the MSM writes any old thing these days without stopping to think what they’re actually writing about, or indeed to draw any conclusions.
Would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.
Is anything stopping Sir Sean to invest in our film industry now?
Its the same old same old.
You dont need eyes to see, you need vision!
If Chile can make a movie called NO about their fight to be heard and progress then I look forward to the SBC-WingsOverScotland Production of ‘YES’. I will even accept a musical, as long as its made in Scotland.
OK here is a clumsy link, but there is an important short film that should be essential viewing for everybody here.
It covers the Referendums in Quebec in 1980 and 1996, highlighting the propaganda war waged by the Canadian Government and the No Campaign from the rest of Canada. It has clear lessons for Scotland, and has some coverage of the bias in our media.
Especially chilling when Ruth Davidson, at the Tory Conference the other week, talked about showing Scotland the Tories cared about it. See the ‘Love in’ propaganda carried out in the days before the Quebec vote in 1996. Also we should examine very carefully, Cameron’s ‘I’ll do what ever it takes to keep the Union’, speech. It could be the ends justifies the means, as the film highlights ‘the all is fair in love and war’ statement in the propaganda misinformation foundout after the vote in Quebec.
The link is on Newsnet Scotland, its called The Make Believers. Take the time to watch it.
link to newsnetscotland.com
We could draw another conclusion to it all….Ireland is independent and in the EU!
Wee bit off topic, but an early film pitch for a post independence Scotland would be “Wings over Scotland – the movie”. One mans struggle against the dead weight of a moribund Scottish press corps, and deep vested political interests. A kind of cross between Sandra Bullock in “The Net”, Ian Banks Complicity and “All the presidents men”. Bit of West Wing thrown in too.
Big question though – who plays the Rev? Who play Duncan H, and who plays Euan M….
@ Tearlach
Tagline – ‘Without Wings…where would you be?’ on a poster with **Gloriously Handsome Picture of the Rev**
We could draw another conclusion to it all….Ireland is independent and in the EU!
I think I’m correct in saying that Game of Thrones is filmed in NORTHERN Ireland, on location in the Mourne Mountains, The Causeway Coast and Glens and in the Titanic Film Studio just outside Belfast. The preferred location of HBO was Scotland but we didn’t have a film studio!!
of course we could have had one if Sir Sean Connery had been allowed to go ahead with his plan but hey ho… Edinburgh City’s LABOUR Council put paid to that idea!
The sooner we are Independent the better!!!!
who does angelina jolie play ? one of the commenters love interest ?
Hahaha Tearlach
“Wings over Scotland – the movie”. One mans struggle against the dead weight of a sweeping brush pole used as a flag pole at a YES Rally more like!
@Tearlach – Gerard Butler for the Rev, surely?
@Susan…
Sir Sean was riding on the interest shown by Sony at the time, he would have been a junior investor in the project and no doubt an important ‘face’. At the time the figures were in the tens of millions so I doubt Sir Sean would be able to carry the project on his own shoulders today, and also considering he is in his 80s now and looking a bit frail. We need a group of Scotland’s well-known actors and industry people to make a case to an established studio or the Scottish Government, or both, that brings together a partnership to fund, realise, oversee and promote the project. Then it needs to attract work and hit the ground running so it can pull in talent behind the camera as well as in front of it.
Ah well it had to come, sooner or later. Knock Scotland where and whenever possible.
The Welsh and Cornish (Kernow) film industry is not too prominent either – perhaps being under Westminster control for so long is detrimental; to original ideas.
We’ll soon see!
While on this kind of subject,I always wondered why some of the great stories we have in Scotlands’ history haven’t been made into bigger movies. Stories such as that of MacBeth,Robert the Bruce, 1745 etc. Seems we have to rely on Australians and various other nationalities to do it.
What a random spoof paper the Scotsman is. Maybe they are sticking to the logic of Irish independence = good, Scottish independence = don’t be ridiculous.
Aren’t the Irish Army also used as extras in big movies? Imagine the Unionist ridicule if the SDF were “reduced” to this kind of work.
@Susan – As far as I am aware Sir Sean is very ill these days- I read somewhere it might be Alzheimers but I don’t know the truth of that.
It could be why we haven’t seen him at pro-indy events as we all know it is something he supports avidly.
I responded in the Herald on the same subject a while ago how much money GOT brings to the NI economy as they were pointing out HBO wanted to film here but didn’t due to lack of a film studio.
It’s something which quite upsets me as I remember at the time Sean Connery was trying to raise money and interest in this and I was discussing with a die-hard Labour supporter how great this would be.
Her daughter was studying music at the time and I was saying what opportunities this could provide.
She followed the Labour line that there were plenty of facilities in London.
The lack of vision and ambition that some people have about Scotland is depressing.
PS that £350Million we could save by ditching the beeb could be used to build a great studio.
So scotchwoman, who do you want to play you in the movie? I am lining up Peter Capaldi to play me.
“Sir Sean Connery has claimed that Scotland could have had an international film studio capable of producing blockbusters similar to Star Wars and Harry Potter if he had agreed to change his allegiance from the Scottish Nationalists to Labour.”
Interesting. Makes you wonder how many other people with “allegiances to Labour” might have them only because they needed them to get anywhere in Scotland. If that’s the case, that may not play so well for Labour over the next year.
Creating a Film Studio/Facilities would be a great idea as this could in turn tie into the Wealth of Computer Games/Software/Digital Courses already available in Dundee, and a new industry in homegrown Visual effects companies could be started up. Possibly. Tap into all that computing and Artistic wealth that is out there already.
But still we are Better Together?
It is amazing how can they can list endless woes from poor life expectancy to the short end of the cultural stick without ever questioning what the Union has actually done.
To Ronnie Cowan – I’m just one of the cast of many thousands playing their own small but important role in this story….!
Apologies, I tried typing that whilst eating and listening to my boss waffle on. I think you can get the jist of what i was getting at though, despite it being poorly executed!
@steve stewart I just got a flash vision of what you suggested.
Home grown talent. Home grown industry. World wide recognition.
Remind me again, ‘Better Together’ why this hasn’t been done before?
I’ve suddenly got very excited about this prospect.
How can anyone in their right mind choose the lack of vision in voting ‘No’ over the endless possibilities of voting ‘Yes’?
My 2nd LoL moment of the day (Last few paras). Thanks.
Derek Bateman’s blog post this morning was the 1st LOL.
Just passed Margaret Curran in Buchanan Street there, she was striding up the thoroughfare like the political collossus that she is.
Movie Title : Pacific Dim
@ Steve Stewart:- Why do you think George Osborne in his last budget would not give tax breaks to Dundee’s Digital industry?
@Elizabeth Sutherland
It’s so frustrating, it’s such a vibrant and exciting field to be involved in. Hopefully this will be an area that’s immediately looked at post independence.
I went to a party with some of the original concept artists for the latest GTA game a couple of years back and it would be incredible if we had other industries available that meant we could keep that talent in Scotland rather than them finishing up and all shipping off to other countries around the world.
The lack of public broadcaster is the nub of it. Many (most?) great and famous film stars graduated into films from TV. Just look at how many big name Aussie actors started out on Neighbours and Home And Away, for instance.
We often see folk looking towards Denmark as an example of a small nation producing world class TV shows, only for others to say “oh but their licence fee is bigger and blah blah blah”, but the reality is the TV and film industiees in Denmark are very closely integrated. If you watch the big name Danish TV programmes and then start seeking out Danish films, you’ll see the same actors in both. Mads Mikkelson was making Danish TV at the same time he was appearing in Danish films and even Hollywood films. How would a Scottish actor do the same? Well, they’d have to appear in River City, cos it’s yhe only Scottish TV series going, and I don’t think anyone needs to he told what a ridiculous idea that would be.
TV and film feed off of each other. You can’t have a successful film industry without a successful TV industry. Yet another example of how we’ve been failed by not having broadcasting devolved. And it won’t get devolved if we vote No either, because Westminster knows fine what it would lead to – independence.
Re the film industry I was in Copenhagen for an in out EU vote in the late 90’s and as a big fan of Dogme films was able, through work, to go Zentropa films HQ on the outskirts. The set of ‘Dancer in the Dark’ was still there. I’d a long chat with Peter Albaek Jensen and the set up was fairly rudimentary, a former military camp.
Can’t believe we couldn’t do something similar.
Meh, can’t be bothered correcting the typos there. Sitting in Frankfurt airport (waiting for a flight to the capital of a small independent European nation – Austria) on my phone, and this thing loves making it look like I can’t spell.
Aye, if only auld Sean had accepted that 15% profit deal to play Gandalf in LOTR (estimate: $450 million) he could have set up a couple of studios
Lord Jack MyCandle could have used some of that ‘lordship guarentee underspend money’ he sent back to the treasury to build a studio too.
@Morag
Re Ben Bradshaw, his partner is Scottish, so that’s a shame if he was so dismissive.
@Tearlach:
Regarding Euan McColm, I’m sure Andy Serkis would be up for the CGI motion capture…
As far as I can see the problem is that the film industry in Scotland and the UK is seen as just that an industry. We should approach film making like the french, treat it as an art form not just another industry that must make money like the American fil industry. We need to make movies in Scotland about Scotland and it’s people and their experiences and issues in all its wide forms.
Do you think this would happen in a UK which knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing?
Brilliant young director/writer Paul Wright has his first full length feature released today (selected venues). I haven’t seen it yet, just the trailer, but the shorts he has made have been astoundingly visceral and he is well worth the BAFTA win he has already received.
In any future film about this era, i vote for Johan Lamont to play the part of Johan Lamont.
Norman Wisdom is a bricker for the part of Wee Wullie Rennie. I know he is dead, but that shouldn’t detract from his ability.
Off topic.
Just found this quite nice article on France24 on the Calton Hill rally.
link to france24.com
Typically French style of reporting.
Favourite quote varies between the Total guy explaining that they had just chosen to invest £3.3 billion west of Shetland and (dismissively) “On ne s’est pas posé du tout la question de savoir quelle serait l’issue de indépendance de l’Ecosse” and McCrone saying that Scotland is a wealthy country which could be independent.
The English version is here (not as good because the translation into English is slightly clumsy and the balance of the French version doesn’t come through, although it’s clearly a redub of the original article):
link to france24.com
The sidebar on this version has a more negative slant to the French version…version anglaise! If anyone’s interested I’ll translate.
BTW Alex Salmond has a pretty good accent in French.
If I hear the myth that Braveheart was filmed in Eire one more time I will scream. The majority of the scenic parts,mountains ,glens rivers were all filmed in and around Glen Nevis. The flat battle scenes switched to Ireland. This was due to the Irish Cavalry offering their men and horses. So in effect other than the major battle scenes Bravehaert was filmed in Scotland. I even recognise most of the mountains for Christ sake! As for the article they are banging on about how much better the Irish film council is than the Scots. the difference…Eire is a small independent country Scotland is a stateless nation.
Juteman
Its a pity the actress Lotte Lenya is not alive as she would have been ideal to play the character part of Johan Lamont. In case your not aware of Lotte’s previous roles, the most famous was of course the arch villain, Colonel Rosa Klebb in the Bond films
Christopher Lee would make a cracking Darling.
Les Dawson would make a good Johan as well.
I better sit down until this tfif moment passes.
jimmie krankie will play poison ivy aka johann lamont. no brainer surely
les dawson would make a triffic stunt double
I wish people would start to be more positive about Johann Lamont. I think she would have a great role on TV in an independent Scotland.
Taking a leaf out of Norwegian TV link to bbc.co.uk and their highly successful continuous feed of a burning wood fire, I would suggest Johann front a show showing the tide coming in and out over a 4 week period.
As the tide is predictable, her entire script (“the tide is coming in”, “the tide is at its highest point”, and “the tide is on the way out”) could all be scripted in advance.
I’ve changed my mind on Les Dawson, as i haven’t heard Johan playing the piano. She might lack the talent of Mr Dawson when it comes to hitting the wrong note.
Typical of the Scotsman Newspaper, in asking why hasnt Scotland got a national this or an national that, when Ireland has them all, one word you backward gutter rag INDEPENDENCE!
Apologies if this has already been said but, that wouldn’t happen to be because there is a union and the Scottish film industry is part of the British film industry by proxy?
Seems this thread has degenerated into much Friday afternoon silliness, so in that vein, sort of, I just want to express, I think, mainly, among the like minded, that this week for me has been most irritating. I’ve been to an event (I helped with), training and had a meeting planned, all in the pursuit of a YES vote, at my expense, cash and time. (That’s my choice, clearly)
My observation is that if we are going to get over the line we need less personal politics, less inefficient folks both from ‘Business’ and the ‘Artists’.
Today I’m not at all happy. Will keep working away at getting that YES but some people on our side don’t make life easy.
It’s why I’ll keep coming back to this site because it really is a range of folks and opinions BUT all of us willing, without clear personal gain, to do what we can to secure a YES majority.
Aaaaargh.
What has Jimmy Krankie done to deserve that.
Care to expand, Albalha?
@juteman
On which part?
Angus McFadyen to play Rev Stu.
link to hotflick.net
In this photo Angus is rehearsing the bit where Rev Stu views the formating in the comments!
The Makebelievers is propaganda about propaganda.
Watch and think.
Glad I donated.
Hail Alba
Robbie Coltrane is a shoe-in to play Blair McDougall. Twins separated at birth.
O/T Anas Sarwar’s Clydebank speech is on the labour website. Read it and weep. Airbrushing of history.
@Albalha
The No side relies on demonising independence and presenting it as an extremist or eccentric viewpoint that no sensible person would consider for a moment.
These are the same tactics successfully used by the Conservatives and the press to keep Labour (Foot, Kinnock, Brown) out of power in England and by Labour to keep out the Conservatives (Duncan-Smith, Howard and Hague).
In a representative democracy, people vote to avoid the worst option.
They don’t believe in better, they don’t believe in competence and they vote in their own self interest.
Yes will win if the undecided are more worried about the downside of being in a “Britain [that] is a diminished power buffeted by events and headed with its eyes shut towards a calamitous exit from the EU” (source FT today) than they are about the disruption of moving to independence.
Yes can mitigate some of the mud slung by the other side (e.g. the excellent pensions paper).
But to get people into the lifeboats, you generally have to persuade them that the ship is sinking.
link to about.six3.tv
@Northbrit
Not quite seeing what you’re saying in relation to my post, maybe my bad, not sure.
@Albalha
Probably my bad – I read your post as suggesting that being mean about people on the other wouldn’t help (less personal politics?), so my point was that generally in politics he who mud slings best wins (unfortunately).
@Northbrit
No I was talking about the YES side. My view, crudely, we can wank off about how a new Scotland will look and, bluntly, without a YES vote we’re pissing in the wind, that’s my point and this week I’ve had a belly full of YES people wanging on and it’s tiresome.
Until we get a YES vote it’s all rather redundant. Hail f’in Alba as the Gaels say, well not the f’in part.
@Albalha
Got a horrible suspicion that might be what you were on about on re-reading your original post … apologies.
That’s an almost poetic turn of phrase you have there – don’t think it could have been put better ;-).
Why didn’t you say that in the first place?
Look on the bright side – can you imagine what it’s like on the other side…?
@NorthBrit
I don’t come here to consider the other side, all I care about is getting over the YES line and it frustrates me when folks from our side are inept, that’s the point, hardly dramatic, but we need to pull together to get there.
It’s my only focus, as for my personal politics, at this stage, even I don’t care, that’s sort of my point.
Sorry for the delay in replying, Albalha.
I wondered what it was in particular that had you irritated.
Some days are good, some days are bad. Scotland will do the right thing.
@juteman
People caring more about their political agenda above a YES vote, Business and Artists folks doing the same.
For me we have a YES vote to win, that’s it. Clearly we come from all walks of life, however lest we get a win all the politics is for nothing, that’s my point.
Divide and rule is what the NO/BT lot hope for, all I hope for is we get to the YES vote and then, only then we have a ‘heated debate’ as Mrs Merton talked about. (I know that’s a Mancunian reference)
Anyway @juteman Eh’m votin Eh
Calm me doon, foot extracted from TV screen.
I am sure most of us are aware that the Dunfermline by election is on the 24th October and the official campaigning started today. A quick clip on STV with views from members of the public about their concerns, fair enough.
BBC totally ignored local voters and candidates but majored on Ed Balls with the usual crap about Scotland’s Pound and how we would not have it post Independence. Quote ‘we will not allow it’ Cue Alex with his comments then Wullie Rennie and Ruthie. Diddly squat about Dunfermline and their priorities and nothing about the proposed closure [Labour led] of 3 Primary Schools.
I am off to hospital to get the tv screen removed from my foot.
Re. A Scottish film industry. I nominate Jack Kelly to play Duncan McNeil in the film of this time. link to bit.ly he’s a dead ringer.
Re a dead ringer.
Quasimodo is retiring from Notre Dame Cathedral and is auditioning bell-ringers.
He runs an ad in the French Gazette. A guy from a nearby village applies. Quasi explains to the applicant that to ring the bell, he must grab the rope as high up as possible, pull it down to the floor and then let go.
“Go ahead, try it!” he says.
The guy grabs the rope and pulls it down to the floor, but fails to let go and the rope yanks him up and he bangs his head on the bell on his way up, knocking him unconscious. He falls out of the window to the street below, and to his death.
A crowd gathers below and Quasi runs down to where the dead applicant is lying dead in the street. A passerby asks, “Hey Quasimodo, you know this fellow?”
“No,” says Quasimodo, “but his face rings a bell….”
About a month later, the brother of the dead applicant comes to the Cathedral to apply for the same job. Again, Quasimodo explains how to ring the bell.
“Try it!” he says.
And again the applicant grabs the rope but forgets to let go, banging his own head on the bell and falling to his death on the street below.
Again, Quasi races down to the street and another pedestrian asks, “Yo, Quasimodo, you know this guy?”
“Nope, but he’s a dead ringer for his brother.”
@Albalha.
Folk sometimes get too involved in their own issues. Don’t take it to heart, as the majority of the Scottish public will never hear about the ‘thing’ that got you so pissed off.
Enthusiastic folk can drive you nuts, but you want that enthusiasim on your own side,
As a hopefully doctoratal candidate in film studies, I can certainly bemoan the current set up, something which could easily run into pages and pages. But I won’t go there.
A simple test instead: name me 10 Scottish directors who’ve made 10 Scottish films, 1 director per film? (Danny Boyle and Trainspotting e.g. wouldn’t count.)
@ Mark Coburn – John Jesnor Lindsay?
@juteman
Yes wise words indeed, cheers.
@ Mark Coburn – Sorry couldnt resist that. Do not take offense as your post was quite serious. Freedom Friday is a wee bit of a tradition on Wings.
Gilles Mackinnon – Small Faces
David Hayman – Silent Scream
David McDonald – The Brothers
Peter Mullan – Orphans
Bill Forsyth – Local Hero
Michael Caton-Jones – Rob Roy
Kevin McDonald – The Eagle
David McKenzie – Young Adam
Paul McGuigan – The Acid House
Bill Douglas – My Childhood
Gavin Millar – Complicity
Don Coutts – American Cousins
I can’t think of any more than that. I’ve seen all of them, two of them are Hollywood money but were made in Scotland at least. Noticeably most of them were made on very small budgets and had challenging storylines involving young people. Too many Scottish films centre around misery me thinks.
@Albalha-
Me no know who’s annoyed you, but I can guess the sort. No names. (Oooh, it’s SO tempting, but nah…)
Problem – sorting out the inept from the provocateurs and spies yet to be uncovered. We shouldn’t doubt for a split-second that if they’re not already in-place, they will be.
Unfortunately, there is that hard-core of fanatics (representing all parties, or none) who will never accept that ‘Yes Scotland’ isn’t the SNP and vice-versa, and find it impossible not to stir up discontent and suspicion. They only serve to complicate matters when the situation, as you say, is really very simple. The Finish-line is in sight now. Anyone holding us back has to GTF out of the way.
They know who they are – if they’re so short-sighted and selfish that they can’t bite their tongues for a few more months, it’s right that the value of their involvement (as well as their motivation) be questioned.
We also have the ‘usual suspects’ i.e. political obsessives who’ve been wandering, Baptist-like, for years, pestering people whenever they feel their moment has come. Most towns and villages, however small, have at least one, and they’re a pain in the arse at any time – right now we could do without them, but as it becomes clearer that we’re winning, we should expect to see many of these belters trying to clamber on-board. The title of the thread following this is apt – ‘A Nice Problem to Have’ – but we’d best be ready for it.
Anyway – don’t let them get to ye. Here’s a bottle of Lambrini. (If you don’t like Lambrini, keep it and I’ll get it back when we next meet.)
link to ampmdirect.co.uk
As a filmmaker, I’m not happy with the current situation in Scotland. We have the talent but not the facilities and a studio is realistically only going to happen with independence (Fiona Hyslop has supposedly said that the Scottish Govt is willing to listen to business proposals). Even under Gordon Brown and Blair, we got no funding. But I also think it is up to the filmmaking community in the meantime, to produce films that are genuinely great and catches the attention of audiences and other filmmakers abroad, as it’s going to take 3-5 years if not more to get this done.
Filmed the YES Leith event last night. You’ll be delighted to hear that the hall was filled to capacity and we even had to ask definite YES voters to leave so that some undecided folks could join in (there were queues outside and we still had to turn people away). People are definitely there to be persuaded. Aamer Sanwar made some stinging criticisms of the NO campaign and the Tories (loved his comments about the Lib Dems being the mini-me Tories) and received loud applause from the crowd for that. 3 videos are already up, 3 more (Nicola Sturgeon and 2 Q & A videos) are still to follow tomorrow.
Again, if you could share these with your Don’t Knows, that’d be very much appreciated.
Green councillor Chas Booth: link to youtube.com
Margo McDonald: link to youtube.com
Aamer Anwar: link to youtube.com
Re numbers last night: capacity was 200, not sure how many people were turned away but approximately 40-50 definite YES voters were kind enough to give up their seats for Don’t Knows.
Damed if we do, damed if we dont. More unionist straw clutching
@ianb
Indeed. From the songbook of the grumpiest performer I’ve ever seen (Craigtoun Park, Fife, 1988), and as @juteman pointed out, “there’ll be days like this”.
@Tim F-G
Just watched all 3 of your videos, thanks. I look forward to the next 3.
Nicola Sturgeon at the Yes Leith event: link to youtube.com
to add to the Scottish filmmakers list: there is also Alexander Mackendrick who famously made Whisky Galore! and The Sweet Smell of Success.
first part of the Q&A from the Yes Leith event: link to youtube.com
will put part 2 up tonight.
The state of Scottish film at the moment is pretty dire, but it’s been this way for a long time.
This is the first time I’ve seen a lot of the reasons for this discussed outside of film circles, in this much detail. It’s very encouraging and has a lot to do with the Indy debate, I think.
The country if chock full of talented people looking to tell Scottish stories – and they are doing it on very limited budgets – but these film never get seen.
For example, I worked on a project over the past year with a 50k budget that we got from the Lottery. We were looking for alternative ways to fund things because the traditional routes to funding are not open to many indigenous filmmakers. The fund was for working with young unemployed people, so we trained a group of young guys and girls to crew the film. Here’s the trailer – the likelihood of anyone seeing the film is pretty slim, outside of putting it online :
link to youtu.be
There are a lot of gatekeepers and a lot of restrictions that keep you out. It seems, from my experience, that film strategy if geared towards inward investment from abroad only.
For a long time there has been only a certain type of film commissioned, for various reasons – but chief among them, I think, is that people in power think Scottish cinema should only make a certain type of film. There’s been a lot of blind elitism going on for a very long time that has killed any real business case for Scottish film.
I’m seeing this change, which is very encouraging. The only way to make sure in Independence.
Q&A from YES Leith event Part 2: link to youtube.com