Could the political situation impact UK Film-Making?

Stealth Media Group were interested to read this week about how politics can sometimes have an impact on film production. As the industry bible Variety reported, the rise of UKIP in the UK may have a direct impact on the UK film industry.  UKIP wants an exit from the European Union and they were heavily supported in the European Union election last week.

UKIP grabbed 27.5% of the votes cast, this compares with 25.4% for Labour and 23.9% for the Conservatives.  It was the first time for over 100 years that a party other than Labour or Conservative came first in a national election.

But what will an exit from Europe mean for the UK film industry?

In the last seven years alone the EU’s Media Program granted over 100 million Euros to UK film companies and UK film production. In Cannes this year, two British films Ken Loach’s “Jimmy Hall” and Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner” both received funds from the EU programme.

Funds from the EU also help UK productions with distribution and often help with theatrically released films which have in the past included such hits as “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The King’s Speech”.

Funding for education

EU initiatives also give funding in some forms to various film and media education institutes, these include; London Film School and the National Film and Television School. The acclaimed Sheffield Doc/Fest also receives an amount of funding via European initiatives.

These sources of funding play a vital role in the UK and the chance this ending will be causing many headaches across the UK film industry.

Creative Europe

Moving forward, the EU’s Creative Europe scheme has a budget of $1.99 billion over the next seven years. An exit from Europe would deprive the UK of access to these funds. 

Even if UKIP don’t win and the Conservatives gain office, they themselves have committed to a referendum on Europe. Based on the current mood this could still mean that the UK could exit the EU.

Funding for all kinds of film

Film funding can come from all kinds of sources and politics has impacted film funding in the recent past. Government schemes and sources of money can always come and go under different political ideologies.

Stealth Media Film Investments doesn’t just work with funding from Europe, our films our financed from a variety of sources from all over the world. If you’re interested in finding out more please contact Stealth Media Group now.

Stealth Media on British Palme D’Or hopeful Mike Leigh

Stealth Media is tipping UK film-maker Mike Leigh to bag the Palme D’Or in this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Leigh’s film Mr. Turner is a front runner for the prestigious award that Leigh previous won in 1996 for his classic film Secrets and Lies.

Timothy Spall plays the artist JMW Turner (1775-1851) as a grunting Dickensian character, his performance is being lauded in this richly detailed character study that features the best of Leigh’s own unique style of film-making.

The camera work by Dick Pope captures the storms, clouds and vistas that the real life Turner loved to paint. The costumes and set design add to a wonderful recreation of the period. Leigh and Pope even manage to recreate some of Turner’s best known paintings.

Visual flights of fancy

Mr Turner features some great visuals but also concentrates on the mundane aspects of the artist’s life. Unlike other artist biopics there are no great affairs or scandal. Turner seems like an ordinary man with a great gift. Scenes showing his callousness towards his family stem from his preoccupation with his art.

Mike Leigh

Spall is always reliable as an actor, but this film showcases his ability to bring a historical figure to very real life on screen. Turner is often a bumbling figure, but he also possess a great intellectual curiosity and a single mindedness that explains his great work.

Geniuses are strange

Spall himself has commented about the film "It's about how genius is not in always the most romantic of packages," said Spall. "Most geniuses are strange." Leigh confirmed that two years before starting his famous lengthy rehearsal process for the film he urged Spall to work on his painting skills.

Leigh’s famous rehearsal process that helps put the film together (and often eschews a scripted blueprint) has resulted in many actors giving their greatest performances.

From Abigail to JMW Turner

Leigh’s career as a director began back in the 1970s working in television. His career really took off with the classic TV play Abigail’s Party. Originally done for the theatre the famous play was entirely improvised with Leigh working with each actor on their character.

Leigh worked on character background mostly, it’s been written in the past that Leigh and his actors worked on backgrounds from birth to the present day. The actors were given so much backstory that during the play they often appear preoppupied with other things. These preoccupations are never revealed to the audience but add to the tensions of the play and the performances.

The Palme D’Or

Competition for the Palme D’Or is always fierce but Mr Turner is definitely making the front running. It would be a deserved winner and another feather in the film-making cap of one of Britain’s best, and most unique directors.

For more information coming from Cannes, why not follow us on Twitter or visit our Steal Media Group News website.

You’ll Find These Fantastic Beasts on the Silver Screen!

It’s Official! This week saw the announcement of the release date for the movie version of Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. When is it coming to a screen near you and what can we expect from the next installment of the Harry Potter series?

Harry Potter: A Global Brand

Harry Potter is a global phenomenon. The books themselves saw epic success; to date over 400 million editions have been sold around the world. JK Rowling’s epic fantasy has since spawned spin-off books, a theme park, masses of merchandise and most importantly, an equally successful movie franchise.

If the books saw the Harry Potter franchise arrive, the films launched them into the stratosphere. Collectively, they have pulled in over $7 billion to date and they launched the careers of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who have since gone on to achieve A-List success in tinsel town.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

So what can we expect from this latest installment? The movie is officially slated to be released 18th November 2016 – a long wait for rabid fans eager to find out just what Rowling, who is currently adapting the novel for the big screen – has in store this time around.

Notably Beasts won’t see the return of stars like Radcliffe and Watson – we’ve seen their story. Instead it will focus on the spin-off novels fictional author, Newt Scamander, and his life long quest to discover and catalogue the fantastic beasts of the fictional Harry Potter world.

The film itself further deviates from its parent series as we move away from the hallowed halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and take a look at the magical underbelly of New York City 70 years before the arrival of the Boy Who Lived.

Furthermore, we know this next step into the magical world has been left in good hands. Not only is Rowling herself involved, but David Heyman – the man who served as producer on every single one of the eight Harry Potter films – is set to return as a producer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Stealth Media Comments

At Stealth Media we recognise the sheer might of the Harry Potter series and value the contributions it has delivered to the UK film industry. We know that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be just as much of a success and we can’t wait to see what the magical world’s creator has in store for us this time around!