The origins of the independent production sector (IPS)

1.8 The origins of the independent production sector (IPS)

Since the start of film-making in the United Kingdom, there has been a cluster of small independent production companies located around the Soho district of London. These had established themselves alongside the distribution companies, cinema chain owners and the British representatives of the Hollywood production companies. They had been set up to provide the programme shorts, trailers, news and cinema advertisements that supported the feature films. In some cases these embryonic forms grew and

Managing in the Media

established themselves as companies in Pinewood, Elstree and Ealing, aiming to produce feature products to rival the American imports. The 1930s, 1950s and 1980s stand out as three periods when the UK most clearly tried to compete with the US model of production. The last period was led by

Goldcrest (see My Indecision is Final: The Rise and Fall of Goldcrest Films 16 ), the production company that produced The Killing Fields, Gandhi and Local Hero , as well as Chariots of Fire – a film that indirectly produced the oft- quoted promise (or threat?) delivered by Oscar-winning screenwriter Colin Welland at the Academy Awards of 1982, ‘The British are coming’. More recently, following ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, Polygram also saw themselves as ‘a contender’. Alongside these film-makers were the support services provide by set builders, sound studios, dubbing suites, rostrum camera facilities, etc.

From the 1950s to the late 1970s, these production companies produced industrial and corporate films, cinema shorts, government information films, advertisements and general film production services. From them came film- makers like Ridley Scott and Alan Parker, who learnt their film craft through directing advertisements. It is worth noting that British advertisements, especially those for television, have always been seen as the industry standard. Others specialised in the cinema short, now a lost art since multiscreen cinemas replaced the town centre cinema and the single evening presentation of the feature film. For economic reasons driven by the distribution companies, more showings equate to more money. After the Star Wars blockbuster phenomenon, audience habits started to change; the film had become part of the evening entertainment, not the whole.

Typically, these film-based companies would be established by one or two film-makers. This would often be, say, a director and camera operator or editor. With these skills within the business, they could pitch, write, shoot and edit a complete programme. All that was required was a small cutting room in Soho. All the other production services, such as dubbing suites, graphics, equipment hire, film labs and crews, were within easy reach. This style of partnership was the pattern for the establishment of a start-up production company, where a number of people with what they believed to

be complementary skills set up in business after becoming disenchanted with the larger company or corporation for which they worked. This traditional model of a start-up media business, although challenged now by the multimedia business environment, is explored further in Chapter 8.

During this period (the 1950s–1970s), the process of obtaining a commission to make a programme was relatively simple because:

The media industry – into the millennium

1 There were relatively few independent production companies.

2 The idea of having a corporate or industrial film made was novel – often

companies had films produced as an offshoot of personnel, public relations or the training department. It was not a media event, nor a specialised internal management area for many companies. The com- missioning company relied heavily on non-specialist contract managers to supervise the project.

Many of these film companies specialised in niche markets and obtained commissions by identifying who might need a programme in their particular market. The potential client was identified by scanning the newspapers, journals and corporate or charity reports for major projects etc, and the company then made the approach. For example, one company 17 researched that the Hong Kong Government was opening up a new trade centre, and suggested a cinema short-style programme and organised distribution. They got the commission. British Airways saw the film, liked it, and also commissioned a cinema short to support their new service to Hong Kong. There was relatively little competition, and company budgets were flexible. It was also shot on film. This was a key factor in limiting the number of potential entrants to the industry. Film was the province of skilled artisans who had received their craft training in the big studio. The independent sector was a stable cottage-style industry up until 1981/82.