There's something on my mind.

A few years ago, I was directing a big international commercial and feeling really pleased with myself when the   producer came up and made me feel even more pleased. Basically, she said I was the most talented director she'd ever worked with: given I knew the names she'd worked with, that was some compliment. But then a question popped into my mind: if I was the most talented one, why were the others making features and I wasn't?

Because they're businessmen, and you're not.

The answer burst my bubble, and made me think and then change a lot of things in my life [and realise how stupid I'd been forgetting all I'd learnt as I ran a post-production company in my 20s]. It was a real Road to Damascus moment. And in a way it led to DigitalCity and the North East. And now, given what's about to come our way up here, it'is causing me to think once again.

I'm sure you're all aware by now that there's the opportunity next year to see considerable funding flowing into the film and media sectors. There's been a huge effort over the past eighteen months or so behind the scenes [now you can really answer what the region does for you!], and it's resulted in a fund that could really change the game up here. At the same time, Northern Net is coming online, and that's another huge investment in the north's digital media, digital technology and creative sectors. all this could mean really good times ahead...

But only if we're ready for it.

At DigitalCity I see huge numbers of businesses and pre-starts come through the doors for help. It's what we're there for, and it's great helping really talented people figure out how they can forge meaningful and fulfilling lives out of their talents. But all too often, getting them to realise the quickest way to achieving their goals is a well-run and profitable business [be it one that's a freelance enterprise or a mammoth company] is really hard. And it's compounded by the age-old and pretty noxious myth that creative businesses are somehow different to other, more mundane enterprises, and work to different rules. They don't: not having a clear and well developed business plan will leave you rudderless; and cash will kill you as fast as it will the corner shop.

Yes, there are differences. Creatives tend to walk to a different beat where the ultimate goals are often not monetary. But have you ever seen anyone turn up at the Oscars on public transport? We tend to characterise it this way at DigitalCity Business: there's only 1% difference in the business DNA between a creative business and other businesses; 1% is the DNA difference between humans and monkeys; in business, creatives often act like monkeys.

At DigitalCity Business, we're working hard to change this and we're getting there: there's no doubt the businesses involved with us are getting smarter as individual companies and that feeds onto the cluster as people and companies network and collaborate. And organisations like NFM and DigitalCity are doing all they can - but in the end you tend to get what you deserve.

So what I'm saying is that if we - as individual media producers, and as the North East sector - are really going to benefit from new all the new opportunities, we need to get really smart.

Because they may not come around again.

Enough of the highhorse [high monkey?]...

Apart from DigitalCity Business, with the usual round of meetings, surgeries and events spiced up by work on a complicated and demanding funding bid, I've been working on a feature synopsis this week, and a showreel. Doing that I came across a film I made for the Tyneside Cinema a couple of years ago and decided to post it up

We shot Flickering Light at the time the Tyneside was about to be redeveloped and was looking for funds. I think there were maybe five or six films made: most of the others were documentaries but I thought it might be fun to look at the place from a different point of view. There was little to no money - really only enough for the equipment - but my regular crew very kindly agreed to go for it. And they're great people, all north east based. Cinematographer Warren Harrison comes from documentaries, and is a senior course leader at Teesside University. Ken Brown did the sonics is based at Sunderland [the film's worth playing loud]. And Matt Dennis is simply one of the best film editors I know. I think there's something really wonderful when a director can walk onto a set, and whatever the size, know everyone on the crew is better than they are at what they do...

Hope you like the film.

December 07 2009

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