Taking Responsibility by Caroline Rowland, Managing Director, New Moon Television
Taking Responsibility
Caroline Rowland, Managing Director, New Moon Television
Every year, around this time, thousands of cinema fans, producers and execs descend on the south of France to debate, trade and slate the latest crop of films embarking on their journey into the public domain.
The most remarkable thing to me is the sheer volume of films made - and even more startling, the volume of films funded and completed without any distribution in place and without any real reason for being.
That’s when it’s good to know that our industry allows us to do exactly what all those wannabe film producers dream of doing - but without the terrifying risk and enormous degree of sacrifice the cruel world of commercial film-making imposes.
Corporate film-making has long been considered the poor relative in the film business, but sitting next to the BFI Head of Media Relations at an over-crowded, under-catered lunch in the somewhat bling surroundings of the Noga Beach Club, I was reminded of how influential the films our often-overlooked industry continue to be. New Moon has been honoured to have 5 of our films archived by the BFI in the last 3 years - and dozens of other corporate producers have films in the National Archive, conserved for their historical significance.
This is versus the dozens of 90-minute passion projects that will fail to attract any attention from buyers and therefore sink without a trace before an audience even has a chance to cast their vote! I know which business I would rather be in!
Our projects start with an objective (rather than an idea) and the clarity of storytelling that lies at the heart of the films we collectively make, is seldom compromised.
I’ve come to realise that the most exciting aspect for our industry is the degree to
which our understanding of communicating complicated messages equips us to tell important stories.
This is nowhere more evident than in the work that we do in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. The IVCA Awards this year really proved the appetite for films that add a human perspective to the commissioning organisation. And as visual storytellers, we are able to tell that story virtually unencumbered. While in the world of feature films, a distributor, studio or financier can insist upon fundamental changes to a script, a client in the corporate sector will rarely move the goalposts. We are usually allowed to do what we do best - manipulate the power of the moving image to influence hearts and minds.
Call it propaganda if you like, but the films we make are communicating messages that have great importance to hundreds, thousands or even millions of people. We are entrusted with the task of shaping thought, engaging hearts and influencing minds. With this challenge comes great responsibility, but we all embrace it and continue to pursue ways to tell honest stories that make a profound impression on the viewer.
Feature film producers are simply required
to understand how to pool money to capitalise
on the advantages of various co-production treaties. Once that journey is successfully navigated, a succession of creative compromises inevitably follow.
At this time of year, when so many aspiring film-makers wear the soles of their feet into the La Croisette, humiliate themselves in the pursuit of a party ticket, talk about their ideas to anyone who will listen and return home exhausted, we as IVCA members are reminded of how lucky we are. We actually get to make films that are adequately funded and have purpose.
As we approach the IVCA Clarion Awards, let’s remember how privileged we are to be entrusted with delivering important messages. But even more significantly, let’s remember how lucky we are to work in an industry that has a business model that works.
