What kind of projects attract you?

Powerful and emotional stories well told.  It seems really simple to say but it’s amazing how few scripts do any of these things!  A great story needs to grab you from the moment you first hear the premise right until the end.    When you hear the pitch of a truly great story you need to know what happens.

You can produce the film of your dreams.  What would that entail?

An intelligent British action movie.  Part ‘Die Hard’, part ‘The Transporter’ and part ‘Shaun of The Dead’.  It’s so easy to make a sub-par B-movie but to produce a genuine action classic along the lines of ‘Die Hard’ is a tall order.  And doing so whilst keeping it culturally British makes it all the harder!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a producer?

‘It’s all about the team’.  You’re only as strong as the team of people you can bring together.  Everyone needs to look around the set and feel lucky to be working with people of such talent.  Then people work hard not from duty but not wanting the let ‘the team’ down.

I always used to wonder how you break into other people’s professional circles.  Now I realise you don’t break into someone’s circle; you make your own.

Most significant moment in your career so far?

The most significant moments have all been negative experiences that I’ve learnt from.  In one case I was working with a writer a number of years ago who wrote what I thought was a brilliant short film.  We didn’t get funding and I lost touch with him.  He’s now doing very well (Sundance, industry recognition, etc).  I knew he was talented but didn’t put enough energy into working with him.

I’ve also had to deal with some pretty unscrupulous people and it wasn’t until I stood up for myself and refused to back down that things got resolved.  That taught me to better protect myself from the nasty elements of our business.

I’ll die happy when…

I’m doing well enough to take weekends off!

www.stephenfollows.com

What kind of projects attract you?
Projects which merge issues that stimulate public interest with cover-ups and real conspiracies, to create thought provoking films that entertain audiences. I love films in this genre, like The Insider, Silkwood, Erin Brockovich and Michael Clayton.

You can produce the film of your dreams. What and who would that entail?
Shadows From The Sky, based on my book Toxic Airlines, is the film of my dreams. The film is said to be the Erin Brockovich of the skies and will join the successful genre of films that exposes corporate coverups. The film looks at the ongoing issue of passengers and crews being supplied with contaminated air to breathe on aircraft; air known to become contaminated with toxic chemicals. The film will be a fast-paced conspiracy thriller, and I hope it will help change aviation for the better. Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines actually triggered two calls for a public inquiry into these issues.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a producer?
Two pieces of advice come to mind. Firstly, if you plan to also direct a film you are producing, get someone else to do the producing during the shoot. Secondly, assume that everything that can go wrong on a shoot will go wrong, and then you will be well prepared!

Most significant moment in your career so far?
In my film career, it would have to be when Fact Not Fiction Films won the Best Small Business Award for West Sussex in 2009. Investors want to know their money is in good hands.

You’ll die happy when…?
I have done all the things I want to do in life… The list is very long.

What kind of projects attract you?

Strong storytelling—a great script is always the key! I’m drawn to contemporary issues with complicated, engaging characters, and which have an even balance of humour and conflict. Executing a production at low-budget level, it’s crucial to collaborate with like-minded filmmakers who can bring equity (pull favours, credibility with industry peers) to the project. Nothing tops a hard working cast and crew humming along, achieving their goals. It’s possible for low-budget productions to be ambitious. They require ingenuity and clever preparation from key personnel. And a fair share of confidence, insomnia and perspiration.

You can produce the film of your dreams. What and who would that entail?

A surprise hit—a rare gem that attracts little attention during production that, on general release, reaches the tipping point and becomes a box office smash. It would be compulsory that the film locations have ample sunshine and long shooting days. Oh, and working with the talented Gael García Bernal…

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a producer?

Find a cracking script. It’s obvious—but it has always been, and remains, the key ingredient. At the low budget level of filmmaking, there’s never enough money to go around—so keeping everything real and tight is crucial. With no time (or energy) for politics or department rivalry, creating a confident spirit of team play is a necessity. It’s crucial to have good catering and locations in close proximity to unit base, because you’re nothing without a contented cast and crew.

Most significant moment in your career so far?

Returning to Australia and shooting THE PROPOSITION (as part of the UK team) in the outback of my home state of Queensland (although that wasn’t low-budget).

You’ll die happy when…

I’ve left a body of work that’s had critical acclaim, made people think—hopefully laugh a bit—and made its money back, with a little left over for my retirement! ■

What kind of projects attract you?

I could say I was drawn to big ballsy blockbusters with mass commercial appeal, but that would be an exaggeration. Maybe I’m drawn to strong stories with powerful messages for a discerning audience? The truth is probably somewhere between the two, but I’m not sure I really know. A couple more films and I should have an idea, but I don’t want to start second-guessing myself. I want to keep an open mind. I want to surprise myself.

You can produce the film of your dreams. What and who would that entail?

Tough one that. I can’t help thinking that if you’re always dreaming of a film other than the one you’re working on, that you might be suffering from a nasty case of “the grass is greener”. I mean there are plenty of directors I’d love to work with, writers too, some actors, and some pretty cool locations I’d be happy to hang out in but I haven’t got a dream film per se. Having said that, I’d cut my legs off to work with Ridley Scott…

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a producer?

Get a real job! Ignored the advice entirely, obviously…

Most significant moment in your career so far?

In a way it’s crossroads that were the most significant. The choices I made that really shaped my career. Although I probably didn’t realise that at the time. Should I have gone to film school or started in a production company or worked my way up the studio ranks? Who knows? Could all be meaningless “what if?” and of course totally insignificant. But I think the most memorable moment was being asked by James Ivory why, if I wanted to be a producer, I was wasting my time firsting his films? That woke me up…

You’ll die happy when…

Not keen on this dying business but if I live long enough to figure out how to make a box-office monster drowning in awards, that lifts the soul…

www.poissonrougepictures.com ■