By Stuart Barr

A couple of weeks have now passed since David Cameron's remarks on the British film industry were met with a collective raised eyebrow by both the industry and the blogosphere alike. Short version, he recommended making more commercially successful films. I gave a reaction to Cameron's pronouncements in an earlier blogpost, in which I expended a lot of words that basically amounted to replying "no shit Sherlock".

It's easy to mock the prime minister for his naive belief that identifying a potential hit film is in anyway easy. Of course, The King's Speech was trotted out ad-nauseam as an exemplar both of what sort of success the UK Film Industry should be chasing, and as a counter example of a film that in its development stages was very far from a sure-fire hit. It is tempting to ask if Cameron would have agreed a year ago that a guaranteed critical and commercial smash would be a black and white silent film, presented in academy ratio? But really, that is like shooting fish in a barrel, Cameron was doing what politicians do, making pronouncements on things they don't know a great deal about in advance of the report that would give them the facts.

Lord Smith's committee's report has now been available for several weeks. It's a substantial document – 111 pages long – and it does go some way to allaying fears that the UK film industry is heading to becoming a sub-department of the UK tourist board, producing little but handsome heritage dramas of the type Harvey Weinstein likes so much. Instead, the report presents a series of recommendations that cut across the whole of the UK industry from production to distribution, exhibition and education and training. There is in truth little that is controversial, and much that is positive and welcome in the report. I thought I'd pull out some of the key points as I see them and discuss some of the challenges facing the industry as I see them.

I was also poked into getting these thoughts down by a blog by friend and filmmaker Jon Spira (Jon made the superb Anyone Can Play Guitar documentary, available now). I feel Jon was rather down on the report, arguing that the UK film industry does not need more money spent on reports on the UK film industry. I disagree, if Cameron's comments show anything, it is that he is no more qualified to come to his own conclusions on this industry than on the NHS. This is how government works, it has to invite representatives of any industry give input into forming coherent policy. Of course the report is just that, a series of recommendations that the government could ignore.

The report is subtitled "it begins with the audience"; they could have added the word "dummy" there. Obviously without an audience there is no British film industry. However, that audience is fragmented, accesses film through a variety of media (not merely in cinemas), and is not restricted to the British Isles. This is acknowledged with a strong focus on new film on demand services, a reassuring suggestion that funding bodies be open to a plurality of tastes in allocating monies, and that the industry should have a strategy for the export and promotion of UK film internationally.

The point about encouraging a plurality of taste among funding bodies is very important. For example, I have heard from a UK-based filmmaker that an application for funding was turned down on the sole basis that the project was a ghost story and thus too commercial. After Cameron and Julian Fellowes (a filmmaker, Tory peer and member of Lord Smith's committee) made comments suggesting too much funding in he past had gone to arthouse fare, there were fears that this meant a policy of funnelling funding solely to broad commercial productions. This fear appears unfounded.

The report also recommends funding be available to encourage the production of more domestic family and children's films. This is something to be encouraged, but please also films outside of the Disney template. I'd love to see a children's film as daring and socially important as Ken Loach's Kes in the 21st century. There is also an acknowledgment that animated films have particular challenges in funding and development, and that this should be accommodated. Given the success companies such as Aardman have had, this seems quite right and proper.

I question the recommendations for a British film brand given prominence in the report. The recent BAFTA nominations for best British film of both War Horse (a multi-million-dollar US studio film from Steven Spielberg), and The Guard (a very definitely Irish comedy thriller) point to the difficulty in reaching a satisfactory definition of what is a British film in the modern world of international co-productions.

A better focus would be on increasing the access of audiences to independent and domestic productions at their local multiplex. When more than half the screens are given over to the latest Hollywood blockbuster, and those screens are half full, something is amiss. I still feel that the question of a quota system guaranteeing some screens be given over to smaller productions from independent distributors is something that should at least be tabled for discussion. I couldn't find any mention of this.

There are recommendations in the report to allow more profit to go back to producers for the express purpose of reinvesting in production. A no brainer, but I would like to know more about what safeguards can be put in place to make sure that profits are not taken out of the industry and invested in yachts. There is also mention of incentives for directors and writers to see some profits come back to them to incentivise them in their career development. This is only fair, there are too many stories of creatives seeing no benefit despite having made a successful film. Art is great, but you still need to be able to put food on the table, otherwise its a career in advertising beckons.

It is extremely gratifying to see the report recommend that Lottery money should be allocated to local film societies and film clubs, but at the same time the government cut all funding the the British Federation of Film Societies just last year. Given that a significant proportion of the UK's population has no access to even a multiplex chain, these are often the only way to access films as they should be seen (projected onto a screen with an audience) for many.

There are significant recommendations aimed at the growth of digital avenues for film distribution and consumption. These are timely in the light of the UK launch of Netflix, and news that Sky plans a VoD service to compete with it and LoveFilm. However, this is definitely a case of playing catchup. The UK industry needs to grapple with this now or risk becoming the kind of dinosaur that the music industry became in the naughties.

At the moment, LoveFilm and Netflix represent an excellent deal for the consumer, but they are much less of a good deal for filmmakers. Revenues from VoD services for filmmakers are small, and there is no requirement for these services to invest in and support the UK industry despite the fruits of filmmakers labours generating their profits. The report recommends a digital research and development fund that can look at this area and how VoD can increase audience engagement and create new revenue models. I say that they need to get all over this as soon as possible.

LoveFilm and Netflix should engage with filmmakers in a more transparent and accountable way, and the BFI should be looking at how it's extensive catalogue of titles can be made accessible online. If you live in or near London, or are visiting, for a glimpse of what could be pay a visit the the Mediatheque in the BFI South Bank, and imagine it that was available online.

Crucially important is what the report has to say about UK broadcasters and their support of UK film. This is an important area, two of then UKs leading film companies who support and develop talent and films are BBC Films and Film 4. The report asks for the BBC's commercial wing BBC Worldwide to include film in its international promotional activities and to invest in independent film production. Whether this would mean an increase to BBC Film's budget, or would be independent of that (surely nonsensical) is unclear.

I'd like to have seen a recommendation for The Daily Mail to shut its mouth and stop complaining about BBC Films, a FILM COMPANY, sending staff to Cannes and other major international film industry events.

Perhaps the most important recommendation in the report is that the Government initiate IMMEDIATE discussions with britain's broadcasters to secure a memorandum of understanding about their commitments to UK film support. There are only two direct calls for legislation in the report, one some guff about making it illegal to record films in cinemas, the other that if the aforementioned agreement cannot be gained the government forces it on broadcasters in the forthcoming Communications Bill.

This cannot be seen as anything but direct criticism of Sky and ITV (indeed, both were quick to whine about it). However I'm not letting the BBC totally off the hook, lets have more films back on BBC's 1 and 2, bring back Moviedrome (with Alex Cox) and instead of two property development shows back to back followed by Cash in the Attic, put on an Ealing comedy instead!

There's a lot more in the report, I recommend at least skimming it. After all, the right to work things out for yourself is one of the few we have left (to paraphrase Starship Troopers).

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, what better way is there to celebrate than with a cosy night in with your loved one? With this in mind, the Blu-ray Disc Association has selected its Top 10 Romantic Films for you to enjoy, which are all available now in stunning high definition.

From the latest rom-coms to classic, timeless stories, the list incorporates a range of films that really demonstrate the added impact, excitement and emotion of the high-definition Blu-ray experience.

Romeo and Juliet (20th Century Fox): Enjoy a classic love story this year: Baz Luhrmann’s adaption of Shakespeare’s timeless tale of the two star-crossed lovers is a perfect accompaniment to any Valentine’s Day. Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes’ on screen chemistry is electrifying in this commercially and critically lauded film.

Mamma Mia (Universal): Make a song and dance of your loved ones with the light-hearted classic Mamma Mia. A celebration of family, friends and loves old and new, this film has something for romantics everywhere.

Valentine’s Day (Warner Bros): Is there any better occasion to watch Valentine’s Day than Valentine’s Day itself? Experience a day in the life of love with this huge ensemble cast to get you in the romantic spirit. Starring Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher and many more, this Blu-ray has a mixture of love stories better than any box of chocolates.

By Tom Mimnagh

“Ah yes, it's a lot like Star Trek: The Next Generation. In many ways it's superior but will never be as recognised as the original.”
– Wayne Campbell, Waynes World

During the 1990s, Star Trek: The Next Generation was phenomenally successful – with seasons seasons, a number of awards and several spin off movies. However, in the years since the original season the effects and sets have dated badly, looking cheap and archaic in comparison to today’s standards, but also in comparison to the standards of other later Star Trek spin off series.

So it was a pleasure to find that all seven seasons are to be lovingly restored, remastered, and converted to Blu ray for release this year, but first there is also a "taster" Blu ray being released on Monday January 30.

The Next Level is sure to whet the appetites of fans. It includes the classic pilot Encounter at Farpoint, along with two other classic episodes – Sins of the Father, from season 3, and Inner Light, from season 5.

I was lucky enough to get a big-screen sneak peak at the remastered pilot episode, and I have to say it is absolutely phenomenal. The effects are stunning, and the crystal clear picture really helps shake the rust off of the original pilot, and make it as engrossing as the first time of watching. Unlike other beloved science fiction properties, there have not been significant alterations in terms of content, merely updating and improving the quality of the effects that made it such must-see television in the first place.

I would have more information, but as you can see from the photo below, security at the screening was fairly tight…

• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next level is out on Blu-ray on Monday January 30

By Tim Pelan

In what seems difficult to see as anything other than a case of sour grapes, Lucasfilm has successfully ordered the removal of Jamie Benning's Star Wars filmumentary tribute, Returning To Jedi, from YouTube.
 
Apparently Lucasfilm was asked to look at the filmumentary recently, and then 20th Century Fox ordered the removal on the grounds of copyright infringement. Jamie has also removed his other extremely popular filmumentaries, Star Wars Begins, Building Empire, and preliminary work on his soon to be released Raiding The Lost Ark, previously covered in my interview with him. He intends to put these on Vimeo instead; Star Wars Begins has already been successfully transferred to vimeo, and Raiding has specifically been edited for higher quality viewing in this format.
 
The news of the Lucas empire striking back first broke via Jamie's Twitter stream on the evening of Thursday January 26. Jamie isn't the only fan film maker to feel the heavy hand of Lucas. Adrian Sayce, who has "remastered" Star Wars to correct colour grading, special effects errors, and added subtle effects, has been barred from uploading more videos to facebook of his new edit of The Empire Strikes Back.
 
This clampdown (after more than 3 million hits for Jamie's work) comes after an in-depth piece with George Lucas in the New York Times on January 17, around the battle to release his tribute to brave Tuskegee airmen in WWII drama, Red Tails. In that story, Lucas spoke of his frustration with the fan community – the very people who helped make him the success he is today. Interestingly, many fans instead picked up on other comments where he said he was retiring from making blockbusters, and missed the warning here:

" 'I think there are a lot more important things in the world than feuds with fan boys,' Lucas says with a kind of weary diffidence," it reports. Lucas went further: "On the internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie. I'm saying: 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it.' "
 
With the greatest of respect, Lucas is missing the point. No one makes these fan-edits or filmumentaries for monetary gain. Their makers clearly state they are not for sale, and are done purely to feed the love the massive fan base has for the Star Wars universe, and the tales behind the creation of the films.

 Lucas is more corporate machine now than man – I wouldn't say "twisted and evil", but a sourpuss, battered down by criticism. It seems he feels his Blu-ray extras are the only way archive material is to be experienced. Ironic, since the "new" commentaries from several different sources seem inspired by Jamie's own work. Here's hoping Jamie Benning gets Raiding The lost Ark out on Vimeo on schedule – it's due on February 6. Watch this space.

By Tim Pelan

Hammer Films has announced a major restoration programme of more than 30 of its iconic films, in conjunction with StudioCanal, Pinewood, and others. The roll-out of the revamped (pun intended) Blu-ray back catalogue begins with Dracula Prince Of Darkness in March. The press release is below. No love for the On The Buses films though?

In a landmark collaboration, Hammer announced that StudioCanal, Anolis Entertainment, Pinewood and others are coming together to undertake a major restoration of the iconic Hammer film library. The project will bring over 30 movies into HD format for Blu-ray and new media exploitation in the 21st Century. This represents substantial investment by Hammer and its key partner StudioCanal, and is testimony to the extraordinary regard with which the Hammer legacy is held internationally, with some materials for the project being provided by Hammer’s original US production partners Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures.

Dracula Prince of Darkness is the first title scheduled for release in the global restoration project and will be released in the UK in conjunction with StudioCanal in March 2012. The partnership continues throughout the spring for the releases of The Reptile and The Plague of The Zombies, and will also include The Devil Rides Out, Rasputin the Mad Monk and The Mummy’s Shroud during the course of the year.

Hammer will also release definitive versions of its three hugely-influential original Gothic classics in the UK: The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy.

As well as featuring a fully-restored HD picture and restored sound, the remastered films will boast a host of newly-filmed extras, including interviews with cast members. These documentary extras are being produced by Hammer expert and historian, Marcus Hearn – author of the recent The Hammer Vault.

Pinewood Studios carried out the restoration of the first three StudioCanal titles after housing the original negatives for the films, restoring the original UK title sequence to The Plague of The Zombies as well as the UK title cards to Dracula Prince of Darkness.

Recently-discovered footage that was originally cut from the British version of Dracula has been restored by Molinare to the BFI’s 2007 restoration courtesy of The National Film Center at The Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The Japanese footage features an extended and particularly gruesome death scene for Dracula, as well as a moment considered too erotic by the censors of the day.

Following the discovery and restoration of the Japanese footage to Dracula, Hammer is keen to unearth further “lost” scenes and on-set footage from The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy and other titles in their library, and hope that any private collectors with viable unseen elements will contact the company.

Hammer will regularly be posting to a Restoration Blog, which will give a unique insider’s view on the entire process, from material selection right the way through to release.

Other companies involved in the restoration project include Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging and Thought Equity Motion in the US and Cineimage and Deluxe 142 in the UK.

By Tim Pelan

John Carter (Of Mars) is a property, based on the century-old Edgar Rice Burroughs high fantasy/science fiction adventures, that has been knocking around for some time, waiting for someone to lick it into shape. On March 9, director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo) delivers his take on what Disney hopes will be a successful franchise.

Recently, a video pitch from director Kerry Conran (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) surfaced online. Conran was one of several directors the baton was passed to during development hell; others included Robert Rodriguez and Jon Favreau.

It's a fascinating insight into how his film may have looked, featuring a mix of concept art, animation, live action and CGI pre-viz alien interaction, linked by a narrative outlining the basic plot. Some of the designs may look familiar from trailers for Stanton's John Carter: he inherited quite a bit of the pre-production designs when he took over the reigns, adding his own twists. The video is below.

By Tim Pelan

Allcity Media is running an open competition to design the main image for the 11th Sci-Fi London Film Festival, which runs 1-7 May 2012. The theme is Future Games, to tie in with London Olympic Year, so there's plenty of scope for Rollerball-type mayhem in your designs.

The chosen poster will also be animated, so if you wish, your design can reflect how you think this should be done. The submissions will be presented in a London Gallery, from which one winner will be chosen to represent the 2012 festival. Duncan Jones, director of Moon and Source Code, will be on the panel of judges.

Theme: Future Games
Info to include: 11th Sci-Fi London Film Festival, 1-7 May 2012
Format: Maximum A2 Vertical, to be scaled accordingly. It will be used on the brochure, advertising poster, online and staff T-shirts.
Deadline: Monday February 13 2012
Delivery: As a digital file

For questions and submissions contact david@allcitymedia.com

Sci-Fi-London is a festival that "takes a serious look at sci-fi and fantasy, bringing new, classic, and rare movies from around the world to the UK". It annually screens world and UK premieres, seminal cult classics and documentaries, and hosts debates and talks. This year the festival will be screening at the Apollo Picadilly Circus Cinema, the BFI Southbank, and selected central London venues.

By Sarah Sharp

When, for the umpteenth – sorry, third – time, Ricky Gervais was called upon to host the Golden Globe awards ceremony this year, it provoked a variety of physical reactions in the General Public. Many were the eyebrows raised; many the thin-lipped smiles drawn tight in consternation. In Soho, a man could be observed placing a paper bag over his head and slumping slowly to the ground (though later reports could not be sure whether this was in any way a related incident, or just a natural human response to the general aura of despair indigenous to the area).

Here at the Observations Office in Sharp HQ, eyes rolled (two, to be precise). 2011 had ended on something of a damp squib with the fetid trail of faecal sludge that was Life’s Too Short – a bland and uninspired "comedy" that offered few laughs but finite evidence once and for all that life really is too short to watch someone you once respected churn out the same trash ad nauseam. In the figure of Warwick Davis – who may well be a magnificent actor but was given scarce chance to prove it – Gervais merely shat out a mini effigy of the alter ego that made his career the glittering trail of glory that it is today. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Right?

Well, this certainly seems to be the motto of RG, who, having made his fame and fortune by inspiration of Saint Brent, has set up a shrine to him in every corner of his increasingly franchised life. For verily, on set, Saint Brent presides; in the realm of Twitter, there find ye Brent also; and in the guise of Awards Host – for which, press the "hash" key now – Saint Brent is ever present. Gervais is an atheist (if he hadn’t already told you); but in his staunch disavowal of the divine he seems to have forgotten the true deity to which he unfailingly cleaves – ie, Himself. Any disambiguation between the man’s Ego, Alter-Ego, and Super Massive Black Hole of an Ego, has now more or less become entirely defunct.

But, if "same old same old" is the name of the game, at least we could bank on this year’s Globular outing being a bit of fun with a bit of a sting in its tail. This is the assumption one makes. You hire Gervais: you expect outrage, scandal, and at least a handful of possibly libellous punchlines. You do not hire him for a safe, anodyne commentary which sidles up to the line every once in a while, but then like a chicken-shit child afraid of diving in the deep-end scuttles right back to its showbiz friends for a bit of sycophantic banter. If you haven’t seen the 2012 awards yet, don’t bother – they’re not a patch on last year. Then, at least, even if Ricky remained his lamentable self, he was bitingly funny: perhaps not as risqué as he supposes (or as his pay cheque purports) but enough to make you gasp.

This time, the only sharp intake of breath was an extended yawn. Vague jibes at the state of Hollywood’s affairs petered out into nothing – a hopeful line about the spate of divorces striking Tinseltown floated, tentative, then dissolved, even though the recent splits of Ashton and Demi, Russell and Katy, were surely prime fodder. Gone was the direct assault on the Charlie Sheens and the Tourists of today – the closest we came was a predictable rib at Johnny Depp when he came to present an award, which in its self-referentiality just about sums up the entire scope of Gervais’s comedy. The obsequious praise that introduced George Clooney onto the stage, weighted with a lame punchline that didn’t succeed in making it either ironic or irreverent, was stifling – and moreover tells us all we need to know about the man’s real attitude towards the stars he claims equality with by grace of indifference.

The result? Bored, fixed, unimpressed stares for the most part; Jodie Foster gamely gave the thumbs up to a joke about her Beaver, but she also reached for her wine glass with the resolute expression of someone beset by the Boring Man at the Bar.

Here is the problem: Ricky Gervais spends more time talking about his potential to shock – defending it (the "mong" Twitter debacle), denying it (Life’s Too Short), or denying that he cares about what people think (every interview ever) – than actually fulfilling that potential. It’s like waiting for fucking Godot: his reputation precedes him, but he never shows up. The image of Ricky Gervais, International Man of Mockery, has now far outstripped anything that Ricky Gervais, Man Who Once Wrote Some Comedy, could ever live up to.

He supposes that we sit seething at his rudeness, his avant garde approach, his unrepentant crusade up to the bounds of political correctness and beyond: but the truth is far more mundane. What galls us is precisely the lack of all that: the empty promise, the endless boasting, the pretence of indifference to public opinion. (If the man claims "I don’t care" one more time, he will almost certainly self-combust. People who don’t care, don’t talk about not caring. Didn’t he learn a single thing from Brent’s bad example?)

Forget opinion, Ricky: focus on actual substance for a change. Stop resting on your laurels, and for god’s sake (or indeed Your Own sake), ditch the star cameos. Write the type of scintillating stuff that got you famous in the first place. Of course, there is a cautionary addendum to all this, and it comes in the form of Stephen Merchant. Having spent more than a decade as the relatively unrecognised partner in crime, Merchant is now embarking on solo projects, such as his own stand up tour, which not only prove that he’s worth his comedic weight in gold (quite a lot, I should imagine, what with the height and all), but also start to shed light on where the real talent of the past collaborations might actually lie.

But that is another story, for another day (a long story, for a day with an otherwise free diary: I’ve been swotting up on my Steve Facts). For now I leave you with the great unanswerable conundrum of the universe: Ricky Gervais – is he for real? Or is he just having a laugh? I almost hope that is the case: that would at least make one of us.

The UK’s favourite horror fantasy festival returns to its second home at the Glasgow Film Festival for the 7th year with its biggest line-up ever.

From Friday February 24 to Saturday February 25, Film4 FrightFest will be screening 11 new must-see genre titles, 10 of which are UK premieres. So expect to be taken of the roller-coaster ride from hell with this ghoulish global celluloid feast, featuring Argentinean demons, flesh-hungry Russian zombies, mutant cannibals, a Chinese-speaking alien, Asia’s deadliest killers, a Croatian hit-man, Pinocchio obsessed psychos and Jack Nicholson like you’ve never seen him before.

By Tim Pelan

Steven Spielberg's War Horse galloped onto UK screens last weekend, and is, depending on who you listen to, a heart wrenching, uplifting drama about a boy and his horse's journey through the hell of war; or a sacharine, unintentionally hilarious misfire from Mr Hollywood himself.

Rarely has a Spielberg film divided critics and the public so much. Regardless of that, it is certainly beautiful to look at, and plenty of effort went into creating the worlds our heroes journey through.

Below are clips of behind the scenes footage, from the purchase of horse Joey by Albert's drunken farmer father (Peter Mullan) in an idealised Devon; to filming of the epic looking cavalry charge with Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberpatch; and the recreation of trench warfare and Joey's punishing servitude under the Germans. Enjoy.