Black Country Cinema is a group of artists trying to generate a cinematic identity within the Black Country. Our video poetry aims to portray our everyday life in the Black Country in a personal, instinctual and organic way.

We believe that video allows artists to produce material that is truly personal and poetic. By trying to express the importance of video as its own medium and not trying to imitate film, this often results in us using small digital Handycams to produce our work.

Creative Advantage Fund Contact: Thomas Dillon, Chairman, Creative Advantage Fund web www.creativeadvantagefund.co.uk phone 07969 141974 (Rex Bird) email enquiries@creativeadvantagefund.co.uk

Creative Advantage Fund is a public venture capital fund, founded in 2000 by Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Arts, with support from Advantage West Midlands, the European Regional Development Fund and private sponsors. We make equity investments in SMEs in the creative industries. Prior investments have included television, film, theatre, toy design and jewellery. We are looking for investment opportunities of up to £150,000.

Little Scholar Productions Contact: Lee Skinner phone 0121 604 6658 email l.skinner@littlescholar.co.uk

Throughout 2008 and 2009 Lee Skinner worked in Vancouver researching and developing new media projects that combined interactive online services with entertaining film and animation. Lee returned to the UK in July 2009 to establish a Midlands-based media company that will facilitate the production of the new media projects that he developed in Vancouver.

Lee is currently looking for an organisation to collaborate with on the development of the online content as well as professionals to assist with business development and film production.

Blind Samurai is a movie script development company specialising in feature length films (both for TV and general release) and long form television drama.

Its principal inspiration comes from the convergence of kitchen sink realism with the generic urban thriller in the 1970s although we also work in other genres, such as science fiction. More recently, we have begun making pilots of our feature films, beginning with Barbarians at the Gate, to raise their profile. This controversial film deals with the issue of racism and fascism in the West Midlands. Blind Samurai also has a slate of projects for international co-production.

David Rose

David Rose

With a career that’s taken him from being the first producer of Z Cars to initiating the brilliantly successful policy of making films for Channel 4 in the 1980s, it’s easy to see why David’s presentation was billed as ‘An illustrated retrospective of an exceptional career as a Television and Film Producer’.

David introduced his compilation of clips by explaining that he saw his involvement in 50 years of screen fiction as five decades of different innovation:

50s, BBC television drama finding its feet
60s, introduction of long running series
70s, BBC Pebble Mill English Regions writers
80s, Channel Four innovative remit
90s, Independent productions in the Americas and Eastern Europe  

Paying tribute to former colleagues, David told us how much he’d enjoyed his career, particularly at Pebble Mill and that this was down to the people he worked with. One of them, Producer Barry Hanson, even travelled with David to join him for his talk and several other people who had worked with them were amongst the audience.

As we saw the first of David’s examples on screen, he spoke of the opening moments of a film being the ‘golden time’ which, when executed well, will put the audience in a receptive mood as quickly as possible. He described three key elements as follows:

Making it clear what kind of world we will inhabit for the next hour and a half.
Meeting the central character whose journey we will share.
Not forgetting the emotional value of the Music.

Throughout the presentation David Rose touched on the issue of ‘ lying and misleading the television audience’. Whether the introduction of living politicians and celebrities has eroded the purely fictitious ‘dramatised documentaries’ originated in the 50’s. Alan Plater, seen on the screen, expanded on the subject of fiction going places that documentary can’t effectively reach.

We were treated to a veritable feast of screen drama from David’s time at the BBC and Channel 4 with a commentary that gave us an insight into what it was like working with such accomplished people. It was evident that a lot of these same people like Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons/ My Beautiful Laundrette/The Queen) have gone on to have successful careers in Television and Cinema finding recognition worldwide.

David is proud of having helped to narrow the gap between films and television. TV felt that a TV Film suggested something cheap and second rate and Cinema hated TV because it felt that it was showing films on the cheap. David resented these views and feels that it’s the talent that matters, saying “A film is a film is a film.” When Channel 4 was launched, of the 21 feature films being made in this country at the time, 19 were American. Now of course the UK film industry is in better health partly due to the opportunity presented by Film on Four in the early eighties and stemming from the talent gathered in Birmingham in the 70s. Also, due in no small part to the efforts of champions such as David and his colleagues and of course to the talented people with whom they worked.   

With a fitting end to his presentation, David told us about the night in Cannes in 1987 when his presence was requested at the Palais, where some 400 people were waiting, for the inauguration of the Roberto Rossellini Award - presented to “Channel 4 Television for services to the Cinema.”

An appreciative audience took the opportunity to ask David questions before our event had to end as the building was closing. We would all have enjoyed it if the evening could have continued for longer. We thanked David with resounding applause and hope that he will visit us again so that we will have further opportunities for such inspiring viewing and thoughtful discussion.

Say Hello to the Digital Future Wednesday 21st October 2009 Hello Digital, the Midlands media festival kicks off with a one day industry event on Wednesday 21 October with an international and interactive conference at Millennium Point, Birmingham.

Aimed at SMEs, the conference will be addressed by Creative Industries Minister Sion Simon, MP for Birmingham Erdington, together with keynotes from Channel 4 and Wired UK. There will also be Sunrise to Sunset debates with Singapore, Rome and Seattle that will give businesses an insight into the opportunities and challenges facing the digital content sectors globally. The day is both a great networking event as well as being packed with informative and inspirational sessions that have been themed to address both those businesses just starting out on their digital journey through to those innovating in the digital arena. Free personalised Digital media Surgeries sessions bookable in advance will provide businesses with advice and tips on how they can get best value out of the web and social media. In addition as part of the delegate package, the first 200 businesses to register for the workshop sessions and attend on the day will receive a free one year subscription to Wired UK. To book a free place on a Digital Surgery and register for the workshops visit: www.hellodigital.net

THE BIG DEBATE - BIRMINGHAM Date: Monday 2nd November 2009 Time: Registration: 12.30pm Debate: 1.00pm - 5.30pm Location: Hall 11, The International Convention Centre, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EA RSVP: Charmaine Stint, Corporate Events Manager Tel: 0121 331 6895 Email: charmaine.stint@bcu.ac.uk

The Big Debate: Can the Midlands’ Creative Industries Revolutionise the UK Economy?

You are invited to join 'The Big Debate', with a keynote by Charles Leadbeater, leading authority on innovation and strategy and author of We-think, featuring David Harris (Wunderman) and Toby Barnes (Mudlark). The West Midlands region is seeking to establish the role its creative communities should take in the interactive digital media debate. From this conference the creative community will produce a report to show how its expertise can be more effectively utilised in order to propel the Region forward as an economic powerhouse for future development. Get involved and have your say at this engaging and thought provoking debate.

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This will be the 6th Flip Animation Festival, based in Wolverhampton and venues in Birmingham and acrossd the West Midlands. It promises even more treats than previous years. There will be more films, more speakers and guests and more special events. Here are some of the highlights:

	We will be screening over 50 films, including a special fringe event.
	There will be spotlights on two studios, Glasgow based Axis Animation and Bristol based The World of Arthur Cox, both producing award winning shorts, ads and broadcast animation.
	The festival includes a focus on regional animation, featuring the leading players and screening of a best of West Midlands films.
	Flip will also be running scriptwriting workshops for animation and an animation challenge for those of you who want to get more involved in the making rather than the watching.
	We have specially curated sessions from the Brothers McLeod which includes some unmissable gems and classics, including the Moomins, Feed the Kitty.
	We have animation filmmaking challenge and scriptwriting for animation workshop.
	For the gamers (players and designers) there will be X Box workshops and big screen gaming in the cinema.

As well as this there will be competitions, portfolio review sessions, animation and education panels and much more. Visit www.flipfestival.co.uk for more information.