Who wants to be a millionaire?


Guy and John make a corporate vid for Scottish and Newcastle. They use Alan Ford. S&N just happen to own Fosters Lager. Fosters features quite heavily in the film. We need a sponsor for the premiere. They could be the perfect replacement for Dry Blackthorn who seemed to have gone cold on us.

Guy meets with Bristol 2008, the lot running the City of Culture campaign. They love the film and want to be involved. They will hopefully help us with some celebs for the premiere. Guy’s and John’s master plan to usurp Aardmans as the Bristol feature film makers is well underway (even if it has a few years yet to run). We want a really spectacular night.

The actors are finally told that at last their film will be out for the public to see. It’s a relief to everyone. Perhaps they might get some decent work at last. John hasn’t time and Fluidity the money, to complete the pop video. But it hasn’t stopped Supertoys putting togther a CD sound track. It uses dialogue from the film as well as extended tracks and sounds fab. Now we just need a record company to take it on.

The premiere planning is underway as is a local press screening, set for 1 May. Suddenly there seems to have been a gear change. Watershed’s initial interest in the film has finally sparked others to take an interest. Guy has a meeting with Watershed to discuss the next move. Mark believes that we might have a bigger hit if we wait in the rest of the country until freshers week 2002. This means delaying the release until late September/early October. Guy’s heart sinks as he realises that Mark’s probably right.

After a meet with John it’s decided – we’ll go for the South West now and delay across the rest of the UK until autumn. It will give us a chance to try to tie up some ideas with S&N. In the meantime Guy sets about trying to persuade other local cinemas to give the film a chance.

We don’t get into the Director’s Fortnight. To compensate the producer meets up with the friend of a friend who just happens to be friends with the head of acquisitions at Canal+ in LA. It’s become apparent that friends of friends are very, very useful. All pretence of going it without the old boy (or girl) network have long gone. Even better the friend of a friend loves the film and thinks it could do very well in the US. Especially round the new college year. The producer is asked how much he wants for the film rights in the US. A million pounds is mentioned. No eyelids are batted, however the producer is unable to halt the spread of a stupid smirk.

This is wiped later after a meeting with Emfoundation when we realise that by keeping the film just in the South West to begin with, no national press will review it or cover it. To try to generate at least some interest, Guy agrees to write an article about cinema exhibitors. He also agrees to keep it clean.