Revolution Films
With just four full time staff, Revolution Films is a pretty lean outfit. Yet, in its ten years of existence, it has won a reputation as one of the most exciting production outfits working in the UK.
A partnership between producer Andrew Eaton and award winning director Michael Winterbottom, Revolution has developed and produced acclaimed Winterbottom features including Wonderland, 24 Hour Party People, In This World, Code 46 and 9 Songs.
Revolution also produces features by other directors, with credits including Stephen Fry's directorial debut Bright Young Things, Damien O'Donnell's Heartlands and Tracey Emin's film debut Top Spot.
Eaton and Winterbottom got their first real breaks working in television, with Winterbottom's work ranging from two documentaries about Ingmar Bergman to an episode of Cracker. The pair linked up in 1994 on a four-hour, Roddy Doyle scripted drama called Family - and knew by this time that they wanted to make a feature film together. The result was Butterfly Kiss, the story of a lesbian serial killer, which was filmed in six weeks, got noticed at the Berlin Film Festival and sold overseas. It put Revolution on the map.
Eaton says Revolution 'doesn't have a set agenda about the type of films we do', but points to small scale, lower budget films like Wonderland and In This World as a model it would like to pursue - films that are 'manageable and controlable'. Occasionally, Revolution will work on something larger in scale -such as the company's upcoming adaptation of Laurence Sterne's 18th-century novel Tristram Shandy for film, with Steve Coogan in the starring role.
Financing for Revolution Films comes from a variety of sources, including BBC Films and former Film Council National Lottery Franchises like The Film Consortium and DNA Films.
Eaton and Winterbottom are supported by two other full time staff: a head of production, Fiona McGuire, as well a full time assistant. Although the company will naturally staff up when work starts on a movie, the small size of Revolution means that recruitment doesn't happen that often. If it does, it would be done through ads in The Guardian or film trade papers or through word of mouth.
Eaton says Revolution will also take on a work experience candidate every two weeks. "As ever, there is a lot of general stuff like tea and photocopying involved," he says. But, he adds, Revolution likes to think of itself as 'a democratic collective without the democracy' so there is plenty of opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions.
Eaton also recognises that industry moves to boost training in the film industry are long overdue and very welcome, pointing out that most industries offer continual professional development - but not film. By way of example, he notes that he was never trained how to run a company, but learnt it as he went along.
McGuire, however, is one of the participants selected for Skillset's Inside Pictures three week training scheme made up of seminars, workshops and studio visits. For a small company, it's a long period to let a staff member go. 'But we'll deal with that, and she'll come back with great experience,' explains Eaton.
When it has films shooting, Revolution will also bring on runners at the bottom rung of the ladder. One, says Eaton is now working as assistant location manager on Woody Allen's new London film and has just got a job as runner on Tristam Shandy.
A partnership between producer Andrew Eaton and award winning director Michael Winterbottom, Revolution has developed and produced acclaimed Winterbottom features including Wonderland, 24 Hour Party People, In This World, Code 46 and 9 Songs.
Revolution also produces features by other directors, with credits including Stephen Fry's directorial debut Bright Young Things, Damien O'Donnell's Heartlands and Tracey Emin's film debut Top Spot.
Eaton and Winterbottom got their first real breaks working in television, with Winterbottom's work ranging from two documentaries about Ingmar Bergman to an episode of Cracker. The pair linked up in 1994 on a four-hour, Roddy Doyle scripted drama called Family - and knew by this time that they wanted to make a feature film together. The result was Butterfly Kiss, the story of a lesbian serial killer, which was filmed in six weeks, got noticed at the Berlin Film Festival and sold overseas. It put Revolution on the map.
Eaton says Revolution 'doesn't have a set agenda about the type of films we do', but points to small scale, lower budget films like Wonderland and In This World as a model it would like to pursue - films that are 'manageable and controlable'. Occasionally, Revolution will work on something larger in scale -such as the company's upcoming adaptation of Laurence Sterne's 18th-century novel Tristram Shandy for film, with Steve Coogan in the starring role.
Financing for Revolution Films comes from a variety of sources, including BBC Films and former Film Council National Lottery Franchises like The Film Consortium and DNA Films.
Eaton says Revolution will also take on a work experience candidate every two weeks. "As ever, there is a lot of general stuff like tea and photocopying involved," he says. But, he adds, Revolution likes to think of itself as 'a democratic collective without the democracy' so there is plenty of opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions.
Eaton also recognises that industry moves to boost training in the film industry are long overdue and very welcome, pointing out that most industries offer continual professional development - but not film. By way of example, he notes that he was never trained how to run a company, but learnt it as he went along.
McGuire, however, is one of the participants selected for Skillset's Inside Pictures three week training scheme made up of seminars, workshops and studio visits. For a small company, it's a long period to let a staff member go. 'But we'll deal with that, and she'll come back with great experience,' explains Eaton.
When it has films shooting, Revolution will also bring on runners at the bottom rung of the ladder. One, says Eaton is now working as assistant location manager on Woody Allen's new London film and has just got a job as runner on Tristam Shandy.
