Independent Film Production Companies in Derby

Hi All!

    Guillermo del Toro is a bit of a hero for me. Not because of the films he makes (although Pan's Labyrinth was particularly phenomenal) but because of the direction he took his career. He keeps his film career going around making his own films by putting his name to other peoples'; he produced Troy Nixey's Don't be Afraid of the Dark because he loved the original, then he executive-produced Mama to give Andrés Muschietti his first big break in mainstream film. This is to name two recent examples.

    Helping Jigawatt Pictures to create Stop/Eject, the short film, made me realise that I would love to 'do a Guillermo' - to one day have the money and the means to help other people make films which share the style and goal of Triskelle Pictures. This dream is a long way off, but - combined with the replenished drive I got from my visit to Cannes this year - made me want to push Triskelle Pictures into a functioning business, and a studio, all of its' own.

    I'm a long way off being able to run my own business, and I'm certainly keen to get more experience working with other people in the meantime. But the first step is to establish the current market for film production companies in the area; to see what is already out there, and how my little company would sit amongst them. Which also gives me the chance to give a shout-out to the other businesses and lovely people I've had the chance of working with over the last few years.

    So, here is my overview:

Name: Triskelle Pictures
Overview: New girls on the block (my PR/marketing team is also female), but with some good film production credits to their name, having co-created Stop/Eject and created Ashes, both of which were well-received at the short film buyer's corner at Cannes this year.
Specialty: Narrative promotional videos and music videos. Plus the 'company' can offer design services - such as costume creation, set design and storyboards - through me!
Website: http://www.triskellepictures.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/triskellepictures


    So that's me. And here's the A-Z directory of the other local film production companies, all of which I have the pleasure of knowing, or have worked with at some point:


Name: All Doors Lead Somewhere
Overview: A friendly trio of guys who make their own narrative films (which often showcase the local area) as well as working for clients. They frequently enter film competitions and have been shortlisted before, too.
Specialty: Music videos, including live events. They also create their own visual effects through the skills of Rob Dawes.
Website: http://adlsproductions.co.uk/
Twitter: @adlsproductions

Name: Anglo Klaxon Pictures
Overview: The company mostly focusses on fiction/narrative-based films, although I have seen them put these skills into cinematic promotional videos for local businesses. Their most recent project was Sci-Fi film The Trial.
Specialty: As well as the above, co-director Phil Arnold is a useful guy to know because he's a professional sound recordist who also does sound for events/installations.
Website: http://angloklaxon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angloklaxon
Twitter: @AngloKlaxonPics

Name: Enigmatic Productions
Overview: A cool little team who also focus more on producing fiction films, although they have worked with musicians and actors to help promote them too. And yes, I do happen to be living with one of their team, Edward Harvey.
Specialty: Dark, creepy films which are inspired by Tim Burton and David Lynch amongst others. They also compose and compile the scores for their own films.
Website: In progress.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/productionsenigmatic

Name: Lara Elliot Moving Image
Overview: A member of the Hatch'd online magazine team, who has experience covering events for them as well as shooting her own projects. Lara was also the official documentarian for my film, Ashes.
Specialty: Naturalistic footage shot with a "relaxed approach" (in her own words). She also works with 16mm and super-8 film, and is in the process of getting her own developing tank!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaraElliottMovingImage

Name: Light Films Ltd
Overview: With a few successful business years under their belt, and a director who was trained at Universal Studios, they set the bar pretty high for everyone else. Their first feature, Wasteland, was completed this year and received a lot of interest from buyers.
Specialty: Corporate films for classy clients. They also have enviable marketing experience so they know how to make your video get the best publicity.
Website: http://www.lightfilms.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LIghtFilmsLtd
Twitter: @LightFilmsLtd

Name: Sam Jordan Films
Overview: As well as making his own films, Sam is a good name on the local filmmaking scene because he co-runs 5Lamps Films, a bi-monthly showcase for Midlands talent (with the occasional drop-in from London as well!)
Specialty: Wedding videos and scenic music videos - he's even had one played on Scuzz!
Website: http://samjordanfilms.co.uk/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamJordanFilms 
Twitter: @samjordanfilms

Name: YSP Media
Overview: After going on to win multi-awards for their student film Caught In The Headlights, the team went on to create films for clients around more fiction offerings, with Love and Other Chairs about to be released and Jobseekers - the Sitcom (Pilot) about to be released.
Specialty: As well as having a bit of a rep for being the nicest guys to work for, their director, Chris Bevan, gets work UK-wide as a professional producer and assistant director on other peoples' films.
Website: http://yspmedia.co.uk/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yspmedia 
Twitter: @YSPMediaFilms

   I'm sure there's other film production companies in Derby and Derbyshire who I haven't given a shout-out to here. There's a few which I don't know personally (if that's you, please make yourself known to me - I'm always open to new creative contacts! In fact, I encourage you to comment on this blog posts with links to your websites so that people can see for themselves.)

   If you're looking for a film production company, I suggest you check out the links and browse around to see which one would work best for you. But, for now, how cool is it to see everyone's logos together? It's always fun to compare logos!

    So, what's next for me and TP? Well, we finally have our music video for Halo Haynes (made with the wonderful Christopher Newman, which is why he gets a production company credit on there too) coming out this evening - which I hope you'll all enjoy - and some more client videos booked for this Autumn.

    Also, due to a recent sports event, #Ashes is trending - which is very good as this is the same hash-tag I've been using to promote my latest directorial offering. It means that the trailer has gone up to over 10,600 views on Youtube, due to people stumbling across it by accident! This is particularly funny when confused comments pop up such as "how does this have anything to do with Cricket?" 

   Now, I need to get back to cheating on film with furniture, as I'm currently busy moving into my new house!

Speak to you all soon,

Sophie