Brand Upon the Brain and a New Model of Production

The Film Company, is an interesting Seattle based film company with a business model unique to the current climate in the industry. The model is based on trust. While sounding risky, it gives the the Company the opportunity to scout and nurture talent, as well as the power to take artistic chances to produce films that are more cutting edge and entertaining than the Old Guard of Hollywood movie making.

In producing Winnipeg-based, surrealist director Guy Maddin's feature "Brand Upon the Brain", they offered him a full professional crew, 11 hours of film footage and a month to prepare his film. And most importantly, they offered him full artistic and creative freedom. This before even pen hit paper for a script.

The Company also retains funds to court distribution for the films and even retains a fund for self distribution in the event that no outside distributor can be found. (Brand Upon the Brain opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, on September 8th, with a live score by members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.)

The model also allows the company to court directors who have established reputations making edgy cult films, such as Guy Maddin. On paper it makes for a win-win situation.

For a piece in Cinemascope Magazine, he writes that, "In Canada, most feature films take years to develop. By the time the money arrives, you're sick of the subject matter." He talks of the merit in doing things impulsively. Action! not talk.

If there's one thing a production company should be doing, it's producing. There is far too much talent that is wasted. And it's a fine thing that there is a company that sees the potential in harvesting raw talent over nit-picking bureaucratic indifferrence.