The Forgotten History

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Mike Riddell

To know what it’s like to get a feature film into production, it’s always useful to pay regard to the stories of other projects. Not the studio-backed films which are guaranteed to happen as soon as they’ve been green lit, but the indies that sometimes make it and sometimes don’t. When a film hits the screen, the audience has little knowledge of the journey that has preceded it, and often that difficult process is lost – distributors don’t want that story told in case it damages the positive spin around the movie.

But anyone on the filmmaking side needs to know these stories. It reminds us that very few ever got there quickly or painlessly. I like the story of Whale Rider – 10 years in development, with several screenwriters and many hurdles before it burst onto the screen and took the world by storm. The last two years of the project were spent battling the NZ Film Commission development crew over the script. But, naturally, no one remembers all that.

There are plenty of other such tales. They all teach the same lesson – those who survive against the odds will make it, and those who give up will fail. Unfortunately some of those with the necessary stamina also don’t get there – such is the perilous nature of feature filmmaking. I talked to the producer of an Irish indie at a festival, who had one of their funders pull out a few weeks into shooting. They had to fold production, and didn’t get the money replaced for another two years! At which time they resumed shooting, despite the continuity problems. And you know what, they got there – and the film is now in release. That’s the kind of commitment it takes – a story worth remembering.

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