COVER STAR !
MOLLY CROWS
This issue’s cover star is Mercy
Gaiger, playing the vengeful little
witch in the horror feature Molly
Crows (2013). Molly Crows
is inspired by local North
Staffordshire history
and folk tales.
LOCAL TV
ROB LEDGAR EXPLAINS
PLANS FOR A NEW LOCAL
TV STATION FOR THE CITY
UNMASKED!
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE
SUPERHEROES BEHIND A
NEW COMICS DEGREE COURSE
STOKE YOUR FIRES
FACTORYMAG PREVIEWS STOKE
YOUR FIRES 2014 EVENTS,
PARTICIPANTS AND MORE!
Picture: Ray Wilkes
5
02
CREDITS AND INFO
PUBLISHER:
Factory
Creative Industries Project.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Floor 3, Civic Centre, Glebe Street,
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 1HH
01782 231586
factory@stoke.gov.uk
stoke.gov.uk/factory
ISSUE 5
FEBRUARY—MARCH 2014
SIGN UP FOR THE
FACTORY ALERT !
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soon as it is published. Simply
join the Factory emailing-list . . .
WELCOME to the fifth issue of a regular
quarterly publication for those working or
training in the creative industries in Stoke-onTrent and North Staffordshire. The publication
has been commissioned by Stoke-on-Trent
City Council to support this sector and promote
the business investment programmes funded
LAYOUTS:
David Haden
PHOTOS, IF NOT CREDITED:
David Haden
ARTICLES, IF NOT CREDITED:
David Haden
factory@stoke.gov.uk
by the European Regional Development Fund,
Make It Your Business, and Factory.
If you would like to submit any articles for
consideration in our next edition please get in
touch before Wednesday 28 March 2014.
All copyrights are retained by their
respective originators.
Where opinion or ideas are
expressed, it is that of the authors,
and does not necessarily reflect
that of the publishers.
This is a quarterly publication with
ten issues. The content deadline
for the sixth issue is:
Wednesday 28 March 2014
EVENTS LISTINGS
4
STOKE YOUR FIRES: PREVIEW
6
SPOTLIGHT: RAY WILKES & MOLLY CROWS
8
SPOTLIGHT: HUSH HUSH
10
STOKE YOUR FIRES: MARKETPLACE
12
SPOTLIGHT: GRAND INDEPENDENT
16
INTERVIEW: ROB LEDGAR & LOCAL TV
18
INTERVIEW: ADRIAN TOOTH, COMIC ARTS B.A.
22
FUNDING: SHOW ME THE MONEY!
30
03
T
N
O
R
F
P
U
Welcome to the fifth edition of
FactoryMag, an online topical magazine
that has been specifically produced for the
benefit of the region’s creative industries.
The publication focuses on the continued
development and delivery of the Factory
business support initiative and provides
a diverse range of opportunities and
innovations specific to business growth.
Since the start of the New Year creative
businesses in the ceramics sector have
certainly been heating things up, despite
this cold winter weather.
For instance, companies like Steelite
International have been warmed by a hot
new contract in cold climes. Steelite, based
in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, recently
announced that they will be supplying
Russia with all the tableware products at
this year’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic
Games.
One of Britain’s oldest pottery
companies, Hudson and Middleton, has
announced they are set to double their
workforce and expand production in
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, after securing a
deal to supply a chain of luxury tea rooms
based in China. Yes, China!
January also saw eleven up-and-coming
ceramic firms from North Staffordshire
catching the eye of some of the biggest
names in retail at the prestigious Top
Drawer trade show, held at London’s Earls
Court exhibition centre.
January drew to a close with another
warming moment, as a selection of Royal
Crown Derby’s ‘Darley Abbey’ pottery was
spotted on ITV’s popular Mr Selfridge
costume drama series. Lead actor Jeremy
Piven, who plays Harry Selfridge, sat and
enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea from the
local produce… What more can we say!
Looking forward towards spring, March is
set to be an explosive month for film with
the Stoke Your Fires Film Festival taking
over various city centre venues. This
year’s festival runs from 7 to 11 March and
activities include a premier screening of a
new locally produced horror feature film,
a spotlight on local talent, a professional
sales platform/pitching marketplace, and
the third instalment of our very own secret
cinema experience, Hush Hush! This last
event is one definitely not to be missed!
I hope to see you there.
Marc Wootton
Factory Programme Manager,
Culture, Tourism and Events,
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
PARTNERS
EVENTS CALENDAR
04
events
6 FEBRUARY 2014
Factory:
Marketing and
Selling In The
Creative Sector
A half day Factory training
workshop for creatives, at the
Burslem School of Art, Stoke-onTrent. Identify your market needs,
and craft the right messages to
help you stand out and sell. 2pm
to 5pm.
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/Dhfw2f
13 FEBRUARY 2014
BIC: Profit from
Innovation
A free Staffordshire Business
Innovation Centre (BIC)
workshop. Take time out from
your business to think and plan
for profitable innovation. 4pm to
6pm at the Sutherland Institute in
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
PRICE: £ Free for local SMEs
MORE INFORMATION:
www.thebic.co.uk/events/
13 FEBRUARY 2014
13 FEBRUARY 2014
Factory: Costing
and Pricing
A half day Factory training
workshop at the Burslem School
of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Balance
your real costs against the
customer’s price sensitivity, and
find out how to use offers and
discounts effectively. 2pm to
5pm.
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/Dhfw2f
7 — 11 March 2014
21 — 23 FEBRUARY 2014
STOKE YOUR FIRES
NASA 2014: ‘For
The Love Of It’
Two days of inspiration, creation,
and skills sharing at the annual
gathering for UK Street Arts
professionals. The event is
to be held in Stoke-on-Trent,
and incorporates the National
Association of Street Artists
(NASA) annual general meeting.
PRICE: £33 (NASA membership
is reportedly not required)
MORE INFORMATION:
www.nasauk.org
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/Dhfw2f
Stoke Your Fires Film Festival is Stoke-on-Trent’s very own
celebration and showcase of film and digital media talent. The
festival takes place annually at various venues across the city.
Above: Still from Inside Llewyn Davis (2014). Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen.
TICKETS: SOME EVENTS MAY NEED BOOKING
MORE INFORMATION: www.stokeyourfires.co.uk
LOCATION: Stoke-on-Trent
28 FEBRUARY 2014
Negotiating
Public Art and
Commissioning
Projects
A free Staffordshire Business
Innovation Centre (BIC)
workshop. What is Intellectual
Property? How can you protect
your ideas and products? 4pm to
6pm at the Sutherland Institute in
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
A one day professional
development opportunity from
Appetite and a-n The Artists
Information Company. The
seminar will help artists to gain
insight into the practical issues
around large scale public art
installations or interventions
in public places. To be led by
Frances Lord at The Mitchell Arts
Centre, city centre, Stoke-onTrent.
PRICE: £ Free for local SMEs
MORE INFORMATION:
www.thebic.co.uk/events/
PRICE: £ 10
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/uKbJtw
27 FEBRUARY 2014
Factory:
BIC: Protect
Designing an
Fund your
Exhibition Stand &
Innovation
A half day Factory training
workshop at the Burslem School
of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Learn how
to engage your intended audience
with an exhibition stand that
makes the best use of available
space and lighting. 2pm to 5pm.
creative networking
4 MARCH 2014
Video Marketing
from YouTube to
Vine
A Destination Staffordshire half
day workshop. The training is
free to local tourism or hospitality
businesses of any size.
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/EfkQ2g
6 MARCH 2014
Factory:
Customer
Engagement
A half day Factory training
workshop at the Burslem School
of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. How to
EVENTS CALENDAR
05
create a good first impression,
elicit customer needs, and make
your offer. 2pm to 5pm.
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/Dhfw2f
6 MARCH 2014
Fostering an
Enterprise
Culture
A one day arts fundraising course
at the MAC in Birmingham.
Learn about key entrepreneurial
behaviours and explore models
to generate fundraising strategies.
PRICE: £ 150 + VAT
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/43KA7A
7 — 11 MARCH 2014
Stoke Your Fires
Stoke Your Fires Film Festival
is Stoke-on-Trent’s very own
celebration and showcase of film
and digital media talent. The
festival takes place annually at
various venues across the city
centre. See the website for full
details and programme.
Photo: SXSW
TICKETS: Some ticketing
MORE INFORMATION:
www.stokeyourfires.co.uk
11 MARCH 2014
UKTI: Managing
Export Risk
One day UKTI workshop at
Tillington Hall near Stafford. This
masterclass for exporters will
examine the key financial risks
facing exporting companies,
in areas such as: dealing with
foreign exchange; terms and
methods of payment; and the
sourcing of finance for overseas
ventures.
PRICE: £ 240
MORE INFORMATION:
www.ukti.gov.uk/westmidlands
13 MARCH 2014
Factory: Making
the Sale
A half day Factory training
workshop at the Burslem School
of Art, Stoke-on-Trent. Learn
practical techniques for clinching
the sale with your customers.
2pm to 5pm.
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/Dhfw2f
13 MARCH 2014
BIC: Leadership
Skills for
Innovation
A free Staffordshire Business
Innovation Centre (BIC)
workshop. Learn about the key
steps that lead to innovation in
a successful business. 4pm to
6pm at the Sutherland Institute in
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
PRICE: £ Free for local SMEs
MORE INFORMATION:
www.thebic.co.uk/events/
7 — 11 MARCH 2014
creative inspiration
20 MARCH 2014
Group Market
Visit: SXSW
BIC: Marketing
Your Innovation
A UKTI led Group Market Visit for
West Midlands creative and digital
exporters, to SXSW 2014 in Texas.
A great chance for successful
Midlands talent to network with
dynamic American creatives and
their companies. Enquire about
the availability of places.
A free Staffordshire Business
Innovation Centre (BIC)
workshop. Learn how to bring
your innovation to market as a
viable product, and successfully
exploit your new idea. 4-6pm
at the Sutherland Institute in
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
PRICE: £ enquire
MORE INFORMATION:
info@uktiwm.co.uk
PRICE: £ Free for local SMEs
MORE INFORMATION:
www.thebic.co.uk/events/
Opened 26 October 2013 :
Staffordshire Hoard:
ANGLO-SAXON MERCIA
A brand new exhibition in the museum with 50 key items on display
in a replica Mercian hall, together with a new animation film.
PRICE: £ FREE
MORE INFORMATION: www.stokemuseums.org.uk
LOCATION: Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
20 MARCH 2014
Factory:
Administration,
Payment, and
Delivery
A free half-day Factory training
workshop to be held at the
Burslem School of Art, Stokeon-Trent. The event will look
at practical matters such as the
handling of paperwork, taking
payments from customers, the
law, and delivery of goods. The
event will run from 2pm to 5pm.
13 MAY 2014
WMBusiness:
New to Exports?
A free workshop for Staffordshire
businesses new to exporting. To
be held at a Staffordshire location.
Explore and identify opportunities
in four markets: France; Germany;
Ireland; and the USA. Contact:
exportingworkshops@projectsuk.
com
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/ldh2g6
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.goo.gl/Dhfw2f
13 JUNE 2014
3 APRIL 2014
Launch evening on the Stoke
campus for the Staffordshire
University B.A. (Hons.) Art,
Design, Media graduation degree
shows. Then runs until 21 June.
Growth
Accelerator: IP
Masterclass
This one day masterclass in
Stoke-on-Trent is exclusively for
companies who are signed up to
the national GrowthAccelerator
business programme. The
masterclass will cover how to
understand, profile, protect and
exploit your intellectual property
in the marketplace.
PRICE: £ Free for members
MORE INFORMATION:
www.growthaccelerator.com
Graduation
Shows
PRICE: £ Free
MORE INFORMATION:
www.thebic.co.uk/events/
WANT TO SEE YOUR
2014 EVENT LISTING
HERE?
Please email your
event details to:
factory@stoke.gov.uk
06
FEEL THE
BURN!
FactoryMag has a preview taster for the
city’s annual Stoke Your Fires film festival
For five days in March 2014
Stoke Your Fires will bring you
the best of UK filmmaking talent,
professional development events,
movie screenings and more.
Now in its sixth year, the festival
is Stoke-on-Trent’s very own
annual celebration of regional,
national
and
international
filmmaking. The festival takes
place at various venues across
the city and focuses on inspiring
people, promoting local talent
and creating opportunities for
the whole sector, by delivering
a programme of innovation,
creativity and entrepreneurship.
As well as an exciting and
eclectic programme of film
7th to 11th
MARCH
Some of the films selected
for the 2014 Stoke Your
Fires film festival include:
screenings, each year the festival
delivers a series of professional
development masterclasses and
industry events which enable
filmmakers of all stages of their
career to learn new skills and
techniques and the opportunity
to network with other industry
professionals.
Picture: Mercy Gaiger,
playing the vengeful
little witch in the
feature film Molly
Crows (2014). Molly
Crows is inspired by
North Staffordshire
history and folk
tales about Molly
Leigh. The film won
the Russian Annual
Horror Film Awards
2014, competing
against films that
cost millions.
The horror film Molly Crows (2013), partly
filmed in Stoke-on-Trent | the Cambodian
Oscar nominee The Missing Picture (2013) |
Insect horror classic Phase IV, restored with Saul
Bass’s long lost original ending | Inside Llewyn Davis
(2013) by the Coen Brothers | and many more! Please
visit the Stoke Your Fires website for details of the full 2014
programme:
www.stokeyourfires.co.uk
Above picture credit: Ray Wilkes. Next page: Stoke Your Fires
07
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR
LOCAL TALENT
Get on the inside track with our region’s local
film making talent. 8 MARCH 2014
STUDENT SYMPOSIUM
A one day programme of opportunities to engage
with industry speakers and creatives.
11 MARCH 2014
CREATIVE ENGLAND
NETWORKING EVENT
Network with Creative England, and the
Producer’s Forum, on the Factory
Floor. 10 MARCH 2014
08
RAY
SPOTLIGHT
WILKES
WRITER/DIRECTOR RAY WILKES (MOLLY
CROWS) HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS THE GALA
FILMMAKER FOR STOKE YOUR FIRES 2014.
Facebook: www.goo.gl/IqlGwC Trailer: www.goo.gl/Kp2TMn
David Haden: Ray, welcome. 30
shooting locations, a cast and
crew of 100, strung between
Stoke-on-Trent and Wales. And
yet your acclaimed horror film
Molly Crows is reported by some
to have only cost £400. How did
you make a feature film for that,
still less one that’s now winning
awards in competition with films
that cost millions?
Ray Wilkes: Thank you! Actually
the total was more like £700, after
we’d added everything up. But it
does seem to have blown people’s
minds a bit. I paid for a couple
of locations, and a few shillings
for costumes. I think sometimes
people think I’m joking, when I
tell them what it cost. But there
are two very clear reasons why
we were able to do it for that.
First, the incredible generosity
and the support of the Stoke-onTrent people. In Burslem people
loved the idea of filming the local
legend, and were very helpful. We
borrowed houses and offices, and
found great period architecture
just around the corner from gritty
back-alleys. We also used the fine
moorland landscape in and near
the city, such as The Roaches.
That meant a lot of lighting
and shooting things quickly, so
farmers and residents could get
on with their lives. The ancient
upper floors of the Leopard Hotel
in Burslem was one incredible
location we used. At Fat Cats in
Hanley we filmed some scenes
for free, on the derelict top floor.
We couldn’t have made the film
for £700 without the people of
Stoke-on-Trent. My knowledge
as a resident of the area probably
also helped. While filming around
Stoke-on-Trent I kept bumping
into people I knew, and they’d say
“What are you up to?” I’d tell them
I was making a feature film, and
they’d look at me funny and ask
me how my Dad was.
DH: You filmed locally in Stokeon-Trent and the adjacent Welsh
Marches, using mostly local
crew, actors, and 17th Century reenactors as extras. How was that
experience for you?
RW: Really great. So... the
second reason we pulled it
off is because my core team
are incredibly resourceful, well
connected and multi-skilled. Phil
Sykes, first Assistant Director,
was doing sound, stunts like
dragging people through the air,
scouting locations, making props
“The total cost was
more like £700
... which seems to
have blown people’s
minds a bit.”
Above: Director and writer of Molly
Crows, Ray Wilkes. Molly Crows is an
award winning feature film based on
the local tale of Molly Leigh — the last
accused witch in the town of Burslem.
Below: movie poster for Molly Crows,
designed by Ade Kestrel.
09
like full-sized tombs and stunt knives,
dealing with pyrotechnics and buckets
of offal, and all sorts. I worked on the
characters with the individual actors
and trusted them to dress their own
characters and hair, so the wardrobe
and makeup budget was minimal for
the contemporary sections. Publicist
Layla Randle-Conde proved fantastic
at sourcing 17th Century costumes,
actors and props. Although she mainly
did promotion, she also made children’s
costumes from old clothes and sheets,
and called in a few friends to help add
huge production value to historical
scenes. Layla got us professional ‘living
historian’ Tony Rotherham, dressed in
costume and bearing flaming torches
and bags of authentic gold coins.
Layla also brought in archaeologist
Mark Olly in full witchfinder gear, with
a car full of authentic costumes for
the kids, plus about £15,000 worth
of authentic firearms, historic bibles
and other kit. Then to top it off the
brilliant This Is England actor George
Newton saw some clips on YouTube,
and one day he turned up on set and
agreed to waive his fee. Which we’re
understandably
delighted
about,
as I was able to cast him as Head
Witchfinder. The re-enactors were just
fantastic. They walked on set with
their authentic kit on, and looked like
they’d stepped out of a different era.
They’re really fun guys as well, and
used to being outside in the cold and
wet. We mutually helped actors and
crew to promote their role via the local
media, while actually in production,
and this attracted a lot of attention
and goodwill. As word spread, lots of
people wanted to work on the film.
We also landed people from overseas,
such as our fantastic sound guy Daniel
Nixon from Australia, who did all the
sound and most of the music. He
made it sound like a big budget movie.
DH: The Molly Leigh witch folklore
in Burslem. What made you think:
“there’s a feature movie in this”? When
many others have looked into it, but
found nothing worth using creatively?
RW: Well, it’s a very eerie local legend
and not widely known. She does
appear in some artwork and stories,
and in nursery rhymes that are still
remembered. But it’s a very small story,
and there isn’t much historical detail.
So it was the catalyst rather than the
entire movie. I had sympathy for Molly
as an outsider in her own town. We’ve
all felt that way at times, particularly
when we’re adolescents. I was reading
a lot of scripts at the time, and it took
me a while to realise the story I needed
was right under my nose. It helped steer
me towards a story with proper female
characters with real personalities. My
script was also read by a great many
horror fans, and from them I had
intelligent genre-savvy feedback. Many
fans wanted to see strong women
characters on the screen, and a more
subtle approach, instead of yet another
“cheerleaders covered in blood” horror.
DH: Did you have much taxpayer
support for development and filming,
from regional public-sector film or
writing agencies and the like?
RW: We didn’t receive any support
from regional film agencies or local
councils, and we didn’t have any public
sector support whatsoever. I think one
local council offered to design us a
poster or some flyers, but that’s about
it. But I couldn’t be bothered with all the
paperwork required.
DH: Can you share any future plans?
Arthur Machen and his mystical/horror
vision of the Welsh Borders springs to
mind. Although sadly his stories are still
in copyright until 2017.
RW: Future plans include... making
another movie! We’re working on the
funding and the script at the moment,
but it’s early days. Making a film on
almost nothing was a great experience,
but I don’t think it’s a sustainable
option in the long term. There will be
some money behind the next feature.
Machen?
Well, at the moment I
am immersing myself in myths and
legends, although I would like to make
something very different to Molly Crows
for the next film.
Above: stills from Molly Crows
010
HUSH
HUSH
SPOTLIGHT
HUSH HUSH ARE PURVEYORS OF SITE SPECIFIC
CINEMA EVENTS IN STOKE-ON-TRENT AND
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE
www.bitjam.org.uk/category/hush-hush-cinema/
David Haden: How did Hush Hush
begin?
Hush Hush: All of the people
involved are ‘cinema nuts’. We’d
read about Secret Cinema’s
events in London. They offered a
mix of a great film in an unusual
venue, plus lots of live audience
interaction. That was something
we wanted to try out. Our aims
are really to show films we love,
in locations that make them
extra special. That, and dressing
up! We have a secret list of
projects we’re gradually working
through, and Stoke-on-Trent isn’t
short of interesting buildings to
use. During 2013 we collected
information from people who
have volunteered, or come to
the events, and we now have an
informal Hush Hush collective.
We’ve also had lots of help from
the city council, who have found
us some great spaces to work in.
DH: How have the city centre
venues used so far worked out?
Hush Hush: Our first event was
at the Stoke Your Fires festival
last February. In Hanley Town
Hall there’s an old wood panelled
courtroom that hasn’t been used
for years, and we took audiences
there to take part in a ‘paranormal
investigation’. The centrepiece
was a showing of The Exorcism of
Emily Rose, most of which takes
place in a courtroom.
DH: Good choice. I remember
sitting in on one of the discussions
for that, when we went through
just about every old court film we
could think of. But no-one came
up with that film, at that point.
Hush Hush: At The Sugarmill
there was only one film we could
really show, This Is Spinal Tap,
complete with rock karaoke,
album cover photography, rubbish
canapes, and a real stone henge
descended from the roof at the
crucial point.
Now we’re gearing up for number
three, on Saturday 22 February.
It’s a departure, as we’re letting
people know the film and the
venue. This is because it’s aimed
at families with children, some of
whom are less comfortable not
knowing what’s going to happen.
We’re taking over the Potteries
Museum & Art Gallery after hours,
for an evening based around the
Night at the Museum idea. Tickets
are free but strictly limited, please
call 01782 232323 to book.
DH: Sounds great. You’re also
involved in the Stoke Your Fires
Festival again this year.
Hush Hush: Yes, after the
museum night it’s back to
full Hush Hush clandestine
operations for Stoke Your Fires
on Sunday 9th March. Now, I can’t
tell you the film or the venue for
that. But we’re sure you’ll have an
amazing evening somewhere in
the city, a place that you’ve never
been to before. All I’ll say? You
might just have to ‘clock in’.
“A real
stone henge
descended
from the roof
at the crucial
point.”
Saturday 22 February 2014. P
Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent c
Sunday 9 March 2014. At a m
Stoke-on-Trent. Tickets £5, a
www.stokeyourfires.com
Potteries Museum &
city centre. Free.
mystery venue in
available from:
011
This page: pictures from the 2013 Hush Hush event at Hanley Town Hall, in Stoke-on-Trent
city centre. Part of Stoke Your Fires 2013. Photo credits: Hush Hush / Stoke Your Fires.
012
MARKETPLACE
In partnership with the Factory business
support programme and Producers’ Forum,
Stoke Your Fires film festival will once again
deliver a Film and Digital Marketplace at the
heart of the 2014 film festival.
www.stokeyourfires.co.uk
Monday
10 MARCH
AT THE VICTORIA HALL,
CITY CENTRE
With Lionsgate, Creative England,
Cascade Media Development, eOne
Entertainment, High Point Media,
Moviehouse Entertainment, The
Works, and more to be confirmed!
A FLEXIBLE PITCHING
PLATFORM
Marketplace is a flexible pitching platform that can
accommodate all kinds of film and digital projects,
filmmakers and media makers.
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
Marketplace pitching takes place in one to
one meetings where both pitchers and funders
understand what is needed, and you can get
straight into creative and financial discussions.
FIND THE BEST MATCH FOR
YOUR PROJECT
Marketplace matches film and digital creatives’
most innovative projects with some of the best
UK and international industry decision makers.
Photographs: Stoke Your Fires 2013
013
The Marketplace is designed
for filmmakers, animators,
writers or producers who have
projects ready to go — and
would like the opportunity to
pitch these ideas to the film
industry.
The Producers’ Forum is supporting Marketplace.
The Forum is an independent organisation serving
the vibrant community of filmmakers and content
producers, in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Membership includes Producers, Directors of
Photography, Writers and Directors as well as a
mix of Editors, Art Directors, Sound Recordists and
Composers, and others. Online at:
www.producersforum.org.uk
014
Stoke Film Office will be on hand at the
Stoke Your Fires Marketplace, as the city’s
official supporter of film and photography
shoots across North Staffordshire.
STOKE
FILM OFFICE
Stoke-on-Trent and North
Staffordshire has always
been a big supporter
of film with numerous
productions being shot
on location at some
of the region’s most
interesting and unique
backdrops including The
Peak District, Trentham
Gardens, Gladstone Pottery
Museum, Ford Green Hall,
and Foxfield Railway.
Stoke Film Office has
been set up by Stokeon-Trent City Council to
positively promote the
city as a film friendly
destination. Working in
partnership with Creative
England we are currently
cataloguing a variety
of new and interesting
locations and drawing up
plans to promote this to
the whole of the UK and
wider film world.
There is a vibrant and
growing creative digital
media sector in Stoke-onTrent and we hope to firmly
embed this element at
the heart of all future
plans.
If you would like to
find out more about
the film office or see a
selection of interesting
and unusual locations
that are being promoted
please visit:
http://filmoffice.stoke.gov.uk
YOUR SCREEN
LOCATION SERVICE
Stoke-on-Trent is surrounded by
varied and unique countryside, such
as the rugged Peak District and the
Staffordshire Moorlands.
Stoke-on-Trent has a wealth of
heritage buildings, with several
Victorian era potteries still in
manufacturing use.
filmenquiries@stoke.gov.uk
015
SPOTLIGHT
www.arnohazebroek.com
David Haden: How did you go
about realising your new Olivia
Twist feature film?
Arno Hazebroek: It started with
a short film called “Intervention”,
which I produced and directed
with The Co-operative British
Youth Film Academy (BYFA) in
2011. Following this successful
encounter we looked at the feature
film ideas the BYFA had lined up
for 2012. Oliver Twist stood out
for me. A modern-day adaptation
of the Charles Dickens’ classic
allowed me to incorporate a back
story originating in Afghanistan, a
country with a history and culture
that had intrigued me for some
time. I was able to turn Oliver
into Olivia — a young Afghan girl
on the run in the West Midlands,
giving her a torch to carry for
the ill-treatment of women back
home.
DH: How did you find the city of
Stoke-on-Trent?
AH: One of the BYFA regions,
the West Midlands, had opted for
Olivia Twist to be produced in their
region. So, following the lead of
various location scouts, we found
Stoke-on-Trent articulated the
right backdrop for the cinematic
aspirations of the film. The
Potteries has a distinctive postindustrial landscape that is gritty
yet poetic. While I was writing the
screenplay, we held auditions at
the BYFA member colleges in the
West Midlands, and after a couple
ARNO
HAZEBROEK
ARNO IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE BRITISH YOUTH
FILM ACADEMY (BYFA) OLIVIA TWIST FEATURE FILM,
FILMED AND SET IN STOKE-ON-TRENT
of rounds of auditions we found
the actors to play the younger
parts in the film. All except for the
lead actress playing Olivia, who
came from Manchester. At the
same time we started assembling
the Head of Departments for the
film and most of them were young
professionals from Staffordshire
and London, looking to work
on an exciting feature film. We
picked a great team, who were
well matched. They were also
interested in mentoring the young
BYFA students as crew members
on set.
DH: Did the city help you with
what you needed, for the filming?
AH: Yes, in the run up to
production we received generous
support from Stoke-on-Trent City
Council, advising us on locations
and helping to open doors. As
a result it felt like Olivia Twist
became a truly integrated project,
one with strong roots in the local
community.
DH: How has completing Olivia
Twist set you up for future work?
AH: Olivia Twist has provided
me with a calling card as a
writer and director for screen
projects that I currently have in
development. But, above all, it
has given me an enriching and
rewarding experience, working
from start to finish on a feature
length production that can be
shown at festivals such as Stoke
Your Fires.
Above: Arno Hazebroek. Below: Olivia
Twist is set in Stoke-on-Trent in 2011.
Olivia, an orphan from Afghanistan, is on
the run and finds shelter with Bob Fagin
and his gang of metal thieves. She is put
to the test, and challenged to fight for her
freedom. The adaptation stays true to the
gritty tone of Oliver Twist by Dickens.
016
SPOTLIGHT
GRAND
INDEPENDENT
www.grandindependent.com
The two co-founders of Grand
Independent are Peter Rudge and
James Fair. They will be running
the Student Symposium on
Tuesday 11 March at Stoke Your
Fires. The two men are based at
the Stoke-on-Trent campus of
Staffordshire University, where
they teach film production
technology at the School of Film,
Sound and Vision. In March 2012
they launched their spin-out
company Grand Independent,
seeking to use their expertise and
industry contacts to help people
develop scripts and package
movies for production funding.
Peter began his career as a script
reader, working for Hollywood
studios including Universal and
Columbia Pictures, and he later
completed a PhD on film finance
methods. James had directed and
produced the Nightshift series of
documentaries about nightshift
workers for the UK’s Channel
Four, directed a number of drama
films including Peppermint, and
he is currently undertaking a PhD
in the study of alternative models
of film production.
Both men continue to keep
up their film industry contacts,
such as with Raindance (London)
Filmbase (Ireland), the Melbourne
International
Film
Festival
(Australia), The American Film
Market (Los Angeles), Stoke
Your Fires (Stoke-on-Trent), and
IrishFilmFesta
(Rome).
Peter
recently worked as Associate
Producer on the Northern Soul
feature film Soulboy (2010), which
GRAND INDEPENDENT IS A FOR-PROFIT
PRODUCTION COMPANY THAT HAS ‘SPUN OUT’
FROM STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY
was partly filmed in Stoke-onTrent. More recently Peter has
been Associate Producer for
the films Cold Turkey (2013) and
Partner in Crime (2013).
In 2013 Grand Independent
helped set up The 72 Project
in Northern Ireland — a race to
make a complete feature film in
just 72 hours — an innovative
venture which they hope to
bring to nearby Birmingham
in July 2014. “The project is a
practical demonstration of how
film production could operate
differently in light of digital
technology” said James Fair.
Grand Independent are currently
working with local Stoke-on-Trent
filmmaker and writer Richard
Pekar (The Last Train To Budapest)
to tell the story of Richard’s father,
a man who fled the horrors of
socialism in Eastern Europe to
start a new life in Stoke-on-Trent.
Work is underway to turn Richard’s
major book and short film on his
father into a feature script suitable
for big screen production.
“Our students produce
some incredible work
each year and Grand
Independent now offers
them a route to market.”
— Peter Rudge.
ABOVE: Peter Rudge, Associate
Professor of Film Production
Technology, Staffordshire University.
Photo credit: Peter Rudge.
ABOVE: James Fair, Award Leader
in Digital Feature Film Production,
Staffordshire University. Photo
credit: Stoke Your Fires.
017
As teachers at Staffordshire University
Peter and James have also been
closely involved in the new M.Sc.
in Digital Feature Film Production
at
Staffordshire University, which
took on its first cohort of students in
September 2013. Students on the one
year Masters degree uniquely work
together as a team to shoot one feature
film project, with a budget attached.
Peter Rudge said: “Our students
produce some incredible work each
year and Grand Independent now
offers them a route to market for these
films. Not only can we help them get
their work seen through our links
with film festivals such as Melbourne,
Raindance, Galway and Stoke Your
Fires, we can also sell them into the
commercial market place through
our well established presences at the
Berlin and American film markets.
This is a unique proposition for our
students and really puts Staffordshire
University at the forefront of film
production education.”
Grand Independent is only one of
several companies formed due to
Staffordshire University policies to
support entrepreneurship. Other film
companies include: Reels in Motion;
Inspired Film and Video; ST16; and
Humanoid. The recent official decision
to move 500 videogames development
students from Stafford to the Stokeon-Trent for 2015/2016 should further
boost the talent pool available to
commercial screen media producers
in the city — giving the city access to
fresh skillsets in 3D animation, SFX,
and interactive storytelling.
ABOVE:
The Ballad of Des & Mo (2010) was shot and screened
in 72 hours, as part of the Melbourne International Film
Festival. It has since toured to many film festivals.
A Saharan Diary (2013) is James Fairs’ completed
feature documentary about the Sahara desert in Algeria,
Tunisia, Morocco and Libya.
Watching and Waiting (2008) was shot and screened
in 72 hours, as part of the Galway Film Fleadh.
018
LOCALTV
Rob Ledgar explains how his new Local TV station would work
for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. Rob is a Director
of Potteries Media CIC, the operator of 6 Towns Radio.
LOCAL TV programming is set
to be broadcast across the city
of Stoke-on-Trent and parts of
North Staffordshire, perhaps by
the end of 2014. 19 licences have
already been granted for Local
TV, and many stations began
operating in November 2013. The
national regulator Ofcom has
officially announced that a further
10 locations will be advertised as
being open for broadcast licence
bids in 2014 — and it has named
Stoke-on-Trent as one of those
10. FactoryMag talks to Rob
Ledgar about his plans to create a
local TV station based in the city
of Stoke-on-Trent.
www.6towns.co.uk
volunteer@northstaffstv.com
www.northstaffstv.com
David Haden: Rob, welcome.
First, what is the name under
which you and your associates
are bidding for a local TV licence?
Rob Ledgar: We are working
under the name North Staffs TV.
DH: You’ve come a long way
with your existing 6 Towns
Radio, a lively and long standing
community
station
based
opposite the School of Art in the
centre of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
RL: Yes, the team at 6 Towns
Radio has developed really well,
and we have gone from strength
to strength. We have really
bedded down and been accepted
as part of the local community.
Now we’re continuing to expand
6 Towns. For instance, 6 Towns
Radio recently began to broadcast
across the city for a month, on our
own FM transmission wavelength,
as a precursor to applying for a
full time community radio license.
6 Towns Radio operates under the
wing of the Potteries Media CIC,
which means we are Community
Interest Company. CIC’s have
been available since 2005, and
are a form of company specially
designed for social enterprises
that want to use their profits and
assets for the public good.
DH: When did your Potteries
Media CIC become interested in
expanding into providing local TV
for the region?
RL: Well, actually the plan has
always included obtaining a
community TV station for the
area, to be run as part of our wider
media company.
DH: If your bid is successful,
how will your local TV expansion
be financed?
RL: We expect to get some
of the national seed funding —
some of this has been accessed
already — and then to make the
station sustainable by offering
support services, film, video,
event coverage as well as the
usual routes of sponsorship and
advertising.
019
Ofcom has officially said 10 locations will be
open for Local TV broadcast licence bids in
2014 — and has named Stoke-on-Trent as
one of those 10.
A typical small ‘green screen’ TV studio.
Having a green screen means that special
broadcast software can seamlessly place
any digital background behind the TV
presenters.
Photograph: Bob Beckian
DH: Yes, I’ve even heard it said
that product placement might be
viable form of income for local TV.
I can imagine a bottle of Buxton
mineral water placed on the news
desk, perhaps! Talking of which,
how are you developing the
technical and studio aspects?
RL: We have an office/studio in
Stoke-on-Trent, not too far from
the main intercity railway station
and Staffordshire University. We
have a ‘green screen’ set up there,
and an editing suite.
DH: I should explain to readers
that having a ‘green screen’ means
that special broadcast software
can seamlessly place any digital
background behind the presenters.
RL: We also have industry
standard cameras and the ability
to stream live video to anywhere
in the world, using state of the art
technology and kit. Basically we
have the ability to cover live events
and get them to a PC or Web
connected smartphone or tablet
anywhere in the world.
DH: That’s excellent to hear. I
recently heard some industry
grumbling about Local TV missing
an opportunity in terms of open
online distribution of content — due
to the focus on domestic Freeview
and cable — but it sounds like you’re
on top of that. And set to benefit
from Google’s Chromecast open
TV platform, recently announced
as preparing for a UK launch. Who
will watch your broadcast content,
though, locally? What are the
intended local demographics?
RL: We actually don’t have a
targeted demographic, which I
know sounds a little odd. But we
expect to use the 6 Towns Radio
ethic, of producing a distinctive
show that will in turn attract an
audience. Some of this audience
we will then be able to break down
into specific demographics. But
each show will attract a variable
audience.
DH: I know that one of the aims
of the government with Local TV
is to increase the number of media
voices. If a bid is successful, will
North Staffs TV have a distinctive
approach or style or edge to it?
RL: Community, passion and
what you might call ‘a typical Stoke
approach’. Think of it as a TV
version of 6 Towns Radio.
DH: I admit I haven’t been
following all the ins and outs of the
debates and planning for Local TV
over the last 18 months. I expect
that’s also true of our readers. So
can you tell us when is it happening,
and how far will it reach?
RL: We are starting to get our pilot
shows together. These will initially
be broadcast online, and thus
available worldwide. We expect
these to be available in March
2014. We had two Open Days in
November 2013, for interested
volunteers. The next step is to form
an alliance and obtain a full time
community TV license. The early
adopters of Local TV have started to
broadcast elsewhere in the UK, the
first being in Grimsby! Content for
local TV is on Freeview’s channel 8,
which means we would be on the
main page of Freeview.
DH: Rob, thanks for these details.
I appreciate that a lot of the finer
points are currently commercial,
and thus have to be kept under
wraps. But thanks for letting our
readers in on some of the advance
details of your plans.
“We are starting to
get our pilot shows
together, which will
initially be broadcast
online. We expect
these to be available
in March 2014.”
Picture: Wikipedia
020
A TV TRANSMITTER MAST
IS NEEDED, BUT NOT A
NEW ONE. THE FREEVIEW
LOCAL TV EQUIPMENT
CAN SIMPLY BE BOLTED
ON, HALFWAY DOWN AN
EXISTING TV MAST.
021
• Local TV is a
government initiative
to increase the number
of media voices. The
BBC is not involved in
broadcasts.
• All Local TV
broadcasts through
Freeview Channel 8.
Rob Ledgar talks to Lisa Wilding (Leeka), presenter of the 6 Towns cultural and
arts show, about The Beauty in Burslem project — on the day when they met
Prince Charles on his visit to The Wedgwood Institute. See the full 6 Towns
video interview free on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUXkmZrrVq0
6 Towns has studios in the heart of Burslem, Stokeon-Trent, and it is part of the town’s culture led
recovery — along with others such as Barewall, the
Old Post Office, the School of Art, Queens Theatre,
ArtWaves, Middleport Pottery, and Stoke-on-Trent
College. The town has recently won the long term
support of Prince Charles and his Trust.
6 Towns Radio has championed the
establishment of a special Oatcake Day
across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
• All stations use the
new £25m Comux
local TV infrastructure
system, and its central
Birmingham operations
centre.
• Comux will provide
impartial audience data
and demographics
to advertisers and
sponsors.
• Ofcom allowed 19
local TV station to
launch in November
2013. Some are also on
Virgin Media.
• Further local TV
licences are being
awarded by Ofcom on
a rolling basis in 2014.
• Ofcom have officially
announced a further
10 locations will be
advertised as open for
bids in 2014, and have
named Stoke-on-Trent
as one of these 10.
www.localtv.org.uk
Matt Healy from The 1975 — one of the biggest bands in the UK at the
moment, who had a number one album in late 2013. Matt is seen here
performing a song in the 6 Towns radio studio in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
022
FactoryMag interviews Staffordshire University
lecturers, Adrian Tooth and Gareth Cowlin, who run
the new B.A. (Hons.) Cartoon and Comics Arts degree.
Adrian Tooth
Gareth Cowlin
CARTOON AND COMIC ARTS
INTERVIEW
Above: some of the B.A. degree course students with their comics — set for sale, in person, at the London MCM Expo 2013.
Picture: Adrian Tooth.
023
The B.A. (Hons.) Cartoon and Comic Arts three year
degree course is unique in the UK. It is run at the
Stoke-on-Trent campus of Staffordshire University.
Application is by UCAS (code W222). All applicants are
individually assessed via portfolio and interview. The
degree will produce its first graduates in June 2014.
Course leader: Adrian Tooth
New lecturer: Gareth Cowlin
David Haden: Adrian and Gareth,
welcome. Adrian, you’ve now run this
innovative and unique new degree
course for two years, and are set to
produce your first crop of graduates
in June 2014. What has been your
general experience been so far, in
establishing the course?
Adrian Tooth: When the course
was initially being developed I think
it was seen as a poor relation to the
well-established B.A. Graphic Design
and Illustration degrees. To a certain
extent I initially thought it was cool
that I would be producing future talent
for the ‘big two’ comics publishers,
Marvel and DC. But it quickly dawned
on me that there are only so many
vacancies at Marvel and DC, but plenty
of work for people who understand
sequential art and cartoons! Cartoons
are everywhere now, just look around
you. From the icons on your mobile
phone apps and websites, to the
instructions for your latest purchase,
to your breakfast cereal boxes. An
emphasis on wider cartooning skills
fitted with Staffordshire University’s
new focus on educating all our
students for “Employment, Enterprise
Typical studio environment.
and Entrepreneurship”. Cartoonist are,
after all, mainly freelancers who strive
to find work and sell their goods. This
was where the award differed from
all the others: our students actually
produce saleable work and sell it while
at university.
DH: Tell me about your visiting
lecturers and guest speakers.
AT: Initially we started off with a
local artist called Jason Brindley. He
had done some work for the major
British title 2000AD, and had just
finished his own joint creation Death
Comes to Dillinger. He wanted to go
back to university to learn 3D skills,
which are increasingly important
in comics production. Since then
the award has grown. I love it when
visiting professionals say: “This is
the award I wanted to do while I was
at University!”. Among the speakers
have been: John Charles (MarvelUK,
2000AD) on inking and digital
painting; Kevin Gunstone (Marvel, DC,
Marvel Manga, IDW) providing script
writing help; Neil Gibson (T Production)
on publishing dramatic comics on
the Web; Fig Taylor (Association of
Illustrators) on getting into the industry
024
A spread of comics available at the special sales booth at the
Staffordshire University art and design shows in June 2013. From top
left: Claire Smith; Becci Such‘s Willow; Esme Baran, Jack Baker and Tom
Stephens’s Spore; Esme Baran.; Ryan Moss’s Golden Hand.
Bottom: course promo graphic.
and finding unexpected niches;
Graham Humphries (story boarder
and film poster designer); Frazer Irving
(Batman and the Uncanny X-Men)
on how to get into the mainstream
superhero comics; Steve Marchant
(Dandy and Beano) who helped give
a tour around the London Cartoon &
Comic Museum; Rob Cureton (Orful
Comics) on making a living as an indie
comics producer.
DH: That sounds excellent. You also
have a new lecturer on board, who
is now a few weeks into his new job.
Could I ask him to chip in here and
introduce himself, please?
Gareth Cowlin: Hi, I’m Gareth. I
worked as a freelance cartoonist and
lectured across both FE and HE. I’ve
produced a whole range of different
types of cartoon illustration over the
years, but my specialist area would be
Pocket Cartoons. That’s the classic
single panel gag cartoons that you find
in magazines The Spectator or Private
Eye.
DH: I love those Spectator style
cartoons. They work really well on
Facebook, too.
GC: I was also one of the many
guest speakers and guest lecturers
when the new degree started. So
when a permanent role came up earlier
in 2013, of course I jumped at the
chance. I started this September. I still
produce Pocket Cartoons as often as
I can, as that contemporary jobbing
experience obviously then feeds back
into the course. I feel really lucky to
be involved in such a fantastic course.
We have brilliant students, who love
what they do and always want to find
out more about the amazingly rich
history of comics and cartoons.
DH: Sounds fun! So, what’s been
the most fun part so far? For you, and
for the students?
AT: In the first year I took the
students to various comic conventions
and met the small-press indie comics
makers. I remember standing in a
massive hall, full of people who had
025
paid to get in, and they were spending
real money to buy from people who they
aspired to be like. So I wondered if we
could do this! In February 2012 I took a
small team of second year students to
the London Super Comic Con with their
printed-up work. In between convention
stands from Marvel, DC, Image, IDW,
Staffordshire University had a stand.
We had no big-name artist to entice the
crowds, and no well known superhero
brands, but slowly people started
coming over. They stopped. They talked
to us, and they paid hard cash for printed
comics! Soon other stand holders were
popping over to see what the buzz was
about. Then artists and writers started
stopping by. Students had to talk about
their work with collectors, critics, and
industry professionals. They had to
sell themselves and their concepts and
their work. That moment was probably
the greatest vindication that the degree
award had potential.
DH: That’s very inspiring. Although
I hear that there was a bit of a speed
bump when a formal Graphics element
was introduced to the course? How did
that go?
AT: Well, there was and there wasn’t.
I think the starting point of this, is
to understand the type of student
we first attracted to the award: quite
disenfranchised from mainstream
education, and perhaps told at school
and college to “leave comics, forget
about them, and move on”. They did
the nearest things available, technical
drawing or art, a bit of basic Photoshop
training, but these didn’t fit what they
wanted to express: they were told “no,
don’t do that, don’t draw that way!”
Then they arrive at university and...
“This year, due to growing
numbers, we’ve made links with
the university’s B.A. Creative
Writing degree awards — and
they have fallen over backwards
to accommodate our students.”
Below: “Dave from the London Road Pub” a cartoon that was part of the
course’s community outreach project in 2013, portraying people involved in
the local London Road pubs in Stoke town; Mischief Marauder by Esme Baran;
and Jack Baker and Tom Stephens’s popular Spore series of print comics.
026
they are allowed to do it! They are
allowed to be as creative as they
want, they are thrown together with
a whole host of other students who
have their same passion, dreams
and desires, and a lecturer who says:
“Impress me! Show me what you can
do!” You have to spend at least a year
with that approach, and help them to
unpick the damage that mainstream
education has done to them. You have
to allow them to be wild and wacky
and creative. So when we had a move
toward a re-alignment with a more
cautious B.A. Graphics environment,
our students felt they were being
placed back inside their old school
limits. It was only when they realised
they were still free to run with the work
and do what they wanted with it, that
they realised it wasn’t that bad. Our
Graphics people say that they do enjoy
having the students working alongside
them, because of the rapid and fluid
way our students think and produce
work. I would say that our students, in
the end, appreciate that one day they
might be working alongside Graphic
Designer and similar, and that they
need to understand that other different
professional mindset.
DH: Talking of a professional
approach, it must help that the
students get all those extras from you:
the London MCM Expo trips; the 24
hour comics challenge; and I think
there was a character-making ‘animal
hands workshops’ which looked very
cool and creative? And you’ve already
mentioned the opportunities to sell
their print pamphlets, but perhaps
there are more such opportunities?
AT: The aim of the award is to try
and turn out individuals who can
think professionally before they leave
university. We’ve had a few ‘live briefs’
where the students have been paid to
produce work within a set time, and
not at the end of the semester. It gets
very competitive, and I’m surprised that
at 4 o’clock in the morning the email
is pinging, as they are producing and
sending in last-minute work to beat
the deadline. Last year we attempted
the 24 Hour Comic Challenge, which
is a worldwide event sponsored by
the University of Ohio, and the work is
archived at Ohio. It was a great way to
break the ice with new students, and
also made a few of them realise how
hard the process of making a story and
producing final work is. Students meet
other cartoonist around the world, as
people from America to Indonesia were
commenting on it online, via social
media. Our first venture into the big
wide world of comic publishing was at
the London Super Comic Con (LSCC).
We saw and were inspired by Stan Lee,
who is the living master and guru at
Marvel Comics. At the next LCSS the
university helped set up a stall so we
could actually sell our comics there.
All the university asked was that we
‘break even’ on costs. The students
were producing all their own original
characters and stories, so that was a big
ask. But we persuaded people to part
with £180 of their own money, for work
by unknown artists who had no track
records in writing stories. £180 may
sound like just the first step on a long
road, but by doing and experiencing the
selling side we’ve been able to develop
the award, our brand, and also had a
great return in terms of advertising
and free publicity. We met so many
people who said: “What is Staffordshire
University doing at London Super Comic
Convention?” But they know us now.
It also helped us to explain our guest
lecturer programme to professionals.
Recently we sold £230 plus worth of
comics, at special booth and pop-up
outlets around the university. We’ve got
print comics on sale in comic shops
around London, such as Orbital Comics.
We did the New York Comic Convention
“The type of students
we first attracted to
the award were quite
disenfranchised from
mainstream education,
and perhaps told at
school and college to
‘leave comics, forget
about them, and move
on’.” — Adrian Tooth
Detail from a cover of
Becci Such’s Willow comic
pamphlet series (2013).
www.awkwardbex.wordpress.com
027
at the beginning of October 2013, with a
contingent being set across to talk to the
American professionals. At the end of the
month our second and third year students
are setting up a university stall at the
London MCM Expo. The sales opportunities
calendar is fairly full. These are the kind
of real-world connections that have seen
numbers on the course growing. This year
has seen an 80% increase in students, and
as a result a new member of staff being
taken on board and we have moved to
larger studios.
DH: What kinds of business training do
the students get, to help with these sales
and industry contacts?
AT: Currently we are looking for more and
more ‘live briefs’ for the students to engage
in. This ties us in with the university’s ‘The
Staffordshire Graduate’ commitment, and
also with a module that runs as part of the
final year. Final year students are actively
encouraged to engage with industry right
through that year, getting work out there,
and challenging their perceptions of where
they can or can’t find paid work.
They have a great mix of skills: general
graphics skills, character illustration;
sequential arts and storytelling; and have
an entry-level knowledge of animation. They
also know how to work really fast. They are
many times more employable than some
other types of students. I think creative
employers welcome flexible graduates with
proven potential, graduates who haven’t
been persuaded that “there’s only one way
you do that!”
I am currently looking at engaging
with print publishers for the visiting
lecturers programme, mainly the indie
comics publishers. Helped by Fig Taylor
(Association of Illustrators), we are trying
to encourage students to look at the vast
range of magazine markets available. Our
new lecturer Gareth has links with some
of the UK’s most venerable and quirky
titles like Private Eye and The Spectator,
and we’re trying to produce more one-off
satirical gag cartoons.
The university careers service has helped
and the tax office has visited, to help
students understand the quagmire that’s
the world of being freelance and selfemployed: national insurance; pension
schemes; pricing work and getting paid.
DH: Could you say more about the
storytelling side of the degree course?
AT: The storytelling part of the award was
initially embedded in various modules. This
year, due to growing numbers, we’ve made
links with the university’s B.A. Creative
Writing degree awards — and they have
fallen over backwards to accommodate
our students. They realise the potential for
cross faculty co-operation, and also the
way that artists think of words differently
from writers. We believe they will help
create great pieces of work, and hopefully
the different types of students will bounce
ideas off one another. We’ve invited writer
Kevin Gunstone to the university. His
portfolio of work is very impressive, one of
the most prolific comic book writers in the
UK, working with the likes of Marvel and DC
as well as the indie publishers. Just looking
at his working methods, and how he goes
about imagining and fleshing out concepts,
is amazing. Kevin will be with us while his
new Frankenstein story is released in the
United States, via the much-anticipated
Unfashioned Creatures (Red Stylo).
DH: I’ll keep an eye out for that new book,
thanks. Talking of fearsome monsters, do
your students have to write a traditional
final year academic dissertation?
AT: The award is virtually 100%
coursework, though there is a Design
Project Report (DPR) that needs to be
submitted alongside the final Negotiated
Final Piece of Work. The DPR is student-led
research which contextualises their creative
work, placing it within the wider field of
cartoon and comic arts. It allows them to
look, for instance, at commercial companies
and also their own contemporaries. I wish I
knew what the students will do as their final
piece of work, but it would be unwise to try
and pre-empt them. A few are interested in
028
the videogames industry and characters,
concepts and designs for that. Some veer
toward concept design work. A few have a
single story, and others many little stories.
Whatever they produce I can guarantee
you there will be a buzz in their first
degree show! It will be “the place to be”
on opening night in June 2014! They will
be selling their works, so come with a fat
wallet and big empty bag!
DH: The degree course is obviously a
popular one. What are the ideas and plans
for the course in the future?
AT: Yes, the course is very popular.
It’s growing, and this year we’ve seen an
increase of almost 100%! Staffordshire
University recognises this growth and has
given us a new studio space. But even
that will have to increase next year, if they
want the same numbers again. I’ve hired
another member of staff, to help with the
running and teaching. And next year I’m
hoping for at least another one!
We’ve dipped into publishing and selling
work, but we want to sell using a more
streamlined process. That includes looking
farther afield, to places such as the USA
and Japan. Not to mimic their style, but to
offer something that plays to the British
strengths of quirkiness and humour, and
perhaps even has a “Made in Stoke-onTrent” flavour.
Maybe the national press have laughed
at us a bit, and shrugged us off as a
“novelty” degree — egged on by that slight
anti Media Studies backlash of a few years
ago. But we are going out there and we
are proving them wrong. By the time our
students leave they will have explored
the marketplace, they will know where
their work sits within it, and they will have
persuaded comics-savvy strangers that
their work is good enough to buy. We’re
also looking at developing our own spinout publishing house.
DH: That sounds fabulous. Thank you
very much for a fascinating and forthright
interview! I know you’re very busy with
getting the degree underway for 2014, so I
really appreciate you taking the time for an
in-depth FactoryMag interview.
Course Leader Adrian Tooth,
drawn by student Callum.
Find out more about the B.A. (Hons.)
Cartoon and Comics Arts degree:
www.cartoonandcomicarts.blogspot.co.uk
www.cartoonandcomicarts.tumblr.com
www.staffs.ac.uk/course/08W91000.jsp
ACCORDING to research, most
of us now spend around 25% of
our waking lives in some sort of
imagined worlds, experiencing
stories. Increasingly these will be
transmedia worlds — with storylines
that stretch across multiple films,
comics, audio books, videogames,
novels, TV and web series, and
beyond. Superheroes are currently
leading this transmedia charge
into our mainstream culture, with
Batman, The X-Men, and The
Avengers among the key billion
dollar franchises.
These big successes don’t
necessarily lead the masses to
read the fat hardback reprints of
the great comic-book series of the
1970s, 80s, and 90s — but they do
make reading print or digital comics
far more socially acceptable. It
helps that quality ‘graphic novels’ —
weighty novel-length comics, often
on weighty subjects — arrived in the
consciousness of the literate public
at about the same time as the first
hit superhero movies did. Graphic
novels are now reviewed in the
quality press, and are easily found
at large city bookshops.
On the back of such trends,
Publishers Weekly reports that
sales of paper comics jumped 15% in
2012, even at a time when the High
Street was seeing the closure of
many generalist bookshops.
Boosted by their recent movie
successes in 2012 the mainstream
comics publishers Marvel and DC
saw over $700 million in print sales
of pamphlets and collected series
comics. Income from movie deals
IS THE
COMICS
INDUSTRY
BOOMING?
and merchandising of toys gives
them the capital to increase the
overall quality of their comics with
new art and writing talent. In the
1970s and 80s Marvel and DC
would have simply burned out and
then thrown aside their creative
talent.
It helps that creative talent now
has options other than Marvel and
DC, although the big two still form
the career goal for many. The new
cultural space that’s opened up
for comics has given independent
publishers room to develop and
experiment. Admittedly the
overall sales of indie comics
have not been Hulk-like: some
indie publishers have struggled,
and even the most popular indie
publisher only has around 7%
of the market. Yet Kickstarter,
if viewed as a comics publisher,
is now America’s fourth biggest.
Print-on-demand publishing and
the web provide many new DIY
opportunities to comics creatives.
Hit indie titles can get a boost
from the quality newspapers and
blogs, and the Eisner Awards, all
of which provide handy surveys
of the year’s best comics. Busy
professionals and older readers
can now easily pinpoint the very
best material, without having
to browse the heaving aisles of
their local print comics shop each
Saturday morning.
Many fans have been driven
to digital comics by: short print
runs; increasing cover-prices; high
international postage costs; and
even by small letterboxes. The
029
industry feared that the arrival of
digital and broadband in 2007
would mean mass piracy. But
piracy of scanned comics has not
proven to be an industry-killer,
despite the dogged survival of
the various pirate search-engines.
Legitimate online digital comics
retailers, such as Comixology,
are now reputed to have over 40
million sales a year. The iPad and
Kindle Fire have provided elegant
solutions for those seeking a
comfy reading experience. Savvy
marketing and pricing has helped
tempt many fans over to digital.
Digital comics sales tripled
in 2012. Print sales were not
undermined by this new digital
boom, but actually rose.
Digital tablet PCs now offer the
potential for new types of ‘motion
comics’, meaning part-animated
comics made with new HTML5
tools such as MotionArtist.
These may have special potential
for making comics that will
appeal to the ‘new baby boom’
— as the boom babies reach the
5-9 age bracket and expect kids’
humour comics that work like
animation, games, and the web.
The web also offers many
possibilities for indie comics
makers who create niche
content such as: political or
satirical cartoons; risque content;
unofficial fan-works; or content
for a specific ethnic diaspora.
Like their heroes, comics
are mutating. And with these
changes may come new
superpowers.
030
e
h
t
e
m
w
o
h
“S
”
!
y
e
n
mo
NEW UK CREATIVE
INDUSTRIES SITE
Picture: ROONERs toy photography
Picture: San Mateo Library
NEW THEME PARK
TO OPEN IN 2014
£90,000 IS IN
THE BOX
A major new CBeebies Land
theme park is set to open
in North Staffordshire on
24 May 2014. Some of the
BBCs most creative children’s
characters will spring to life
on a dedicated five acre site
at Alton Towers, after BBC
Worldwide struck a major deal
with Merlin Entertainments.
The investment of around £8m
in new building and staffing
means more local jobs for
entertainers and performers.
CBeebies
Land
will
be
aimed at toddlers, and will
include characters from BBC
shows such as: In the Night
Garden; Mr Bloom’s Nursery;
Something Special; Tree Fu
Tom; and Justin’s House.
There will also be a Big Fun
ShowTime pavilion to provide
a live theatre experience.
A grant of £90,000 has been
won from Arts Council England
by Newcastle-under-Lyme arts
veterans BArts, in partnership
with Stoke-on-Trent Library
Service. The new funding was
granted at the end of 2013 and
will be used to produce a new
touring project called The Box,
aimed at boosting reading
levels among children aged 9
to 13. The Box will travel around
North Staffordshire during the
school holidays from 2014 to
2017, encouraging children to
devise short one-to-one mini
theatre productions. There will
also be a showcase exhibition
of children’s finished work in
the City Library in Stoke-onTrent. The Box project is now
seeking local sponsors able to
offer up to £9,000.
www.b-arts.org.uk
www.goo.gl/GFKRR3
A new online portal has been
launched for the creative
industries in the UK. The
Creative Industries Council —
the umbrella body linking UK
government with the sector
— launched the website in
partnership with UK Trade &
Investment (UKTI) and others.
The new website is reported
to be the forerunner of “a
major push” by government to
stimulate the sector’s inward
investment
and
exports.
The website has a wealth
of accessible information
for business and investors,
including details of how
Film Tax Relief and other tax
credits work, and the UKTI’s
subsidised GREAT export visits
for the creative industries.
Also newly launched by
government is the £2,000
Growth
Voucher
scheme.
These give small businesses
a portable voucher to pay
for independent specialist
business advice.
Advisors
must be accredited by a bona
fide trade organisation or
industry body.
www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk
www.goo.gl/QOqFMm
031
PICTURE: ABSTRACT MACHINE
Picture: BEN SMITH
Picture:
OWEN
BENSON
Picture:Ed
Murray
NEW GAMESLAB
WEST MIDLANDS
EE INVESTMENT
BRINGS 4G SPEEDS
MIDLANDS SCREEN
Creative
England’s
Head
of Games Jaspal Sohal has
announced that 2014 will see
the launch of a new Creative
England GamesLab West
Midlands.
The GamesLab
will offer a programme of
investment
and
support
to
regional
videogames
companies (not freelancers)
who plan to release finished
products within the next
two years. GamesLab will
have a special focus on the
development of innovative
new videogames, and on the
development, retention and
licensing of IP (intellectual
property).
GamesLab
will
also work more widely with
employers,
students
and
individuals to deliver initiatives
to create new jobs, and to
encourage the retention of
established and emerging
talent within the region.
GamesLab has been funded
for two years by the European
Regional Development Fund
(ERDF), and is also supported
by UK government’s Regional
Growth Fund (RGF).
EE’s new 4G mobile broadband
investment has paid off for
local smartphone, laptop, and
tablet users. EE’s 4G service
went live to customers on 4
December 2013 in the town of
Newcastle-under-Lyme, and
then went live across most
of Stoke-on-Trent just before
Christmas 2013. EE’s local
investment is part of a national
commercial race, and other 4G
providers will be available in
the area later in 2014. EE has
not yet been able to bring 4G to
Longton, Trentham, and small
parts of the city centre. But the
city’s 3G is fairly fast: in 2013
the independent uSwitch 3G
speed survey reported Stokeon-Trent to have a fast average
3G speed of 14.34Mbps.
uSwitch also found that
Stoke-on-Trent was among
the top UK cities for mobile
broadband speed consistency
in 2013, with: “Stoke-onTrent having the average [3G]
broadband speed change by
just 0.7% between 4am and
9pm showing they have a very
consistent broadband speed”.
£1,325,000 of new European
Regional Development Fund
(ERDF) funding has been
announced by the Department
for Communities and Local
Government, to be aimed at
helping independent filmmaking
and
supporting
television series producers
to film in the region. The
additional funds will be
available through Creative
England’s West Midlands
Production Fund, which is
able to make investments in
a project ranging from £100 to
£500,000. Note that public
investments must be matched
with private backing. Fund
managers are reported to be
planning to support between
four and five productions over
the next 18 months. Deadlines
are open and applications can
be made at any time.
Creative England also has
a regional Lottery Production
Fund, which is targeted at
feature films with budgets
of under £1.5 million, with
production awards of up to
£150,000 per project.
www.gameslab.uk.com
www.goo.gl/6VDDLO
£1.32m EXTRA FOR
www.goo.gl/07OBAp
LOCAL FILM LOCATIONS STARRING:
MILES OF
CANALS
GRITTY
INDUSTRY
PERIOD
HERITAGE
FINE
PARKS
ELEGANT
INTERIORS
FILMING
ENQUIRY
REGISTER A
PROPERTY
Pictures: Stoke Film
Office, and John Kidd
(above).
DIRECTED BY: MARC WOOTTON AND PAUL BAILEY
FUNDED BY: STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL
YOUR FILM
LOCATION
THEY WERE NEVER TOO FAR APART
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