When you're the Executive Producer on films with budgets that routinely hover around the USD150 million mark, you expect to get a lot of messages. For the first 20 minutes I spend with Kevin de la Noy on a wet Friday afternoon in west London, he gets a phone call every 40 seconds.
If you want to hear about why Ridley Scott is the most talented director ever, where to find ‘royal palace’-calibre stately homes, the new Millennium Film Finance Corporation and Egyptian camel-wrangling, then you’d enjoy a chat with feature film Executive Producer Nigel Wooll.
After the unexpected departure of CEO Larry Brownell, the Association of Film Commissioners has a new caretaker manager. Martin Cuff is an economics expert based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Born in Paris, Arnaud returned to the city at 18 to study cinema. He discovered all the different jobs that the industry offers and three years later he started to work as a location trainee. He rose through the ranks and became a Location Manager for feature films in 2008.
Brazilian-born Alberto grew up in Panama and has been involved with the production business since he was 13 years old, with his studies and work taking him to the US, the Czech Republic and Brazil.
Scott was born in Red Deer in Alberta, Canada. He moved to Burlington, Ontario, when he was 11, and studied business at university. In 1998 he applied for a location PA position on the TV series Due South and has worked in the location department since.
Rob studied Architecture in Bristol, which didn't quite work out, but initiated his fascination with the city’s urban fabric. Spurned by the BBC as a trainee cameraman for wearing glasses, he discovered the North of England and the benefits of an HGV licence.
Iain Smith, the new Chair of the British Film Commission (BFC) takes on a heavy challenge: to reinvigorate attitudes, build on strengths and avoid all resting on British film industry laurels.