Kate Sharpe

The cinema industry’s resilience continues to make headlines - for all the right reasons, as highlighted in this article from The Times on Saturday, quoting Paul Dergarabedian, Phil Clapp, Eduardo Leal and Charles Gant (the right people to be interviewing). Box office takings in the UK are showing genuine strength in the first half of 2025, marking what feels like a proper turning point after the pandemic challenges. The UK and Ireland have seen revenue climb to £532.4 million (up from last year’s comparable period), with cumulative revenues across the first half actually ahead of 2024 levels. What’s particularly encouraging is the breadth of success - from blockbusters like Mad About the Boy and Lilo & Stitch to more targeted releases (think Warfare and The Salt Path). The 16.5% performance advantage over last summer suggests audiences are genuinely returning to cinemas, not just for tentpole releases but for a varied slate. Phil Clapp (he of UK Cinema Association fame) rightly points to the cumulative impact of sustained programming. It’s not just about individual hits anymore, but about rebuilding that cinema-going habit and offering consistent reasons to visit throughout the year. The recovery feels sustainable this time, particularly with the pipeline ahead looking robust (and I’m not talking about people booking IMAX tickets for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey a year in advance!). After years of discussing the future of theatrical, we’re seeing hard evidence that audiences still value the big screen experience when given compelling reasons (good films in quality cinemas) to attend. The fundamentals remain strong, and exhibitors who’ve weathered the storm are positioning themselves well for continued growth. Now let’s see that momentum keeping going in the second half of 2025 and beyond.

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For the last, what feels like two or three years, Ealing Studios has undergone a huge transformation. Just before it began, I got into a chat with studio management and I offered to take on the timeplapse of the whole process. It was more work than anticipated, but when is that never the case? And it was one of those things on my filmmakers bucket list, a timelapse film. We used Brinno Time Lapse TLC300 cameras which were on the whole pretty good. We also got the weather proof housing for the cameras. Here’s what I learned. Set the camera to shoot fast intervals. Every five mins was good. I originally did ever 30 mins and that was way too fast. You can also speed it up in post remember, but often the interesting stuff happens over a one hour period and you could blink and miss it if you shoot a framerate that compresses a day into a second. Use lithium batteries and keep an eye on how quickly they run down. The tend to go from 100% to 0% suddenly which is not helpful. The cameras shoot AVI uncompressed files which are HUGE. So you will need to archive and convert to more manageable MP4 files for editing. We tried to refresh the cameras every two weeks but often that lapsed into four or six weeks for logistical reasons. I would try hard to make it every two weeks to help fix problems that occur. One camera did get pinched. Bummer. We used cheap or old tripods to cable tie the cameras to railings, posts and fences rather than the attachments that came with the cameras. We even placed one just on a windowsill.  Wind and rain can be an issue so if you can mount in a sheltered spot that is helpful. There are massive stretches of nothing happening, overnights, weekends, public holidays. So don’t underestimate post production. It really is sifting through hours of footage for that one burst when it’s interesting and the sun is out. If I could do it again, I would reposition the cameras regularly and shoot way more creative angles. There is a fear you will miss the main action, so there is a tendency to just move the camera back and shoot wide that captures it all. But over time, that gets a bit boring. I would be more creative. More cameras mean more angles of course. We had three. At any given moment I would suggest at least one had failed. Be it a memory card issue, batteries or someone moving the camera. I am super pleased with the final video. The studios wanted a shorter one at just over a minute but here’s my, ahem, ‘directors cut’ at close to three minutes. If you are interested in the studios, the longer version is fascinating. So the studios are now back up and running and new productions are moving in. Here’s to the future of British film at the world’s oldest film studio with the worlds newest stage.

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🎬 The top 10 pain points working in film and production right now: I spent last week going through hundreds of submissions from the AvA community. Here are the most common ones: 1️⃣ Work has dried up. “Few to no productions green lit… it’s worse than the strikes.” 2️⃣ It’s all who you know. “No easy route… lucky enough to know someone.” 3️⃣ Pay is brutal. “3500/week line producer didn’t wanna pay me 2500… it’s 2025.” 4️⃣ Burnout is real. “Almost every PA I know has cried on set.” 5️⃣ Everyone’s doing 5 jobs. “Editors now expected to be VFX, colorist, and graphic designer too.” 6️⃣ Chaos is constant. “Schedules always changing… general menace to everyone.” 7️⃣ AI panic is spreading. “AI isn’t killing film? Tell that to the people who lost jobs.” 8️⃣ Layoffs everywhere. “My clients are bidding on fewer jobs than any time since the pandemic.” 9️⃣ No clear path in. “Trying to pivot into production, but no one wants to train me. Everyone just wants people who’ve ‘done it before.’” 🔟 Hundreds of apps, no replies. “Can’t find any entry-level roles that match my skills. Or if I’m lucky enough to get a response, I get ghosted the next day” Hollywood’s problem isn’t just fewer filming days. It’s a talent pipeline that’s burnt out, underpaid, and unsure where to turn next. We’re going to do everything we can to help fix a broken system 🚧 In November, we’re launching a platform full of resources and tools for the community, a virtual summit, with tech rolling out shortly after.

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🎬 Line Producer vs Executive Producer: What Creatives Need to Understand In the chaos of film production, where budgets, scripts, egos, and timelines all collide, titles can get confusing. But if you’re a director, writer, actor, or even a producer stepping into your next project, understanding the difference between a Line Producer and an Executive Producer (EP) isn’t just semantics — it’s crucial to your project's success. Let’s break it down without the fluff. 🧠 The Executive Producer: The Visionary (with the Purse Strings) Think of the EP as the deal-maker or project shepherd. They're involved in the early stages — getting the script greenlit, attaching talent, raising funds, and bringing studios or platforms on board. 🔑 Key Responsibilities: Financing and investment Packaging the project (talent, director, distribution) Studio or OTT liaison Creative overview, especially in development stages Final say in major decisions 🎯 To Creatives: The EP might not be on set every day, but they’ll shape what the film becomes — and where it goes after it’s made. 🎯 The Line Producer: The Battlefield Commander If the EP is the general, the Line Producer is the commander on the ground. Once the project is greenlit, they take over — managing everything from budget breakdowns to shoot schedules, crew hiring, location scouting, vendor negotiations, and crisis management. 🔧 Key Responsibilities: Building the production budget Hiring crew and managing contracts Scheduling shoot days, logistics, travel, and equipment Handling production delays and damage control Ensuring the shoot is on time and on budget 🎥 To Creatives: Your line producer is your reality check. They’re the ones making sure your dream is executable — legally, financially, and practically. ⚖️ Why the Confusion? Because sometimes, especially in indie films or India’s current landscape: The same person wears multiple hats. Credit titles are misused for funding or politics. Creatives often bypass the Line Producer and go straight to the EP for changes. 🛑 Don’t do that. Respect the workflow. Respect the people holding the system together. 🎬 Final Thought If you're a creative, don’t just learn the craft — learn the structure. Know who makes the film happen, not just who makes it beautiful. Because no matter how visionary your idea is… If it doesn’t make sense to your Line Producer, it’s not getting made. #FilmProduction #LineProducer #ExecutiveProducer #FilmmakingTips   #BehindTheScenes #SetLife #ProducerLife #IndieFilm   #CreativeLeadership #FilmCrew #MovieMaking #FilmIndustry   #ProductionManagement #IndianCinema #WomenInFilm   #LinkedInForFilmmakers #CinemaBusiness #FlyingStoneFilmz

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Canal+ Vows to Globalize African Content via StudioCanal Canal+ has made its first big move since the MultiChoice takeover: it will use StudioCanal to export African films and series into more than sixty countries, starting with South Africa’s "Shaka Ilembe" and "Spinners." Backed by a $200M annual slate and the continent’s largest pay-TV and streaming footprint, the group is attempting to build the first true “Africa-to-global” pipeline, albeit under European corporate ownership. The implications of this shift for African producers, budgets, and the future of Africa’s screen industries are detailed in our full report. To receive the newsletter — and other recent Akoroko screen intelligence reports — subscribe at the link (7-day free trial with localized pricing in 10 countries): https://lnkd.in/dae3qcys

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Another day, another provocative headline about VFX — this time from one of cinema’s most celebrated directors. James Cameron has suggested that to revive theatrical cinema, VFX artists need to be cheaper. As with Christoph Waltz’s comment last week, the soundbite grabs attention but the conversation is more complex than the headline implies. Cameron raises good points: theatrical exhibition is under pressure, studios are increasingly risk-averse, and we do need smarter, more efficient production workflows. Technology, including machine learning, gen Ai and virtual production can absolutely help us get there. But positioning VFX as the cost centre threatening cinema misses a crucial truth. VFX isn’t a luxury, it’s the backbone of modern filmmaking. From indie dramas to tent-pole features, visual effects touch nearly every frame. VFX artists are designers, world-builders, storytellers, and creative problem-solvers who empower filmmakers to achieve their visions. The goal shouldn’t be to make VFX “cheaper,” but to make it more integrated, efficient, and sustainable so artists can work faster and smarter, without being undervalued or burned out. At PXO, we’re developing workflows that merge ML, Gen Ai, virtual production and VFX, not to replace artists, but to amplify their creativity and reduce production friction. These are not shortcuts. They are new tools that unlock new opportunities for filmmakers and studios alike. So, please, let’s shift the narrative. The future of cinema won’t be saved by cutting costs at the expense of craft. It will be built by investing in people, embracing innovation, and empowering storytellers to do what they do best. In the meantime, let’s also show empathy for the many talented VFX professionals affected by recent studio closures. The issue isn’t that they weren’t “cheap" enough. The issue is that we’re asking more of them than ever whilst still debating their value. https://lnkd.in/ea3E49yx

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