New Filmmakers Offered Award-winning Tips

Would-be Northwest filmmakers were treated to An Evening of inspiration with award-winning producer, Paul Welsh, who offered advice and industry insights to Manchester filmmakers hoping to clinch funding of up to £13,500 to make their own short film. A second evening event, and a chance to learn more about the Digital Shorts initiative, will be held on November 26 in Liverpool.

Over 40 filmmakers gathered in Manchester to listen to short film guru Paul, who specialises in script and project development, commissioning and executive producing.

Many of those attending the event are planning to enter filmmaking initiative Digital Shorts 2009, run by Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the digital and creative industries in the Northwest to grow a world-class digital and creative economy within the region.

As Managing Director and Producer of Edge City Films Ltd, an independent Scottish production company, Paul is responsible for developing the company’s feature film slate and was able to offer Digital Shorts hopefuls a fascinating insight into what makes a successful short film. “Ultimately, you need to have something interesting to say, and you be able to develop that into an interesting story form, which in turn can then be expressed in a cinematic way,” says Paul.

In addition to his script development work, Paul also designed and launched the ground-breaking low-budget digital short film project, DigiCult, in 2001 as part of the UK Film Council's TIER ONE initiative for low-budget digital production.

The 2009 Digital Shorts initiative is now open for entries. All genres of film are welcome, including drama, documentary and animation. A total of four Digital Shorts films will be commissioned early next year, with budgets of up to £13,500 for each project.

Digital Shorts is open to writers, directors and producers, living in the Northwest region who have a short film script they would like to make. The deadline for applications is Monday December 8 2008. To find out more about the scheme, and to download guidelines and an application pack, please click here