The questions are as follows:
Questions for Interviews.
Objectives and Strategies (Alastair and Rachel)
- Where do you wish the company to succeed to in terms of your aims?
- How do you propose to get to that point?
- What methods did you use to get to where you are now?
- Where did you think the company would be in 5 years time when you founded it in 2000?
- What’s your primary focus for the company?
- What would you consider to be the strongest aspect of your company? And Why?
- What can you offer to potential commissioners that exceeds other companies?
- Where do you feel you could improve?
- How has piracy and file-sharing on the internet affected your business?
- Have you been affected by the current financial climate? And if so how, and how have you overcome these problems?
The Bureau’s Acquisition of Wellington (Sol)
- How do you feel Wellington fares against your own company - The Bureau?
- What are they like to work with on a feature film, in terms of practical organisation and tasks?
- What are the positives of their services?
- And the negatives?
- Do they operate in a different way to yourselves, in terms of budgeting and organisation? + Overall view of the production?
- Where do you feel they could improve as a company, from an outsider perspective?
- You mention whilst working on Unmade Beds you encountered creative differences. What were these?
- And how were they resolved?
Competition and how they fit in the market (Rachel)
- Your aim as mentioned on your website is to make films that find an audience in the UK and overseas, which overseas market are you specifically targeting?
- What measures are you taking to get your productions recognised in these markets?
- Do you have any commercial drivers in making feature documentaries for television and those of a similar format to create a larger audience?
- What or who is your closest rival?
- How do you aim to remain successful?
- British cinema is becoming much more popular and is on the rise, how do you feel you can use this to its full potential following your aims?
- Many films have great success abroad, how can you work upon reaching a much wider audience in this way for greater recognition and financial success?
- The Nottingham film industry is one that’s growing rapidly, this is obviously a massive threat to yourself, how has it affected you so far and how do you propose to keep growing?
- A knock on effect of piracy, are lower viewing figures at the box office aswell as DVD sales, have you noticed these effects? And if so do they pose a threat to yourselves?
Finance (Alastair)
- I’ve noticed you’ve received alot of funding from the UK Film Council specifically under the New Cinema Fund, such as £184,566 for London to Brighton, is this your main source of funding?
- If not what strategies do you use to acquire the required budget?
- Have you ever encountered budgeting problems? Such as working on a difference in the budget to actual costs and needing more money or not being able to finish the production.
- How do you feel you are positioned in the market in order to be granted funding?
Press and PR (Rachel and Alastair)
- I’ve noticed you keep a low profile in terms of branding your company on merchandise, for instance the small logo’s on DVD covers, why is this?
- What decisions are made upon the management of your facebook and Twitter pages?
- We have noticed that Twitter and Facebook have much of the same updates, why would fans feel the need to follow both?
- Do you have an active strategy or method to advertise your online presence?
- How do you advertise your films?
- Are you responsible for its press?
- If not what company is, and do you have any input on the outcome?
Case Study: Rachel Robey
- I understand that you didn’t immediately go into being a feature film producer, after you graduated from the University of Nottingham, take me through the steps to where you are today.
- What influenced you into establishing a production company?
- And how long did it take from the first thought to your first feature film?
- Did you encounter any problems in this process?
- How did you find the early days of Wellington Films, as just 3 decades previous the British film industry was almost non existant?
- Was it difficult to become recognised in the film industry?
- How did you gather contacts to begin working?
- What attracted you to the career as a producer?
- What does a typical day involve?
- Whats the best part about your job?
- and the worse?
- Whats your favourite production so far? Feature or short?
- What qualities would you say you brought to the company?
- What influenced you to make primarily feature films as opposed to any other format?
- I understand that Wellington films came from your origins from Wellington Square, how do you feel this name represents the company?
- Would you welcome the opportunity for an unlimited budget for a film? (following what she'd said in a previous interview, secondary source)
- Do you have a specific target audience?
- what's your recruitment process for people within your company?
- How do you go about employing people on a freelance basis?
- What actions would you take upon a person who doesn’t work to your expectations or standards?
- Where do you want the company to be in 10 years time?
- I’ve noted that you vary quite a bit in genre’s, do you feel this could hinder your recognition among fans? Or do you feel that it provides more depth to your company?
- Do you find being based in Nottingham can be a hinderance in terms of location?
Case Study: Alastair Clark
- I understand that your interest in film came from your degree in art history at the university of Nottingham, was this was attracted you to producing?
- Clearly a media course doesn’t directly affect your career path, how do you feel that Art History helped you today?
- How did you find the early days of Wellington Films, as just 3 decades previous the British film industry was almost non existent?
- How challenging was breaking into the feature film market?
- Looking back on the early days of the company, is there anything you would do differently, and if so what and why?
- What attracted you to the career as a producer?
- What does a typical day involve?
- Whats the best part about your job?
- and the worse?
- Whats your favourite production so far? Feature or short?
- Would you welcome the opportunity for an unlimited budget for a film? (following what she'd said in a previous interview, secondary source)
- what's your recruitment process for people within your company?
- How do you go about employing people on a freelance basis?
- Do you have your own equipment or do you hire staff with their own?
- Where do you want the company to be in 10 years time?
- What is the biggest success you’ve had so far from your company?
- I’ve noted that you vary quite a bit in genre’s, do you feel this could hinder your recognition among fans? Or do you feel that it provides more depth to your company?
- Do you find being based in Nottingham can be a hinderance in terms of location?
Case Study: Anna Griffin (Production assisstant)
- How did you find your way into Wellington films?
- How did the permanent position come from the internship/ work experience?
- What are Wellington like to work for as a company?
- The best part about your job, and again the worst?
- What a typical day involves?
- Best piece of advice to a media professional starting out?
- Best thing about the film industry, and the worst?
