KEVIN MCDONAGH

Kevin McDonagh left school with what he describes as a "debatable" D grade A-level in Media Studies, and defiantly shot his first feature-length film at the tender age of 21. He now heads up Rotunda Films - a rapidly expanding Birmingham-based production outfit, named after one of the city's most distinctive landmarks - with two feature films in the can to date.

Debut Idol of Evil, made on the less-than-Hollywood budget of £6,000, attracted media attention with its spunky British take on an Indiana Jones-style romp. It was never widely distributed, but the entrepreneurially-minded filmmaker nevertheless used the modest reputation it won him to rustle up significantly more cash for sophomore venture Lycanthropy, a tough-talking detective thriller starring George Calil.

"We've always compared it to movies like Se7en and From Hell," ventures McDonagh. "It's not a Jerry Bruckheimer film." Lycanthropy's budget was an estimated £262,000, a huge step up from Rotunda's previous efforts. So how did a young filmmaker with no history of theatrical releases secure this level of financial backing?

McDonagh's approach to funding is pragmatic and down-to-earth. His first piece of advice to would-be producers and directors is to keep the two roles separate: "Being a director and making your own film is a nightmare, purely because you end up being the producer." One of the flaws of the British independent film industry, he opines, is the tendency for a film to 'belong' to its director, not the producer: "A producer should have the power to sack the director if he isn't doing a good job."

Once you've sorted out who's your helmer and who's the money man, said money man still has the hardest part of the job to come: raising the bulk of the funds. A passionate advocate of private funding - which accounts for most of Lycanthropy's quarter-million pound budget - McDonagh also recommends payment in kind: "We hired our cameras in exchange for a profit percentage," is his example.

His other top tip for keeping costs down lies in what he calls the "untapped resource" that is Birmingham as a filming location, although the young director would also be the first to admit that the Midlands metropolis has its drawbacks - for now, at least, "the downside is you'll get a lot of people who are very enthusiastic, but fewer trained professionals."

Still, the 'Birmingham effect' was also instrumental in securing the involvement of one of Lycanthropy's cast members, character actor David Bradley - best known as caretaker Filch in the Harry Potter films. "He was only down the road in Stratford," McDonagh relates. "It turned out we supported the same football team and we both had season tickets, so it was very easy to twist his arm and get him up for some filming."

Ultimately, this fiercely independent filmmaker is keen to reject the idea that you've got to be part of the London scene to make movies in the UK: "London is where the British film industry is based, and the British film industry is crap," he declares. "I don't want to be part of that." Outspoken, dynamic, free-thinking: Kevin McDonagh and Rotunda Films might just go far.

CONTACTS

www.rotundafilms.co.uk
info@rotundafilms.co.uk

Text: Catherine Bray
Studio Photography: Dave Remes