Something very exciting is happening in Sheffield. Warp X, a new low budget studio from the stables of Warp Records and Warp Films, is hoping to "retox" the world of British film by providing a one-stop-shop for creative film talent from development right through to distribution. By taking the low budget route, the hope is that Warp X will inject freedom, speed and energy into the filmmaking process and ultimately, in the words of co-founder Mark Herbert, "create a continuing film culture".

Over the next three years the studio aims to make seven features with budgets of up to £750,000. Warp X is looking for films that fit into the low budget sensibility, and at a launch party in Sheffield showed a clip reel of the kind of films they would like to make: Mexican road movie Y Tu Mamá También; MTV's geek portrait Napoleon Dynamite; Miranda July's subtly endearing Me And You And Everyone We Know; Aussie horror pic Wolf Creek; the rockumentary Dig!; and David Shrigley and Chris Shepherd's darkly animated short Who I Am And What I Want. It also featured Warp Film's Dead Man Shoes (which was produced by Herbert).

Indeed it seems the experience of Dead Man's Shoes has helped inspire and provide the blueprint for Warp X. "I met Shane [Meadows] in the February and by May we were shooting it," says Mark. It's that fast turnaround and freedom that they hope to repeat, and the team have created a framework of flexible templates to allow producers to get on with making films, rather than dealing with lawyers and putting finance deals together. The speed of production will also enable them to capitalise on the zeitgeist factor and make films that capture the current mood of cinema audiences.

The framework also provides a share of the revenue for filmmakers, with the intention being that 25 per cent of income goes back to the filmmakers right from the moment a film starts to make money. "We'd like people to see this as a commercial opportunity," says Robin Gutch, Warp X's other founder.

Crucially, Warp X already has a distributor on board: Optimum Releasing. "Having a distributor onboard is important from the point-of-view of making audience-focused films," says Robin. Again, the aim is to emulate some of the success of Dead Man's Shoes: "While we were going along we commissioned a graphic novel, were shooting DVD extras and making a great website," Mark recalls. They also hope their close links with the music industry will enable them to create interesting creative partnerships around soundtracks.

So what do they mean by "retoxing" film? "We want to reintroduce a bit of danger to filmmaking," says head of development Caroline Cooper-Charles, who previously oversaw the UK Film Council's digital shorts scheme. The intention is for a low development-to-production ratio, and the team are hoping for a development slate of around 21 films with one in three going on to be made. They don't want to be sent scripts but instead are looking for "ideas", making the studio open to a far more diverse range of talent. The hope is that by teaming new directors with more experienced producers, the scheme may provide an opening for new talent. And, as well as working with established filmmakers, they will be looking at shorts schemes like the UK Film Council's Cinema Extreme and the Completion Fund to provide some of the flair they're looking for.

We want to make films that will interest UK and international audiences.

Unusually for the London-centric film industry, Warp X is based in Warp's home city of Sheffield, with satellite offices in Nottingham and London. They are proud of this fact, but Mark is quick to point out that "we don't want to make local films. We want to make films that will interest UK and international audiences."

In keeping with the quick-and-dirty approach, the Warp X team hopes to be shooting its first, as yet undecided, project this summer. It's a brave, ambitious move and as one filmmaker commented after the launch, "It's like a breath of fresh air. It seems so obvious, so why hasn't it happened before?"

For more information about Warp X and how to apply, visit www.warpx.co.uk

Matt Walton | Published 24 March 06

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