Jonathan Sothcott is one of the UK's most prolific independent film producers and is currently enjoying success with latest movie Age of Kill.
Jonathan Sothcott
Sothcott has been an avid supporter of British acting, directing, and writing talent for many years and is set to open his own studio - Peacock Film Studios - later this year.
We caught up with the producer to chat about Age of Kill, how he got into the industry in the first place, and what lies ahead for him during the rest of this year.
- Age of Kill has just hit the big screen and has been released on DVD, so can you tell me a bit about the film?
Age of Kill is an action movie in the style of Taken with a little bit of the Mel Gibson movie Ransom. It is about a Special Forces marksman - played my Martin Kemp - who gets a call one day from a terrorist who says he has kidnapped his daughter and Martin Kemp's character has to kill six people in six hours or she is going to be murdered. It seems that it is six random people, but they are not and they are very clearly marks targets and it is all part of a much bigger political conspiracy.
- You serve as producer on the movie, so where did this project start for you?
Essentially, it was two ideas that were kicking around. I wanted to make a spy movie and I wanted to make a movie about a guy going undercover with a National Front type organisation. Neither of those ideas really worked on their own however, when we put them together, we got Age of Kill. Sometimes that happens where single ideas are not strong enough but when you put two together, it works.
- Age of Kill sees Neil Jones in the director's chair and Simon Cluett has penned the screenplay so how did you get them on board the project?
Simon has been sending me scripts and ideas over the years and none of them had quite come together. He was writing both the National Front idea and the spy movie idea. We work very collaboratively and Neil was involved with the process as well; Neil is also my producing partner as well as being the director of Age of Kill.
Simon is one of a pool of very talented writers that I have and he has written a couple of other pictures for me since Age of Kill. So, it is a very collaborative process.
- What drew you into the film business in the first place?
I just loved movies; my earliest film memory is going to see the James Bond movie Octopussy at the cinema. When I was a kid, the big treat in our house was renting a video on a Saturday and so film has always been a big part of my life. I didn't have the skills to be a writer or a director so I blagged my way into to being a producer.
I started out as a film journalist - that was the only thing I could think of to do to get my foot in the door. This was pre-internet; the internet has changed everything as people can connect with each other so easily. When I was growing up as a kid in the middle of nowhere, there was no was no way... the film industry was in London and it was some kind of Mecca. When I was a journalist, I interviewed a director called David Wickes - he use to make The Sweeney and The Professionals - and he took me under his wing for a while, I worked for him and that was kind of my apprenticeship.
Ironically, I met the actor Martin Kemp and he and I became really good friends. The first picture that I made was a short film that Martin directed and his brother was in it; we made it for no money and was a proper short film. Martin is now the star of Age of Kill and it has been lovely ten-year working relationship that we have had together through all kinds of different projects.
- Through your production company Richwater Films and now you own studio Peacock Film Studios you have always championed British talent - whether that be in front of the camera or behind - so how would you assess the British film industry at the moment?
It is difficult because there are two sides to the British film industry; there is the very nice middle class, award-winning, broadsheet pleasing British film industry, which is lovely and period dramas as all that. Then there is the murky end where all the gangster movies are made by people like me. I always try to explain to people that if you are going to see a lovely £10 million British period movie at the cinema, that is like going out for s steak dinner; whereas my movies are like a MacDonalds drive through. It is a quick fix of a movie that people like on a Friday night.
However, I don't think that there's anything wrong with that as we have a great tradition in this country of low budget crowd pleasers such as the Carry On films and Hammer Horror. I think the world that we are in is similar to that as we use the same group of actors, the same directors; that model still works.
- We are always hearing about how difficult it is to get low budget movies off the ground how big a problem is this - especially for first time filmmakers? What more do you think needs to be done to help those who want to break into the industry as producers and directors?
I think the biggest problem is - especially in London as it is the centre of the UK film in industry... Los Angeles is a mining town where they mine film and it is a proper industry. In London, there's a lot of hobbyists talking a lot and not really getting on with it. Years ago, I remember Martin Kemp saying to me, "When you meet someone in LA and they are making a movie, it means that they have got the budget, they have got a start date, and they have got a cast. When you meet someone in Soho and they say they are making a movie, it means they have had a great idea in the pub the night before and have possibly written it on a napkin." It is tough.
I think we need to encourage people to make more commercial movies; we don't have to be ashamed of making traditionally British movies such as silly comedies, horror movies, and gangster movies as it is what we do really well. There is this snobbery in Britain about British movies... France supports the French film industry and they love the fact that the French film industry makes films for French people. Whereas in this country, we have this snobby 'I am not sure about working class actors in crime movies,' I think it is quite silly personally.
- You are about to open Peacock Film Studios with Billy Murray, which is incredibly exciting. How long has this studio been the ultimate goal and what do you hope to achieve?
I use to make a lot of movies at Wimbledon Studios, where they use to shoot The Bill, and last year they went into administration. Therefore, it was really a reaction to a problem. I was looking for a space thinking 'if I had my own space, not only could I make my films there, but I could hire it out to other people.'
We are opening for business in a month's time, we have shot a little bit of a movie in there already, and we have a couple coming up in September and November. For me, it is just about having a space that encourages people to make independent movies. It is a small community, but if we all support each other then it is a good thing.
- You did try your hand at directing back in 2003 with Directing the Beast and you have done some writing as well. Did you ever want to continue down that path or go back to it?
I directed a couple of little documentaries, which is not really what I call directing, but directing frightens me terribly. I wouldn't want to do that. Also, I wouldn't have the time and I wouldn't be able to commit thirty days of my life to one thing. I wrote a book last year and I really do like writing for fun. Sometimes I will work with a writer on a story idea but, again, I have an incredibly short attention span and so sitting and writing a ninety-page screenplay just isn't going to happen.
- Going back to Age of Kill, which was released earlier this month, how have you been finding the response so far?
The response from the public has been really positive, which is lovely. They do seem to like it. The critics always rip my films to pieces. Someone said to me the other day 'have you ever thought about how you are going to die?' I said 'yes, I am going to wake up one morning, read my first good review in the Guardian and die of a blood heart attack.'
On the other hand, we don't make these movies for critics, we make them for people in the street who go and buy their DVDs in HMV and Asda like I do. People like the fact that it is something a little bit different from a British movie; it is not a football hooligan movie and it is not an Essex boy movie, it is a grown up action movie. We aimed high and hopefully people will approve of that.
- We Still Steal the Old Way is another movie in the pipeline - it is the sequel to We Still Kill the Old Way - and filming is underway. How is filming going? Can you give us any hints as to what we can expect from the film?
We finished filming about three weeks ago and it was fantastic. We Still Kill the Old Way is a movie that I loved making, I loved working with the director and I especially loved working with the cast; we got them back for the sequel. I think it is going to be a better movie. Rather than it being an urban revenge movie like the first one, it is a prison break movie; the older guys are arrested and put in prison.
We had some lovely new additions to the cast, including Patrick Bergin from Sleeping With The Enemy, Julian Glover from Game of Thrones and Billy Murray from Rise of the footsoldier. It was just lovely and a real joy to make. I just love these Expendables type movies where you get all of these older actors together and send them off on a rampage.
- Are there are any actors that you are keen to work with going forward? We really do have some great talent - and young talent - in this country at the moment.
Yes we do. I think top of my list would be John Simm. I know him socially and I really really admire him, as he is one of the best actors in the country. I would love to work with Joe Cole... there are just so many people. I would love to work with Michael Caine as well - that would be a dream come true.
I love working with actors and there's nothing better than watching great actors acting out great dialogue and being expertly directed on set - that is what makes it all worthwhile. It is not always the easiest business. However, you are right; we do have so much talent in this country.
- Finally, what's next for you?
Well, in September I am making a movie called 52 Pickup, which we are pitching as The Hunger Games for hitmen. It is an action movie. Then, in November, we are going a vampire movie, which will be a black comedy vampire movie directed by Jason Flemyng of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
It is really cool and one of the best scripts that I have read; it is by Danny King who wrote Wild Bill. Those are my two definite projects but, knowing me, I will probably squeeze another one in as well.
Age of Kill is out on DVD now.