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"Hotel" Innovative
digital film making
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The feature
film Hotel is the latest film from double Oscar nominated
and leading British film director, Mike Figgis (whose previous
directorial credits include Leaving Las Vegas and
Internal Affairs) and had its first major screening
at the 26th Toronto Film Festival in September 2001. Due to
his reputation in the industry Figgis was able to assemble
a highly impressive cast including David Schwimmer, Salma
Hayek, Saffron Burrows, Burt Reynolds and Rhys Ifans.
Shot entirely on location at the Hungaria Palace Hotel in
Venice, Hotel is an entirely unique cinematic proposition
in which Figgis has utilised and expanded upon the innovative
digital film-making techniques that he first employed when
directing his film Timecode in 1999. As opposed to
the vast majority of feature films Hotel is not shot
on film but onto digital tape which allows the director far
more scope to manipulate the on-screen image. Figgis develops
the "quadrant technique" used in Timecode
whereby the screen is divided into four quads showing different
images that are sometimes synchronised and at other times
played simultaneously. The film is a wholly new visual experience
switching from quad-screen to split-screen and full-screen
seamlessly and challenging traditional notions of the cinematic
art.
Partner Leon Morgan and assistant Martin Haines led the Davenport Lyons team acting for the UK co-producer of the film, Hotel Productions Limited (affiliated to leading LA production and distribution company, Moonstone Entertainment Inc.), and structured the film as a UK/Italian co-production under the bilateral co-production treaty between the UK and Italy in order to harness fiscal benefits available to film production in both countries. The film's Italian co-producer was renowned, Italian production company, Cattleya S.R.L.
Davenport Lyons undertook the vast majority of the legal and structuring work relating to the production from closing financing deals with Comerica Bank in Los Angeles and Film Four to contracting with the large ensemble cast and the specialist technicians and crew.
The film is also at the technological forefront of film making in that, with investment from 4 Ventures Limited (Film Four's new media division), Hotel Productions Limited created a website devoted to the film. The website incorporated live video feeds from the shoot and 96 short films (each video 5 minutes in length) comprised of footage shot by an independent crew that were engaged by Hotel Productions exclusively to shoot content for the site.
The film is an important milestone in the development of digital film making and (thanks in no small part to the efforts of Davenport Lyons) a successful example of European production companies using pan European legislation to access local benefits for film production.
For more information on Hotel check out the Film
Four website. The designated Hotel site can be accessed
by clicking onto the 'features' icon and scrolling down to
Hotel. (You may need to subscribe to the Film Four
website before entering certain areas of the 'Hotel' website.)
Click here for more information on the Media Group.
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