Alex Panton
Credits
Year | Job Title Project Type |
Project Name Director / Company |
Location |
---|---|---|---|
2015 |
Agent / Business Development
Event |
The Man From UNCLE 4K London |
|
2009 |
Senior Telecine & Post Producer
Commercials & Industrials |
Various inc 'Compare the Meerkat' Darren Walsh / Rushes Post Production |
|
2008 |
Digital Intermediate Producer
Television |
Generation Kill Various / Framestore |
|
2007 |
Digital Intermediate Producer
Film |
Run Fat Boy Run David Schwimmer / Men from Mars |
Education
Year | Qualification | Where |
---|---|---|
1983 | BA Hons Media Studies | Middlesex Polytechnic |
Equipment
My Equipment/Kit:
I can use:
About me
Alex PantonKey Skills & Experience
Client Facing.
My recent roles at Framestore and Rushes were very client-orientated, whether I was attending to the minutiae of feature film output or cold calling to generate new, commercials business. The client base I built during last year's unprecedentedly gloomy economic conditions is testimony to my mixture of grit and charm.
Content Production.
I Many years in short and long form film production, including running the production department of former commercials giant James Garrett & Ptnrs. Many of the adverts we produced were on an epic scale, but as budgets declined my talent for multi-tasking and lateral thinking stretched production value well beyond normal limits. This ability later enabled me to rescue BBC Timewatch "Enzo Ferrari's Secrets" from woeful underfunding and create a wealth of period, dramatic reconstruction, as well as stellar action vehicle sequences for almost nominal cost. My recent roles in postproduction, especially at Rushes have ensured my familiarity with the revolution in digital acquisition formats and their traits.
Team Leading.
Aside from confident, decisive and caring organization of production crews on shoots, I have also galvanized and encouraged large teams of Researchers, VFX & Restoration Artists, and Animators to successfully deliver on seemingly impossible deadlines. The CG Captain Scarlet was in danger of having the plug pulled when I arrived. There was a leadership vacuum and morale was on the floor. Despite having no prior CG experience, I oversaw the migration of many months of work from previous (Maya) to preferred (Lightwave) animation software. It was like being a Foreman asked to construct a ship from a half built housing estate. This dovetailed with running teams working with Lightwave from scratch, and I guided their work throughout compositing and editorial. My part in turning around the efforts of the failing Restoration Department at Framestore was also crucial in delivering HBO's "Generation Kill" on time and to that client's notorious QC demands.
Innovative Marketing.
My Therapy hired me on a three month, business development contract in late 2007. The company wanted to launch a service whereby independent filmmakers could make sure their work was submitted correctly to film festivals around the world via an encoding process attached to a 360-degree delivery capacity. I quickly realized that the software they were buying was far more suitably targeted at independent distributors as a highly competitive Digital Cinema Package service. I developed this idea with the MD, wrote the web copy www.myfilmmaster.com and started cold calling the identified market. The success of this enabled them to expand and relocate to central London, where they continue to thrive. Whilst at Rushes Post Production, I launched their foray into non-linear colour correction into the commercials market with such success; the other, conventional Telecine suites needed extra marketing impetus. Cue www.sweet-16mm.com. In a textbook case of inter/intra-corporate politics, I pulled Soho Film Lab, Kodak and their camera rental re-sellers Arri Media and Take 2 together to create a combined film stock, laboratory and Telecine package that brought shooting film back within the grasp of hard-hit Producers. So, I can sell innovations to the right market and re-present neglected services as a novelty. "It's a stroke of genius!" Mike O Keefe, Head Music Video Commissioner, Sony Records. "A brilliant concept." Ian Randle, Grey London.
Adaptability.
As a naturally inquisitive person, I learn very quickly and see this as crucial to moving into a new medium Having spent many years in analogue, linear production, I arrived in digital post amidst a fraught atmosphere of personalities, politics and hard-nosed business as VFX Line Producer on "An American Haunting" .I quickly adapted to the technology and workflows to the extent that or Men from Mars offered me the full time post of Digital Intermediate Producer in their start-up grading department. DI is all about creating perfect film print emulation of an electronically colour-corrected image. Learning the colour science involved in making the photochemical process understand data is another example of my ability to grasp new concepts and how they fit into wider contexts.
Referees:
Joce Capper, MD, Rushes Post Production.
removed
Gerald Berman, former MD James Garrett & Ptnrs.
removed
Ben Baker. Executive Producer- Digital Film at Omnilab Media Australia/ Digital Pictures
Additional information:
Oct 2008-Jan 2010
Telecine Sales Producer: Rushes Post Production.
Employed as Rushes first, dedicated Producer for the Colour Grading Dept. My combined history of commercials production and digital, feature film post made me the preferred candidate to oversee and sell the adoption of 'Digital Intermediate' for short form work. Despite challenging market conditions, since the launch of the Resolve suite at Rushes there has been significant demand from a wide and varied client base including McCann Erickson, Grey, Red Brick Road, VCCP, Passion Pictures, RSA, Knucklehead, Stink. My in-depth knowledge of the technology and processes involved helped clients ranging from global advertising agencies to independent film makers achieve their goals as swiftly and economically as possible, stimulating much repeat business as a result. Much of the work progressed into the VFX suites and I Produced this through online, delivery and versioning. I conceived and marketed Sweet16, combined film stock, lab and TK package to stimulate use of 16mm. (www.sweet-16mm.com) I co-ordinated with the newly created Ascent Media Digital Lab Services dept based at Soho Film Lab to raise the profile of this aspect of the group within Rushes and with client base.
Jan-Jul 2008:
Digital Intermediate Producer: Digital Lab, Framestore.
Producing DI on "Franklyn" (Recorded Picture Co), "Killshot", (The Weinstein Co), "Generation Kill", (HBO).
In addition to Producing the DI of Gerald McMorrow's debut feature, "Franklyn", and the QC and output of John Madden's "Killshot", I Co-Produced the DI of HBO's 7x1hr, Iraq War epic "Generation Kill".
My special responsibilities included co-ordinating the hundreds of VFX produced by the cutting rooms and Cinesite, and also the supervision of intensive restoration required for 16mm shot in a desert. The restoration passed the legendary HBO QC standard with flying colours.
Oct 2007- Jan 2008
Business Development Consultant: My Therapy
Appointed to oversee re-branding and streamlining of boutique digital post house / interactive agency. Work varied from reconfiguring the grading suite to writing all the copy for three websites to sales cold calling. My main achievement has gone on to form a highly profitable strand to the business and allowed the company to expand and relocate to Soho. A priority task was the launch of an online, digital archive and 360 degree delivery platform aimed at independent film makers, intended to facilitate submissions to film festivals. Simultaneously, the company was acquiring a D Cinema encoding capacity, and I re-packaged the initiative to include this and re-targeted it at the independent distribution market with great success.
Feb 2005 - Jul 2007
Apr 2005:
Digital Intermediate Producer / Joint Manager: Men from Mars:
As a result of my involvement from the VFX Production side, I became the full time DI Producer at MfM. In charge of co-ordinating this new strand of the business, I trouble-shot workflows, micro-managed staff, QC'd HD & film outputs, dealt with clients (all very demanding), met and overcame all the challenges one would expect of a new enterprise in a new process.
Successfully completed eight projects (sometimes twice to accommodate re-edits) including "Run Fat Boy Run", "Mr Lonely", "Derailed", "Stoned", "Straightheads", "Flawless" and "An American Haunting".
My role as joint Manager of the company meant that my remit was far broader than the running of the DI Dept and included HR, strategic planning and capital investment.
Feb 2005:
VFX Line Producer, "An American Haunting", Men from Mars.
I joined the post production as the edit began, liaising with the Montreal cutting rooms and VFX house, LA and London production companies, London neg cutters and scanning facility. I scheduled and oversaw the generation of temps crucial to a very tight sales deadline screening. As the grade of this film was to pass through the new Digital Intermediate facility at MfM I became heavily involved in its development.
2004
Nov-Dec
2ndAsst Director, BBC 4 "Tynan-In Praise of Hardcore".
Scheduled and ran a very ambitious (considering the miniscule budget) project starring Rob Brydon as the famous anti-censorship campaigner, Kenneth Tynan. Following on from "The Alan Clarke Diaries" this established the basis for the successful series of Producer, Ben Evans' British, cult personality bio-pics, "Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!", "Fear of Fanny", "Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me" .
Nov
Production Manager, TWI TVC Jack Nicklaus Polaris World for Minerva
Oct:
Producer, G Spots Irish Tourist Board pitch for McCann Erickson.
Sept:
Producer, 10 min independent short, "Imperfect Collector".
Producer, G Spots Yamaha TVC for Burridge & Taylor.
Producer, G Spots AAR for Miles Calcraft Brigginshaw Duffy.
Production Manager, Pearson Films Dog's Trust TVC for Soul.
July:
Producer, Addiction TV, Gwyneth Herbert compilation TVC.
Producer, Music Innovations multi-camera broadcast coverage for Pepsi of Real Madrid and Man Utd stars in Almeria, Spain. Organised construction and running of bespoke TV & stills studio in a desert location to dovetail with filming schedule of Beckham, Raul, Carlos et al.
June:
Producer, Music Innovations pilot of "Starsquad", a Pepsi sponsored, football talent search as per "Pop Idol".
Feb-May
CG Production Manager at The Indestructible Prod Co, "Captain Scarlet". Supervised approx 50 personnel comprising teams of Animators, Lightwave Operators and Compositors. Liaised with Editors, Directors, Executive Producers, Branding Executive, Systems, Character and Asset Managers to meet crucial deadline. Delivery triggered finance for further 12 Episodes.
Jan:
Producer, Pearson Films Kellogg's "The Cat In The Hat" TVC for JWT
2003
Dec
Producer, Eleven XY 2 min promotional film for London Stock Exchange, reporting to Head of Marketing at LSE.
Sept-Nov:
Production Manager, Ginger Prods "Timewatch: Enzo Ferrari's Secrets" for BBC. Aside from running all the logistics of a production spanning two continents, and acting as additional Consultant, I re-structured original budget and schedule to make successful application for additional funding to be released by BBC.
1996- Sept 2003
Head of Production at James Garrett & Partners. Line Produced all production for directors including:
Richard Loncraine, Bob Brooks, Charles Sturridge, Nicholas Barker, Hugh Laurie, Nigel Cole, and Ben Sedley.
Clients included; BT, Carte D'Or, Ford, Homebase, Hyundai, KFC, Macdonalds, Mitsubishi, Nike, Nissan, Pizza Hut, Renault, Sainsburys, Vauxhall, Wales Tourist Board. Budgets up to £1M, shooting in U.K. and abroad.
Productions ranged from one day studio shoots of KFC close-ups to two week Ford commercials in coastal Portugal. The latter involved British and local crew of approx 70, the attendant basics of location filming plus aerial and aquatic photography, cliff hanging stunts, precision driving, hot air ballooning and co-coordinating product car transport as well as all technical equipment from UK. This car commercial is an average example of the shoots I was in charge of, and this kind of production was my norm. The BT "It's Good To Talk" campaign, starring Bob Hoskins was another exercise in precision logistics, but with the added burden of providing star treatment on a very quick turn -around. BT ads are reactive to topical market research and so the prep time is minimal.
Whilst at Garrett's, Co Wrote and Produced 22min, £90K short, "It Can Be Done", Directed by Jon East.
"It Can Be Done" was a finalist in the shorts section of the 1999 Venice Biennale.
1993 - 1996
Freelance Producer of music videos and video sell-through. Line Produced development of feature film projects at The 39 Production Co. Valuable feature film experience gained as 2nd AD on "Savage Hearts" and "St Ex" ( Dir: Anand Tucker )
1992 - 1993
Producer of video sell - through projects at V.V.L.
1990 - 1992 Producer of music videos at Medialab.
1985 - 1990
Production Asst / Production Manager / Producer at Aubrey Powell Productions. Worked up the production ranks on music videos and commercials, gaining thorough grounding in domestic and foreign production.
Languages - Fluent French and Italian.
Foreign production experience - Balearics, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Lanzarote, Morocco, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United States.
Other skills include - Health and Safety training. Movie Magic budgeting and scheduling. Xytech. Vocationally trained Massage Therapist. Driving Licence & Own Transport. References can be provided on request.
License & Passport
Driver's License: | Yes |
Skills
Secondary Job Title | Producer |
---|---|
Job Titles | Post-Production Management / Support, Producer, 2nd AD (Assistant Director), Production Manager, Post Production Producer |
Years in industry | 6+ years |
Organisations / Memberships | BECTU (UK) |