Ghett'a Life revolutionalising film financing in Jamaica

The action packed dramatic film Ghett’a Life, poised for a release on Friday, July 29, is set to change the game of film financing in Jamaica. The film has proven that funds can be garnered through equity funding, as well as, corporate entities interested in immortal advertising through product placement.

Filmmaking is risky business, and with the high interest rates on trading in paper, most Jamaican investors have traditionally elected the stick with the tried and tested waters of stocks and bonds rather than roll the dice with box office fortunes.

Ghett’a Life, written and directed by Chris Browne (Third World Cop), is the first Jamaican film funded by finances raised through private equity coordinated by PanCaribbean. The result is that much is riding on the film’s success.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the film to make money for the investor,” Mr. Browne explains. “I didn’t really have that pressure with Blackwell’s film.” Third World Cop had been made on the heels of Dancehall Queen and the two films coming right after each other seemed to have heralded a new wave of Jamaican cinema. The wave was however short-lived as Shottas was never released in cinemas while Rude Boy fizzled.

Chris Browne (left) and Bobby Bukowsi (right) hard at work while filiming Ghett’a Life

Brands Wray & Nephew, Wysinco and Guinness all enjoy product placement in the film. Product placement offers unique visibility for a brand, especially in an industry that is saturated with marketers and high competition for branding. The marketer has the opportunity place the product in the film, which in theory remind consumers of the value and sentiments behind the product. The visibility of the brand hits consumers in the movie theatres, when the film goes to DVD and television. The value of exposure of products on this level appears limitless.

A major part of the challenge in developing the local film industry has been raising the required funds. While the government has openly admitted that film has great potential for growth, a glance at the JAMPRO Film Jamaica website suggests that the government’s focus remains on promoting Jamaica as a location rather than developing the local film industry.

Film funding in the United Kingdom is an excellent example of how government support for the industry can create growth as well as ensure that meaningful films that would otherwise never attract commercial backing can be produced.

Films developed by the now defunct UK Film Council includes the Oscar award winning The Constant Gardener, The Last King of Scotland, and last year’s hit and the final film financed by the entity The King’s Speech. While the Council is now defunct, film funding in the UK is not, as the Council’s development responsibilities have fallen to the British Film Institute and Film London.

As yet, there is no specific support for funding film from government sources in Jamaica and to date the highly competitive CHASE fund has provided support for two film projects. Additionally, the government has an incentive scheme through which recognized producers can apply for tax concessions through the Film Commission.

Filmmakers have long argued that these concessions are not sufficient to attract investors and its history has proved this to be true. Getting the business community interested in making the investment was not easy either and Mr. Browne explains that it would not have been possible without the initial buy-in of Tony Hart, Chairman of the conglomerate Hart Group of Companies and the man credited with the development of the Montego Bay Free Port who shepherded the project bringing it to the attention of like-minded business people. The structure for selling shares for the film was devised by PanCaribbean.

“I have to give the success of making this film to the financiers,” Mr. Browne says referring to Maurice Facey (PanCaribbean) and Tony Hart. “These are solid business persons. They don’t go out too far on limbs.”

Mr. Browne has no illusions about the film industry suddenly being awash with funding. Instead, he is far more conservative in his aspirations. “I hope it will open doors of other financial investors to at least entertain us,” Mr. Browne says. “I hope it gives all the young filmmakers at least a door to knock on.”

Joel Burke, editor of the Ghett’a Life and an aspiring filmmaker himself agrees with this outlook. “What I see with this film, it’s going to open doors for a whole lot of other films being made,” he said. Mr. Burke suggests that corporate Jamaica will be very relieved and pleased when the film is released, and hopefully great films can be made without the filmmaker selling his/her house to do so.

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