Brits weave Hollywood spell

At Whimsic Alley, a Harry Potter-themed “shopping haven for wizards of distinction” in Los Angeles, the charm cast by JK Rowling a decade ago is starting to wear off. That may spell bad news for the 90,000 Britons who work in Hollywood, said the American industry insiders recruited by The Sunday Times to judge the 2009 Reel Britannia chart, our annual list of the 20 top Britons behind the camera. This year the $25 billion (£15 billion) industry has been buffeted by a writers’ strike, tormented by an actors’ walk-out which did not materialise, and then hit by the credit crunch. More than 75% of its operating capital comes from outside the industry, from hedge funds demanding 6% over Libor and would-be producers in Dubai and India. The industry has proved surprisingly recession-resistant, though, with a 10% jump in ticket sales this year. Much of that is down to the talent that Britain exports to Hollywood, especially the boy wizard. For nearly a decade Stan Goldin, proprietor of Whimsic Alley, has spun the brand magic at the authentically cluttered “shoppe”, selling everything from luminous wands to themed package holidays in the UK. He senses, now Rowling has written the end of the saga, that Potter fatigue is on the horizon and is looking for the next hit franchise. By the time the first box set of all eight Potter DVDs hits the shops at Christmas 2012, the films, books and toys will have earned £13 billion, and the “halo effect” has opened many US doors for British directors, producers and craftsmen. Potter and the Batman film The Dark Knight, both heavily homegrown productions according to the rules of the UK Film Council, have helped Warner to become the biggest studio in the world, grossing a record $1.75 billion in 2008. Ticket sales account for only a quarter of film revenue, however. Half comes from DVD sales, a sub-market which peaked two years ago. And Potter, at the cutting edge of social trends thanks to its young demographic, began to decline even earlier, according to California-based Adams Media Research. In 2005, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire sold 7% fewer DVDs than the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004. Order of the Phoenix, released in 2007, sold 14% fewer copies than Goblet. “The theatrical releases have been hugely successful — the films are getting more sophisticated every time. But younger fans categorised by the studios as ‘avid’, who see the movie three times in the first week, are turning to other passions, such as the Twilight vampire series,” said Jan Saxton of Adams Media. “Harry has been unique — wonderful for the film industry both in the UK and in the States. Everyone loves him, but he is mortal.” Clare Chapman, head of the UK Film Council’s Los Angeles office, said that British entrepreneurs in Hollywood are planning for the end of Potter — one of the big three film franchises of all time, alongside 007 and Star Wars. “What comes after Harry is the billion-dollar question because no one knows success until they have seen it on the screen,” she said. The film council said that the British share of the US box office increased by one percentage point to 9% in 2008, earning more than £1 billion. Much of that, however, was down to The Dark Knight, which everyone agrees was a freak event. (Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in the film, died before its release.) It still propelled Christopher Nolan, the London-born director, and his brother, Jonathan, who co-wrote the screenplay, to the top of the 2009 Reel Britannia chart. “It was the perfect storm of creative and entrepreneurial talent, and would have been so even if Heath Ledger had not died — his performance was that extraordinary,” said Bob Gersh, co-president of the Gersh Agency and one of the Reel Britannia judges. “We in the business have known Christopher Nolan since Memento. But now, with their eye and ability to work within the system, Christopher and Jonathan are the most sought-after siblings since the Coen and Scott brothers.” The Nolans were clear favourites among the judges, who studied a long list of Britons working in Hollywood, from moneymen to music composers, and created a Top 20, which one called “Brit Idol”. Arthur Albert, the director of photography on series such as ER, said that Hollywood has soaked up former BBC staff: “It’s the greatest training school in the world, which we lack here.” He pointed to Steve Shill, who graduated from the BBC’s drama director course and worked on series such as Law and Order before stepping up to films with the summer thriller Obsessed, starring Beyoncé Knowles. Corporate discipline helped: the film cost $20m and earned $70m. Howard Weitzman, an entertainment attorney whose clients have ranged from Marlon Brando to the Michael Jackson estate, tipped his hat to Sir Howard Stringer, head of Sony America, for the same reason. “Nobody knows how entertainment will be delivered in five years’ time but, having jumped from CBS to Sony, he still manages to keep a massive conglomerate, with issues, on target,” said Weitzman. “His gritty approach should not work in a Japanese culture, but he is getting decisions made which may shape movies and television for years.” Weitzman felt the biggest British triumphs are on US television. Not just the actors — Hugh Laurie earns $400,000 an episode for House, which has 86m viewers — but also presenters, producers and executives. Barry Katz, who has made a fortune from comedy films, said Britons are vital to American creativity. “I look back on great British performances, from Ridley Scott’s chest-bursting Alien to Ali G, and the Brits always produce that ‘Holy Crap!’ moment, where you go, ‘Did I just see that?’ We need the British kick in the pants.” Universal's top gun DONNA LANGLEY, president of production at NBC-owned Universal Pictures, could be the first Briton to head a Hollywood studio since David Puttnam’s tenure at Columbia. Born in Staines 41 years ago, she studied art and business before moving to LA at the age of 22. At Universal she is credited with bagging the Bourne thrillers franchise and championing the multi-million-dollar global hit Mamma Mia! King is not departing INDEPENDENT producer Graham King, who won an Oscar for The Departed, is the son of a Cockfosters cabbie. Other triumphs include Traffic and Gangs of New York. In the past year King, 47, has spent $140m making movies, $90m of it turning the BBC’s 1985 nuclear thriller Edge of Darkness into a comeback vehicle for Mel Gibson. Upcoming features include the science fiction epic Hyperion and children’s animation. Judges Arthur Albert, director of photography; Bob Gersh, co-president of the Gersh Agency; Barry Katz, comedy impresario; Sharon Lawrence, actress; Howard Weitzman, attorney. Judging criteria: past contribution, current status, talent and success, future prospects and professional likability.