LOW BUDGET FILM COMPANIES

By Spencer Stevenson

FILM 4Film4 is a British digital television channel available in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, that screens films. It has been apart of many low budget films that have gone on to be a box office success. Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in the UK, whether new or established.Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, Academy Award winners such as Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady in addition to critically-acclaimed award winners such as Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Chris Morris’s Four Lions, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and David Mackenzie’s Starred Up.

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENTSummit was officially launched in 1993 by Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward and David Garrett under the name Summit Entertainment LP as a production, distribution, and sales organization. By 1995 they were producing and co-financing films, and by 1997 they started fully financing films. Among the company's early successes was American Pie. In 2007, it became a fully independent film production company, Summit Entertainment. The new company added major development, production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution branches with a financing deal led by Merrill Lynch and other investors giving it access to over $1 billion in financing. Summit films are also distributed theatrically and on DVD in Europe and in Canada by Entertainment One.Summit Entertainment have had varied success in the movies that they have made. They have had a lot of success with the Twilight movie saga based on the books. Summit have been involved in every Twilight film. They have also had success with the Step Up series and Mr and Mrs Smith starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. In the spring of 2009, Summit released Knowing, the company's second movie to open #1 at the box office and made $182,492,056 worldwide.

ICONIcon Productions LLC is an American independent production company founded in August 1989 by actor/director Mel Gibson and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey. Unlike most other independents, Icon internally funds most of its development and packaging costs, mainly by Gibson, allowing it to retain creative control of projects through production. The company also produces films in the UK and Australia through its British subsidiary Icon Entertainment International, and distributes cinema films through its British subsidiary Icon Film Distribution Ltd, and its Australian subsidiary Icon Film Distribution Pty Ltd. Furthermore, it owns a library of over 250 film titles.After the financial success of The Passion of the Christ, there was frequent mention of the ability of Icon to function as a mini-studio. They have produced films such as Anna Karenina, Braveheart and Hamlet.

WARPFILMSWarp Films is an independent film and television production company based in Sheffield & London, UK, with a further affiliated company Warp Films Australia based in Melbourne, Australia. The first film, Chris Morris' My Wrongs, was shot in 2002. It won the award for Best Short Film at the 2003 BAFTA Film Awards and became the first short film DVD single in the UK market. Shot in 22 days on a tight budget, and produced from Warp Films’ Sheffield office (at that time a shed in Herbert’s garden), it earned a BAFTA nomination, was nominated for a record eight British Independent Film Awards, won the Hitchcock D’or at the Dinard Festival, and won the Southbank award for Best Film. It received strong critical acclaim and has been hailed as a landmark in British cinema.