CSB has been working for months on an exciting project with film journalist Andrew Urban of Urbancinefile. We’re interviewing film and television practitioners about their business experiences.
Our aim is to develop a deeper understanding about the history of business decision-making in film and television and to share with our audience the wisdom from the accumulated mistakes, experiments and achievements of the contributors.
Bryce Menzies - biography
Bryce Menzies completed his Bachelors of Laws and Jurisprudence at Monash University in 1981. He completed his articles at Roth Warren that year and was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor by the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1982. He worked as a solicitor at Roth Warren and in 1984 became a Partner of the firm and founded its entertainment department. In 2003 he joined Marshalls & Dent as a Partner and joint head (and in 2004 head) of the entertainment department.
Bryce’s first experience in the film industry was in 1982 when he played a man in overalls opposite Gerard Kennedy. He has now worked as a lawyer on over 250 productions, films and television series. His executive producer credits include Malcolm (1985), Death in Brunswick (1990), Two Hands (1999), The Tracker (2002) and Ten Canoes (2006). He continues to act as legal adviser on feature films, shorts, documentaries, television series. Due to his flourishing legal practice he only occasionally executive produces.
Bryce is currently a member of the Film Victoria Board. His previous board memberships have been with Screen Tasmania and South Australian Film Corporation.
Audio download
Chapter 1 - Background - 9 minutes
- Got a taste for showbiz as young lawyer
- Early days of 10BA, went to see lawyer Bill Marshall and started attracting filmmakers, somehow raised money
- David Parker and Nadia Tass came to me with Malcolm, which took off and I haven’t looked back
- Went on to work with people associated with Malcolm, like Tim White (worked on about nine films), Lynda House (Proof, Muriel’s Wedding), and a number of other people
- Don’t select projects – producers come to me
- Raising money
- Involved with production companies Fandango and Vertigo
- But also work for anyone else, also on Board of Film Victoria
- I see a lot of deals, and have practical ways of dealing with problems
Video downloads
Chapter 2 - Financing - 13 minutes
- We’re project based lawyers
- My preference is to empower producers to do things
- I find the strategic stuff more interesting
- I don’t do fund raising per se
- Most important decision is the size of the budget
- Gap financing is always the key – doesn’t change much
- Mezzanine financing and hedge funds
- Co-ordinating start of shoot with financing
- Film financing is not designed for the producer to make money
- Producers should be involved with distributors
Video downloads
Chapter 3 - Optimism - 8 minutes
- Get to feel attached to projects, especially when you mortgage your house
- Do invest in films – all the time, tend to put it into development
- Only the French system works in favour of the producer making money
- A while ago we made mistake thinking we knew how to make commercial movies – we didn’t, just made art house movies that crossed over
- But I’m always optimistic
Video downloads
