Elliot Grove
Encyclopedia
Elliot Grove is a Canadian
-born film producer
who founded both the Raindance Film Festival
in 1993 and the British Independent Film Awards
in 1998.
background, Grove was curious about art and film. He, thus, followed up formal art school training at Central Technical School
in Toronto, Ontario with a series of jobs behind the scenes in the film industry.
Working as a scenic artist on 68 feature films and over 700 commercials in his native Toronto, he developed a distaste for the wasted resources on set and union
bureaucracy that prevented aspiring filmmakers like himself from getting their own features off the ground.
in the late 1980s and in 1993 he launched the Raindance Film Festival, a festival devoted to independent filmmaking and its emerging talent. In 2009 he was awarded a doctorate from the Open University at Plymouth College of Art.
Initially, Raindance catered mainly to American independent filmmakers, but over the years the participants have become more global. The 2007 festival line-up included 93 independent features and 150 shorts from 52 countries.
published his book: Raindance Writers Lab: How to Write and Sell the Hot Script (ISBN 0240516362). His second book, Raindance Producer’s Lab Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking was published by Focal Press in July 2004. Both books have had multiple reprints. 150 Workouts To Becoming A Filmmake was published by Barrons (USA 2009) and has since been translated into French, German, Spanish and Italian. His first novel, The Bandit Queen based on his experiences on the Ogaden Desert as a child, which will be published next uear and illustrated by Dave McKean
,
His production company operates under the Raindance banner and is currently developing a slate of ten features. In 2005 he produced The Living and the Dead an arty British chiller, the world premiere which was at the Rotterdam Film Festival in January 2006. He is currently producing three more features are scheduled to start production.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
who founded both the Raindance Film Festival
Raindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
in 1993 and the British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
in 1998.
Biography
Despite being unable to watch TV or films until his early teens due to the constraints of his AmishAmish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
background, Grove was curious about art and film. He, thus, followed up formal art school training at Central Technical School
Central Technical School
Central Technical School is a composite high school located at 725 Bathurst Street at Harbord Street in Toronto, Canada.C.T.S. offers a wide range of programs, including all core academic courses, as well as concentration and specialization in visual arts and technical studies. C.T.S...
in Toronto, Ontario with a series of jobs behind the scenes in the film industry.
Working as a scenic artist on 68 feature films and over 700 commercials in his native Toronto, he developed a distaste for the wasted resources on set and union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
bureaucracy that prevented aspiring filmmakers like himself from getting their own features off the ground.
Raindance
Elliot moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the late 1980s and in 1993 he launched the Raindance Film Festival, a festival devoted to independent filmmaking and its emerging talent. In 2009 he was awarded a doctorate from the Open University at Plymouth College of Art.
Initially, Raindance catered mainly to American independent filmmakers, but over the years the participants have become more global. The 2007 festival line-up included 93 independent features and 150 shorts from 52 countries.
Course Instruction
Elliot lectures on screenwriting and filmmaking throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Japan; in 1992 he set up the training division of Raindance which now offers nearly two dozen evening and weekend masterclasses on writing, directing, producing and marketing your film. These courses are designed for those with no formal training who want to break into the film industry, or for professionals who want to refresh their skills. Making films is expensive, so Elliot and Raindance work on the assumption that course participants do not have Hollywood-scale amounts of money to throw around.Publications
In 2001 Focal PressFocal Press
Focal Press is a publisher of media technology books and it is an imprint of Elsevier. It was founded in 1938 by Andor Kraszna-Krausz, a Hungarian photographer who immigrated to England in 1937 and eventually published over 1,200 books on photography....
published his book: Raindance Writers Lab: How to Write and Sell the Hot Script (ISBN 0240516362). His second book, Raindance Producer’s Lab Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking was published by Focal Press in July 2004. Both books have had multiple reprints. 150 Workouts To Becoming A Filmmake was published by Barrons (USA 2009) and has since been translated into French, German, Spanish and Italian. His first novel, The Bandit Queen based on his experiences on the Ogaden Desert as a child, which will be published next uear and illustrated by Dave McKean
Dave McKean
David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
,
Production
Upholding the ethos of Raindance, Elliot wrote, produced and directed 1997's feature, Table 5, for just over £200.His production company operates under the Raindance banner and is currently developing a slate of ten features. In 2005 he produced The Living and the Dead an arty British chiller, the world premiere which was at the Rotterdam Film Festival in January 2006. He is currently producing three more features are scheduled to start production.