It’s odd how words slip into normality. Mention “deliverer”, “grower”, “creator” to someone and brows furrow. Say “producer” and we are all on the same page. But what does it mean to be a “producer”?

“Yes, well that’s always the hardest question to answer” sighs Producer and Managing Director of Warp Films, Robin Gutch. “I think one definition is that the producer is the person who makes the film happen. Obviously a lot of people make the film happen – the director, the actors, the financiers – but the producer is there, right at the epicentre of the wheel. Everyone, even the director, are spokes heading into that spot.”

Joining Warp in 2004, Gutch has overseen over twenty projects. During this time Warp Films has grown from an offshoot of a music producing label – Warp Records – to one of the largest, and arguably the most interesting production companies working in Britain.

Former Warp projects include features such as THIS IS ENGLAND, FOUR LIONS and the much loved SUBMARINE. The list of directors who begun their careers at the company is equally impressive. Shane Meadows, Ben Wheatley, Chris Morris, Richard Ayoade, Paddy Considine and most recently Yann Delange all received their feature debut with Warp. But what was the process of pioneering projects with these talented individuals?

“For Paddy (Considine), there was a strong connection with Warp because of DEAD MAN’S SHOES. We knew he wanted to direct … he had to prove he could direct so we had to think about a short.”

Inevitably in this day an age we end up talking about brands…

There is a constant across Warp’s directors of producing a short film before a feature. Considine’s DOG ALTOGETHER preceded TYRANNOSAUR, Chris Morris’ MY WRONGS before FOUR LIONS. Intentional? “I guess that’s true, but maybe it might not be so true going forward”.

“Chris’s (Morris), which was the very first thing we did, was a little different. They wanted to create something that would create a bit of a stir. Chris had obviously directed TV comedy. They wanted to try and make a short film, and try out distributing it as a direct to DVD … In a way it was an experiment – “Can you make a profit from distributing a short film?” It was quite a lot of time until FOUR LIONS came out later.”

“Most of the time when we do that (make a short) it’s a case of convincing the financiers and showing capability. If someone wanted to do a narrative comedy, for example, and all they had done was sketch comedy, the question that will come up is “Well, can they do narrative comedy?”. We need to find an answer to that so, go and make a short. It’s changing now. Groups like Film4 are very unlikely to invest in shorts … so it turns into more of a TV pilot system.”

What happens when you find the director you like? Can you hold onto them?

“They are very much free agents, sadly. Usually when you’ve finished the feature there is a desire from both sides to work together again. Usually. But it doesn’t always happen.”

It is noticeable that many of the prodigious talents unearthed by Warp Films very few returned for future projects – Richard Ayoade moving to the American Alcove Entertainment for THE DOUBLE, and Ben Wheatley to the larger StudioCanal and Film 4 for SIGHTSEERS. Only Shane Meadows remains as the returning feature. More money is always an inevitable draw.

“It doesn’t always work that way. Paul King is a good example. We made BUNNY AND THE BULL, which was a really great film, but commercially it didn’t really do anything. Paul was then put on to the PADDINGTON film. Huge success, which is great for him. Doesn’t benefit us at all, but that’s fair enough… You can’t lock people in.”

With directors moving on, how does a group maintain stability amid constantly changing personel? Gutch suggests value in persevering identity.

“Inevitably in this day an age we end up talking about brands… Warp has a slightly different approach to most production companies in the UK, probably mainly because it was set up twelve years ago by Warp Records, who had much more of a music label philosophy – that actually the label identity was very important.”

“Mark Herbert (Director of Warp Records and Films) had a very good idea that when we had our tenth anniversary, we’d do a number of events, as he put it, joining the dots between the different films Warp had done, and the music. We rented a steel mill in Sheffield and a thousand people came to an old steel mill, now an instillation site. There were screenings and light shows and live scores, all really promoting that these were more than ten films – there was a philosophy or a creative signature that underlines that.”

But what is Warp’s signature? A style? A genre? Not so straight forward as it turns out.

“I think it’s a hard one to define. Ours is more eclectic. Definitely contemporary, definitely bold, definitely uncompromising would be some of the values we put into that… But then SUBMARINE and THE BUNNY AND THE BULL are quite sweet in some ways. It’s hard to define. We spent many hours trying.”

“It tends to come up with taking a script – we think “Is that right for us?”. In some ways it is easier thinking of projects that would seem strange coming from Warp. Think of a successful series like Call The Midwife – which is great – it’s not something people would think would come from Warp.”

In some ways it is easier thinking of projects that would seem strange coming from Warp

This identity works both ways. Gutch described odd experiences of sitting in cinemas, watching films “that should have been made by us” citing Gareth Edwards’ MONSTERS as an example.

Warp Films is now taking its identity onwards and upwards. Having broadened to television with THIS IS ENGLAND follow ups, This is England 88, This is England 89 and the upcoming This is England 90, Gutch revealed Warp’s increasing international plans.

“(We) are producing a big co-production which is set in France and Serbia about a bunch of Serbian paramilitaries who became so-called Pink Panther jewel thieves.”

Described by Gutch as a “crime-action series”, actors listed to take part in the drama include Samantha Morton, John Hurt and A PROPHET’s Tahir Rahim. Other outward looking prospects include Warp’s first American-based feature film, unnamed, in production this year, and the optioning of a well-known Chinese novel.

“One of the parts of the Warp brand is that it seems very British. The next projects will change that. But we are trying to keep the creative values. Like any other area, you are looking for new challenges.”