Why the  movie business is a knockout for nimble entrepreneurs.

It was the climactic scene of the legendary 2001 boxing movie Ali.  Will Smith, playing Ali, was ready to give his all on a hot night in Machava Stadium, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.

Smith was in the centre of the ring with gloves and head raised to the heavens;  the breeze blew in off the Indian Ocean to the cheers of thousands of extras ringing in his ears, but a the scene was set up there was a problem.

Recreating the so-called Rumble in the Jungle

This was the cinematic recreation of the famous Rumble in the Jungle, in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1974. This was where Muhammad Ali stepped into the ring – as a 4-1 underdog – to reclaim his world heavyweight title for a record third time, by knocking out the big-hitting man mountain George Foreman. 

The final scene ends in the torrential rain. Obviously, this being the movie, it wasn’t real. Huge hoses stood by to create the downpour in the African night. I know what happened next because I had a mate who was working on the movie.

An iron Will against Mozambique’s water

At the last minute, Will Smith said: no. It was in his contract that he was to have no contact with the water of Mozambique. I can’t blame him, I spent many years reporting in Mozambique and suffered at least a couple of days of illness from it. You wouldn’t really want to touch it – unless you really had to.

A $100 million film in jeopardy  

The film producers were in a spin. The shoot costing more than $100 million was in jeopardy unless someone could find bottled water – quickly.

In a panic, they turned to an entrepreneur ready to pay anything to get them out of trouble. The entrepreneur drove off into the night and came back with truckloads of bottled mineral water at many times their usual cost. Crew poured the mineral water into the hoses to create the rain; an incredible and profitable move by a savvy entrepreneur. Next time you watch Ali, just think for a second how much that rain in the final scene cost. 

Nimble entrepreneurs can profit

The reason I am telling you this story is that film crews and producers often look for quick solutions – whatever the cost  – that nimble entrepreneurs can profit from by saving the day.

 I was thinking of this story, this week, when writing the tale of entrepreneurs setting up a film office in the sleepy county of Worcestershire to tempt movie makers. This is good news for entrepreneurs on the ground.

The entrepreneur behind it, Kelly Mikulla, did a good job establishing Sussex Film Office and now wants to bring equal good business to the county of her birth.

Look to Africa to see how it can work

An example of how good this business can be, lies in Cape Town – on the southernmost tip of Africa, just down the road from Mozambique. Here the film industry has made small fortunes for many  entrepreneurs, from camera operators to drivers and caterers.    

COVD-19 stopped this business in its tracks, but this year the boom times are back for an industry that brings in around £250 million-a-year and supports 35,000 jobs.

Boom times are back

This year, the Cape Town authorities issued 3,900 filming permits – for everything from movies to TV series and commercials – for more than 8400 locations.

There are concessions to encourage  film makers, here and there, but its biggest selling point – a weak currency that makes movies 40% cheaper than those made in Europe.  

It all adds up to a happy hunting ground for entrepreneurs – if you have good service to offer, seek out  the cameras.