Elena Conte. Pablo de Lario. Frame. Life And Flowers And Other Things.

Film makers often get into financial difficulties when managing the budget of a production. It seems to go with the territory and freelancers are usually quite tolerant when payments slip by a day or two (not that that should happen of course).

What people find very hard to tolerate though is when companies, when they are late with payments, then break the promises they have made to settle up by a new and agreed date. Because people have bills to pay (of course) and supermarkets don’t take promises in payment for food (of course) and landlords don’t accept words in lieu of hard cash (of course).

Elena Conte and Pablo de Lario are two such offenders. Shortly to feature on BECTU’s Ask First list, these two have been issuing promises like chaff in the wind, solemnly promising that transfers of cash have been made, blaming their bank for seemingly having lost the cash in transit and then issuing radio silence to any form of contact.

The company (Groucho Arts) which is making their film, Life and Flowers and Other Things, has now become notorious for these kinds of shady practices with both seemingly utterly brazen in their willingness to make firm commitments which then melt away when hard cash is due.

A word of warning then - if Elena and Pablo should embark on any kind of production in the future, freelancers and suppliers would be well advised to get their payment in advance.

Elena Conte and Pablo de Lario: Freelancers Beware!