Fred Films. James Spring. “Mother’s Pride”.

EDIT:

Since posting this, things on this production have got worse it seems, resulting in all the cast and crew downing tools on a recent filming day and refusing to carry on until they were paid what they were owed. That got the money suddenly moving but this is a production which is on VERY precarious ground. If anyone is approached to work on it, best advice is to run a mile in the opposite direction.

A warning to anyone considering working for a company called Fred Films, now or in the future. After numerous issues with getting paid, the crew on production of this film have not had their last invoices paid for the work they have done on “Mother’s Pride”, a comedy (apparently) featuring Martin Clunes and James Buckley.

Freelancers were already aware that the company was in financial difficulty, with late payments for crew and suppliers constantly being an issue throughout the production, as well as concerns about junior workers being paid less than the legal minimum.

Neither company CEO James Spring nor Chief Operating Officer Georgina Spring were able to put the crew’s mind at rest when asked when freelancers would be paid their last invoices (now very overdue) - a vague suggestion that it would “hopefully be this week” has done little to ease nerves on that front.

This is clearly a production which has been run on a wing and a prayer, with Spring happy to embark on filming without the necessary finance sufficiently in place that he could guarantee payments as promised; a concern for any freelancer who might consider working for the company in the future.

Be warned then: Fred Films, freelancers Beware!