Your film has been ready for some time, but it has only just come out.

Tony:Its all about finding the right slot for the film to come out.

This allowed us to add a few finishing touches, but we didnt do any re-editing.

We got a deal for the release of the soundtrack, which will now be released before Christmas.

He sped it up and by altering the tempo a little bit he has heightened the tension.

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How are you marketing the movie?

Thats why we did press screenings early on.

Its all about the spending power.

Big movies spend money just to get the audience.

For instance,Inceptionis rumoured to have cost as much to make as it did to promote it.

And there is an independent or alternative way to do it.

Are you relying on the movie building enough ripples to attract a discerning crowd?

Tony:I dont think anyone understands fully the power of Twitter and word of mouth combined.

Its something that can get great results if used well.

I dont like people who moan about the business.

I have no time for it.

There are ways to get your film seen.

They do a good job of getting behind these films.

You have to embrace change and be very deliberate about it.

All we ever wanted t do was telling a new story in a world of remakes.

This is a relatively small production from a young team.

Was it difficult to get the finance?

Tony:The first coup was getting Richard E. Grant.

Then we had to raise the money, with all the difficulties that entails in this day and age.

It helped that we had a great story.

How did you two end up making films together?

Tony:Richard used to work at the Clapham Picture House.

He left to work on the11 OClock Showfor Channel 4.

He used to do the Ali G segments Ali G in the countryside.

After that, he ended up doingBlind Datefor 18 months, all the location dates.

So we decided to make films together.

Can you give a bit of background onThe Gigolos?

Tony:It was shot around London using improv techniques.

We had a 30 or 40 page treatment, and the actors would start to improvise based on that.

How did you get the talent for your first movie?

Having her really helped our project get credibility.

We also got Anna Massey, who was pretty much unfazed by the improv method.

I mean, she has been inFrenzyandPeeping Tom you cant really surprise her!

Thats an impressive debut!

Then, as we were going up the escalator we saw three or four of theDesperate Housewives…

It so happened thatTransamerica[starring Felicity Huffman] was premiering next door!

How did it go?

Tony:We were afraid that an improvised comedy about a gigolo in London might not be well understood.

You know when the audience gets it and laughs at the right places.

When it came to London no distributors were interested, so we released it ourselves.

We released it on five screens, and eventually it went out to 28 screens.

So we ended up releasing a film by chance!

To us this really sums up the kind of work you might do.

you might either embrace quality or you follow celebrity junk culture.

[At this point, Richard, who has been working extra hours, arrives.]

How did you get this project together?

Richard:Richard E. Grant and Laura Fraser both responded really well to the script.

Richard was great about his part.

I had written it hoping to get someone whod get excited about it.

Laura responded to the script immediately.

She did a test on camera and, watching it, she came alive.

I think this is a career-defining performance for Laura Fraser.

Richard:I hope so.

She was a delight to work with.

She had a sure touch about what shed done and whether it was right or not.

Theres a stillness about her, but its all going on beneath.

Film is a craft, put together by all sorts of different people.

Because of this, actors become forgotten on set.

The flat is really important, was it a real flat?

What did you have in mind originally?

Richard:The cinematographer came on board 10 days before we started filming.

I knew exactly what I was looking for.

Hed listen and I left him free to express himself.

I said I wanted the shadows to be black, not underexposed, but true black.

Richard had to look like he was creased and lined by all the things he had been repressing.

It was lit very old school.

Mark then went on to doLark Rise To Candleford.

I was obsessed byThe Lives Of Others it influenced the wayCuckoowas filmed.

Tony and Richard Bracewell, thank you very much.

Cuckoois in UK cinemas now.