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Country of origin for Ridley Scott's production company Scott Free
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
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What's the country of origin for Ridley Scott's production company Scott Free?

Wikipedia, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Free_Productions, says it's "a British-American independent film and television production company founded in 1970 by filmmakers and brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott." It also says:
Quote:
Headquarters:
London, United Kingdom
Los Angeles, United States

Then there's the Wikipedia-page for Ridley Scott, on which it says: "In 1995, Ridley and his brother Tony formed a production company, Scott Free Productions, in Los Angeles."

Official website https://scottfree.com/ lists, on the "Contact" page, indeed offices in Los Angeles and in London, even going so far as to putting them under "SCOTT FREE US" and "SCOTT FREE UK" headers.

I see users adding "United Kingdom" as a country of origin to films on the basis of the assumption that this is a UK company, while others are removing it, claiming that it's a US company.

So which is is? If Scott Free is (one of) the film's production company/companies, should "United Kingdom" be added as a country of origin, or not?
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorprimetime21
Registered: October 4, 2008
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Looks like it was founded under another name in 1970 in the UK, and then changed name to Scott Free in LA in 1995.

If indeed it was a name change and not a new company, I would say it is an UK company.  It was a whole new company incorporated I would say it was US, but that doesn't seem to the case.

Either way I'm not sure if it's clear-cut.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorNosferatu
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It looks to me like the company equivalent of someone with dual nationality. As it has headquarters and staff in both the United Kingdom and United States, a Scott Free production is a UK-US one and should include both countries.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
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The company was first registered in the UK on January 27, 1995, then as "Milepoint Limited". The name was changed to "Scott Free Films Limited" in 2004, but the company number/registration stayed the same. There's a full "filing history" (PDF's included) available at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03015176.

I can't find that kind of information on the LA office.
 Last edited: by T!M
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorNosferatu
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Quoting T!M:
Quote:
The company was first registered in the UK on January 27, 1995, then as "Milepoint Limited". The name was changed to "Scott Free Films Limited" in 2004, but the company number/registration stayed the same. There's a full "filing history" (PDF's included) available at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03015176

I can't find that kind of information on the LA office.

That makes it much more a British company with, for the sake of convenience, an office in the US.

As such, I I'm much more inclined to consider all Scott Free productions to have the United Kingdom as the country of origin.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorObiKen
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Quoting T!M:
Quote:
The company was first registered in the UK on January 27, 1995, then as "Milepoint Limited". The name was changed to "Scott Free Films Limited" in 2004, but the company number/registration stayed the same. There's a full "filing history" (PDF's included) available at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03015176.

I can't find that kind of information on the LA office.


Ridley Scott's production company in the US is "Scott Free Productions, Inc.". This Californian company name has been active since 18-Feb-1997.

In addition, there is another Californian company name, "Scott Free, Inc.", which was incorporated on 04-Nov-1993 as "Hadrian's Wall Films, Inc. before being renamed to "Scott Free, Inc." on 22-Sep-2004.

In the UK, Ridley Scott's production company was "Scott-Free Enterprises Limited" from 21-Jul-1972 to 10-Mar-1994 (it was renamed to Road Film Productions Limited which dissolved on 24-Nov-2020).

The UK company name "Scott Free Films Limited" was only active from 10-Sep-2004, but I couldn't find this name in the IMDB companies search engine.

My only conclusion is that Ridley Scott's US and UK companies are different companies and consequently, will have different COO's.
 Last edited: by ObiKen
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
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Quoting ObiKen:
Quote:
My only conclusion is that Ridley Scott's US and UK companies are different companies and consequently, will have different COO's.

Sounds lovely, but then, faced with any "Scott Free" production, how would we determine whether his US or his UK company was involved? How would we determine whether say, a film like 'The Martian', or a TV show like 'The Good Fight', were produced by his US or UK company? Do we have to guess? Like: if it's largely shot in the UK, with a largely British cast, like the 2014 family comedy 'Get Santa', should we then assume he used his UK company for that? But if it's largely shot in the US, with a largely American cast, then we'd have to assume he used his US company...?
 Last edited: by T!M
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorObiKen
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SCOTT FREE is Ridley Scott's shingle for his American film and television production company "Scott Free Productions, Inc."

SCOTT FREE "Linked in" site clearly states their headquarters is West Hollywood, California:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/scott-free?trk=similar-pages

The Wikipedia article on the company contains misleading errors as follows:
•  states Scott Free Productions is a British company founded in 1970 (incorrect, its a Californian company whose name was established on 18-Feb-1997).

•  it contradicts by listing Scott Free Enterprises founded in 1970 in the right hand company details box (SFE was incorporated 21-Jul-1972 and subsequently re-named as Road Film Productions on 10-Mar-1994 and dissolved 24-Nov-2020).

•  formed development company Percy Main Productions in 1980 (incorrect, its a Californian company incorporated 04-Dec-1989, dissolved 10-Dec-1993). There were only four films listed from 1991-1994 with Percy Main Productions, which coincides with the time the Californian company existed.

•  Percy Main company was renamed to Scott Free Productions in 1995
  (incorrect, PM dissolved in 1993, Californian company Soundbyte Productions, Inc., incorporated 18-Apr-1995, changed its name to Scott Free Productions, Inc. on 18-Feb-1997).

•  Headquarter listing has no citation. The SCOTT FREE web site (https://scottfree.com/contact) listed 18 contact officers in the US office (which includes the company's President, Vice-President, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Development,..) whilst the UK office has just a single contact officer (Executive Producer). So how did the Wiki author conclude there were two headquarters?

•  lists "RSA Films" as parent company, incorrect, both companies are separate independent companies.

Hope that provides the clarity you seek on how to interpret SCOTT FREE.
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