Tesco's first film

In The Guardian, Patrick Barkham goes behind the scenes on the first film (made for DVD) financed by retail giant Tesco. M

aking a straight-to-DVD movie sold exclusively in Tesco is the brainchild of Ileen Maisel, a former New Line Cinema producer who set up Amber Entertainment with Elman and two other producers a year ago. Her idea is to take well-known authors and turn their bestselling novels into what they describe as "video books".

"The film industry needs to recognise that the paradigm has changed," says Maisel, an American-born producer who is a refreshingly no-nonsense presence on the set. "Our responsibility is to provide different kinds of content to the consumer. The old prejudice of straight-to-DVD just being a B kind of movie should be thrown out. A DVD premiere is a new, exciting way for customers and audiences to see different kinds of product."