A FORMER Rossendale man is asking for people to buy up shares in a new film venture, but a film industry spokeswoman warned the investment may just be an expensive hobby.

Jonathan Piers Linney, 25, was brought up in Bacup and attended Fearns High School and Burnley College before going on to study law and accounting at Manchester University.

He is joint secretary in Scarlet Films PLC which is aiming to produce a feature film of a Thomas Hardy short story entitled The Melancholy Hussar.

The film, to be titled The Scarlet Tunic, is hoped to be produced by December this year and will be exhibited at film markets in the hope of finding a distributor.

Mr Linney said that, so far, half of the £500,000 cost of the film had been raised by offering public shares in the public limited company. In return for shares, investors will not only get profits but also the chance to be an extra in the film, witness a days' shoot and see the finished production.

The offer is under the Government Enterprise Investment Scheme which offers tax breaks to investors.

More information about the shares is available on 01753 651700.

A spokeswoman for the film industry said: "I wouldn't like people to invest under the assumption the film will make a lot of money.

"The chances of making any profit are tiny. It is quite an expensive day out but people do do this sort of thing and enjoy it."

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