Last night we attended a forum hosted by St Kilda Film festival about Film Funding in Australia.  Here’s what we learned from the panel, which represented almost every funding body in Australia.

THE PALACE GEORGE CINEMAS
St Kilda Film Festival – 27 May 2009
Moderated by Shaun Miller: Partner, Marshalls & Dent Lawyers

Mike Cowan – Screen Australia (formerly the AFC, FFC & Film Australia):

• Screen Australia announced they have reconsidered the decision to remove short film funding.  There was a clear acknowledgment that short films are a necessary stepping stone for ‘early career practitioners’.
• There will soon be announcements about the new funding programs from Screen Australia.
• It was also mentioned that the selection criteria will remain approximately the same as it has been in the past.

Lindsay Lipson – FilmVic:

• Applications with key creative teams of three individuals, (writer / producer / director) will be looked upon far more favourably than teams of two, i.e. a writer/director and a producer.
• In the past projects have been selected primarily on the script, as well as whether they are an original voice and their ability to demonstrate that they can realise the story on screen.
• FlimVic funding for shorts is up to $120k, which equates to roughly $10k per minute of screentime.
• Round One of selection is based almost solely on script.
  Subsequent rounds also depend on team and potential festival success.
• Roughly 16 applications make it into the shortlist for Short Film funding.
  (40-50 applications overall at Screen Australia.)
• FilmVic also offers travel grants to festivals and markets with your completed film, regardless of whether it was originally FilmVic funded.  These applications are based on the merit of the film and the application, however these grants are awarded quite frequently.
• New Feature Writers fund, open to any level of experience. Successful applicants receive $30k for script development and are partnered with an industry mentor for 3 x 4 day intensive workshops.
• If you walk in with a broadcaster attached to a project FilmVic will often provide ‘match’ funding, which in context we assumed would be some kind of dollar for dollar agreement.
• FilmVic also provides ‘treatment to draft’ and ‘draft to draft funding’ for script development.

Defrim Isa - SAFC:

• You need to be a resident of a state for six months, provable with the electoral roll.
• 3 – 4 shorts per year are funded at $50k each (30 – 35 application).
• 8 x Low budget features at $350k each are also funded each year.
• Aligning yourself with a more experienced screen practitioner from another state is a commonly used way of establishing co-productions for multiple state body funding.

Megan Simpson Huberman – NSW FTO:

• Aurora – a national script development program for features. Selection is based mainly on track record and creative promise of the project.
• Emerging Filmmakers Fund (we’re trying to find this on their website, perhaps it’s a new initiative) $30k (up to $40k) per project. As well as short film, this can include low budget innovative TV partnered with a broadcaster.

Ursula Cleary – PFTC (QLD):

• The ‘New Screen Production Fund’ is for any platform: short films, test scenes for features, promos, trailers, or games.
• Less focus on animation unless there is an obvious career path the project will help them with.
• PFTC  also offer travel and marketing money for completed projects, as well as prints and blow-ups for filmmakers accepted into festivals requiring 35mm prints.
  These are largely dependent on the size of the festival as well as the strategic advantage it offers.  Factors which make the travel grant applications attractive include: if the festival has a market attached; if you have another project ready to pitch; if the festival was on the Oscar’s selection list, and; if the applicant had bookings for meetings with studios and / or distributors.  The example was mentioned that Teleride was a relatively small festival but great for networking, so it would be highly regarded.

Graeme Sward – Film and Television Institute (WA).
Although there was no one present from ScreenWest, Graeme has previously been on the ScreenWest board and was able to offer advice on approaching them. His main purpose however was to discuss funding available through the Screen Development Australia outlets such as Open Channel (Vic), Metro Screen (NSW), Qpix (QLD), Film and Television Institute (WA), Wide Angle (Tas), Media Resource Centre (SA).

• Raw Nerve (indirectly funded by Screen Australia) is the best place, nationwide, for ‘emerging filmmakers’ or ‘early career screen practitioners’ to go for their first experience with a funding body.  Successful applications are guided through the funding process with assistance given with contracts and deliverables, for example. Successful applicants must only use Raw Nerve money for their production, no extra finance allowed.
• When it comes to funding applications, “everything is based on a panel discussion process”.  Maximise the opportunity to present yourself as passionately and professionally as possible especially where it relates to information on how your film will be marketed.
• Show a proven track record or align yourself with someone who already has one.  Approach the industry “dinosaurs” with your ideas and try to form creative partnerships with more experienced people.

Penelope McDonald – NTFO:

• The Northern Territory is the newest (and possibly smallest) of the funding bodies, servicing the smallest population. They often partner directly with Screen Australia.
• They provide intensive boot camp training and strategic development as well as ‘Yarning Up’, a program for indigenous storytelling combining documentary with elements of drama.
• NTFO is looking at implementing a shorts program in the future.

Karena Slaninka – Screen Tasmania:

• Screen Tasmania likes to ‘value add’ to their funding by including professional development & mentoring.
• Their Short Film funding requires that you have a long form project in development. This can be a game, series drama, mini-series or feature.
• Think strategically in selecting short film projects that will be favourable in helping your chances of future long form work.  Examples were cited such as Gregor Jordan with Swinger leading into Two Hands;  Robert Luketic moving from Titsiana Booberini to Legally Blonde;  the three shorts that came before Somersault, and; Harvey Krumpet opening the door to Mary and Max.
• Eurista (formerly Arista) is a private script development program being hosted in Tasmania, for which anyone can apply. There are two available strands: Project & Skills Development, and, training for script developers wishing to become Script Development Executives. Some state bodies are paying for interstate filmmakers to go. Private fees are around $4k.

Questions for the Panel:

Q: Is Screen Australia going to lower the minimum budget for Producer Offset eligibility beneath $1m?
A: This issue is still under discussion.  Screen Australia does offer outright funding for low budget features under $1m. Applications for this strand are closing soon.

Q: Are the state bodies going to be implementing more Producer Offset cashflow loans?
A: Financiers are still hesitant on cashflowing productions against the Producer Offset certificate, despite the fact that it’s “easy money”.  The state bodies are not rushing to provide more cashflow loans as they fear it will offer too much competition and inhibit the uptake from private financiers.
The panel also mentioned that you should have a lawyer on side before making any Producer Offset applications, and that productions below $2-3m were unattractive to private financiers.  It was later mentioned that budgets of $6-8m would be “a bit rich” for funding bodies to approve “emerging screen practitioners”.

Q: What are the key considerations when considering multiple state body co-productions?
A: In general, it’s all about where the key creatives are from, and where the money will be spent in production and in post.  SAFC however “[doesn't] care where the money is spent, it’s more about development of talent”, i.e. South Australian writers / directors and producers.  Overall the panel seemed to agree that they needed either the benefit of being able to report back to the Government that they attracted local production expenditure or they were able to help local talent go to the next level.

Q: How important is commercial viability vs Australian cultural expression in the funding selection process?
A: Overall, this is dependent on the project.  If it’s a genre film they want to see you hit the genre in order to get bums on seats.  On the other hand, if the project is something less commercial it would be looked on more favourably if the “budget was relative to the ambition of the project”.  It was also mentioned that in general, decisions to fund low budget productions are more about professional development than being market driven.

Q: Are budgets which pay crew by deferral looked poorly upon by funding bodies?
A: Not as a rule.  There was mention of producers deferring their own payment in what is known instead as ‘delayed payment’. This is more than acceptable.  Also, there seemed to be little problem with projects deferring payment as long as the payments were made in the first tier of recoupment.  All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane spent $50k up front with $70K deferred.

In Closing:
Some closing advice included “get to know your local agency, develop trust; if they don’t trust you, you won’t get any money”, and, the three underlying influences for the decision makers are the applicant’s “passion, commitment and talent”.

The closing comment from Karena at Screen Tasmania clearly expressed that the funding bodies are full of people who are trying to grow talent and our film industry overall: “we want to help you develop your projects so you can succeed in your career”.

Tagged: Aurora, Australia, Federal funding, Film Funding, film production, FilmVic, forum, FTI WA, NSW FTO, NTFO, Palace George, PFTC, Producer Offset, Raw Nerve, SAFC, Screen Australia, Screen Tasmania, ScreenWest, St Kilda Film Festival, State funding body, tv production