FILM FUNDING RESEARCHBY BROOKE MEDCALF

INTRODUCTION

• PRODUCING FILMS CAN BE VERY EXPENSIVE WHICH IS WHY PRODUCERS NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ON HOW MUCH THE FILM WOULD COST AS WELL AS HOW TO FUND IT.

• SMALLER FEATURE FILMS FIND THEIR FUNDING THROUGH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WHICH WILL GO INTO MORE DETAIL THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION.

BFI

• BFI IS THE LARGEST PUBLIC FILM FUND IN THE UK FOR SHORT FEATURE FILMS. • EACH YEAR THEY INVEST OVER £26 MILLION OF LOTTERY FUNDS TO SUPPORT FILM

DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION – THEY ALSO HAVE SET TO RAISE THE FUND TO £30 MILLION BY 2017

• THEY AGREE TO HELP FUND FILMS THAT WOULD APPEAL TO A LARGE AUDIENCE IN ORDER FOR THE PRODUCTION TO BE A SUCCESS

• THEY PRIORITISE THE FILMS IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT THEY DEMONSTRATE A SECURE, INTERESTING AS WELL AS CREATIVE VISION AS WELL AS BEING UNLIKELY TO FINANCIALLY DEVELOP THE FILM THEMSELVES.

CREATIVE SKILLSET

• CREATIVE SKILLSET IS THE LARGEST FUND IN THE UK SPECIFICALLY DEDICATED TO FILM SPECIFIC TRAINING

• THEY OFFER A RANGE OF BURSARIES SUCH AS CRAFT AND TECHNICAL BURSARIES WHERE YOU CAN BE OFFERED UP TO AN AMOUNT OF £8,000 OR YOU COULD BE OFFERED MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP BURSARIES WHERE YOU CAN BE OFFERED AN AMOUNT UP TO £1,000

• THEY ALSO OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS WORTH UP TO £5,000• THEY WORK WITHIN THE FILM INDUSTRY TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS: CREATING JOBS,

STRENGTHEN SKILLS, BUILD SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE AND ENSURE WORLD CLASS FILM EDUCATION.

FILM LONDON

• FILM LONDON IS A FUNDING PRODUCTION COMPANY• THEY OFFER A VARIETY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASPIRING FILM MAKERS

INCLUDING ‘MICRO SCHOOL’ FOR ALL THOSE CREATING SHORT FILMS AS OPPOSED TO A FULL FEATURE FILM

• STUDENTS WHO TAKE PART ARE OFFERED A FUNDING BUDGET OF £1,000 AS WELL AS GUIDANCE IN ORDER TO PRODUCE THE BEST FILM THAT THEY CAN

• ALSO HAVING A COMMUNITY SCREEN SCHEME WHICH ENABLES FILMS TO BE VIEWED IN CINEMAS REACHING EVEN LARGER AUDIENCES ALMOST INSTANTLY

CHARITIES

• CHARITIES COULD BE AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION WHEN LOOKING TO FUND A FILM

• CHARITIES CAN SOMETIMES FUND THE FILM HOWEVER ONLY IF THE FILM CAN BRING ATTENTION TO THE ISSUE THAT THE CHARITY IS COLLECTING FOR E.G.: BRINGING FORWARD RECOGNITION FOR THE HOMELESS OR FOR THOSE WHO ARE TERMINALLY ILL THEREFORE BRINGING MORE AWARENESS TOWARDS THE CHARITY

• AN EXAMPLE OF THE CHARITY THAT PROVIDES THIS IS WELCOME TRUST WHO HAVE FUNDED A VARIETY OF SHORT FILMS

CROWD FUNDING

• ANOTHER METHOD OF GETTING FILM FUNDING IS THROUGH CROWD FUNDING WHICH IS WHERE YOU CAN ASK THE PUBLIC TO DONATE SMALL AMOUNTS OF MONEY

• THE MONEY WOULD BE DONATED TO A LARGE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IN ORDER TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT TOTAL IN ORDER TO FUND THE FILM

• THIS METHOD IS USUALLY ADVERTISED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISEMENT SO IT REACHES A LARGE AUDIENCE QUICKLY AND THE WORD CAN BE SPREAD THROUGH A CLICK OF A BUTTON

• THIS ALSO RAISES AWARENESS FOR THE FILM

CONCLUSION

• AFTER TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE VARIOUS METHODS OF FILM FUNDING ON OFFER, I HAVE COME TO A DECISION AS TO WHAT METHOD OR COMPANY I WOULD LIKE TO USE IN ORDER TO HELP CONTRIBUTE TO THE FUNDING OF THE FILM

• I HAVE CHOSEN BFI FILM BECAUSE THEY ARE A VERY WELL KNOWN FILM FUNDING COMPANY ALSO BEING THE LARGEST IN THE UK. THE LOTTERY ALSO INVESTS WITHIN THE COMPANY THEREFORE PROVIDING ENOUGH FUNDING FOR MANY FILMS. I BELIEVE OUR FILM HAS A CREATIVE AND INTERESTING STORYLINE WHICH WILL CATCH THE EYE OF THE COMPANY AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FUND OUR FILM ALSO THEY DO USUALLY HELP THOSE FIRST TIME FILM MAKERS SUCH AS MYSELF.