Screen Australia delivers small screen funding guidelines
Screen Australia has released its draft funding guidelines for the small screen, focusing on media convergence and delivering $40m of annual production investment into the sector.
“On the eve of the convergence review, these programs provide greater opportunities for compelling Australian storytelling and will help to ensure that Australian content has a strong presence in the new converged media environment,” said CEO Ruth Harley.
According to Harley, the guidelines provide “flexibility for producers and broadcasters in the new environment with the need for clarity”.
The proposed structure was first announced last year, and in response to industry feedback, Screen Australia has incorporated significant changes – for example, foreign formats will not be excluded as originally suggested; instead, preference will be given to original formats over foreign formats.
Other changes include:
• Change to the provision that no more than two series of a project would be funded. Up to 26 broadcast hours will now be eligible, which may include multiple series.
• Greater flexibility for producers in negotiating holdback provisions for both drama and documentary, and greater flexibility around minimum licence fees and secondary runs for children’s drama.
• Greater certainty through specifying an indicative allocation of funds in the domestic documentary programs (NDP and GDP). The indicative allocation is 50 percent to the ABC, 40 percent to SBS and 10 percent to ‘other’ including commercial broadcasters and subscription television channels.
Small-screen funding has been divided into two streams: Convergent Television and All Media.
The All Media programs will build on the current Innovation Program, with an increase in funding from $1m to $3-5m in 2011/12:
• Digital Ignition, development support for innovative interactive projects including games with a strong storytelling component, as well as an annual targeted workshop; and
• All Media Production, providing production support for interactive projects including those which have received Digital Ignition funding, as well as for innovative, risk-taking linear storytelling.
Convergent Television will provide $30-35m for documentary and drama projects, generally requiring a broadcaster to be attached. Projects are also expected to be made available on at least one digital media platform other than broadcast television (free-to-air or subscription).
Two drama programs will be offered: TV Drama and Children’s TV Drama.
The documentary programs will comprise:
• Two domestic programs:
– the General Documentary Program, creating culturally relevant documentaries for the Australian market
– the National Documentary Program, focused particularly on a strategic slate of projects with themes of national significance and heritage value
• A standalone International Program, with a lower minimum domestic licence fee requirement, and an international presale comprising a minimum proportion of the budget.
• A Signature Documentary Program (building on the current Special Documentary Fund), without a requirement for a broadcaster attachment, with funding increased slightly to support
individual creative vision and innovation.
The draft guidelines are available at www.screenaustralia.gov.au/draft_guidelines2011
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Glenn, you need to contact the AFI. We’re not associated with them.
thanks
Hmm,
Given the importance of this, don’t you think it would have been good to see a bit of analysis? Or even to have got a comment or two from people outside Screen Aust, rather than just giving them a free plug?
This shows that they just don’t “get it”.
Sticking on the ‘Convergent’ tag is about as smart as expecting useful medical advice from Dr Harley, or lifetime service from a bag bought from a Manila street vendor because its tag says Louis Vuitton.
If you want to predict Screen Australia’s decisions more or less perfectly, use public choice theory. It’s about what’s good for them.
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