F.Y.I.

Screen Australia overhauls production funding rules

Screen Australia has opened production funding applications after overhauling its criteria to give uncredited producers more accessibility.

Previously, only producers and writers with broadcasting credits were eligible for the public body’s funding. However, under the new guidelines, all budding film-makers are able to apply.

Cargo, Deadlock, and Homecoming Queens all received development funding from Screen Australia

The announcement:

Historic changes to story development guidelines 

Screen Australia has today announced that the new development guidelines have been finalised following two months of industry consultation, and are now in effect. These guidelines will make funding more accessible with an emphasis on supporting talent who have a strong idea and a clear pathway to an audience.

“Industry support for the proposed guidelines was overwhelmingly positive, and the final model includes tweaks based on feedback. We particularly received feedback regarding the submission of second stage materials, producer fees, funding allocations, and budget thresholds,” said Nerida Moore, Senior Development Executive at Screen Australia.

“These new guidelines empower Australian screen practitioners to develop the best stories, for the best platform with a more streamlined application process.”

“Where and how Australians watch screen content is changing and these new development guidelines give Screen Australia the flexibility to help creatives take advantage of these new opportunities. We expect to see an increase in the diversity of screen stories being told and a larger pool of content makers telling them.”

The guidelines allow projects for any platform including TV, film and online, to apply for development funding from one of two program strands – the Generate Fund or the Premium Fund.

The Generate Fund is for lower budget projects with an emphasis on new and emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks. There are no eligibility requirements for this fund, however applications will need to be competitive against the criteria and in line with the aims of the fund.

The Premium Fund is for higher budget projects of ambition and scale from successful screen content makers. The commercial viability of the project, and the path to a significant and clearly defined audience is a key focus of this fund.

Screen Australia will be seeking stories for both funds that reflect gender equity as well as the diversity of people and experiences from around Australia, all of which are important culturally, creatively and economically.

The new guidelines have seen the budget threshold amounts change to $1 million per hour for TV projects (formerly $800,000), and $3 million for feature films (formerly $2.5 million) to allow greater creative flexibility for applicants. The other significant change is that applicants will now have three months to submit their second stage materials for a project, rather than submitting immediately after a successful stage 1 application which was the case previously.

More details about the guidelines including resources are below, as are some answers to questions that were frequently raised during the consultation process. Both funding streams are now open. Visit this page for further details and how to apply for each fund. (Generate and Premium)

Source: Screen Australia

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