Category Archives: Funding

The numbers behind Telefilm’s Talent to Watch 2022-23 projects

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Telefilm Canada has selected 16 Talent to Watch projects to share $3.5 million.

It’s quite revealing to look at the numbers in detail.

Let’s start with Genre.

Drama 7
Documentary 5
Comedy 1
Horror 1
Magic Realism 1
Mystery 1

Province?

Ontario 8
Quebec 4
British Columbia 2
Manitoba 1
New Brunswick 1

Let’s look at Language next.

English 4
French 4
Arabic 1
English/Arabic 1
English/Bosnian 1
English/Bulgarian 1
English/Farsi 1
English/Persian 1
French/English 1
Tibetan/English 1

And let’s finish up with Stream.

Filmmaker Apply-Direct 7
Industry Partner 7
Festival Selection 1
Industry Partner — Indigenous Component 1

In addition, if Gender is assumed from names:

Female 23
Male 15

Some observations:

  • Documentary is almost as successful as Drama.
  • Half of the successful projects are from Ontario.
  • Almost half of the successful projects include world languages in addition or instead of English and/or French.
  • Only half of the successful projects are from Industry Partners.
  • Finally women far outnumber men.

One might be tempted to conclude that Telefilm Canada is using the Talent to Watch program to over-correct its EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility) results, but that would be highly cynical.

My take: wow! This is quite a departure for Telefilm. This is the first year that filmmakers could apply directly and Telefilm has rewarded them handsomely!

Telefilm Canada releases new 18-month corporate plan

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Telefilm Canada has just released its new 2022-2024 Corporate Plan.

“These strategic priorities are guided by Telefilm’s determination to provide a public service that reflects Canada in all its diversity. To this end, Telefilm will introduce nine initiatives in the coming months.”

The nine initiatives are:

  1. Evolve our funding allocation approach by delivering a continuum of success for filmmakers, by increasing access for underrepresented groups and by enabling eco-responsible productions.
  2. Act as a partner and ally on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and eco-responsibility by adopting an evidence-based approach to our funding and corporate decisions.
  3. Promote Canada’s unique creative voices and initiatives that set the example for a sustainable and inclusive screen-based industry.
  4. Empower Telefilm’s teams and encourage internal growth and development.
  5. Streamline our programs and processes to avoid red tape, ensure a simplified workflow, improve our services, and consolidate our partnership with the Canada Media Fund.
  6. Develop and maintain user-friendly tools and systems that optimize data management.
  7. Build on the trust achieved with the government to solidify the increase in our funding.
  8. Develop relationships with public and private partners to create synergy and attract additional sources of funding.
  9. Attract donations for the Talent Fund.

In the “Performance Indicators” section, Telefilm proposes to invest in:

  • 34 Projects with production budgets greater than $3.5 million (61% of funds)
  • 38 Projects with production budgets of less than $3.5 million (28% of funds)
  • 27 Theatrical Documentaries (6% of funds)
  • 15 Talent to Watch micro-budget features (4% of funds)

Telefilm also commits to:

  • 50% gender parity for women in the role of Producer, Director, Writer
  • At least 16 projects with “a Black or people of colour” key creative
  • $4 million to Indigenous stream projects
  • 33% French-language funding
  • 20 co-productions.

Read the PDF here.

My take: With a budget of $188 million, it works out to about $5 per person in Canada. Not a bad deal.

CineVic to offer cash grants for films

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CineVic, Victoria’s media arts centre, has just announced its DYNAMO program that will fund new locally-produced films with grants of up to $2,500 in cash and $5,000 in equipment rentals.

One of the goals is to increase equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) in local independent film productions. An EDIA commitment to engage, collaborate with, and hire a diverse cast, crew, and community partners from underrepresented communities represents up to 20% of the assessment criteria.

“DYNAMO will support artists and filmmakers currently residing on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, at all levels of skill and experience from beginner to established. The program aims to foster collaborative partnerships with individuals from underrepresented communities and equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to those who self-identify as Indigenous, First Nation, Metis, Inuit, Black and persons of colour, LGBTQ2+, persons with a disability, low income, or unemployed.”

I asked Arnold Lim for his feedback:

Q: Given your background, can you comment on the DYNAMO goal of increasing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in local independent film productions?

A: “The filmmakers of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are among the most caring and hard-working people I know — and as a Korean-Canadian filmmaker I’ve felt like I have been treated well by the film community here. Having said that, funding has always been challenging for me. Even though I have been making narrative films since 2011, the very first film featuring a Korean-Canadian on screen that I have been able to get funding for will be released later this year. I couldn’t get anything else funded before and only now do I feel like I could try to fund films that I’ve written and come from my perspective. As a minority filmmaker I see DYNAMO as an opportunity for equity and an opportunity for amazing artistic relationships to be formed.”

Q: As a long-time CineVic member and award-winning filmmaker working with budgets from $20 to $200,000, in your opinion can folks actually make a decent film for $2,500?

A: “It’s absolutely possible to make a great film for $2,500! I have seen films that make my heart explode that had no budgets at all and there are countless Hollywood films with multi-million dollar budgets that I couldn’t watch for longer than five minutes. As clichéd as it sounds, at the end of the day it really comes down to imagination, perspective and execution. I have said this before and I will say it again, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands hit way above their weight class in terms of the number of amazing artists we have here and I am really pumped to see what projects grow from this great opportunity.”

The first deadline is October 31, 2022.

My take: I’m also looking forward to a crop of fascinating films from this worthy program. Let me know if you want to bounce ideas around.

Please do feed the film crew

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According to the adage, an army travels on its stomach. And it’s no different for an indie film production.

Feeding a film crew? A few suggestions, and an idea on how to do it for free:

Sophia Harvey writes Food on Set: Do’s and Don’ts for Feeding Your Crew on No Film School and expounds on these topics:

  1. Don’t be stingy.
  2. Aim for variety.
  3. Keep it caloric, but healthy.
  4. Pay attention to dietary restrictions.
  5. Keep it hot and punctual.
  6. Crafty: no mess, no mayo.
  7. Coffee and water, always and forever.
  8. Choose bulk catering.
  9. Special touches matter.

AJ Unitas lists 8 Essential Tips for Prepping an Awesome Craft Services Table on StudioBinder that include:

  1. Keep caterers away from the craft services table.
  2. Buy supplies in bulk from wholesale markets.
  3. Account for allergies and diets.
  4. Fill your craft table with healthy options.
  5. But don’t get too crazy.
  6. Get brands specifically asked for.
  7. Turn cheese sticks into two.
  8. Keep your Production going.

How to afford what could be your biggest expense on a low-budget short?

Lacee Kloze suggests 9 Ways to Feed A Hungry Film Crew For Free on Creative Live. Her bold strategy?

  1. Create a flashy one-sheet about your project.
  2. Write a form letter.
  3. Send your form letter and one sheet combo EVERYWHERE!
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask for something small — snacks, drinks or desserts — instead of a full meal.
  5. Don’t forget to ask for staples like bagels and coffee.
  6. Hit the grocery stores, natural food markets and co-ops.
  7. Start early.
  8. Team up with a non-profit.
  9. When the yeses start coming back, follow through with your promises.

Three great blog posts to get you thinking!

My take: I like French Hours that keep your work day to 10 hours, with no meal break.

Lynn Shelton $20,000 Grant Deadline August 2

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August 2, 2022, is the deadline to apply for the $20,000 Lynn Shelton “Of a Certain Age” first feature grant.

“The Lynn Shelton “Of A Certain Age” Grant is a project-based award that provides $20,000 to an individual woman, non-binary, and/or transgender U.S. filmmaker, age 39 or older, who is working on their first narrative feature (65 minutes or over) as a director.“

The list of requirements (that you already have, right?):

  • Biography (150 words or less) – Tell the story of you and your work as a filmmaker and/or director.
  • Logline (75 words or less) – Distill the central conflict and important elements of your screenplay.
  • Film Résumé or CV (5 pages or less) – Upload your film résumé or CV.
  • Director Statement (300 words or less) – Articulate your filmmaking voice/philosophy and what about you and your process or work makes you singular as a director.
  • Film Project Overview (300 words or less) – A holistic summary of your pre-production or in-development narrative feature film that articulates the story, vision, and scope of the film, and gives the reader a feel for its main characters, plot, and themes. It should clearly describe what your film is about and give readers a reason to want to watch it.
  • Past Project Work Sample (2-3 minutes) – Provide a URL link to a video sample from a completed work (not a rough cut or work-in-progress) that you have directed within the last 10 years. If you are submitting links to platforms like Vimeo or Youtube make sure you include a password, if applicable. Indicate your start and stop time for the excerpt (e.g., “Start at 3:30 and end at 5:30”). If no start and stop time is provided, panelists will begin watching at the beginning and will watch for a maximum of three (3) minutes.
  • Narrative Feature (Proposed Project) Work Sample – Provide a URL link to one (1) of the following materials from your narrative film project that you are directing: ten (10) pages of your script (can be from any portion), a pitch deck, or clip (2 minutes or less).
  • Work Sample Context (50 words or less each) – Provide 1-2 sentence explanations for both your completed project and your current project that provide context for the reviewers for where we are in the story when your work sample starts.

My take: hey, 20K is 20K! If you qualify and you’re developing your first feature, you owe it to yourself to apply. When you win, these funds could very well be the tail that wags the proverbial dog. If you don’t win, you will still attract attention to yourself and your project. Like they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

TikTok virality spawns Spotify streams

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The Pudding and Vox have posted a video that explores what happens after TikTok songs go viral.

They say:

“It’s no secret that TikTok is a virality machine. Songs get turned into sounds that can be used in any video, and if they gain enough traction they can catapult a musician into the pop culture stratosphere. But we wanted to know exactly what happens between a song going viral and an artist becoming a bonafide success. So in the fall of 2021, we partnered with data analysis website The Pudding figure it out…. We were able to follow the numbers to track what happens to artists after they go viral — and how the music industry has shapeshifted around TikTok. It turns out the app is completely revolutionizing the way record labels work, and giving artists more leverage than ever.”

Key takeaways:

  • 125 artists got their big break and went viral on TikTok in 2020. (4:58)
  • When 15 seconds of a song goes viral on TikTok, people flood to Spotify to stream the full song. (6:14)
  • Record labels monitor TikTok like hawks and aggressively try to sign new viral artists. (9:36)
  • 46% of those 125 artists went from unsigned to landing a major record label deal. (14:12)
  • Musician L.Dre says, “The fact of the matter is, if you wanna make it today, you either have to have money to hire people, or you just need to also become a video editor. Also become a graphic designer. You definitely have to wear a lot of hats for sure.” (18:37)
  • Among the artists who had never toured before or played a show about a third of them have had at least one live show and about 15% of them are actually playing festivals now. (20:45)

My take: I know there’s a lot of hate for TikTok but I love that it grants some creative folks their “15 minutes of fame.” The fact is that there is an overwhelming amount of digital content being created every day — too much for any one person to sift through. The kids on TikTok are choosing the riffs they like, turning them viral. Their creators then get recognized on Spotify — and compensated. Once upon a time “Video Killed the Radio Star,” but now TikTok has killed the video star and, in today’s attention economy, the crowd has truly become the curator.

Claim: Content is No Longer King

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Alexandra Canal reports on Yahoo FInance that Streaming has turned film financing ‘upside down’: ‘It’s VOD or die,’ says lawyer.

She quotes Schuyler Moore, entertainment attorney at Greenberg Glusker:

“Content is not king. Distribution is king.… If you go back 10 years, the studios had all the power, because they controlled the distribution…. Studios are on their knees. They got no clout at the table because anybody can produce. The whole world is upside down, particularly for the studios.”

His advice:

  1. Team up with producers known to the streamers.
  2. Have a realistic budget.
  3. Sell your film upfront (or finance the contract) to make the movie.

She quotes him:

“Most films lose money. This is a losing business, don’t do it, especially if you don’t have a pre-sale to a streamer. But if you can sell to a streamer, then you get your premium. You’re not going to get a share of the net profits. There is no back-end payment, but you’ll get a significant premium and will walk away with some cash.“

My take: it seems there’s always somebody in between my movie and my audience!

Cannes 2022: film quotas drive national production

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Scott Roxborough reports in The Hollywood Reporter that Wall Street Hits the Croisette: Why Private Equity Investors Are Bullish on Indie Film.

He claims:

“Private equity, or PE, firms are pumping money into the entertainment content, financing independent production and snatching up companies at a level never seen before in the indie industry…. Some of the biggest players packaging projects and inking deals on the Croisette have backing from private equity groups…. The bet PE investors are making is that the explosive growth in streaming services will lead to a similar demand boom for content. And that the companies that own the IP, the original films and TV shows the streamers need, will be best positioned to benefit.”

He traces this demand squarely back to government policy:

“Many see particularly strong growth potential in Europe, where European Union (EU) content quotas for SVOD platforms — 30 percent of all content on streaming services in Europe must be European-made — has created guaranteed demand for original, home-grown films and series which most streamers will be unable to fill on their own.”

As to Cannes, filmmaker Jeremy Lutter (pictured above) compares this year’s experience with previous ones:

“Cannes is in some ways the same and in some ways different. I would say it’s two thirds the size as previous non-COVID years in terms of events. But, considering the situation, it’s impressive! The crowds are smaller but it’s still busy. As for deals — people are looking — there’s been less movies made recently — everyone is hungry for movies. Oh yeah, instead of a gift bag, this year you get a PPE mask with a logo on it!”

My take: of course, quotas drive national production. We proved that with CanCon and Canadian music; witness the dozens of Canadian superstars, who, as Simu Liu points out about Shawn Mendes, Avril Lavigne and Arcade Fire, “like me have fulfilled the ultimate Canadian dream of making it in America — but to our credit, we always come back!”

Tips for Indie Filmmakers

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Suzette Brown shares in a guest blog on Women and Hollywood: How to Make a Movie on a $100K Budget.

“On the first feature I produced, I was told by the director, ‘There are three options — good, fast, or cheap — but you can only pick two.‘ As an independent filmmaker without the luxury of unlimited resources, I pick good and cheap every time. That doesn’t mean I don’t stick to my deadlines, but that I should take the time to do things right each step of the way.”

She then shares five tips for indie filmmakers:

  1. “Reverse Engineer. Encourage the writer and director to add elements we already have access to that are either discounted or free. No action-packed sequences, iconic locations, or other elements you cannot afford.
  2. Do a full breakdown of the script. How many different locations are there? How many cast members, crew members, props, vehicles, wardrobe?
  3. Get locations free. A great way to be efficient is to pick locations that are multi-purpose to be able to shoot two locations at one place in one day. Schedule around the locations first, lumping them together, minimizing company moves. This keeps shooting days and travel time down.
  4. Ask yourself what things can be borrowed, made, or repurposed. Take inventory of the equipment your team already has that can be borrowed before using a rental house. Set design and wardrobe is where creativity is paramount.
  5. Proper meals throughout filming are important. Before you begin principal photography, you should already have a list of your entire team’s dietary restrictions and preferences as well as what days they will be working. I love supporting family-owned businesses whenever I can. By working with a local restaurant, giving them our business for the duration of the shoot, I was able to obtain lower pricing and we were able to use them for our diner location in the script, another multi-purpose saving opportunity.”

She concludes with: “It’s vital that you control the things that you can control ahead of time so you can work around unexpected surprises. Proper planning will always be your budget’s best friend.”

My take: great advice! As to where to find $100,000, she didn’t say. But watching her trailer it seems like you just have to look in the right duffel bag!

Telefilm to ask key creatives to self-identity

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In order to create a more equitable film industry, on December 14, 2021, Telefilm Canada shared information on its newest phase of data collection enhancements.

Christa Dickenson, Telefilm Canada’s Executive Director and CEO, is quoted:

“Telefilm’s next phase in data collection will work to bring greater insight into Canada’s audiovisual industry, and help us learn more about our film community, their projects, and their needs. We will be able to capture a more accurate portrait of our project pipeline, and address communities that need additional support, training, mentorship and more.”

Data will be collected from directors, writers, producers, co-producers, and executive producers on a voluntary basis and will cover Indigenous identity, racial and ethnic identity, gender identity and expression, belonging to an 2SLGBTQIA+ community, disability status, and belonging to an Official Language Minority Community.

Note that this self-provided “information will be used in evaluation of the creative material, review of the community engagement plan, as well as to evaluate eligibility to certain specific streams.”

Find more details here: Data Collection

For Telefilm’s diversity objectives and identity definitions, see page 7 of the Essential Information Guide

Find a sample survey here: https://telefilm.ca/wp-content/uploads/telefilm-canada-self-identification-questionnaire-december-2021.pdf

The new Self-Identification Questionnaire will be available on January 4, 2022.

Telefilm has done a great job with gender parity over the last five years. See its Gender Action Parity Plan and 2020-2021 results. See its Equity and Representation Action Plan and June 2021 presentation.

My take: with gender parity, we knew the goal was 50/50, or something close to that. But what are the goals for diversity and inclusivity? From Statistics Canada: “Canada is an increasingly diverse country — data from the 2016 Census indicated that 22.3% of the population were designated as belonging to one or more visible minority groups. Through population projections from 2017, Statistics Canada projects that this percentage would rise to between 31.2% and 35.9% by 2036.” So my guesstimate is that Telefilm’s goal would be 1 in 3.