Category Archives: Funding

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.

Crazy8s deadline coming soon

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This Monday, October 25, 2021, at 11:59 pm, is the deadline to apply to Crazy8s on Film Freeway.

Since 1999, Vancouver’s Crazy8s has produced 127 short films. The Crazy8s Film Society exists to provide funding and support to emerging filmmakers to help them produce short films and to train crew and cast.

Each Writer, Directer and Producer team submits a 3-minute video pitch. Forty semi-finalists will be contacted by November 15 to schedule a time to pitch in-person to a jury of industry professionals on either November 20 or 21, 2021.

Next, twelve semi-finalists go into a story editing phase and work with a professional Script Editor.

Then the Top 6 Teams receive almost $50,000-worth of camera, lighting and grip packages, $1000 cash, and mentorship throughout the duration of their 8-day production and delivery of their final films.

The process culminates with a Gala Screening and AfterParty slated for April 9, 2022, in Vancouver.

My take: I’ve seen a number of Crazy8s films over the years and have always been impressed with their professionalism. Highly recommended.

The secret to financing your second feature revealed

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Margeaux Sippell reveals on MovieMaker the 17-Year Secret to Indie Success, From Coatwolf’s Evan Glodell.

Jess Jacklin, Charles Beale and Jake Bowen of the excellent vlog/podcast Demystified recently interviewed Evan Glodell whose first feature Bellflower debuted at Sundance in 2011 and went on to earn two Indie Sprit Award nominations.

He relayed his seven-year story chasing funding for his second film:

“I’m having meetings with literally A-list actors who were like, ‘I want to work with you’ and every big studio in town, and I was like, ‘We’ve made it.’ Nothing had ever worked in my life until one day I said, I’m gonna do this thing and take what was available to me, like in my real-world resources I actually had, which is what we used to make Bellflower. And instead of being like, ‘Hey, that was a big life lesson, that worked!’ we were like, okay, now let’s go back to holding our hands out… What the hell was I doing?”

And he revealed his epithany:

“If I care at all about telling stories in these movies that I say I care so much about that I’m willing to endlessly work and go to meetings for seven years with no outcome, I should just go back in with the resources I have now. The second that I made that decision, all of a sudden everything turned around, and it was like the stars aligned.“

His micro-budget mantra: Just start with what you have.

“You literally have like zero in your way. It’s only you. You can tell your story, but you’re scared of having your story be there bare naked on the screen without the polish of millions of Hollywood dollars and skill, you know? Like 99% of people who reach out to me to say the same thing. I’m like, dude, you just need to get over your fear and just go. Do you have a rich family? Do you have rich friends? No? Okay, you’re in with most of the rest of us. Just go. Nothing’s gonna happen if you don’t go.”

Here’s the trailer for the $17,000 Bellflower:

And here’s how they made it.

My take: I love this sentiment! Nike said it best, “Just Do It!” Need instructions? What you need to know, in 10 minutes.

CMF: no broadcaster, no problem!

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The Canada Media Fund quietly announced a new fund last week: the Development Pilot Program – Experienced Producers.

Up to $100,000 matching funds are available per project, and — the kicker — no broadcaster need be attached.

“This program supports projects in the development stage by experienced producers where no Canadian broadcaster is attached. The total amount of funding available in the program is $3M, divided on a 2/3 English and 1/3 French basis. Eligible projects must be in the Drama, Children & Youth or Documentary genres.”

Take note: this funding is first come, first served, and opens November 26, 2020.

Experienced Producers are those who have worked with the CMF over the last five years creating at least:

  • 5 Dramas, or
  • 4 Children & Youth live-action projects, or
  • 4 Children & Youth animation projects, or
  • 5 Documentary series, or
  • 6 Documentary one-off projects, or
  • 4 Documentary POV projects.

This funding will be welcome relief to 30 or more producers who can continue developing projects during these strange times.

My take: Hey, experienced producers! I have three scripts ready for further development — give me a call! Seriously.

Harold Greenberg Fund to carry on, for now

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In a news release, Bell Media confirms The Harold Greenberg Fund has begun a search for additional funding, with one year of life-support from Crave.

When Bell acquired Astral in 2013, the CRTC‘s Tangible Benefits Policy required it “to offer significant benefits to the communities they proposed to serve and to the Canadian broadcasting system” to the tune of nearly $250,000,000.

Randy Lennox, President of Bell Media says:

“The Harold Greenberg Fund came to us with a plan to continue its English-language program by seeking alternate funding following completion of the benefits, and we are happy to provide our support in their efforts to attract complementary financial partners.”

Suzette Couture, Co-Chair of The Harold Greenberg Fund says:

“Bell Media has long believed in our mandate to award much-needed funding to talented Canadian storytellers and I am extremely grateful for their ongoing support of Canadian voices as we transition to a new funding model.”

Following the success of the Porky’s franchise, Harold Greenberg, initially through The FUND (Foundation to Underwrite New Drama) and posthumously through The Harold Greenberg Fund, has invested approximately $85,000,000 in over 4,000 projects since 1986.

In many cases, this funding is critical to the development of Canada’s future filmmakers.

Jeremy Lutter, commenting to me on the value of The Harold Greenberg Fund to his career and his fears of a potential future without them, writes:

“Having been fortunate enough to go through one of their programs, the one thing that struck me about The Harold Greenberg Fund is their complete involvement in the film community. Going through the program Shorts to Features at HGF was a mentorship and I created a lot of lasting connections. You could tell those running the program had a love of storytelling and Canadian Cinema. I have been fortunate to travel to many film festivals around the world and hear from other filmmakers that Canada is a place of envy, where we support our emerging filmmakers. They all think their countries should have a system like this and throughout my time as a filmmaker I worry that I might be seeing the end of this system in Canada. I think emerging-producers really need help not only with their first step but with their second step as well. The Harold Greenberg Fund offered a variety of different programs to help strengthen Canadian storytelling in general. It’s going to be nearly impossible to replace such grants in Canada.”

Arnold Lim shares similar thanks and thoughts:

“Opportunities like the Harold Greenberg Fund’s Shorts to Features grant were one of the catalysts to help propel my filmmaking career. Living in Victoria, a smaller town not typically known for film film like Vancouver or Toronto, the opportunities are limited and the HGF’s work supporting filmmakers all across Canada gave us a financial opportunity to elevate our work, in addition to buoying mentorship opportunities through the knowledgable HGF team dedicated to cultivating opportunities for Canadian filmmakers. Having been so fortunate to benefit from both BravoFACT and HGF grants, I know the death of BravoFACT has left a huge hole for up-and-coming artists and losing the HGF would exacerbate that challenge even further. I can’t say enough how much their staff and their programming made a tangible effect on my filmmaking journey. Those opportunities were springboards to further opportunities and I can draw a direct line from my time with the HGF to eventually directing my feature film All-in Madonna and producing Web Series Best Friend Me through Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program. The thing we don’t realize is that not only do these programs support the director and producer whose names are on the grant, but as well the many artists whose names grace our lengthy end credits who also live in our smaller communities. Literally hundreds of artists also got the opportunity to work their chosen field and grow their resume and realize their potential alongside us. The full-circle benefit of these programs run far deeper than most people realize and are critical to artists across Canada. Many of us turned to the arts, specifically film and TV among many other artistic endeavours, during the pandemic and these grants are exactly the types of programming we need in Canada to further support the artists many of us turned to when we had no where else to turn.”

Note however, the French-language fund is wrapping up:

“Like many other funds supported by tangible benefits regulated by the CRTC, the French-language committee for Le Fonds Harold Greenberg has chosen to complete its mandate, and will wind down operations over the next six months. With considerable reserve funds, the program will focus exclusively on Fiction Feature Film Production. As of February 28, 2021, the French-language program will close and transfer any remaining funds to another certified independent production fund.”

My take: The CRTC’s Tangible Benefits Policy is no way to fund the development of a thriving mediascape in Canada. Consider that, if there were no mergers or acquisitions, there would be no funds earmarked at all. It is unsustainable as well, as the funds expire over time. Recall the demise of BravoFACT and the CIFVF previously. I sincerely hope The Harold Greenberg Fund can find a sustainable funding model in the next year, as it would be a shame to see it disappear as well.

Netflix Canada begs filmmakers to pitch them

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Tomorrow is the deadline! Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. That’s 5:00 PM on the West Coast, folks.

What deadline? The deadline to submit your pitches to Netflix Canada.

“Netflix is proud to help bring Canadian stories to the world. We are continuing our search to discover amazing stories from both seasoned storytellers and undiscovered talent all over Canada. Diverse and underrepresented stories told authentically are important to us.”

They are looking for these projects:

  1. Nonfiction Series
  2. Original Animation
  3. Original Series
  4. Original Independent Film

They provide very clear instructions as to what and how to present. They’ll be back in touch in September to follow up with the creators of the projects that pique their fancy. Good luck!

My take: You will never get a better chance to put your project in front of decision makers at Netflix Canada. Health-wise, BC and Canada look pristine when compared to film production centres in the US. Kudos to Netflix for supporting Canadian voices, all the while ensuring product continues to be made, especially as the world binge watches the time away. Got a project? You’ve still got time to get it into shape and pitch it. Just do it.

Indie Films: 4 mistakes to avoid ‘Demystified’

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MovieMaker has released the second episode of Demystified:

In it, Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale continue taking meetings at AFM seeking distribution for their film Souvenirs.

They learn four mistakes that indie filmmakers do from Kristen Stanisz-Bedno of Vision Films:

“Making a passion project and expecting it to make millions; not thinking about your audience when you write the script, when you shoot the script; stills: don’t have you nephew come with his iPhone for twenty minutes on one day and expect to have gorgeous artwork; social media: start it early… [but] don’t use it all now.”

To sum up her advice: “Before you do anything, make sure you get a distributor.”

In a related post, Javier Reyna reveals just how much he’s recouped from SVOD distribution of his film Regionrat.

I won’t steal his thunder, so read his post. He concludes:

“What was my biggest mistake? I made a film for the DVD and BluRay market and Netflix, but by the time ‘Regionrat’ was done, SVOD was king and Netflix, which started this SVOD shit, had less interest in small indie films.”

My take: I think indie filmmakers need to realize their art will no longer be rewarded based on meritocracy, but increasingly only on popularity. Getting attention is your first goal.

How to sell your film ‘Demystified’

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Tim Molloy of MovieMaker alerts us to a new podcast/vlog all about selling your independent film called Demystified.

It’s produced by StudioFest, an annual competition to pair one writer with one director and $50,000 to make a feature film.

The first episode follows founders Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale to the American Film Market (AFM) and their meeting with Glass House Distribution about their first feature Souvenirs.

Here are the highlights, according to Tim:

  • 7:30: Do you need a sales agent to sell your film?
  • 8:20: How does a sale work? Is it revenue sharing?
  • 8:35: Do you need to finish your film before you approach a distributor?
  • 9:00:  How important is a trailer?
  • 10:00: What genres are most marketable? Can you sell a drama with an unknown cast?
  • 11:36: How much does it cost to hire Nicolas Cage?
  • 11:50: Should you reveal your budget?
  • 13:30: Should you count “in-kind” contributions toward your budget?
  • 16:20: What you can compromise on, and what you can’t.
  • 17:23: What’s the etiquette for meeting a distributor?
  • 18:20: How much money can a lower-budget movie with no stars expect to make?
  • 19:10: Can you just go straight to Netflix?

It’s a very entertaining and enlightening podcast.

You can enter this year’s StudioFest at FilmFreeway.

My take: Of course you need a sales agent. There’s no way you can connect with all the outlets for your film across the world. However, please realize you may never see anything beyond your advance. Expenses will always dilute revenue until there’s nothing left to split. See Hollywood accounting.

COVID-19 Support for Filmmakers

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Mitigation strategies to flatten the curve and thwart the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the film industry has for the most part ground to a halt.

No work typically means no money, and that’s a problem.

Luckily, help is available.

Film Independent has published a list of over two dozen organizations that will help filmmakers who find themselves impacted.

Canada has a plethora of relief programs (over three dozen, and many more in each province) for filmmakers and almost everyone else who might find themselves impacted.

My take: I’ll say it again, let’s just have a Universal Basic Income (UBI) for everyone. Wouldn’t it be great if this was one of the legacies from The Great Pause?

Netflix floats bonuses for winning filmmakers

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Lucas Shaw writes for Bloomberg that Netflix Plans to Pay Bonuses to Filmmakers When Movies Succeed:

Netflix vs. Amazon Prime vs. Hulu Plus

“Netflix Inc. plans to pay filmmakers, actors and movie producers a bonus if their films are successful, a new incentive aimed at winning projects that might otherwise go to rival studios.”

This would be a departure for the currently-leading streamer:

“The bonuses are different than Hollywood’s traditional “back-end” arrangements, where filmmakers get a percentage of box-office money. Since Netflix’s films don’t get released widely at theaters — if they hit the big screen at all — there’s no hope for a big payoff there…. Netflix has never offered back-end deals. It covers the full cost of production and pays producers a premium on top of that, granting them a profit before the project is even released. These deals are a safer bet because the producer is guaranteed to make a significant amount of money, but they also cap the potential profit.”

For a great primer on the various business models, see Joe Flint‘s article The War for Talent in the Age of Netflix in the Wall Street Journal:

“For decades, the formula for producers to make big money in TV was for a show to stay on the air long enough to have 100 episodes or more — enough to sell reruns to other TV networks. The bulk of the profits for production studios and show creators have come from those “syndication” deals, not the initial fees to produce and air the show. The creators of “Seinfeld,” “Friends” and “The Simpsons” made hundreds of millions of dollars this way, as stakeholders who were entitled to a cut of the profits…. Netflix did away with that model when it started wooing superstar producers to make content exclusively for the service, including “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes and “Glee” producer Ryan Murphy. Netflix paid nine-figure upfront fees to Ms. Rhimes and Mr. Murphy. Netflix doesn’t sell reruns of its shows to other platforms, so there weren’t any syndication profits to be had for the producers, and the producers wanted a bigger check to work for Netflix.”

With the streaming marketplace to get much busier in November, it seems as if Netflix has been forced to consider sweetening its deals with filmmakers.

My take: with number of streaming services to double very soon, feature and episodic producers have more choice of outlets than ever before. How will the various streamers differentiate themselves, thereby attracting different audiences? How much overlap will the market bear, meaning how many services will folks pay for?