Revised film funding guidance responds to Film Strategy commitments
£3million of new funds to support the screen sector and skills development open for applications today, Thursday 16 April, 2015.
Full application details for the £1m Screen Skills Fund Scotland and the £2m UK Tax Credit Advance Facility, are available here: http://ow.ly/LHt4y
Says a spokesperson: “The Screen Skills Fund Scotland offers funding to support a range of skills and professional development programmes and initiatives, in partnership with industry and other public bodies, for people already involved in the sector and young people considering a career in screen.
“The UK Tax Credit Advance Facility is available for producers to access an advance payment against receipt of the UK film, high-end TV and animation tax credits.
“Its purpose is to assist producers move their projects into production by securing this element of financing and enable them to use a greater proportion of the UK tax credit on the creative realisation of their projects.”
Natalie Usher, director of Film and Media at Creative Scotland, said: “The new funds will provide additional support for Scottish film, animation and high-end TV productions and will support skills development in the screen sector.
“These developments are part of our wider work to address the priorities identified in our Film Strategy, published last year.
“As envisaged by the strategy, we are continuing to work closely with the sector and with our public agency partners to achieve our ambition to generate the conditions necessary to position the screen sector at the heart of Scotland’s economic and cultural life.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said: “These funds will help producers to finance their projects and support skills development in our workforce, helping the industry to build on its existing strengths, supporting new talent to emerge and addressing skills gaps identified by the sector.
“Scotland is already widely recognised for our world-class talent, crews, facilities and breathtaking locations.
“The Scottish Government and its agencies recognise and value the vision and the ambition of Scotland’s screen sector and we are committed to working together to continue to create the conditions that will enable our screen sector to flourish. These new funds underline that commitment.”
Guidance for the £4m National Lottery Film Fund for 2015-16 has also been revised in line with recommendations made in the Film Sector Review; subsequent commitments made in Creative Scotland’s Film Strategy and taking into consideration the views of the sector.
Natalie Usher continued: “As a result of commitments made in our Film Strategy and in response to sector recommendations, we have conducted a review and refresh of our guidance, application process and assessment criteria and have provided enhanced guidance to assist applicants when they are considering making an application to Creative Scotland for film funding.”
Key guidance revisions:
- Introduction of ‘locked box’ schemes (Producer’s Supplemental Corridor and Recycling of Development Funding Schemes), mirroring the BFI’s, under which producers benefit from the recycling of Creative Scotland’s development and production funding on successful projects
- Experienced individual screenwriters are now able to apply for Single Project Development Funding to enable them to access funding for early stage development before attaching a producer
- Key creative talent on completed projects (as well as writers, directors and producers) can now take up significant opportunities to represent their work and further their careers at international award ceremonies and festivals
- A new separate route to funding for the Distribution and Exhibition of Scottish films (previously incorporated into Content Production and Exploitation) has been created
- Enhanced further guidance is now provided to assist applicants before they make an application
ENDS
Media Contact:
Wendy Grannon
Media Relations & PR Manager
E: wendy.grannon@creativescotland.com
T: 0131 523 0016
M: 07916 137 632
Notes to Editors:
- The Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced the new £3 million funding package on 3 February, 2015. Full details on Scottish Government’s website http://tinyurl.com/p3wkfpm. Both funds are being administered by Creative Scotland and will run over the financial year 2015/16, operational from today, Thursday 16 April, 2015.
- Guidance (including deadlines, application forms, criteria, assessment process), and further information about the new funds, is available here: http://tinyurl.com/kcmwnu3
- The additional £3million funding means that Creative Scotland’s support for Scotland’s screen sector is in the region of £12 million for 2015/16.This includes direct support for film production through our £4m Film Funding as well as three-year funding support for film organisations such as the Centre for the Moving Image (incorporating the Edinburgh Filmhouse, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Belmont Cinema, Aberdeen); Glasgow Film (incorporating the Glasgow Film Theatre and the Glasgow Film Festival); Regional Screen Scotland, the development agency for cinema facilities and organisations in Scotland, from independent cinemas, film clubs and film festivals and which runs the Screen Machine, taking film to communities in the Highlands and Islands; and Film Hub Scotland which aims to develop film education and distribution across all parts of Scotland and across diverse communities. We also support individual film makers through artist’s bursaries, and now through Open Project Funding.In addition, ‘multi art-form’ organisations that we support on a three-year funding basis also present film as part of their broader programme. Such organisations include Dundee Contemporary Arts and Eden Court in Inverness (both of which have cinemas and extensive film programmes); Mareel in Shetland and An Lanntair in Lewis (both of which have film programmes screening in their flexible spaces).
- Creative Scotland also runs Creative Scotland Locations (CSL) http://tinyurl.com/mvhwn7a which promotes Scotland as a film location as well as actively promoting Scotland’s highly experienced crew base and facilities providers and offering recce funding. CSL works internationally and actively promotes Scotland and its services at markets and festivals across the world. The CSL service also extends into principal photography whilst productions are here on the ground in Scotland. The CSL Team and a strong regional network of partners work hard to ensure the experience of filming in Scotland is a positive one.
- Creative Scotland’s Film Strategy 2014-17 Creative Scotland On Screen was published in October 2014. The Strategy identifies Creative Scotland’s priorities for film over the next three years. Working with industry and public partners, the ambition envisaged by this Strategy is to generate the conditions necessary to position the film sector at the heart of Scotland’s economic and cultural life and to achieve the ambitions set out in Creative Scotland’s ten-year Strategic Plan in the context of film. Download the Strategy http://tinyurl.com/mvhwn7a
- Further information about all film funding, is available here: http://tinyurl.com/kcmwnu37. Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We do this through funding, development, advocacy and influence and we distribute funding from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.
For further information on Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
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Contact: Sophie Bambrough
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