UK Film Council - BFI

DEVELOPMENT FUND
PRODUCTION COMPANY VISION AWARDS
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Please note that this is a single call for applications which is separate from the First Feature Film
Development and Feature Film Development programmes which continue to run concurrently.
All applications for Production Company Vision Awards must be received by UK Film Council by 5pm
on 19 September 2008 (Closing date).

Introduction
The UK Film Council’s Development Fund aims to broaden the quality, range and
ambition of British film projects being developed in the UK and to build a talent-
driven home for writers, directors and producers. The Development Fund wishes
to explore innovative ways of working on development projects with producers.
The aim of the Vision Award initiative is to enable dynamic producers to source
and develop feature film projects with creative vision, in order to benefit UK
filmmaking talent and assist them in operating successfully in the international
marketplace.
The Development Fund will offer up to ten applicant production companies up to
£150,000 over two years. In order to access one of the Production Company
Vision Awards, production companies will need to set out their vision for UK film,
for benefiting UK talent and building ongoing creative partnerships with that
talent, and demonstrate their need for UK Film Council support.
There will only be one call for applications for Production Company Vision
Awards.
Eligibility
1. Applications for Production Company Vision Awards can be made by
companies registered and centrally managed and staffed in the UK or in
another state of the European Union/European Economic Area.
2. Applicants must have produced at least one feature film that has been
distributed theatrically in the United Kingdom and screened internationally in
at least one major territory within the last five years; and the production
company’s principals must have received producer credits on at least two
other feature films that have been distributed theatrically.
How the award works
As an applicant production company, you are encouraged to set out your vision
for UK film and of how you can source new and original ideas, nurture British
filmmaking talent and play a role in creating a sustainable and vibrant UK film
culture. This should demonstrate a sense of identity, ambition, original thinking,
dynamism and energy, and focus on how you would commission, nurture and
develop sustainable creative partnerships with talent in order to develop UK
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feature films that will reach their target audiences. The Production Company
Vision Awards are intended to enable the successful applicants to achieve that
vision.
We want you to be creative and original in your vision but to also bear in mind the
following guidelines as to how the award itself will work:
1. The Vision Award is for development funding of up to £150,000 over two
years (up to £75,000 per year, subject to annual performance review). We
would expect it to be spent on developing British qualifying film projects or
the seed funding of such, and to cover expenditure such as the following:
• commissioning original ideas
• developing and retaining talent
• seeding the development of feature film projects
• attracting investment in film project development
• writer(s) fees
• research costs
• a contribution towards overhead costs of the producer
• payments to acquire or option rights to adapt works for the screen
• producer fees
• producer’s reasonable legal costs
• script readings with cast
• script editors
• executive producers/mentors
• preparation of visual references or location scouting
• preparation of production budgets
• preparation of production schedules
• director’s development fee/script work
• casting.
The Vision Award is not aimed at general company or business development.
Therefore, stand-alone general costs such as travel, hospitality, accommodation
or subsistence should not be included.
2. Development projects
All feature film projects intended to be developed by any of the successful
applicants during the award term may be submitted to the UK Film Council for
further development funding through the Feature Film Development Programme.
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The decision whether to fund such development projects will be solely at the
discretion of the Development Fund.
3. Partnership funding
Any further project funding from the Development Fund will ideally require third
party partnership funding as a contribution towards the ‘hard costs’ of their
development budgets from reliable end users in the commercial marketplace such
as production financiers, broadcasters, distributors, exhibitors, etc, in line with
the requirements of the Feature Film Development Programme.
4. Recoupment of award
The Vision Award will be repayable to the UK Film Council (without premium or
interest) from all films going into production during or after the award term until
fully recouped (whether Feature Film Development Programme funding was
awarded to such films or not).
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How to apply?
In order to apply for a Production Company Vision Award you should write a
“Vision Statement” expected to be between 750 to 1,500 words, detailing what
type of projects you intend to develop, how you intend to source them, nurture
British filmmaking talent and how you can help contribute to a dynamic,
sustainable and vibrant UK film culture.
The UK Film Council will offer up to ten Vision Awards. In drawing up the vision
statement you should bear in mind the criteria we will use to assess applicants
(set out in the next section), as selection will be based primarily on a subjective
assessment of the vision statement.
You will also be required to submit a brief budget indicating how you would
propose to allocate and spend the Vision Award (of up to £75,000 per year for
two years) in order to achieve your vision together with brief details of your track
record (as set out below) and your need for UK Film Council support.
All requests for Vision Awards from the Development Fund must be made on a
completed Vision Award application form which will be available on the UK Film
Council’s website or on request to UK Film Council Information on 0207 861
7924.
You must include with your completed Application Form:
• the vision statement;
• the budget;
• brief details of the production company’s track record in sourcing, developing,
converting, structuring and producing feature films; including company and
principals’ CVs and CVs of any development personnel or writers or directors
in the company. This can also include:
a list of awards received to date and any selection of your films at “A” list
international film festivals
details of cumulative US and UK box office to date of films produced by the
company.
Once completed and signed, the application form and all supporting materials
should be sent to the UK Film Council, 10 Little Portland Street, London W1W 7JG
marked for the attention of the Development Fund. Materials are sent at your risk
and you should avoid submitting original supporting materials.
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Please note that the UK Film Council reserves the right to request and review any
other relevant supporting material including corporate information about the
applicant before making a funding decision.
Applications must be received by the UK Film Council by 6:00pm on the closing
date of 19 September 2008.
Applications must be received by the UK Film Council to constitute a formal
application for funding and may be sent by courier or by post. Applications
cannot be accepted by email or by fax. The application will be acknowledged
within 14 days of receipt.
Please call the UK Film Council Information Line (0207 861 7924) if further
guidance is required.
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What happens next?
After the closing date each application will be reviewed to ensure that it fulfils the
eligibility criteria in ‘Eligibility’ above. Supporting material or further information
may be requested.
You will be informed if your application is not eligible. Re-submissions will not
be accepted.
Stage 1
Each application will then be assessed by the Development Fund (which may
involve a combination of the UK Film Council and external assessors) in
accordance with the following process and against the following assessment
criteria.
The Development Fund will look at the vision statements submitted by each
applicant and will consider whether overall it demonstrates that you can:
a) contribute to the Development Fund’s aim of building a dynamic talentdriven
home for writers, directors and producers in the UK; and
b) contribute to the Development Fund’s aim of broadening the quality,
range and ambition of projects being developed and produced in the UK.
In particular, the vision statements will be assessed against the following
questions:
• how would you define your creative taste or the type/genre of films you
want to develop and produce?
• how does your company excel as a sourcer of creative and original ideas?
• what distinguishes you as a talent magnet?
• is there a gap in the market or amongst your competitors which you think
your vision will fill? If so, what is it?
• what distinguishes you as a developer over your competitors?
• what mechanisms do you have for driving material of quality into
production and meeting the needs of target audiences?
• what ambition do you have for UK film?
• how will your company contribute to the representation of a wide range of
cultural experiences on screen?
• how will you use the award to dedicate yourself to achieving those aims?
• how will you measure your success at the end of the first year and the end
of the two year term?
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The Development Fund will also review the other materials you have submitted
and will consider:
• how you propose to spend the Vision Award and whether this constitutes
value for money and a need for UK Film Council support through this
scheme;
• its assessment of you and your principals’ creative track record in film
development and production including your conversion ratio and the
commercial and critical success of your films; links to financiers and
international market end users; your creative partnerships; and
• its assessment of your ability to manage relationships with film directors,
script writers, their agents and other ‘talent’, and of your ability to engage
with a wide range of cultural experiences on and off screen.
The Development Fund will then draw up a long or short list of recommended
applications (depending on the number and quality of the applications received).
Stage 2
The UK Film Council’s Finance and Business Affairs Departments may undertake
due diligence including an assessment of financial viability in relation to the
recommended application(s).
Stage 3
The Development Fund may invite you to a meeting to discuss your application
further in order to arrive at a final list of recommended applications.
Stage 4
The final list of recommended applications will be submitted to the UK Film
Council’s Production Finance Committee for approval.
The UK Film Council intends to make up to ten Vision Awards but reserves the
right to make less or none at all if, at its sole discretion, it considers that no
application is sufficiently strong.
Successful applicants will receive an offer of funding. Once all such offers have
been accepted by such applicants the UK Film Council will issue a public
announcement. All unsuccessful applicants will receive written confirmation that
their application has been unsuccessful.
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It is intended that all applicants will be notified of the decision on their
application within 12 weeks of the closing date.
Offer of funding
Production Company Vision Awards will be advanced to the successful applicants
only after all of the following have been completed:
a. counter-signature of the Offer Letter;
b. execution of a long-form Funding Agreement (see below);
c. satisfaction of all Conditions Precedent to the Funding Agreement.
Production Company Vision Awards – Conditions of Funding
The following contract terms will apply to the Vision Award funding provided by
the UK Film Council:
1. Term
The funding will be offered for a period of two years. Progression to the
second year will be conditional upon satisfactory performance (which will be
reviewed after the first year through Performance Review) in the UK Film
Council’s sole opinion, by the successful applicants according to the terms
and conditions of the Funding Agreement.
2. Use of fund
The Vision Award must be spent as set out in successful applicant’s
application or as agreed with UK Film Council, and within the parameters set
out in “How the award works” above.
The UK Film Council may additionally require certain approvals over any
variation to the uses of the Vision Award and certain individuals may be
identified by the UK Film Council as being key personnel for the purposes of
the Vision Award.
3. Cashflow
The Vision Award will be payable in accordance with a cashflow schedule to
be agreed with the UK Film Council and quarterly in arrears on production of
itemised evidence of actual spend in the preceding quarter on allowable
items.
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4. Quarterly reporting
Additionally, the UK Film Council will require further data or information
about the successful applicants or the use of the Vision Award for
monitoring and evaluating purposes.
5. Credit
The UK Film Council will require a contractual end screen credit on a
separate card and in the following form: “Made with the support of the UK
Film Council’s Development Fund” followed by the UK Film Council Lotteryfunded
logo, on any films whether produced by the applicant or not, where
the award or any part of it is repaid from such films.
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Important information
1. The information in these guidelines can change. The law and Government regulations on
distributing National Lottery funds may also change. The UK Film Council therefore reserves the
right to review the Development Fund and/or change its policies, procedures and assessment
criteria.
2. The application form does not necessarily cover all the information the UK Film Council uses to
decide which applications to fund. The UK Film Council can ask applicants for extra
information.
3. All applications are made at the applicant’s own risk. The UK Film Council will not be liable for
loss, damage or costs arising directly or indirectly from:
• the application process;
• the UK Film Council’s decision not to provide an award to an applicant; or
• dealing with the application.
4. Please check your application form carefully. The UK Film Council will not process applications
which are incomplete or which do not comply with these guidelines. Original materials are sent
at your own risk and the UK Film Council will not be responsible for any damage to or loss of
such materials.
5. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives members of the public the right to request
information held by the UK Film Council. This includes information held in relation to
applications to the UK Film Council’s various funding programmes or schemes. Therefore if you
choose to apply to the UK Film Council you should be aware that the information you supply,
either in whole or in part, may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.
6. The UK Film Council decisions on applications are final. There is no automatic right to public
funding. Decisions as to the creative merits of an application are entirely within the discretion
of the UK Film Council.
7. The UK Film Council will not pay any funding until it has received a fully executed copy of the
Vision Award Agreement and all conditions precedent to that agreement have been satisfied.
8. The UK Film Council will publicise information on the number of applications it receives and the
awards made.
9. Sometimes the UK Film Council Board Directors or members of staff may be involved in some
way with applicants. This interest has to be declared in applications from such applicants. The
relevant Board Director or staff member will not be involved in assessing the application or the
decision to make an award. Applicants are advised not to try to influence the success of their
application by approaching a Board Director or staff member.
10. It is important that applicants carefully check the information provided on the application form.
The UK Film Council standard terms and conditions entitle it to withhold or reclaim an award in
the following circumstances:
• if the application was filled in dishonestly or with incorrect or misleading information about
the organisation or the project whether deliberately or accidentally; and
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• if the award recipient acts dishonestly or negligently to the disadvantage of the project.
The UK Film Council will follow up cases of suspected fraud and will pass information to the
police.
11. Appeals: The UK Film Council invests in films which it considers will help ensure a consistent
flow of high quality, diverse and challenging UK films. Applications will be judged, and may be
turned down on creative merit or on other subjective grounds, such as the applicant’s inability
to fulfil the fund’s remit, against which there is no appeal.
12. The UK Film Council’s decision is final. Inevitably applications will be turned down and
applicants may be disappointed by this result. Formal appeals against the final decision will not
be considered unless the applicant has good cause to believe that the procedures for processing
the applications were not adhered to, or applied in such a way as to prejudice the outcome of
the application. A copy of the UK Film Council’s Complaints and Appeals procedure can be
obtained on request from the UK Film Council’s Communications Office.
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