Northern Alliance - BFI

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5. Conclusions and recommendations Objectives In section 4.1, we found that there is a need to refresh and re-state the UK Film Council‟s aims, objectives and targets. There was broad consensus among stakeholders as to what short films are for. Table 15: Interviewees‟ priorities regarding the role of short films 61 Rank Strategic partners‟ priorities Filmmakers‟ priorities 1 Developing exceptional talent Produce critically acclaimed shorts 2 Discovering new talent Develop my skills/talent 3 Helping key talent move to feature Help me move to feature films films 4 Producing critically acclaimed short films Be discovered as new talent We believe the work undertaken that this study indicates that the UK Film Council‟s objectives, including the revisions undertaken by the NCF in 2008, are appropriate. There does, however, appear to be a need to re-state and clarify them, in particular to emphasise that the primary, overriding objective is the development and showcasing of the UK‟s most talented prospective feature film directors so that they can progress to making films with the support of the industry. Recommendation: The UK Film Council should clearly re-state that its overriding objective is the discovery, development and progression of talented feature film directors, and that it is impact (the emergence of new feature directors) rather than activity (making short films) that is of paramount importance. We feel that diversity is an important secondary goal, but that skills development (as defined in Appendix II) should be the responsibility of Skillset, not the NCF, and should be focused on the development of directing skills. The development of writers and producers should be provided for, but these should be tertiary objectives for short film training programmes viewed in the context of Skillset‟s broader provision for new entrants and continuing professional development. This should not pre-empt the involvement of the NCF with Skillset‟s work (and is not intended to suggest that Skillset should fund filmmaking per se). 61 Source: strategic partners / filmmakers questionnaire; priorities were ranked 1-10 by a sample of 25 strategic partners and 21 filmmakers in May-June 2009. Page 44
The provision of culturally significant short films should be seen as a potentially valuable by-product - especially if the potential to reach a mass audience via the internet is realisable - but not a priority. While restating its goals, the UK Film Council should also restate its commitment to short film. There are almost certainly areas of the UK Film Council‟s activity where the extent to which the market could compensate for a reduction or withdrawal of support from the UK Film Council is not known for sure. With short filmmaking there appears to be no doubt: its role is pivotal. Short filmmaking in the UK will reduce in proportion to any reduction in the UK Film Council‟s support. We therefore believe that support for short filmmaking should be prioritised during the UK Film Council‟s current forecasting and planning of expenditure, though this should not prevent changing the allocation of that support to obtain greater effectiveness and efficiency. Data collection systems In section 4.2, we found that there is a need to ground all future support for short film on much firmer evidence, especially with regard to the impact of the activity the UK Film Council supports. The UK Film Council appears to have replaced the fragmented production schemes but without fully unifying the information gathered on short filmmaking. Most importantly, there appears to be no effective system in place to collect and consolidate quantitative data measuring talent development and career progression across the UK Film Council‟s short film initiatives. The entire work of the UK Film Council appears predicated on an assumption that new UK feature filmmaking talent needs short film programmes for it to develop. Although this is strongly endorsed by industry opinion canvassed as part of our research, we believe it should be validated given its importance in forming the UK Film Council‟s overall strategy. In particular, while it seems axiomatic that new UK feature film directors emerge from short film programmes, it is not proven that the overwhelming majority of them do. Recommendation: The UK Film Council needs to develop a methodology for accurately monitoring how new feature film directors emerge and the contribution that its short filmmaking programmes make to that process, compared with other means of preparing for and entering the industry. If this assessment validates the prioritisation of support for short filmmaking during the UK Film Council‟s current forecasting and planning of expenditure, then further activity, including the possible adoption of recommendations made here, would be Page 45
Page 1 and 2: Northern Alliance Review of short f
Page 3 and 4: Appendices I Case studies 56 II Def
Page 5 and 6: 1. Executive summary 1.1 Introducti
Page 7 and 8: support a single disabled filmmaker
Page 9 and 10: emerge as a result of the structure
Page 11 and 12: target audience consists of the var
Page 13 and 14: While our interviewees had sympathy
Page 15 and 16: 3.2 The UK Film Council‟s strateg
Page 17 and 18: Table 2: Summary of the NCF‟s pro
Page 19 and 20: All of the entities in the table ab
Page 21 and 22: Table 4: Recent applicants and awar
Page 23 and 24: Table 5: Strategic partners‟ prio
Page 25 and 26: There is a need to ground all futur
Page 27 and 28: Table 8: Success and its cost, from
Page 29 and 30: Shorts appears relatively efficient
Page 31 and 32: As noted in section 4.2 above, the
Page 33 and 34: Given that Cinema Extreme positions
Page 35 and 36: Figures for the Digital Shorts prog
Page 37 and 38: “We have no brief to work towards
Page 39 and 40: 4.5.2. Revenues Table 14: Scheme re
Page 41 and 42: Others were more critical, openly q
Page 43: 4.7 Support for showcasing films at
Page 47 and 48: less than a quarter of the cost of
Page 49 and 50: Recommendation: The UK Film Council
Page 51 and 52: emove the perceived element of comm
Page 53 and 54: As part of our review we checked th
Page 55 and 56: films produced in the UK. We would
Page 57 and 58: million in only a few weeks. I was
Page 59 and 60: That dedication and persistence has
Page 61 and 62: Appendix II Definitions Exactly wha
Page 63 and 64: Directors, started in 1989 and prod
Page 65 and 66: Appendix IV Why short films are mad
Page 67 and 68: Appendix V The public value of shor
Page 69 and 70: Social networking sites, such as Be
Page 71 and 72: Investment in the production of sho
Page 73 and 74: Agency Scheme Number of shorts Budg
Page 75 and 76: Appendix VIII Overview of the UK Fi
Page 77 and 78: Some rules, such as the requirement
Page 79 and 80: The future The short film schemes h
Page 81 and 82: Appendix XI Short film internationa
Page 83 and 84: Beyond Europe 1: New Zealand Film C
Page 85 and 86: Appendix XII Data availability Summ
Page 87 and 88: it subject to loss because of staff
Page 89 and 90: Appendix XIII Platforms and audienc
Page 91 and 92: “There isn‟t much of an audienc
Page 93 and 94: Appendix XV Access and diversity Pa
Page 95 and 96:
Appendix XVI Business affairs Short
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(b) VAT is paid on awards and provi
Page 99 and 100:
Completion Fund, and from the Natio
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The training scheme is best known f
Page 103 and 104:
Appendix XVIII The role of film fes
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Appendix XIX List of interviewees O
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Appendix XX Sample survey questionn
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3. Measuring success How does your
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4B. Festival screenings of short fi
Page 113 and 114:
4E. Revenue generated: Please provi
Page 115 and 116:
4H.Of the above, how many have subs
Page 117 and 118:
'Developing exceptional talent' and
Page 119 and 120:
for making and reporting distributi
Page 121 and 122:
Of the filmmakers supported by resp
Page 123 and 124:
Filmmaker activity On average, each
Page 125:
Appendix XXII Northern Alliance Nor
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Northern Alliance - BFI

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