ScreenACT Newsletter

Nearly 30 people attended the recent briefing session to learn more about the project grants. The deadline is fast approaching. Circle 18th September on your calendars, and make sure you have your application in by that date. Want more information? - click here for guidelines and applications.

Robert Greenberg’s “Everything you wanted to know about children’s TV – a crash course” is filling up fast but there are still a few places left.

Robert is an award-winning writer with over 25 years of experience in Children’s TV – having written, script edited and script produced for TV in Australia, Canada and the US. It’s a fun, informative and intensive one day introduction and covers a wide range of topics including:

• What exactly is children’s television drama.
• Where it sits with commercial and non commercial broadcasters
• ABC3
• Comparing apples with apples. The Simpsons - is it a children’s drama show?
• Financing - a broad overview of how Children’s TV drama is financed including co- productions.
• Rules and regulations
• Key People and commissioning editors in Commercial and Non Commercial Broadcasters
• How to write pitch documents to interest investors and broadcasters

This is a great course for those wanting to know more about children's tv, some of the issues that you will face and particularly focuses on drama in both live action and animation.

Cost will be $95 per person with 3 places being sponsored by ScreenACT.

If you would like to apply for a sponsored position, please write to Monica Penders at ScreenACT stating why you would like to attend this workshop and why ScreenACT should sponsor you. If you applying for a sponsored position, please still send in your application form.

Course will run from 10.00 - 5.00pm on Saturday, 19th September. More information and registration form available here. RSVP by 31st August, 2009.

ScreenACT’s “self-serve” production directory is now live. The new production directory allows industry professionals in the Canberra/ACT region (or those who service this region) to list their services and profile themselves and their organizations. And as information changes (for example, adding your latest Oscar, or new joint venture with Spielberg), you can do this yourself and keep your information up to date – immediately.

If you would like to be listed on the ScreenACT production directory, please email and you will be provided with log in information.

Alex Sangston, Senior Manager, Producer Offset at Screen Australia will be giving a talk on the Producer Offset, in Canberra.

What exactly is the Producer Offset?

The Producer Offset is a refundable tax offset (rebate) for producers of Australian feature films, television and other projects.

The Producer Offset is worth:

* 40 per cent of qualifying Australian production expenditure (QAPE) incurred on a feature film

* 20 per cent of QAPE incurred on programs other than feature films (TV series, mini-series or telemovies, short-form animations, non-feature documentary, or direct-to-DVD or web-distributed programming).

The Producer Offset is administered by Screen Australia and Producers in the Canberra/ACT region should come to this talk to meet Alex and get to know more about this rebate which, for an Australian qualifying film, can represent a significant part of your project's budget.

If you are interested in attending, please send an email to RSVP and reserve a place. .Venue details will be given closer to the date.

No, we are not talking about building nuclear weapons – but we are talking about Nuke, the VFX software.

This intensive Nuke Masterclass is aimed at industry compositors with a working knowledge of Nuke.
Attendees will learn advanced Nuke techniques for keying, CG integration and use of Nuke's 3D system, as well as handy UI features and tricks to increase efficiency.

This course is a must for artists wanting to advance to the next level with the world's fastest growing compositing software.

The instructor, Paul Kirwan, has had a decade-long international career in visual effects for feature film, working as a digital artist and supervisor on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies. His film credits include Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Titanic, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He’s worked with such directors as Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Michael Bay and Australians Peter Weir and George Miller, and shared in three Oscars and three Baftas for Visual Effects. He also has worked for five years as an artist and supervisor at Digital Domain, the original creators of Nuke.

When: Thursday 1st October and Friday 2nd October, 2009
Where: Australian National University, Childers St, Acton
Cost: $495

For more information, contact Paul Kirwan

AIE are running a game design course which is open to anyone. No prior experience required and no art or programming is involved.

AIE are also running a Mudbox workshop over 2 days. Participants interested in this course need to know how to use a 3D modelling package. Click here to get the full course details
Mudbox - Day 1 , Mudbox - Day 2

Congratulations and fingers crossed: to Bruce Davey who has been nominated for an AWGIE award for Best Short Film Script for his film “Dearth". The fifteen minute short was shot in Burra and Hall by a local film crew and was produced by Peter Fock and directed by Bruce. Good luck Bruce!

Congratulations to Andrew Scarano and Brendan Sloane, both ScreenACT project fund grant recipients. Andrew’s documentary, “Into the Shadows” and Brendan’s feature “The Dinner Party” both premiered at the Dugog Film Festival and are soon to be showing at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. “The Dinner Party” has also been accepted into Raindance Film Festival in London.

Are you a local screen practitioner? Let ScreenACT know when you have news on your projects for inclusion in the newsletter and other marketing opportunities.

Screen Australia has just announced the Script Factory Script Developer initiative, a workshop aimed at up-skilling the standard of Australian development practice by providing high-quality training in script analysis and development.

Twenty-one practitioners from around Australia will be selected to attend three-day workshops using the internationally successful Script Factory model in late October 2009. One workshop will be held in Sydney, where it will be hosted by the New South Wales Film and Television Office (Screen NSW), and another in Melbourne, where it will be hosted by Film Victoria.

In business since 1996, the Script Factory has become one of Europe’s leading script development organisations developing new screen writing talent and supporting the people who work with screenwriters and screenplay material.

The inaugural Australian workshops are designed to enable practitioners with high-level story-analysis skills to focus on the nuts and bolts of script development. “Strong, craft-based script development is an essential part of the film making process,” said Martha Coleman, Head of Development at Screen Australia. “These hands-on workshops will hone the participants’ script reading and analysis skills in order to ascertain a screenplay’s potential strengths and correctly identify the source of its weaknesses. These tailored, practical programs aim to strengthen and advance Australia’s screen writing culture and support the development of creative Australian storytelling which engages with audiences.”

Applications are invited from practitioners who work in script development and who will benefit from a structured course in story theory and working practice in order to build their confidence and resources when preparing script reports and working with writers.

Screen Australia’s partnership with the Script Factory will allow for the screen agency to secure the intellectual property for the workshops, allowing them to be run in Australia with local trainers on a biannual basis.

Further information and an application form is available here.
Applications close on Tuesday 10 September 2009. Successful applicants will be announced in early October 2009.

To ensure a good cross section of participants to the two workshops, Screen Australia is offering to cover transport and accommodation expenses up to $800 for participants outside of NSW and Vic.

Screen Australia is offering travel grants for producers travelling to the upcoming American Film Market (AFM), 4-11 November 2009.

The deadline for travel grant applications is Tuesday 1 September 2009. Applicants can apply for up to $10,000 towards their travel expenses. Producers must have a reasonable body of completed, produced and released work, commensurate with their level of experience, to showcase their talent and ability.

Applicants must also have at least one active project in development, and for more experienced producers it must be ready for financing. In the case of more experienced producers, a slate of projects is preferable, at least one of which has secured 25 per cent of its budget.

The travel grant guidelines and application form are available to download from the Screen Australia Website.

For more information about the AFM, visit the AFM website.

To discuss their application eligibility, applicants should first contact Screen Australia Marketing Support Coordinator, Nicole Powell, on 02 8113 5835 or via email nicole.powell@screenaustralia.gov.au

ABC TV’s new digital free-to-air kids channel has begun with ABC3 set to launch before the end of 2009. ABC3 will offer kids a world of their own, accessible through the technology they choose, and one they can interact with on many levels. Programs with strong multi-platform or cross-platform elements will be sought as new and innovative ways to engage with the audience. The ScreenACT Task Force has agreed to put effort into building the region’s capacity in Children’s TV.

ABC TV has called for Australian production companies to pitch their concepts and ideas for new kid’s content. The call out comes as ABC TV prepares for the end of year launch of ABC3, the new digital channel for primary school kids, and an increase in the number of broadcast hours of ABCforKids pre-school content on ABC2.

Producers are invited to submit program concepts within the following categories:

1. A live-action or mixed media program for 4 7 year old boys and girls an unique, unusual, imaginative idea, that will cut through and make an impact in the schedule, and stand alongside the world’s best pre-school programming.

2. A live action or animated drama and comedy for 8 12 year old boys - big, bold, brave ideas that offer our audience something different, that they might only find on ABC.

3. A comedy/variety Show for 8 12 year old boys and girls - fresh, original Australian concepts for comedy and/or variety shows that appeal directly to the target audiences sense of humour and reflect their own experiences and interests.

4. A game/quiz Show for 8 12 year old boys and girls an original Australian concept, with challenges that inspire contestants to up the ante, either physically or mentally. A format that builds real jeopardy, where the stakes are high and there are twists at every turn.

Producers have until October 30 to submit their ideas, all of which must include a strong multi-platform element.
More details guidelines and information on how to submit concepts can be found at: abc.net.au/tv/independent/childrens_projects

Save the date! SPAA (Screen Producers Association of Australia) annual conference is to be held in Sydney from 17 – 20 November.

Along with the usual line up of speakers and initiatives, this year SPAA has a number of children’s initiatives that you should check out including:

ABC3 Get Your Game On!

ABC Children’s Television has announced a new initiative to be held at the SPAA Conference with up to $30,000 in development funding available.

Australian producers are invited to submit a brief concept document for a game/quiz show suitable for commissioning as a long-running, low-cost series on ABC3, the new digital free-to-air children’s TV channel. The project is aimed at an audience of kids aged 8 to 12 years.

The ABC will select four finalists who will be invited to a private pitch during the SPAA Conference with the winner to be awarded a guaranteed prize of $5,000. At the ABC’s discretion a further development funding and a pilot deal of up to $25,000 may be offered.

The project must be an original Australian concept and feature Australian kids. It must appeal to the 8 – 12 year old demographic and have a clear winner (group or individual) and not judged by opinion. The ABC is looking for a project that can be produced in high volume at low cost and suitable for playing on-line as well as watching on-air. Applicants are invited to submit a proposal of more than five pages in length. Submission details and application form available on www.spaa.org.au/conference

Submissions close 5 October. Finalists will be contacted by 12 October.
Please send your pitch along with the completed application form to: Get Your Game On, ABC Children’s Television Department, GPO Box 9994, Sydney NSW 2001
For further information please contact Aaron Mulheron at the ABC.
e: Mulheron.aaron@abc.net.au

SPAA Kids TV Market

SPAA announced today that a Kids TV Market will be introduced to its programme at this year’s Conference.
“With the introduction of the Market, the Kids TV strand is starting to hit its stride. The Market will offer Australian kids producers tangible business and networking opportunities. The international marketplace is keen to attend and that’s a good sign,” commented Gaylee Butler, SPAA Conference Director.

The Kids Market is designed to allow producers of children’s content to meet with local and international Children’s Television Executives in one-on-one meetings. The 20-minute meetings are pre-booked and provide an opportunity to discuss business and build relationships with industry executives in Licensing, Merchandising, Distribution, DVD and Consumer Products, Toy Companies, DVD and Consumer Products Executives.
The Kids strand kicks off with international guests confirmed to date: Nick Wilson, Five UK; Kay Benbow, CBeebies UK; Bob Higgins, Wildbrain USA, and Jules Borkent, Nickelodeon USA.

Industry veteran of children’s TV in Canada, Ken Faier, President of the Vancouver based Nerds Corps Entertainment, will also be attending the conference. Ken was the lucky winner at this year’s Australian Independent Children’s Producers function held in New York during the Kidscreen conference. This is an annual networking event for Australian kids producers sponsored by SPAA.

The Kids POW WOW returns again this year. The format, which consists of 30-minute sessions, allows delegates to meet with some of Europe’s most influential players together with Australian producers and commissioners. These sessions allow delegates private time with some of the industry’s top leaders in children’s television and provide an opportunity for building new business relationships.

7 Network’s Ready Steady Pitch will round out the kids strand with a 5-minute timeslot designed for delegates to privately pitch their projects to children’s network commissioning executives. This arena provides one-on-one time where delegates can share an idea and receive feedback on their pitch or project.

ABC Children’s Television has announced a new initiative to be held at the SPAA Conference with up to $30,000 in development funding available.

Australian producers are invited to submit a brief concept document for a game/quiz show suitable for commissioning as a long-running, low-cost series on ABC3, the new digital free-to-air children’s TV channel. The project is aimed at an audience of kids aged 8 to 12 years.

The ABC will select four finalists who will be invited to a private pitch during the SPAA Conference with the winner to be awarded a guaranteed prize of $5,000. At the ABC’s discretion a further development funding and a pilot deal of up to $25,000 may be offered.

The project must be an original Australian concept and feature Australian kids. It must appeal to the 8 – 12 year old demographic and have a clear winner (group or individual) and not judged by opinion. The ABC is looking for a project that can be produced in high volume at low cost and suitable for playing on-line as well as watching on-air. Applicants are invited to submit a proposal of more than five pages in length. Submission details and application form available on www.spaa.org.au/conference

Submissions close 5 October. Finalists will be contacted by 12 October.
Please send your pitch along with the completed application form to: Get Your Game On, ABC Children’s Television Department, GPO Box 9994, Sydney NSW 2001
For further information please contact Aaron Mulheron at the ABC.
e: Mulheron.aaron@abc.net.au

SPAA announced today that a Kids TV Market will be introduced to its programme at this year’s Conference.
“With the introduction of the Market, the Kids TV strand is starting to hit its stride. The Market will offer Australian kids producers tangible business and networking opportunities. The international marketplace is keen to attend and that’s a good sign,” commented Gaylee Butler, SPAA Conference Director.

The Kids Market is designed to allow producers of children’s content to meet with local and international Children’s Television Executives in one-on-one meetings. The 20-minute meetings are pre-booked and provide an opportunity to discuss business and build relationships with industry executives in Licensing, Merchandising, Distribution, DVD and Consumer Products, Toy Companies, DVD and Consumer Products Executives.
The Kids strand kicks off with international guests confirmed to date: Nick Wilson, Five UK; Kay Benbow, CBeebies UK; Bob Higgins, Wildbrain USA, and Jules Borkent, Nickelodeon USA.

Industry veteran of children’s TV in Canada, Ken Faier, President of the Vancouver based Nerds Corps Entertainment, will also be attending the conference. Ken was the lucky winner at this year’s Australian Independent Children’s Producers function held in New York during the Kidscreen conference. This is an annual networking event for Australian kids producers sponsored by SPAA.

The Kids POW WOW returns again this year. The format, which consists of 30-minute sessions, allows delegates to meet with some of Europe’s most influential players together with Australian producers and commissioners. These sessions allow delegates private time with some of the industry’s top leaders in children’s television and provide an opportunity for building new business relationships.

7 Network’s Ready Steady Pitch will round out the kids strand with a 5-minute timeslot designed for delegates to privately pitch their projects to children’s network commissioning executives. This arena provides one-on-one time where delegates can share an idea and receive feedback on their pitch or project.

Only a few days to go before you can submit your Australian film to Flickerfest for the 2010 Festival. Entries close this Friday, 28th August, so get them in by then! (entries postmarked with this date will be accepted!)

Flickerfest 19th International Australian Short Film Festival
Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
8th –17th January 2010, then touring nationally from January to March 2010

Flickerfest, Australia’s only Academy® Award accredited Short Film festival, and its largest short film competition, is now accepting entries from Australia and around the world for the 2010 Festival. Flickerfest will screen for 10 days at Bondi Beach in January 2010 before heading off on a national tour. The Festival consists of three competitive programmes - International, Australian and Documentary as well as a number of special showcases and forums out of competition.

An international jury will award the following prestigious awards and prizes:

• The Coopers Award for Best Short Film (Academy® Accredited)
• Yoram Gross Award For Best Animation Short Film (Academy® Accredited)
• Award for Best Australian Short Film
• Award for Best Short Documentary Film
• Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography in an Australian short film
plus a host of other Awards and Industry prizes

The FLICKERFEST International Competition is open to any short film available for screening on 35mm. The Australian and Documentary Competitions are open to any short film available for screening on 35mm or Betacam video.

Films must be under 35 minutes & have been completed within 2 years of the closing dates.

Films must be in English or have English subtitles. Due to the competitive nature of the Festival, we favour Sydney premieres and films that have not been broadcast or made available for download in Australia.

ENTRY DEADLINES:
Australian entries must be received by 5pm, FRIDAY 28th AUGUST 2009
International entries must be received by 5pm, FRIDAY 11th SEPTEMBER 2009

Entry is ONLY available online at our website http://www.flickerfest.com.au

For more information:
Email: info@flickerfest.com.au or
Phone: 61 2 9365 6888 or visit the Website at http://www.flickerfest.com.au to submit your short film

Want to know more about the application process for the next round of the Project Fund grants? This round has a total of $50,000 available made up of individual grants up to $10,000.

A briefing session is being held on:

Friday, 14th August, 2009
12.00pm
Canberra Museum
Public Meeting Rooms
Cnr London Circuit & Civic Square
Canberra City

If you are planning on attending, please send an email with “RSVP” in the subject line.

Reminder: that ScreenACT is hosting a Children’s TV workshop on 19th September. Get in quick!
ABC3 is a new TV station dedicated purely to children’s programming and will be going on air at the end of 2009.

The ScreenACT Task Force has agreed to put effort into building the region’s capacity in Children’s TV.
The first initiative is a specialized workshop “ EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CHILDREN’S TELEVISION DRAMA – A Crash Course” run by Robert Greenberg. Robert is an award-winning writer with over 25 years of experience in Children’s TV – having written, script edited and script produced for TV in Australia, Canada and the US. It’s a fun, informative and intensive one day introduction and covers a wide range of topics including:

• What exactly is children’s television drama?
• Where it sits with commercial and non commercial broadcasters
• ABC3
• Comparing apples with apples. The Simpsons - is it a children’s drama show?
• Financing - a broad overview of how Children’s TV drama is financed
• Rules and regulations
• Key People and commissioning editors in Commercial and Non Commercial Broadcasters
• How to write pitch documents to interest investors and broadcasters

Cost will be $95 per person with 3 places being sponsored by ScreenACT. If you would like to apply for a sponsored position, please write to Monica Penders at ScreenACT stating why you would like to attend this workshop and why ScreenACT should sponsor you.

Course will run from 10.00 - 5.00pm on Saturday, 19th September. To register, download the form. RSVP by 31st August, 2009.