Scottish Screen stand at Cannes 2009
Eden Court, Inverness
scottishscreen scottishscreen scottishscreen
who we are Scottish Screen is the national development agency for the screen industries in Scotland. Our aim is to inspire audiences, support new and existing talent and businesses, educate young people, and promote Scotland as a creative place to make great films, award-winning television and world renowned digital entertainment. We are committed to building a sustainable future for the screen industries in Scotland, one that competes successfully on a global level. This means our focus is on developing the talent, ideas, businesses, skills and audiences for film and other screen content that will deliver this success. Each year we receive around £3.2m funds from the Scottish Government and £2.2m of National Lottery funds, which we invest in a range of projects, businesses and activities designed to develop our audiences, talent and businesses across the country. This brochure gives a flavour of the support we offer and demonstrates just some of the great work that is going on in the screen industries in Scotland. From next year, Scotland’s new development agency for the whole of the arts and creative industries, Creative Scotland, will take on Scottish Screen’s role (including its existing responsibilities and resources) in supporting the development of the screen industries across Scotland. For full details of Scottish Screen’s objectives and priorities for the next 12 months, please see our website - www.scottishscreen.com - for the latest version of our Corporate Plan.
what we have done
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how have we done this? The Finger Trap by Julia McLean
Scottish Screen and MEDIA at Scottish Students on Screen 2009
Martin Compston, actor, at the Creative Identities launch
1. Inspiring and Educating Audiences Cinema Hubs – developing the foundations of cultural cinema excellence – in programming, curation, marketing, outreach and education – through investing £445,000 in Glasgow Film Theatre, Eden Court, Dundee Contemporary Arts and Edinburgh Filmhouse. Regional Development – establishing and investing £100,000 in the new organisation Regional Screen Scotland to lead the development and promotion of the cinema experience in under-served areas. Digital Projection Equipment – increasing access for audiences across Scotland, through investing £500,000 in installing or making available digital projection facilities for 10 cinemas and multi arts venues, 11 film societies and clubs and in upgrading Screen Machine Two. Information – producing Tentpoles and Pixels, a downloadable resource for developing local digital cinema. Festivals – supporting the promotion and celebration of film for audiences across Scotland through investing £350,000 in 17 festivals, including the Edinburgh International Film Festival. New Markets – enabling Scottish films to reach new markets across the world, including the Shanghai Film Festival, the Turin Film Festival and the Scottish Cinema of Dreams in Beijing. Experimentation – encouraging experimentation and innovation in the production and distribution of creative screen content through supporting and investing in Alt-W and Pocket Shorts production initiatives, Cinespace and Archive Live distribution initiatives, and launching the £3m Digital Media IP Fund, financed by Scottish Enterprise and the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund. Moving Image Education Pilot Initiatives – developing and evaluating existing moving image pilot initiatives in schools in Edinburgh, Angus, Highland and South Lanarkshire, and expanding moving image education pilots to other training providers outwith schools, including Glasgow’s ‘Get Ready for Work’ trainers.
Inside the Screen Machine
Trainers – developing and expanding a nation-wide network of Lead Practitioners and developing continuing professional development modules with University of Glasgow for teachers and other trainers. Education Resources – launching and developing various resources and initiatives aimed at educators including an online resource www.movingimageeducation.org; an Early Years model and resources; the Scotland on Screen initiative with Learning and Teaching Scotland and the Scottish Screen Archive to develop teaching resources from archive footage; and the Live Lesson for Languages initiative with Discovery Film Festival to develop modern language teaching resources. Media Literacy Partnership – establishing Media Literacy Partnership with Ofcom, Learning and Teaching Scotland and Skills Development Scotland, with support from BBC Scotland. Advocacy – publishing and disseminating to all local authorities in Scotland and key decision makers Moving Image Education and A Curriculum for Excellence brochure illustrating the value of moving image education. Creative Identities – launching in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council, CashBack: Creative Identities programme in March 2009. With support of £1.2m from the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities Programme, financed through the Proceeds of Crime Action Fund, this 18-month pilot programme will support opportunities for 3,000 young people to participate in arts and creative media activities.
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Background image: Bo’ness Hippodrome
ballerina ballroom cinema of dreams
case study Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: £10,000 The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams was a completely unique film festival, which took place in August 2008 in Nairn. It was co-curated and organised by Mark Cousins and Tilda Swinton, Oscar winning performer, activist and resident of Nairn. Its aim was to recapture the joy and excitement of the cinema experience, appealing in particular to children and the child in everyone else. Scottish Screen invested in the film festival because it gave residents in and around the Nairn area access to classic and arthouse films, like Singin’ in the Rain, The Bill Douglas Trilogy as well as other less well known films from around the world. The festival also succeeded in reinvigorating an old, disused former ballroom and bingo hall, and making it a place where films can be watched and enjoyed, creating a sense of occasion and fun. The festival was attended by over 4000 people, a very high proportion of whom were local to Nairn, and attracted a diverse social mix, including both young and old. It brought people together to enjoy the communal experience of cinema. Beanbags, teas and coffees, homebaking and dancing all helped to make the festival very welcoming and inclusive.
In March 2009, Swinton and Cousins took the Scottish Cinema of Dreams to China to showcase Scottish films to Chinese audiences. This was to reciprocate the Cinema China film festival, which took place across the UK in March 2007, organised by Cousins and the University of Edinburgh, with support from Scottish Screen. August 2009 will see Swinton and Cousins reunited for A Pilgrimage, where they will engage the help of volunteers to pull the Screen Machine across the country, stopping in towns and villages with no cinema provision, and showing an exciting range of film from Scotland and around the world. Scottish Screen is supporting this latest cinematic adventure with an award from the Audience Development fund. Mark Cousins said: “It would be totally impossible to do the work that Tilda and I do without the support of Scottish Screen. It’s as simple as that. Not many film agencies in the world are so enlightened about the need for innovation in exhibition. Tilda and I are very lucky that we live in Scotland and, therefore, have Scottish Screen and its policy of support for such ventures.” www.a-pilgrimage.org
The Scottish Cinema of Dreams in China
Audience in Nairn
Outside the Cinema of Dreams in Nairn Mark Cousins and Tilda Swinton Audience with programme in China
www.movingimage case study Scottish Screen investment 2008/09: ÂŁ17,500
geeducation.org Scottish Screen’s moving image education (MIE) strategy aims to ensure that people of all ages and backgrounds are inspired and able to understand, analyse, appreciate, explore, create and share screen content. We focus on working with schools, local authorities, universities and the relevant national agencies in embedding media literacy within the new curriculum.
A major investment by Scottish Screen in developing online resources for true 21st century learning, movingimageeducation.org was developed in collaboration with award-winning animation company d fie foe. The site is a one-stop platform for teachers and practitioners interested in developing their practice in moving image education. Primarily aimed at supporting learning within Scottish contexts, movingimageeducation.org offers comprehensive support for the three key elements of moving image literacy – the development of creative, critical and cultural moving image skills. A wide range of expert practitioners in teaching and learning involving film have developed the site, which will grow into the internet’s most comprehensive in its field. The site supports the development of a rich and diverse range of activity, from full-scale filmmaking projects to ‘watching and talking’ with children and young people. The site hosts high quality film material, much of which is available to download,
from Oscar-nominated animated short film The Sandman, to extracts from Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen. movingimageeducation.org will also be a place for teachers and practitioners to share and reflect on their practice through a secure online forum, including uploading creative work that they have undertaken. Users will also be able to keep in touch with the latest film education news in Scotland via the site. The site will also be a repository for case studies of innovative moving image education practice (including Scottish Screen’s extensive work in the field of Early Years learning). Growing and evolving over the coming years, movingimageeducation.org will play a key part in delivering on Scottish Screen’s commitment to support and develop media literacy and moving image education across Scotland. www.scottishscreen.com/education
2. Attracting and Developing Businesses & Skills
Loch Fyne
NETS ‘30 years’ reception at EIFF 2009 Ken Hay, Chief Executive, Scottish Screen; Dinah Caine, Chief Executive, Skillset Scotland; Kay Sheridan, NETS Manager and Lord David Puttnam
Robert Carlyle, at a GMAC Actors’ Studio, funded by Scottish Screen through Skillset Scotland
New Entrants Programmes – developing the next generation of production talent across the film, television and animation sectors. NETS, which celebrates its 30th birthday in 2009 and with more than 90% of its graduates continuing to make a living in the film and television industry, is the longest running and most successful on-the-job screen industries training programme in the UK, delivering 14 industry ready graduates in 2008. Industry Skills Development – developing industry skills across the sector through investing £500,000 over three years of Scottish Screen National Lottery funds through Skillset Scotland supporting 204 training bursaries, 15 businesses and 4 training providers; and supporting Skillset Scotland to provide 155 individuals with a 1:1 careers service. Skillset Screen and Media Academies – developing creative, technical and business skills in the screen sector in Scotland, through supporting the development of the Skillset Screen and Media Academies at Screen Academy Scotland, Creative Loop and the University of Abertay. Flexible Investment Finance – growing the scale of Scotland’s screen businesses through investing almost £1m in Business Development Loans and Slate Finance deals in 11 companies. Promotion – promoting Scotland and Scotland’s screen industries at home and abroad, through presence at key markets, festivals and events, including, EIFF, Cannes, Toronto and AFCI and hosting three co-production events with different countries to encourage and build international networks. Advocacy – advocating for the development of Scotland’s screen industries at Scotland, UK, EU and international levels. Inward Investment – growing the volume of production activity through attracting £28m of production activity to Scotland, including 20 feature films and 39 large scale TV productions, in 2008. On the set of Doomsday
The Scottish Locations Network of local film offices and Scottish Screen provides a free, specialist locations service for indigenous and inward productions. The service offers information and advice on crews, facilities, services, locations, permissions and acts as a facilitator for production activity across Scotland. We are working with VisitScotland to develop a ‘Film Crews Welcome’ scheme for accommodation providers in Scotland.
Over 80 production companies and more than 300 facilities companies generating a turnover of £1.2bn per year are based in Scotland Creative and digital media businesses contribute over £2.8bn per year to the Scottish economy Film tourism accounts for 10% of the total value of tourism to the British economy – around £1.8bn a year 20% of visitors to Scotland say that seeing
Scotland on film or TV was important in their decision to book a Scottish holiday 8,000 people are employed in Scotland’s screen industries 9.3% of UK screen industry sales (£1.2bn per year) are generated through Scotland’s screen industries £28m production activity in 2008, including 20 feature films and 39 large scale TV productions attracted to Scotland through the Locations Network Production spend on the screen industries in Scotland is more than £240m per year Traigh Iar, Sollas, Uist, photograph by James MacLetchie
sigma films slate fund award case study Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: £112,500 In 2008, Scottish Screen launched its Slate Fund to provide leverage to companies seeking to secure additional finance and consolidate market interest in their slate of projects in development. Scottish Screen invested £561,500 in five companies, leveraging access to £1.1m development finance in total. One of the recipients of the slate funding was Sigma Films, who have a slate of 12 low to medium budget films, two of which have been approved for slate development (Beers, Steers & Queers and Mr Tourette & I), and two that are currently in development with Scottish Screen (Swung and The Ordinary). The remaining 8 films will be developed and produced under the talent development initiative, Advance Party II, which sees Sigma partnering up with Denmark’s Zentropa, Ireland’s Subotica, the Irish Film Board and the UK Film Council. A talent pool of 8 emerging filmmaking talents from the UK and Ireland have been identified to participate in the development and production of these six films. The two Scottish filmmakers are Paul Wright and Adrian McDowall. The original Advance Party initiative produced the award-winning film, Red Road, and the soon-to-be-released, Donkeys. Advance Party II will partner up emerging talent with Sigma’s existing team of creatives (including Gillian Berrie and David Mackenzie), drawing in support from other internationally recognised filmmaking talent. It will offer a significant opportunity for the creative and professional development of the individuals involved, providing a supported and nurturing environment for the emerging talent.
Scottish Screen’s investment in Sigma’s slate is in recognition of their strong track record in bringing new cinematic voices to an international audience; previous credits include Hallam Foe, Young Adam, Dogville and Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself. The company’s slate will develop and support Scotland’s indigenous screen industry, whilst strengthening links internationally, and will produce work that has universal appeal and is recognised as creatively excellent. Slate investment will help Sigma’s development as a sustainable independent production company. Gillian Berrie, Managing Director of Sigma Films said: “In order to survive, Scottish filmmakers must not only embrace the industry on an international level, they have to compete and succeed in both the creative and business sides of the arena. Scottish Screen recognises the challenges we face and is a critical supporter of our endeavours to maintain Scotland’s presence in an often turbulent and unpredictable market. Our industry would not survive without that fundamental support.” Sigma Films is based at Film City Glasgow and June 2009 saw the launch of the third phase of redevelopment of this state of the art studio, office space and facilities hub. www.sigmafilms.com www.filmcityglasgow.com
Donkeys
Red Road
David Mackenzie
Gillian Berrie
Advance Party II in Cannes 2009
Michelle Wright, live at the Northern Nashville festival in Caithness
Live Scottish international rugby
Women’s football
Cuide ri Cathy, Cathy MacDonald with Billy Boyd
Allan MacDonald, Managing Director of mneTV
mneTV business development loan case study Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: £80,000 over two years In 2007 Scottish Screen launched its Business Development Fund. The aim of this support was to provide access to funding for companies to sustain, develop or grow an aspect of their business for a period of up to two years. Scottish Screen invested just under £400,000 in seven companies, of which mneTV was one. mneTV celebrates its 20th birthday in August 2009, having been set up with the support of stv in Benbecula in 1989. The company, based on the Broomielaw in Glasgow, has grown in size to become one of the largest independent production companies outside of London, with a turnover of over £3m and a core staff of 25. Central to what they do is a connection to Gaelic language and culture, and they produce programmes across entertainment, comedy, drama and sport. The company is currently Scotland’s largest independent producer of television sport, supplying over 50 live and recorded outside broadcast games across Scottish Premier League and First Division football, rugby, women’s football, and shinty. In entertainment, they produce two of BBC ALBA’s most popular series Cuide ri Cathy (in which Cathy MacDonald meets Scotland’s stars in all walks of life), and Ceòl Country (country music), which this year features the best of country music from festivals in Creetown and Caithness.
In 2007, mneTV used the Business Development Loan award to fund both creative and business research and development, exploring new areas for growth and expansion. This included investigating the potential of new technologies through their prototype multi-sports web platform, bounci tv; preparing for the huge opportunities opened up by the new Gaelic language channel, BBC ALBA; and developing links with international partners for potential co-production opportunities. The company has recently re-branded, and is re-designing and expanding its website service, based on their experience with bounci.tv, a modelling project supported by Scottish Screen. Allan MacDonald, Managing Director of mneTV said, “Scottish Screen’s Business Development Loan and other support was of enormous help to mneTV in preparing effectively to achieve four-year volume deals from MG ALBA in respect of both sport and entertainment in 2008. Consequently, we feel that the loan delivered the circumstances necessary to allow us to look to the future and fund necessary development in our own right. Building on that success, we now hope to be making inroads this year into new areas of sport, and will shortly be announcing initiatives, to spearhead our work in comedy and drama in Gaelic, as well as regional and network television.” www.mnemedia.tv
3. Developing Talent & Creativity Talent Development – developing the next generation of creative talent through investing £385,000 in production and training opportunities for new and emerging talent, including the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap initiative, DigiCult with the UK Film Council and Zig Zag Love in partnership with BBC Scotland. European Investment – connecting Scotland and Scottish talent to the EU’s MEDIA Programme through MEDIA Antenna Scotland (www.mediadesk.co.uk) which has brought in over €10 million of investment to Scotland since the programme began in 1990. Celebration – recognising and celebrating the best of Scottish talent and work through supporting the BAFTA Scotland Awards, the Celtic Media Festival, and investing £25,000 in BAFTA Scotland to produce Scottish Students on Screen. Development and Production Co-investment – supporting the development and production of distinctive Scottish film and screen content through investing £225,000 in script development, £210,000 in short film production and £2.2m in feature film production. Digital Media Content and Platforms – encouraging innovation and experimentation in the development of new content and platforms for the digital age through establishing a £3m Digital Media IP Fund financed by Scottish Enterprise and the Creative Scotland Innovation Fund. Promotion – promoting Scottish talent and projects at key festivals, markets and events, such as Sheffield Doc/Fest, Encounters and Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival. Supporting the attendance of 34 companies and projects at 20 international festivals and markets, and supporting emerging filmmakers through the production of a guide to short film distribution: You’ve Got It Made.
Scottish Students on Screen 2009, right and top
Stephen McCole in Crying with laughter
Ewen Bremner and Ardal O’Hanlon in Wide Open Spaces
Malcolm McDowell in Doomsday
Dougray Scott in New Town Killers
summer case study Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: ÂŁ112,751
Summer
Summer cast and crew at EIFF 2008
Summer is a feature film from Sixteen Films, produced by Camilla Bray, directed by Kenny Glenaan (Gas Attack, Yasmin), and starring Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, Stone of Destiny, The Full Monty) as Shaun. Shaun and Daz are vibrant kids, wasted by their experience of education. All they have is their friendship, and for Shaun, his first love Katy. From the moment Shaun steps into our world he is bound to lose. Labelled as a violent bully he destroys himself and takes Daz with him. Shaun has twelve years to reflect on an intense summer of love, sex and loyalty. But Daz’s imminent death forces Shaun to go on a journey to confront his past. This is the story of a man full of intelligence and promise struggling to reclaim his life. Although the film was shot on location in Derbyshire, where writer Hugh Ellis is from, it involves key Scottish talent, including Executive Producer Rebecca O’Brien. Casting was done by Victoria Beattie, and the film has a lead Scottish character. The film provided two young unknown Scottish actors the
chance to play Shaun at key points in the character’s development. Post-production of the film was carried out in Scotland by Serious Facilities and Savalas. The film has screened at the Branchage Film Festival and Cambridge Film Festival in September 2008 and Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2008, where Robert Carlyle won the award for Best Performance. The film screened at Rome International Film Festival in October 2008, where it won the main award in the Alice in the City (Alice nella città) category, the festival’s youth section. The film picked up the top film prize at the BAFTA Scotland Awards in December 2008, where Kenny Glenaan was also recognised with Best Director Award. Summer was released in the UK in December 2008 by Vertigo Films. Director Kenny Glenaan, who is currently working on a number of other projects, including, Dirt Road to Lafayette, with an original screenplay by James Kelman, said: “Scottish Screen’s support on Summer was intelligent, decisive and quick.”
valhalla rising case study Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: ÂŁ500,000
Valhalla Rising, filming in Scotland, top and right
Photo by Francis Lopez
Valhalla Rising is a feature co-production between Scottish production company, La Belle Allee, and Denmark’s Nimbus Films. The film, directed by Nicholas Winding Refn (Bronson, The Pusher Trilogy), stars Casino Royale villain and After the Wedding star Mads Mikkelsen as One Eye, a mute Viking warrior with supernatural powers. The £3.7m fantasy adventure story is set around 1000AD, and tells of One Eye’s quest to discover his identity, as he overcomes his Scottish captors and embarks on a journey of escape to the New World. It was originally intended that the film would shoot partly here and partly in the US, but as Karen Smyth, producer, explains, the shoot ended up being wholly based in Scotland: “With the help of Scottish Screen, we were able to convince overseas financiers that the whole film could be shot here, and that the Scottish landscape is so diverse that our hero could convincingly re-emerge into another country without the crew leaving Scotland.” The film shot over 10 weeks in the summer of 2008 in various locations in Argyll, providing employment for an almost entirely Scottish cast and crew, and bringing in a production spend of over £2.3m.
Scottish Screen invested in the project because it is creatively very exciting, has strong international appeal and a Scottish co-producer on board. The film made a significant impact economically and also showcases Scotland’s wonderful locations. Karen Smyth said: “Scottish Screen’s investment ensured we were able to shoot a major international co-production wholly in Scotland, and encouraged other partners to come on board. This level of investment showed Scottish Screen capable of waterfalling international investment and is an excellent precedent for other regional funding models.” Valhalla Rising will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2009 before going on to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival later in the month. It has already secured international distribution in the UK, France and Scandinavia, as well as other key international territories. www.labelleallee.com
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Background image: Wide Open Spaces
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Creative industries contribute over £5 billion to Scotland’s economy each year supporting around 60,000 jobs Scottish Screen has invested £28m National Lottery funds through 831 projects to develop the screen industries in Scotland since 2000 Scottish Screen’s investment attracts an average of £7.50 of 3rd party investment for every £1 of Scottish Screen investment
Background image: Zig Zag Love
Contact Us To keep up to date with all the latest information about the screen industries in Scotland, subscribe to our weekly email bulletin, e-roughcuts and our magazine roughcuts. Just email roughcuts@ scottishscreen.com with your details. Scottish Screen 249 West George Street Glasgow G2 4QE E: info @scottishscreen.com W: www.scottishscreen.com T: +44 (0)141 302 1700 F: +44 (0)141 302 1711