MEDIA Programme Ten Year Survey: Full Report by Creative Europe Desk UK

The MEDIA Programme: supporting growth in the European audiovisual industry Survey of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MEDIA Programme funding recipients 2001-2011 Full report

Report prepared by: Jasmin Searles, Monitoring Dept, BFI. June 2012 Front cover image: Leeds International Film Festival has received MEDIA Audiovisual Festivals funding

CONTENTS Context

Method

Overview of Participants

Executive Summary

Producer’s Support

MEDIA Development Fund

MEDIA Broadcast Fund

MEDIA i2i Audiovisual Fund

Distributor Support

Sales Agent Support

Exhibitor Support

Film Schools Support

Professional Training Provider Support

Market Organiser Support

Impact of MEDIA Funding

MEDIA Funded Training Courses

MEDIA Funding Networking Events

Other Benefits

Further Comments

Regional Analysis

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Appendix 6

Appendix 7

Appendix 8

Context MEDIA Desk UK is a promotion and information office for the European Commission's MEDIA Programme. The MEDIA Programme offers funding s chemes which target d ifferent areas of the audiovisual s ector. The Programme is due to end in December 2013. In December 2011, the European Commission published a proposal for a n ew “Creative Europe” programme for the period 2014-‐2020 which will replace the current MEDIA programme. This prompted MEDIA Desk UK to undertake a review by inviting UK recipients of MEDIA funding to complete a Survey that was prepared in the context of the future of the MEDIA Programme. The results offer great insight which will contribute to Europe-‐wide n egotiations, h elping the UK Government make an informed d ecision as part of the consultation on the European Commission’s proposal. Additionally, the results h elp MEDIA Desk UK evaluate the impact of the funding, ensure priorities are b eing met and identify opportunities for improvement. 3

Method The online survey was conducted b etween the 23 rd F ebruary and 8th March 2012. The Survey used Skip Logic to direct respondents through d ifferent paths within the survey s o that questions could be specifically tailored according to the type of funding the participant received. This “skip logic” approach allowed the Desk to gather valuable and comprehensive feedback within each strand of funding and h elped yield meaningful insight which will contribute to the consultation. Within each s trand of funding, the Survey was further split into two parts. Part one aimed to gather comment on the impact of the d irect funding received. Part two aimed to identify any additional b enefits that MEDIA support has provided for industry professionals to date. In all instances, N/A responses have b een removed to get a more a ccurate percentage of applicable responses when reporting on findings. Any comments have b een included verbatim with only typographical or grammatical errors being amended. Company names and project titles have a lso b een redacted to respect the privacy of the survey participants. 4

Overview of Participants 404 UK Beneficiaries of funding (between 2001 to date) were invited to participate via an email which provided a link to the Survey. The Survey was completed b y 167 p eople a cross 6 sectors of the industry. The majority of responses came from Producers who received Development funding (103 respondents). Sector Number As a % of of Total Respondents Participants (NB: may have received more t han one type of funding)

112

67.1%

-‐ Development funding

103

61.7%

-‐ Broadcast funding

5.9%

-‐ i2i Audiovisual Funding

5.9%

Exhibitor

13.2%

Distributor

6.6%

4.8%

-‐ F ilm School

2.4%

-‐ Professional Training Provider

1.8%

Market Organiser

1.8%

167

Producers

Sales Agent (one participant c hose to c omplete just t he general section)

Training Providers

TOTAL Participants

49 participants chose to provide their contact d etails to allow MEDIA Desk UK to acknowledge their feedback, comments or concerns.

Executive Summary Producer Support • 82% of producers who received a MEDIA Development grant felt the funding had been “very effective” or “effective” in improving the quality of the script. • 91% of producers indicated it had b een “very important” or “important” that the MEDIA Development grant had allowed producers to safeguard their creative control. • 80% of producers felt the MEDIA Programme d evelopment funding grant had b een “very effective” or “effective” in h elping maximise the international market potential of the project. • 93% of producers who received MEDIA funding more than once rated MEDIA felt the funding was “very effective” or “effective” in contributing to the sustainability of their overall d evelopment activities. • 100% of producers receiving MEDIA Broadcast funding felt the MEDIA programme was “very effective” or “effective” in h elping maximise the international market potential for their project. • 100% of producers who received MEDIA Broadcast funding felt the MEDIA programme was “very effective” or “effective” in h elping attract interest from broadcasters and other co-‐producers for their TV programmes. • 80% of producers who received a MEDIA i2i Audiovisual grant felt the funding was “very effective” or “effective” in h elping maximise the international market potential for their project. • 90% of producers who received a MEDIA i2i Audiovisual grant felt the funding had b een very effective in making bank b orrowing and/or the use of a completion bond for the production budget more affordable.

Distribution & Exhibition • 82% of d istributors who received a grant felt the funding had enabled them to a cquire n on-‐UK European films which they would otherwise not have purchased. • 73% of d istributors who received a grant felt the funding had a positive impact on the size of release. • 82% of d istributors who received a grant felt the funding had “very effectively” or “effectively” boosted the marketing spend on films released. • On average distributors indicate that 71% of films from countries participating in the MEDIA Programme are supported b y MEDIA Automatic and S elective s chemes. • 82% of Sales Agents found the MEDIA programme “very important” or “important” in h elping them d istribute films. • 96% of exhibitors who received a grant found the funding to b e “very effective” or “effective” in enabling them to exhibit European n on-‐national films. • 74% of exhibitors who received a grant found the funding to b e “very effective” or “effective” in h elping them develop new a udiences. 6

Training, Markets and Events • 75% of film schools who participated in the survey indicated the MEDIA programme had b een “very effective” in facilitating film schools to work together and exchange ideas. • 100% film schools who participated in the survey found the MEDIA programme “very effective” or “effective” in deploying and using expert industry practitioners to lend expertise. • 100% of the professional training providers who participated in the survey found the MEDIA programme “very effective” in h elping them d evelop their courses and increase business. • All of the professional training providers who participated in the survey agreed the MEDIA programme reduces the cost of the training a ctivity, makes training more affordable for participants and enables providers to offer courses they would otherwise not offer. • All of the market organisers who participated in the survey found MEDIA funding “very effective” in h elping grow their business and “very effective” or “effective” in s timulating employment and creating jobs and improving their leverage of match funding. • 86% of survey participants who had attended a MEDIA-‐funded training course agreed the course enhanced their skills and knowledge and a further 90% agreed that attending a MEDIA-‐funded training course provides an opportunity to meet partners. • 61% of survey participants who had attended a MEDIA-‐funded networking event a greed that attendance had improved their p osition with buyers or will h elp provide opportunities to meet partners for future collaboration. • 79% of survey participants who had attended a MEDIA-‐funded networking event indicated that a ttendance h ad directly h elped produce their projects. 7

Producer’s Support AIM: MEDIA development funding aims to enable producers to prepare m ore competitive product for t he international m arket whilst m aintaining full creative control over their project(s). The questions aimed t o ascertain whether t he funding helped to better prepare the project for the market. 103 producers (out of 112) had received a MEDIA Development funding grant.

These participants were asked specific q uestions about this grant, although not all of them answered all questions.

MEDIA Development Funding How effective was the MEDIA Programme in helping you maximise the international market potential of your project? 103 participants answered this question.

82 participants (80% of those who answered) felt the MEDIA Programme d evelopment funding had b een effective in helping maximise the international market p otential of the project. 50 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights Producers feel that “The MEDIA award is a stamp of quality” and a “mark of approval” which “[brings] respect and recognition” to a project. Participants found the funding “essential” and “indispensible” and a “very effective tool to leverage funding for the whole project”. “Without MEDIA, m any projects would not be developed.” The funding “changed [the] development trajectory enormously”. It has “grown to be a key and crucial player in the international marketplace for m edia production” and makes “all the difference to the project and its prospects” A Note on Inconclusive Res pons es 20 participants couldn’t identify whether or not the funding h elped maximise the international market potential. Some indicated this was b ecause funding had b een used towards other costs (such as script d evelopment a nd content development) whilst others felt it was too soon to assess this p otential benefit. Comments which were received by these participants were constructive with one producer clarifying that “…international market potential is, of course, a m ajor consideration both in our choice of project and in MEDIA support of this choice” and another providing an example of h ow “…the funding [helped] creat[e] a trailer which [was used]to engage prospective overseas investors”. 9

How effective has MEDIA Programme development funding been in allowing you to find partners for your projects? (For example, through attending international markets) 101 participants answered this question.

68 participants (67% of those who answered) felt that the funding had b een effective in allowing producer’s to find partners for their projects. 58 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights Many producers commented on how MEDIA funding h ad directly facilitated their attendance at international markets, making “projects visible” b y enabling face to face meetings. The programme “crucially facilitates the emergence of m arket places all over Europe, and the m eans for m edia producers to get to them and m eet each other“ . Further, producers cited funding as “extremely necessary for forming relationships with international financiers, sales agents and distributors” which is “an essential element” when a ttracting and attaching partners to a project. Examples were provided to d emonstrate how the funding had h elped producers “ attract partners and funding from overseas” and MEDIA Development funding is s een as “crucial” in s ecuring match funding, enabling producers to “maintain relationships with other producers around the world” and many indicated that the funding had been “a crucial part of [the] development strategy” with some producers stating that they were “only able to achieve [funding from partners] due to the s upport received from MEDIA.” A Note on Inconclusive Res pons es 30 participants couldn’t identify whether or not the funding had b een effective in allowing them to find partners for their projects. Further comments revealed that this was mostly b ecause partners were already in place or n ot needed at all. One producer commented that the project was “still a work in progress but has been very valuable in enabling us to package the project for interested parties.” 10

How effective has MEDIA funding been in enabling you to work with established talent? 103 participants answered this question.

68 participants (66% of those who answered) felt that the funding had b een effective in enabling producer’s to work with established talent. 46 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights There was great commonality amongst the participants who chose to provide further comments. Producers maintain that “MEDIA is a well respected fund in the industry” with a reputation and status which “automatically gives the project kudos and enables [producers] to attach the best talent” to a project. The funding acts as “a “seal of approval for the project”, “is very important for the prestige of the project” and so “[attracts] other financiers and talent to come on board”. The funding can b e “crucial” and “key” to producers. One producer admitted that they “would not be able to work with established talent without the MEDIA Programme” and another revealed that “funding enabled us to complete the script with Oscar winning writer and to attract a high profile director”. A Note on Inconclusive Res pons es 33 participants couldn’t identify whether or not the funding had b een effective in enabling them to work with established talent. Further comments revealed that the funding had n ot b een used to attract talent. Some producers highlighted that the talent had b een attracted through the quality of the script. ” The fact that we now have a good script …attracted very high calibre heads of department though, and we could not have done that without MEDIA” 11

How effective has MEDIA funding been in improving the quality of the script? 101 participants answered this question.

83 participants (82% of those who answered) felt that the funding had b een effective in improving the quality of the script. 46 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights Producers found the funding “essential”, as it enabled them to “work with the best script editors” which both “attracts broadcaster investment” a nd creates “solid, ongoing partnership[s] with m any writers”. The funding is seen as “key to enhancing quality and control.” The “opportunity to iron out a n umber of editorial issues” is seen as “vital … for writers who haven’t written long form work before.” One producer commented that the funding “advantaged us enormously and perhaps wholly enabled us to work with [the script editor] further. Producers a lso recognised that the funding a llows for “maximum script development”, which may otherwise not have b een possible. The finance means producers are able to commission “a number of drafts…to perfect the script” and “arrive at the best draft to tell [the] story.” One producer remarked that “without [MEDIA funding] there would not have b een any scripts, let a lone improved quality of scripts” whilst another substantiated that “the quality of the script improved m arkedly”. As well as b eing a “very influential advisor, [MEDIA] could be a very important financial contributor.” A Note on Inconclusive Res pons es 16 participants couldn’t identify whether or not the funding had b een effective in enabling them to improve the quality of the script. One producer commented “We would always make s ure our scripts were top notch” but others indicated the funding was for documentaries where script d evelopment would not be required. 12

How effective has MEDIA funding been in getting development projects to production stage? 101 participants answered this question.

72 participants (71% of those who answered) felt that the funding had b een effective in getting d evelopment projects to production stage. 49 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights One producer commented that “The support schemes are very well thought out” and the ratio of projects which reached production stage seemed to verify this statement. Producers demonstrated that there is an “…excellent hit rate of MEDIA funded projects getting into production” and in one case it had b een “100% effective”. Another producer acknowledged that in “all cases the funding has been instrumental”. The funding is viewed as a “very valuable part of the finance plan”, “an essential foundation for a healthy project” and valuable in “prepar[ing] the project for the m arket”. The comments saw MEDIA funding b eing d escribed as “vital”, “crucial” and “enabling”. One producer h ighlighted that, in their speciality they have b ecome “the most prolific production house in the UK…because of MEDIA”. The funding and the team were also heralded as “wonderfully s upportive in a very difficult economic m edia environment”. A Note on Inconclusive Res pons es 23 participants couldn’t identify whether or not the funding had b een effective in getting development projects to production stage. V ery few comments were provided to explain this choice but it appears that s everal projects had to b e abandoned due to issues with rights h olders and other external influences. Others are s till in the process of finding further funding so the question was not applicable at this stage.

How effective has MEDIA funding been in facilitating the use of the professional paid services of the following?

100 participants answered this question but did not rate all of the paid s ervices. Casting Directors 88 p eople participated in this rating and 43 participants (49%) felt MEDIA funding had b een either very effective or effective in facilitating the use of the professional paid services of casting d irectors. Researchers 85 p eople participated in this rating and 40 participants (47%) felt MEDIA funding had b een either very effective or effective in facilitating the use of the professional paid services of researchers. Line Producers 87 p eople participated in this rating and 42 participants (48%) felt MEDIA funding had b een either very effective or effective in facilitating the use of the professional paid services of line producers. Consultants 84 p eople participated in this rating and 39 participants (46%) felt MEDIA funding had b een either very effective or effective in facilitating the use of the professional paid services of consultants. Other 24 p eople felt MEDIA funding had also b een very effective or effective in facilitating the use of other paid professionals, including writers, d irectors, cinematographers, script editors and editorial staff, producers and associate producers, transmedia experts, marketing experts, lawyers, camera crews, commissioning editors, cross platform d evelopers, sound d esigners and composers. 14

The application process for development funding requires producers to develop convincing, comprehensive strategies for their project from development through to financing, distribution and marketing. How did the process benefit your project(s)? This was an open-‐ended question which invited 91 responses. Commentary highlights Feedback verified that the comprehensive s trategies a re effective, essential and b eneficial. “The rigour of the application process was a fantastic litmus test for how we needed to think about our development strategy” h elping producers “form an effective agenda…for m oving the project along.” Producers d emonstrated how the strategy attracted investors giving producers a “pretext for approaching potential partners to support [the] application “. Cited as a “massive endorsement that allows [producers]…to publicise [them]selves and [their] s late further”, there is substantial evidence that MEDIA support brings “confidence to bring on board m atching funding” as well as b eing “absolutely invaluable…to bring[ing] the project to production” Deemed a “helpful”, “extremely useful” and “insightful” process, the strategies enable producers to “crystallise] why [they] want to make the film”, compelling them to “clarify strategies and the direction of the project.” In s imple terms, there was overwhelming assent that the “thinking and planning was a very good thing to do”. It provides a “healthy discipline and high standards to m aintain”. Further b enefits were identified as producers felt the process helps “sets goals [to] m easure progress”, “encourages early collaborations” and h elps to explore “exciting new ways to market the film”. The b enefits can a lso p ermeate through the whole of the company’s business model. One producer explained that the process had encouraged the company to “establish an online business” by self distributing their DVD titles via Amazon and their own website and by offering paid for streaming s ervices through their website. Other Points to C ons ider One producer found the process “very labour intensive”. This point was echoed but other producers acknowledged that the b enefits garnered from the process far outweigh this inconvenience. • “The application process is particularly detailed, but it does help strengthen our overview of all elements of a project.” • “The application process is thorough and for good reason”. • “Broadcasters take us s eriously.” 15

How important was it for you that the grant allowed you to safeguard your creative control of the project? 101 participants answered this question.

92 participants (91% of those who answered) indicated it had b een very important or important that the grant had allowed producers to safeguard their creative control. 35 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights Producers s tressed that b eing able to safeguard creative control over their project was “of huge importance” and “absolutely crucial” as it “protects the integrity of the project” so that the “vision of the project [remains] pure”. This, in turn, offers producers full confidence that investors are “fully committed to the project”. Producers a lso felt that sharing creative control “often leads to dilution of [the project’s] originality”. Maintaining creative control is “how the best, most distinctive and original work comes about.” It “protects the integrity of the project” as well as “enabling [producers] to develop s kills within the studio and keep the production in-‐house.” MEDIA funding is seen as unique and “essential” in allowing producers to safeguard creative control s o they can preserve their complete ownership over IP and copyright. It is “the only source of finance available to a UK producer that does not dilute their copyright and give away s ome creative control”. One producer stressed that “Creative control m eans ecumenical power and a stronger negotiating position for European producers.” A Note on Inconclusive Res pons es 9 participants were unsure whether or not safeguarding creative control was important. In some cases, this was because other rights had a lready b een s ecured. One producer observed “the success of a project is almost impossible to predict” whilst another noted that the other partners in the project, the BFI, “have given really good creative input at all stages”. There are a minority who do welcome the opportunity to involve other creatives in a project. 16

Has MEDIA funding helped secure other development funding? 100 participants answered this question.

56 participants (56% of those who answered) agreed that MEDIA funding had h elped s ecure other d evelopment funding. 35 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights Producers commented that MEDIA funding h elped s ecure further d evelopment funding through association as MEDIA “brand recognition” offers d emonstrable evidence of the quality of the projects it supports. MEDIA funding “shows confidence in a project” which as well as “greatly s trengthen[ing] the position of the company” and “other applications for development funding”. Producers a lluded to the “stamp of approval” that comes with MEDIA funding, making projects “much m ore attractive for other companies to invest in.” The funding provides essential “leverage when approaching other development financiers”. MEDIA support was d eemed “invaluable [for] recognition, trust and belief given to project[s]”. One producer commented that “all of the projects that have had MEDIA support have m anaged to gain support both domestically and outside the country”. Producers are confident financiers know “MEDIA is a strong and established indicator of the quality & potential of projects.” A Note on the other Res pons es 15 participants were unsure whether or not MEDIA support would s ecure further d evelopment funding. These particular participants indicated they are still looking for funding so couldn’t commit to a d efinite response a t this time. 29 participants d id n ot feel MEDIA support s ecured further development funding. 4 p eople provided further insight into their choice h elping us deduce that funding is either still b eing sought (one producer comments “Not at the moment, but I expect it will”) or not required (“other development funding was in place prior to the application” and “other development s ources applied for were not influenced by the particular MEDIA funding award obtained”.) The last comment comes from a producer who indicated MEDIA may have encouraged further support in the past, “unfortunately not in this instance”. 17

Between 2001 and now, have you received MEDIA funding more than once? 102 participants answered this question.

44 participants (43% of those who answered) had received MEDIA funding more than once. How e ffective has MEDIA funding been in contributing t o the sustainability of your overall development activities? 43 participants answered this question.

40 participants (93% of those who answered) agreed that MEDIA funding had b een very effective or effective in contributing to the sustainability of overall d evelopment activities. 26 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights Producers felt “MEDIA is essential”, “indispensible” and a “cornerstone partner” h elping producers “to take projects forward and validate [their] overall business”. Several comments a lluded to how funding had “kept the company alive”. “It would have been impossible without MEDIA funding [which] becomes ever more vital in the current economic m edia climate”. The funding h elps companies “survive and grow”, “enabling [them] to continue where [they might otherwise] have had to suspend all development”. For many, MEDIA funding “adds to the company's s tability, sustainability, and s urvival!” Funding “allows for the forging of long term relationships with writers and contributors” and makes “it possible to hold on to good people in the office.”

MEDIA TV Broadcasting Funding 10 producers (out of 112) had received a MEDIA broadcast grant.

This s ection will look a t their responses. How e ffective was t he MEDIA programme in helping you t o m aximise the international market potential for your project? 10 participants answered this question.

100% of participants felt MEDIA programme was very effective or effective in helping m aximise the international market potential for their project. 5 participants provided comments: • “The MEDIA TV GRANT helped get the project m ade.” • “The funding enabled us to produce the s eries.” • “It helped take the pressure of cost of production which m eans that we can give m ore time to the planning of our distribution initiatives and be m ore s elective of our additional partners and s ales objectives.” • “Without The MEDIA programme funding, I would not have been able to m ake m y animated children's s eries [producer name removed] and therefore the international sales to over 100 territories would not have happened” • “Knowing that we could cover 20% of the budget was crucial. It was the first time I worked with [partner name removed], so they did not want to risk too m uch m oney on this project.” 19

How e ffective has t he MEDIA TV Broadcasting funding been in helping you attract interest from broadcasters and other co-‐producers for your TV programmes? 10 participants answered this question.

100% of participants felt MEDIA programme was very effective or effective in h elping attract interest from broadcasters and other co-‐producers. 6 participants provided comments:  “Again, going through the process of finding partners for the application enabled us to meet and find a broad range of interested broadcasters and distributors. It is challenging but effective.”  “It was an incentive to get us out s elling the project outside of our home country.”  “We anticipate that it will be and will be using the MEDIA's support and endorsement as an additional marketing tool to reinforce the quality of our output.”  “The MEDIA TV Broadcasting funding contribution m eant that broadcasters and co-‐producers were able to commit to the production.”  “In a sense this is not relevant as s ecuring the funding is part of the process of attracting interest. Having said that, it does allow us to pressurise broadcasters to give commitment to a project”  “MEDIA regulations kept rights demands in check. Both co-‐pro partners wanted m ore than 7 years.” 20

How e ffective was t he MEDIA TV Broadcasting funding in helping you complete t he financing necessary t o produce your TV programmes? 10 participants answered this question.

100% of participants felt MEDIA programme was very effective in h elping them complete the financing n ecessary to produce the TV programme. 7 participants provided comments: • “We could not have m ade our project as well as we did without MEDIA support. It was crucial.” • “The Media funding was the last piece in the funding puzzle” • “This was crucial as the MEDIA funding closed a very m eaningful gap in the overall financing of the production that would otherwise have had to been investment from the co-‐producers which in turn would have created additional pressure on each of the co-‐producer's businesses.” • “It triggered the 'green light' for production!” • “It takes the pressure of doing bad deals as a 10-‐12.5% contribution gives the producer a stronger negotiating position in dealing with potential funders” • “First of all we could not have m ade the film without the 20% MEDIA contribution; the co-‐pro partners could not afford the full cost.” • We could attract additional co-‐producers.”

MEDIA i2i Audiovisual Funding 10 producers (out of 112) had received MEDIA i2i Audiovisual funding.

8 participants (80% of those who answered) felt MEDIA programme was very effective or effective in helping maximise the international m arket potential for their project. 4 participants provided comments: • “Totally” • “This m oney was only awarded after the film was produced s o whereas it was very important for the company and for the film it didn’t really impact the international market potential.” • “I am not sure if our Award also fits under this category but it has been very effective in this respect…namely it took the pressure off the final cost of production which has enabled us to maximise our approach to the international market place and not have to make additional and potentially less lucrative deals in order to speed up recovery of producer investment in the project.” • “The money helped us finish [the project] that went on to win the Palme d'Or. We'd have really struggled without it.” 22

How e ffective has MEDIA i2i Audiovisual funding been in m aking bank borrowing and/or t he use of a completion bond for your production budget more affordable? 10 participants answered this question.

9 participants (90% of those who answered) felt MEDIA i2i Audiovisual funding had b een very effective in making bank b orrowing and/or the use of a completion bond for the production budget more affordable. 5 participants provided comments: • “Gives us m uch financial flexibility” • “On lower budget films this finance is key to enabling the additional costs of co-‐producing to be covered.” • “Clearly i2i m eant the bond; lending and legal fees were less of a burden on the budget vital in low budget filmmaking.” • “Extremely effective and helpful in both cases” • “Paying for the completion bond meant that other really important elements in a very tight budget were affordable.” The producer who indicated the funding had b een ineffective in this way commented “Very little at the moment seems to help encourage the UK Banks to assist in the cash flowing of production s o this is an area which MEDIA might be able to help with going forward.” 23

Distributor Support Aim:

The MEDIA Programme aims t o support t he transnational distribution and exhibition of European films. The following questions aim t o ascertain how effective recipients have found MEDIA Distribution funding to be.

11 distributors who received MEDIA Development funding participated in the survey. This s ection will look a t their responses. How e ffective has MEDIA Programme funding been in e nabling you t o acquire non-‐UK European films, w hich you would not have otherwise purchased? 11 participants answered this question.

9 participants (82% of those who answered) felt the funding had enabled them to acquire non-‐UK European films which they would otherwise not have purchased. 5 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights MEDIA funding provides an “element of security when considering the overall cost of acquiring and releasing non-‐UK European films.” One d istributor categorically stated they “would not have purchased [their Oscar nominated and award winning] film” without the funding. Another confirmed the funding had “allowed [them] to release and promote titles [they] m ay never have released otherwise.” 24

How e ffective has MEDIA Programme funding for Minimum Guarantees been in acquiring titles? 11 participants answered this question.

3 participants (27% of those who answered) felt MEDIA funding for Minimum Guarantees had b een very effective or effective in acquiring titles. 3 d istributors provided further comments. Commentary highlights The funding had “softened the impact of Minimum Guarantees on other more expensive acquisitions” and “enabled [distributors] to acquire titles [they] may not have otherwise acquired” A Note on Inconclusive Responses One comment was provided by a d istributor who couldn’t give a conclusive response commenting that they had, in the past, “waited too long before claiming”. They asked whether the d eadline for this support could b e extended. Has MEDIA funding had an impact on the size of release? (For example, number of prints) 11 participants answered this question.

8 participants (73% of those who answered) indicated MEDIA funding had a positive impact on the size of release. 5 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights Distributors were “very pleased with the automatic/reinvestment scheme”. The funding enabled them to “invest in more prints and extra promotional activity” b y “reinvesting s ome of the auto fund against P&A costs”. The spend on promotion means “advertising can increase” with the hope there will be a greater impact on the s ize of release. 25

How e ffective has MEDIA funding been in boosting m arketing spend on films released? 11 participants answered this question.

9 participants (82% of those who answered) felt MEDIA funding had very effectively or effectively boosted the marketing spend on films released. 2 distributors provided further comments. Commentary highlights 1 participant explained “It is the overall subsidy to P&A costs where it assists. On selective schemes these can have a hugely positive impact too”. A Note on Inconclusive Responses The participant who provided an inconclusive response commented “We tend not to overstretch ourselves on our marketing budget. We would have been more able to do s o if we had been able to s ecure selective funding.” 26

How e ffective has t he MEDIA Automatic scheme been in supporting the overall sustainability of your business? 11 participants answered this question.

7 participants (64% of those who answered) felt MEDIA funding had b een very effective or effective in supporting the overall sustainability of their business. 4 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights The automatic support can b e used as a “roll-‐over fund without which [distributors] might not be able to acquire new titles.” Without the funding exhibitors felt there would be “a m uch lower emphasis on European film” with a tendency to look “to English language territories for acquisitions”. Other comments to note 1 participant found the s cheme ineffective in supporting the overall sustainability of their business but commented “We did not use the MEDIA scheme extensively enough to be able to gauge this question.” 27

Analysis on Distributor films released Distributors were asked questions about films they released against those which had b een supported b y MEDIA funding. Average figures in a year were provided. 9 participants responded but only 6 correctly understood the question*:

How many films do you release?

How many are from countries participating in the MEDIA programme?

How many of these are supported by MEDIA Automatic and Selective schemes?

MEDIA supported films as a % of films from participating countries

Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Participant 4 Participant 5

10 30 10 10 9

6 15 4 5 6

3 15 4 3 4

50% 100% 100% 60% 67%

Participant 6

50%

If there was no MEDIA support in the future, what changes would you envisage in your acquisitions policy and business model in general, if any? Yes, less EU films, more UK-‐US very f ew if any European f ilms It would b e rather d isastrous Yes -‐ going forward we would n eed to reduce the value of MGs if there was to be no MEDIA support

*3 D istributors indicated none of their films had been supported by MEDIA Automatic and Selective schemes. Only beneficiaries of funding were invited to participate in the scheme so the question was misunderstood or answered by a participant who hadn’t realised funding had been received.

On average distributors indicate that 71% of films from countries participating in the MEDIA Programme are supported b y MEDIA Automatic and Selective s chemes.

Sales Agent Support Aim:

MEDIA Programme runs an annual scheme which allows sales agents t o generate a subsidy based on their performance in selling non-‐national European films w ithin a qualifying period.

The following questions aimed to ascertain how effective you sales agents found t he funding t o be. 11 Sales Agents who had received MEDIA Programme funding participated in the survey. This s ection will look a t their responses. How e ffective has MEDIA Programme funding been in e nabling you t o acquire films from other European countries? 11 participants answered this question.

4 participants (36% of those who answered felt the funding had b een effective in enabling them to acquire films from other European countries. 4 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlight • “We have been able to utilise this funding to help with minimum guarantees and expenses on other European films.” Other responses received • “Although MEDIA Desk UK has been extremely helpful in providing guidance on the schemes, we have not had the time to plan our s trategy for working with filmmakers from other countries. We hope to do s o in future.” • “We're a London based sales company; the scheme doesn't really help us at all.” • “Attribution of help is based on theatrical distribution therefore on big budget pictures which are not accessible to smaller companies like us. MEDIA helps European m ini m ajor s tudios. Independent European pictures with small to medium budgets with TV and DVD s ales within Europe are not s upported by the sales agent scheme. For example, we have distributed Hungarian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and French pictures in Europe on TV and DVD almost exclusively and we are not eligible.” 29

In overall terms, how important is t he MEDIA Programme for you, as a UK Sales Agent?

9 participants (82% of those who answered the q uestion) found the MEDIA programme very important or important as a UK sales agent. 3 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights Sales agent support scheme has “assisted [in] d istributing films from all over the world”. The MEDIA programme is important both for “the funds it provides to acquire films and cover expenses” as well as for providing sales a gents with confidence that they can “put together a s elective scheme application… which is a strong incentive for buyers.” 30

How e ffective has European Film Promotion’s Film Sales Support scheme been for your company? 11 participants answered this question.

10 participants (91% of those who answered the question) found the European F ilm Promotion’s Film Sales S upport Scheme had been very effective or effective for their company. 6 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights Many sales agents utilise the s cheme to support a ttendance at markets and film festivals which they might otherwise not have attended. One commented “Attending m arkets is very expensive, with smaller companies having to cover the same costs as larger companies and that cost representing a larger portion of our budget. We wholly support the possibility of there being s ome funding for smaller companies attending Cannes and Berlin, as well as non-‐European festivals which would otherwise be hard to justify attending.” S ales agents agree that this opportunity leads to “new relationships, and sales of a film”. 31

Exhibitor Support Aim:

Cinemas which programme a significant number of European films can obtain financial support by becoming members of a European network supported by the MEDIA Programme: Europa Cinemas.

The funding aims to facilitate t he programming of European non-‐national films as well as t o e ncourage exhibitor activities to target young audiences. The following questions aimed t o ascertain how effective exhibitors found the funding t hey received through Europa Cinemas. 22 exhibitors who had received MEDIA Programme funding participated in the survey. This s ection will look a t their responses. How e ffective has t he funding been in enabling you t o exhibit European non-‐national films? 22 participants answered this question.

22 participants (100% of participants who had received exhibitor funding) found the funding to b e very effective or effective in enabling them to exhibit European non-‐national films. 8 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights Europa Cinema funding “is of s ignificant importance” to exhibitors and “invaluable in m aintain[ing] adequate levels of European and international cinema in programming”. Some exhibitors specifically s elect European films when given the choice “knowing it will contribute to Europa funding”. This confidence a llows exhibitors to “take m ore risks in programming” knowing that “any reduction in box office may be partly offset by Europa C inemas funding”. The freedom b oth a llows exhibitors to “screen films even if [they] cannot guarantee a large audience” and “better underpins the ongoing costs of running [the] programme.” 32

How e ffective has t he funding been in extending the release period for European non-‐national films? 22 participants answered this question.

13 participants (59% of participants who had received exhibitor funding) found the funding to b e very effective or effective in enabling them to extend the release p eriod for films. 13 participants provided further comments. Commentary highlights Exhibitors recognise that “Funding, combined with the digital era, allows m uch m ore flexibility, in planning, when, and for how long, to screen certain titles.” The funding offers a “wider window” for the release p eriod which can help “educate and grow audiences”. A note on the other responses. Exhibitors who were inconclusive in their response indicated that films are still p layed on “merit and knowledge of [the] audiences”. Programmes, of course, remain “success-‐based” and release p eriods take into account the film’s “merit and knowledge of the audiences”. Exhibitors would not “continue to screen a failing movie only to s ecure Europa Cinemas support.” The more s creens exhibitors have, the more likely they are to extend runs. It is the Independent exhibitors who have screen limitations who are less able to extend release periods as they must satisfy audience demand by offering a varied programme with steady pace of titles b eing released. Some have little choice but to “switch films every 1-‐2 weeks” or screen them “for one week only” as audiences do complain if film runs extend for longer. 33

How e ffective has t he funding been in enabling you t o offer films in digital format? 22 participants answered this question.

14 participants (64% of those who answered the question) found the funding to b e very effective or effective in enabling them to offer films in the digital format. 13 p articipants provided further comments. Commentary highlights In the early years the funding offset some of the set up charges of going d igital, which in turn increased opportunities to s creen European work in a digital format. The support provided to independent cinemas “is excellent and helps underwrite flexibility for audiences.” Helping cinemas to become fully digitised has “opened up avenues to exploit European film m ore effectively” and continues to “help enormously” in s creening titles in digital format. Exhibitors found their investment in digital equipment “increased opportunities to screen European work in a digital format” “giving exhibitors great flexibility and higher quality” output. It is s een as “crucial to the s uccess of [their] cinema” enabling them to programme a variety of films and “retain a ready-‐to-‐screen archive of recent titles.” The support has had “a considerable impact [in] recouping] investment in the equipment” allowing money to be spent on “programming and marketing m ore challenging film titles.” One exhibitor a lso noted that “MEDIA initiatives such as Europe Loves Cinema have given both a framework and the marketing support to s pearhead consistent programming initiatives”. A Note on the other responses Some exhibitors who provided inconclusive responses explained a d igital projector s creen had a lready been in place before b ecoming a part of the n etwork. However, the funding can still b e used to “pay for part of the rental… [allowing exhibitors to] book as many films on digital as possible”. One exhibitor suggested a digital b onus would help “a great deal with ongoing costs, moving eventually towards replacement of equipment”. The exhibitor who found the funding ineffective in this way explained they screen films primarily from 35mm (or DVD or BluRay when a 35mm print is n ot a vailable.) Although this exhibitor hopes to acquire a d igital projector they commented that “MEDIA programme funding is not available to us for this purpose.” 34

How e ffective has t he funding been in helping you t o develop new audiences? 22 participants answered this question.

17 participants (77% of those who answered the question) found the funding to b e very effective or effective in helping them d evelop n ew audiences. 15 participants provided further comments. Commentary Highlights One exhibitor commented “Europa C inemas and MEDIA have helped us grow our business in less than 10 years m ore than 6-‐fold. We now, with MEDIA's help, since 2003, have booked 26,000 films, trained over 1000 professionals from 635 organisations, distributed 235 films and achieved audience figures in excess of 6 m illion admissions” Exhibitors re-‐iterated that “the cushion of funding has helped [them] to continue to take risks with more esoteric titles”. Helping fund titles “which haven’t benefited from large m arketing campaigns” not only expands audience but “encourages greater breadth in the programme”. Exhibitors are enabled to “build upon” and “develop links with new audiences”. Without the funding, the programme would be “less varied, less unique, more Hollywood, and m uch less interesting.” A Note on Inconclusive Responses One participant commented that “there is a m ature audience, who welcome non m ainstream films, and that has not really changed dramatically over the years.” 35

Please indicate w hether or not you agree with t he following statements: In addition to providing funding, the Europa C inema Network benefits members by: Strongly Agree Neither Disagree Strongly No. of Agree agree nor Disagree Participants disagree Sharing best practice 6 13 3 1 0 23 Exchanging ideas and expertise 6 15 1 1 0 23 Keeping up with technological 7 10 5 1 0 23 developments Offering training and guidance 5 12 4 1 0 22 Boosting your p olitical voice 5 10 4 1 0 20 7 participants provided further comments • “MEDIA and Europa C inemas are a V ITAL s upport infrastructure for our work as an exhibitor, advocate and distributor for non-‐national and non-‐US films. The schemes are a huge factor in our ability to be able to deliver a high quality, culturally diverse cinema programme which reaches out across the UK -‐ including major urban centres such as Bristol, Nottingham, Sheffield, Bradford etc. but also into far smaller geographically remote towns and villages across the 500+ UK cinemas we deal with on a regular basis.” • “It's a very valuable resource.” • “The annual conferences are wonderful opportunities to get together with industry professionals from around Europe and share good practice [also the inclusion of the screening day was very welcome]. The opportunity to attend m eetings at festival such as Cannes is also a great idea. Thanks!” • “While the financial assistance is a key element of why Europa Cinemas is a key factor in bringing the best of international and independent cinema to our local audience in Dundee, Scotland, the advice and expertise which they offer through training, conference and annual m eetings is also invaluable to the professional development of our cinema team.” • “We use the 'brand' to distinguish us to other funders and s upporters.” • “Most of our representation is through Independent Cinema Office, who book our films and work with us on development of programme and audiences.” • “More could be done, to help some m ember cinemas, navigate the digital jungle” 36

Film School Support Aim:

MEDIA Training Funding encourages t he networking of film schools and the mobility of European film students, in particular through collaboration between European film schools, training institutes, and with the participation of partners from t he professional sector.

The following questions aimed to ascertain how effective film schools found t he funding to be. 4 Film Schools who received MEDIA Programme funding participated in the survey. This s ection will look a t their responses. How e ffective has t he MEDIA Programme been in facilitating film schools to work t ogether and exchange ideas? 4 participants answered this question.

3 participants (75% of those who answered) indicated the MEDIA programme had b een very effective in facilitating film schools to work together and exchange ideas. “The impact of MEDIA funded programmes has been enormous. A distinguished and influential Professor of the Polish F ilm School in Lodz states "it has completely changed m y way of thinking about teaching film" which is testament to this impact. The variety of other bridges to industry programmes also s how that the ideas behind the programme have been properly disseminated because of its open source nature.” “The EU's provision for allowing schools in Europe to work co-‐operatively has already changed the landscape “. “One key benefit is the new focus on students building networks themselves and preparing for professional practice through these joint programmes”. Initial Training support has meant film schools have “built strong partnerships with national film schools in Ireland, Estonia and Finland and m any others.” 37

How has the availability of MEDIA funding impacted t he film school? The availability of MEDIA funding has impacted t he school t hrough:

How e ffective has MEDIA funding been in deploying and using expert industry practitioners t o lend expertise? 4 participants answered this question.

All participants had found MEDIA funding very effective or effective in d eploying and using expert industry practitioners to lend expertise. • “MEDIA funding has enabled us to deploy a wide range of industry experts from all over Europe to the benefit not just of staff and participants in each workshop of ENGAGE but to the deeper benefit of the participating schools by forging stronger links with industry.” • “MEDIA funding enabled us to bring in and pay high level practitioners to give the benefits of their experience to our students and recent graduates.” • “Excellent experience at one of the training m entor programmes” 38

Professional Training Provider Support AIM: MEDIA funding aims to help t raining providers deliver continuous vocational training activities for film and television industry professionals in the areas of new technologies, economic, financial and commercial management and script development. The following questions aimed to ascertain how effective training providers found t he funding t o be. 3 professional training providers who had received funding participated in the survey. This section will look at t heir responses. How e ffective has t he MEDIA Programme been in helping you, as a training provider, t o develop your courses and increase business?

Participants were further asked if they agreed w ith t he following statements: • MEDIA funding reduces the cost of the training activity. • MEDIA funding makes training more affordable for participants. • MEDIA funding enables providers to offer these courses which they would otherwise not offer.

How e ffective has MEDIA funding been in deploying and using expert industry practitioners t o lend expertise?

One professional training provider elaborated “MEDIA funding enables us use the top international experts in the cross-‐media field.” Does t he MEDIA funding requirement t o offer a course to an international group of t rainees benefit British trainees?

One participant laid emphasis on h ow “The international aspect of the course helps British trainees find essential new partners, expertise and inspiration needed in the cross-‐border, cross-‐platform m edia world of today.” Another underscored their answer by reasoning that “Every industry, and c ertainly Britain, needs to form working networks with other countries and import good practice.” How e ffective is MEDIA funding in preparing trainees to operate in an international context?

The MEDIA funding was cited “The Pixel Lab and The Pixel Market place a high importance in operating in an international context -‐ therefore the funding is essential.” Please provide examples of how t he training has helped your graduates secure jobs. One training provider found the funding “Amazingly effective -‐ m illions of pounds of deals generated!”. Another provided 3 examples after confirming “Many commissioned projects after development on The Pixel Lab”. The last participant was unable to give evidence of graduates s ecuring jobs a t this stage but stipulated “we know the training has helped their work.” 40

Market Organiser Support AIM:

This scheme facilitates access t o m arkets for European professionals. The following questions aim to ascertain how effective market organisers found the funding to be. 3 market organisers who had received MEDIA funding participated in the survey. This s ection will look a t their responses. Has t he funding been e ffective in enabling you t o organise e vents w here UK professionals can e ncounter international partners within a structured, accessible and professional context?

How e ffective have these e vents been for your participants in order to progress projects from development to production? Can you give e xamples? • “Without MEDIA s upport, it would be so hard to give the personal s upport and democracy that MeetMarket specialises in.” • “Very. We have had a high number of projects being offered finance/investment/distribution -‐ though of course not all actually m ove on to full production. Key also has been the attachment of s ales companies to projects presented at the PFM.” • “Amazingly effective -‐ millions of pounds raised, lots of new films released.” To what extent do you agree or disagree that MEDIA funding reduces the cost of t he event organisation and succeeds in m aking it m ore affordable for the participants meaning providers are able to offer these e vents where they otherwise w ouldn’t be?

The funding “Meant we could afford to keep growing numbers”. One example is b y b eing able to offer h otel accommodation to non-‐national participants. How e ffective has MEDIA funding been in e nsuring participation of expert industry practitioners? (Buyers, financiers, broadcasters).

Impact of MEDIA Funding All participants were asked to comment on the overall impact of MEDIA funding. In overall terms, how e ffective has MEDIA funding been in growing your business?

158 participants answered the question. 104 participants (66% in total) found MEDIA to b e either very effective ( 34%) or effective (32%) in this way. See Appendix 1 for full commentary. In overall terms, how e ffective has MEDIA funding been in stimulating e mployment and creating jobs?

158 participants answered the question. 93 participants (59% in total) found MEDIA to b e either very effective (29%) or effective (30%) in this way. See Appendix 2 for full commentary. 42

In overall terms, how e ffective has MEDIA funding been in improving your leverage of m atch funding?

158 participants answered the question. 93 participants (60% in total) found MEDIA to b e either very effective (32%) or effective (28%) in this way See Appendix 3 for full commentary. 43

MEDIA Funded Training Courses 65 participants (of 154 who answered) indicated they had been on a MEDIA funded training course, with a further 4 participants who were unsure whether or not they had been on a MEDIA funded training course. The results are below: Training Course Survey Participant Attendance ACE P roducers

Archidoc

Art Cinéma = Action + Management, by CICAE

Berlinale Talent Campus

Cartoon Masters – Cartoon Finance

Closing The Gap: Equity Investment for 360° Content

Developing Your Film Festival, by ICO

Digital Production Challenge, by Focal

DigiTraining Plus: European Cinemas Experiencing New Technologies, by Media Salles

Documentary C ampus

EAVE European Producers Workshop

EAVE Film Finance Forum

EAVE Film Marketing Workshop

ESoDoc -‐ European Social Documentary

Essential Legal Framework: Rights Clearance

EURODOC Production

Ex Oriente Film 2012

Inside Pictures

International Screenwriters Workshop & Master C lass by Equinoxe

Into the Future, by W adja Studio

Marketing & Distribution ( M&D) by Media B usiness School

MEGA PLUS -‐ European Master in Audiovisual Management

Nipkow Programm

Screen Leaders EU

Script&Pitch Workshops & Writer's Room, by Torino Film Lab

SOURCES 2 P rojects & P rocess -‐ Training Mentors for European Documentary Filmmakers

SOURCES 2 Script Development Workshop

Story Doc Training Programme 2012 – Cross Media P rogramme

The Pixel Lab: The C ross-‐Media Workshop

TransISTor 2012

Transmedia Next: The Art, Craft and Business of Storytelling in the Digital Age

Did attending a MEDIA-‐funded training course e nhance your skills and k nowledge? 70 responses were received:

60 participants (86% of those who had attended (or may have attended) a course) agreed that attending a MEDIA-‐ funded training course enhanced their s kills and knowledge. See Appendix 4 for full commentary. Did attending a MEDIA funded training course: Total Yes No Unsure at N/A Respondents this point Enable you t o obtain m ore work? 24 10 23 10 67 Enable you t o run a m ore successful business? 45 3 14 5 67 Directly help you t o produce any of your 33 6 17 8 64 projects? Was attending a MEDIA-‐funded training course an opportunity to meet any partners for possible future collaboration?

71 responses were received. 64 (90% of those who had a ttended a course) a greed that attending a MEDIA-‐funded training course provided an opportunity to meet partners. 45

See Appendix 5 for full commentary.

MEDIA-‐Funded Networking Events 100 participants (of 154 who answered) indicated they had b een on a MEDIA funded networking event The results are b elow: Survey Participant Attendance 1

Networking Event 3D Film Mart Agora Film Market & Crossroads Co-‐production Forum, Thessaloniki

Baltic Event, a t Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn

Baltic Sea Documentary Forum

Berlinale Co-‐Production Market

The Business Street at Rome Film Festival

Cartoon Forum

Cartoon Movie

Cinekid for Professionals, Amsterdam

CineMart, Rotterdam

Connecting Cottbus

CPH:FORUM + CPH:MARKET

Doc Outlook, a t the International Festival of Nyon

DocsBarcelona Film Festival + Pitching Forum

Documentary in Europe Workshop, Bardonecchia

DOK Leipzig: D OK Industry Offers, a t Krakow Film Festival

Dragon Forum

East European Promotional Programme for Support of Documentary Film, Jihlava, Czech Republic

European Documentary Workshops Southern Europe (Lisbon a nd Thessaloniki)

European Producers Club Co-‐production Forums

Europa D istribution Workshops

European Short Pitch by Nisi Masa

The Film London Production Finance Market

The Amsterdam forum for international co-‐financing of documentaries (IDFA)

Galway Film Fair

The Industry C lub at San Sebastian Film Festival

European Film Promotion’s: Industry Screenings in the USA

European Film Promotion’s:European Platform a t the Busan IFF

European Film Promotion’s:Gateway to North America (Toronto)

Umbrella Office a t the AFM

Annecy International Animation Market (MIFA )

MEDIA Stands a t European Film Market a nd Marché du Film, Cannes

MEDIA Stands a t M IPTV a nd M IPCOM

MeetMarket, Sheffield

Netherlands Production Platform

New C inema Network a t Rome Film Festival

New Nordic Films

Nordisk Panorama

The Pixel Market by Power to the Pixel

European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move in Cannes

Short Film Market – Claremont-‐Ferrand

Sofia Meetings

Sunny Side o f the Doc 2011

9 Survey Participant Attendance 4

Networking Event Thessaloniki International Doc Market TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event

Variety’s Ten European Filmmakers to Watch in Karlovy Vary

World Congress of Science a nd Factual Producers.

Did attending the event(s) improve your position w ith buyers and financiers?

101 responses were received. 62 respondents ( 61% of those who had attended an event) a greed. See Appendix 6 for full commentary. 47

Was attending a MEDIA-‐funded networking event an opportunity t o meet any partners for possible future collaboration?

103 responses were received. 84 (82% of those who had a ttended an event) agreed. See Appendix 7 for full commentary. Has attending a MEDIA-‐funded networking e vent directly helped you t o produce any of your projects?

98 responses were received but the q uestion wasn’t a pplicable to 6 participants who indicated “N/A” so they have been removed from the calculations. 74 (80% of the 92 participants who had attended an event) a greed. See Appendix 8 for full commentary. 48

Are there any other benefits which you would like to tell us about? Producer Comments - The local (UK) MEDIA is superb and a real asset. - MEDIA is a very important source of support for us as a micro indie. Long may the support continue! - KEEP GOING!!! - The MEDIA Programme as it currently exists has vastly assisted my company to compete a t all levels in Europea and all over the world. Since founding the company 12 years a go we have b een involved in over 40 international feature films most of which were supported b y MEDIA. It is essential to the European idea -‐ and as British company and as a nation we must vigorously join in this project. - MEDIA is an essential and invaluable element in supporting the production of quality film and media in Europe. - Having MEDIA d evelopment funding is the ONLY thing that has kept our fledgling company afloat over the past four years. We know this is the time that it takes to create properly constructed projects intended to b e well-‐ financed so they can compete effectively in the commercial marketplace. It is the crucial first step in enabling us to b ecome an important creative contributor with a sustainable business model. - I have always found the MEDIA s taff very h elpful. - It has been a wholly empowering and p ositive experience, b eing a b eneficiary of the grant. Whilst the initial forms are comprehensive, once the grant is a warded, we found everyone involved supportive and focussed on getting us the financial support in the bank as soon as possible. - It's genuinely meritocratic. If you put in a good proposal you get the money. That's the way it should b e - My gut feel is that it's an amazing programme. But the bureaucracy has to d iminish in favour on more hands on support and promotion of the scheme to broadcasters... p erhaps even given a mentor or exec producer as part of the scheme? - Not really -‐ we are just very glad that the funding opportunities and support are out there -‐ for everyone -‐ not just us. - I think the MEDIA single project d evelopment financing offers a company a real boost especially if the company has shown a track record but needs that additional support to b e able to d evelop and produce more challenging films in terms of b udget, scale etc. in the future. I feel very grateful and really a ppreciate the MEDIA support. - The MEDIA programme is a hugely valuable source of funding to the film industry, providing assistance to projects which may require an extra draft, or initial funding to get it to the first s tage of d evelopment, when it can then go on to attract further d evelopment funding. - Without MEDIA documentary film-‐making of a ny importance in Europe, about Europe, for Europeans -‐ is d ead. - The sharing of experiences is a very valuable tool in the creative industries. - The project got made and that was very good. It was p ushed b y S4C at the time. They d id n ot come up with the funding, or any other support. We wasted time and h opes that d id n ot come to fruition. - The granting of the MEDIA a ward has given the project confidence and helped us convince others of it's potential - Receiving a MEDIA Award lifts confidence in the system and proves that these Awards are genuinely a vailable to all and h elps endorse the quality of a project. - Without this fund, it would b e incredibly d ifficult for a small production company like ours to have the time a nd resources to produce such a professional and comprehensive marketable product. - Cartoon Forum and a ll the Cartoon networking forums are a wonderful way to meet and make n ew working friendships. The n etworking is invaluable. - The finance provided enables producers to d evelop projects without too much creative interference. - Based in the UK, as a BAFTA a ward winning company, I would n ot s till be Producing, and my Company would have folded if it wasn't for the MEDIA Program. Last year we were nominated again... - I think the MEDIA Development Fund is invaluable to p roducers. It enabled us to develop a first class s creenplay with an Oscar winning s creenwriter and first class director, who attracted an A-‐list star cast. Unfortunately major d istributors d id n ot consider the subject to b e commercial. - MEDIA support is vital to the continued d evelopment of European co-‐productions/projects and the development, sustainability and growth of European Production Companies. It has b een one of the most valuable and essential tools u tilised b y our business. Long may it continue! - Receiving development funding from the MEDIA programme is a s ign of support and credibility. Other funders see this as a big a chievement because they know that to get this funding our project would have b een thoroughly evaluated. This gives them the confidence to invest in our project. 49

We're just big MEDIA fans! Overall, I think you are on the right track in assisting producers, a lthough so much of what you do is not applicable to us.

Distributor Comments MEDIA is a fabulous institution -‐ it provides so many indirect and d irect opportunities and is very valuable MEDIA is very important to European film. I very much hope it continues to grow. Exhibitor Comments - It's hard to overstate the value of MEDIA's contribution to the cultural life of the UK's film s ector and it is one of the few organisations which s eek to address all parts of the industry from production to d istribution and exhibition. It is one of the very few organisations in the world which is a ware of h ow these three factions of the business work together. This joined-‐up thinking is an invaluable strength. - Europa funding will h elp us survive as an independent cinema with an interesting programme. - Media programme support is particularly important to keep European language film available to audiences in the UK, where we suffer d isproportionately from sharing a common language with the USA! Training Provider Comments - Having worked as a producer prior to running a film school for the past s even years I have b enefited d irectly from MEDIA d evelopment, d istribution and new technology funding a llowing me to work internationally and get projects d istributed across borders. The support of MEDIA Initial Training to my film school s ince 2008 has made a critical d ifference to the internationalisation of our and our partner schools' students, graduates and staff and sown the s eeds of future European collaborations - From its earliest days MEDIA has b een enormously beneficial in my d evelopment both as a producer/writer and director of film and television and as a d esigner and provider of h igh level film training. From The Documentary Fund, to MAP TV to Sources, to EAVE, to Project Development funding, to Passion To Market and Inside Pictures MEDIA has been there to give the collective support to do what the member s tates of Europe cannot do a lone. I can safely say that without MEDIA I would have thus far had a very different career and a greatly impoverished experience as a cinema goer! Keep it. Build on its many successes. - Keen to access MEDIA much more in future 50

Please use this opportunity to provide us with any other comments which m ay not have been covered b y the S urvey. Producer Comments - We sincerely hope that MEDIA single development and slate development funding will continue beyond 2013, and that the programme will continue to back p rojects which aren't necessarily backed up-‐front b y a broadcaster. The climate for creative documentary and art house cinema is fiercely competitive, and I have noticed a tendency in projects coming from bigger, sustainable companies get the backing rather then the smaller companies, and it is regrettable as MEDIA funding has such a powerful clout surrounding it. With MEDIA backing, a broadcaster is more likely to come onboard when the risky, costly development is in process or indeed being undertaken, rather than to take the risk up front. Especially so with smaller companies. I speak from having benefited from the programmes, but also as a close observer of the global media landscape, which now needs more support than ever; as broadcasters, distributors and funders in general are more risk-‐averse than ever. We have been successful twice with single development, since applying first time in 2002, but unsuccessful with two slate applications and three single applications, d espite scoring extremely highly on a project submitted in 2010. Thanks. - Finding funding partners for projects is proving an increasing challenge and it would be helpful to have more international networking events with a particular focus on h elping to fund feature projects. - MEDIA funding is vital but the bureaucracy can be very daunting. As always it would be good if it could be made easier. - The delay in learning if an application has been successful or not -‐ and to what extent if successful -‐ is difficult for production budgets and schedules. In Australia the result is known in a few days. - The whole process of applying and waiting for the answer and eventual funding is incredibly long, b y which time many people can have lost options, or documentary stories changed, etc. If this can be addressed it would b e great. - 1) I have not attended many of the education and training activities as a participant -‐ but very often as a teacher, panellist, expert or advisor. 2) We need to work hard in the UK to convince our peers and authorities that the European idea is crucial to the survival of many of our companies and that the U K must contribute both spiritually, practically and financially to the European media idea wholeheartedly this includes MEDIA -‐ i.e. British events should be genuinely EUROPEAN and have a s erious participation of n on-‐ nationals -‐ and some positive discrimination to individuals and companies which are from Low Audio-‐visual capacity. - It would be nice to see MEDIA support ideas which are outside the classic America film structure. Ideas which Hollywood might shy away from. Political relationship daring controversial ideas. - Now that online networking is so easy, it would be great to be on the mailing lists for ongoing networking and documentary events in the UK. (I have had the impression that most of the MEDIA programme's efforts seem to be in continental Europe). Although development funding was great to have, it did require us to find the other 50% of the spend from our own resources. This was not a lways easy. The monitoring of our project by the MEDIA Programme was d elivered on paper. It might have b een useful to have a face to face discussion about the problems we had encountered with out project. The drop in the value of the £ was a problem when it came to preparing the final accounts. We had spent money in pounds sterling which, expressed in higher value Euros, appeared to be less in value. - We would like to s ee the UK b ecome part of Eurimages. - MEDIA is an exceptional programme and is imperative in helping European producers develop their projects; a business which in turn also helps develop talent and provide high quality creative jobs. As a company we've benefited tremendously from receiving MEDIA development funding -‐ we wouldn't have been able to attend some of the markets or develop the project to such a high standard had we not received funding. So thank you and keep up the excellent work. - The application process and administration is excessively s low and cumbersome. - I would like you to look again at the amount of detail you require on the development budget at such an early stage. I know we are 'allowed' to change things by request, but this does feel quite hard to predict accurately a t such an early stage.

I think it's not too dramatic to say that without MEDIA Development and TV Broadcasting funding our company would not have made any of our shows, which have gone on to great success, and indeed without the lifeline of a ll those vital MEDIA-‐funded events we'd probably n o longer even b e in b usiness. I would again like to emphasise the important of the MEDIA programme. And also to say how much we have appreciated the h elp, support and advice of the UK Desk. Support from the bureaucracy in Brussels and from MEDIA Desk UK has b een fantastic. If you care about the world, you must care about documentary. If you care about documentary, you must support MEDIA. Phil Grabsky -‐ multi-‐award-‐winning d irector. By legitimising the use of the word 'culture' alongside 'business'! It would be great if the intensive preparation for applying for these grants was a little less time consuming and demanding! The courses and events that MEDIA programme are involved with could be better publicised. This may encourage business to attend events that they may not have been aware of. This Award was the first time I had applied for an Award and it took several attempts/applications on the same project before fully understanding the level of precision required. We persevered and the eventual success was worth the effort. We will certainly look to MEDIA a gain for support in the future. Please keep up the good work. Without these MEDIA programmes, the opportunities to create and realise wonderful projects are s everely diminished. The development rules make it difficult for new independent talent to secure funding. MEDIA should consider a way of permitting 'producer sponsorship' of new talent without restricting that producer to submit their own project. The MEDIA programme is a brilliant and vital initiative that without much wonderful independent cinema would not get d eveloped or made. My only other comment would be about Producers Support -‐ Development Funding. This funding is vital for development of film and documentary productions, but, because the funding is for development, the 6 month wait between application and decision can be frustrating and if there was any way of speeding up that process I think it would b e b eneficial. Great support from the MEDIA London office and lots of time giving to the MEDIA TV.

Distributor Responses - Thank you Exhibitor Responses - I just hope that one day the Media programme may support us so we can d eliver and b enefit more from the programme. I would love to have gone on some of the programmes but unfortunately we just don't have the funding to do it. - Long may MEDIA (or Creative Europe) continue! - The Europa trailer is well received, particularly the music Training Provider Responses - The critical role of MEDIA Initial training in stimulating and supporting the professionalism and internationalisation of film and television schools cannot be overstated -‐ it is a vital component in the ecology of professional training and is a highly effective way of ensuring the interconnectivity of our national education and training providers with each other and with industry. It would be a major step backward to remove this plank in the European stage. - It would be a strategic move if MEDIA were to encourage organisations you fund to go on the training courses as a condition of funding. It would be useful to have a closer relationship between funder and fundees, with more support from MEDIA in d eveloping applications and projects. - In this time of change I would suggest that you do not embrace change for the sake of showing that you have done s omething n ew. By all means grow and develop the programme, but I would strongly advise that 52

we keep the expertise and structures that work. In a ddition, MEDIA is rather a strong brand b ecause of all the years of work that have gone into making it so. It seems to me to b e foolish to even consider leaving all of that behind. Sales A gent Comment - We found the support very welcome in the past, however, the changes in the criteria to apply for sales agent support have made it impossible for us to apply for any more support. 53

Regional Analysis We were able to obtain regional data for 164 (of 168) participants. There was a direct regional correlation b etween those who were invited to participate and those who d id participate. Nation No. of p eople who As a % Number of p eople As a % were invited to who responded participate England 334 83% 143 87% Northern Ireland 8 2% 3 2% Scotland Wales Grand Total

36 26 404

9% 6% 100%

12 6 164

7% 4% 100%

Appendix 1 In overall terms, how e ffective has MEDIA funding been in growing your business? Producer Comments Developing the project with the MEDIA support has helped the company expand its n etwork of contacts and establish itself on the international market. This was a single project which has not yet proceeded beyond the draft script stage. In this climate its hard to grow any business My company set up a s eparate training company in 2007 which has taken a lot of our focus off our main activity and Production Company, i.e. our business hasn't grown. We are back on track for d eveloping the business now however, taking a break from training and mentoring of new filmmakers. It has helped us progress this one project. We have a lso put into practice the organisation and d etail required in the MEDIA application which has h elped us greatly. MEDIA has been a huge h elp, but it cannot fully counter-‐act the growing hindrances -‐ the ever d ecreasing budgets offered b y TV channels for quality documentary, the ever-‐decreasing number of 'slots' in the s chedules for intelligent TV programmes, etc. The funding we received only helped to d evelop one s pecific project and the very nature of the industry dictates that for a business to grow you can't rely on the success of one p itch alone. It gave the business substantial impetus. As a result of having the funding, projects have gone into production that would have stalled otherwise. This has been the main stimulus for jobs. It has been effective to the extent that the BBC was very happy with the outcome of our film and with all the awards received around the world and as a result they will retransmit the film and they s ee our company as one that can d eliver a good s tory and an audience pleaser. We have received more commissions and are in regular talks about future work. It's a great award to receive: structured, logical and very cost effective. The application process is onerous but that's probably a good thing and the support from my local MEDIA Desk was superb. I'm certainly looking for the next project to submit! We haven’t seen effects d irectly due to the MEDIA funding, however there may b e in-‐direct effects we haven’t even noticed yet. Financially and prestigiously MEDIA money has h elped us get two films made. Those projects were very well received, have sold well and have h elped our international reputation. Unfortunately, h owever useful and positive the MEDIA funding has b een, it is n ever enough. In a country without government support for the creative industries, we always have to give work and rights to co producers in countries that have more enlightened governments. We are an established, if s mall, company. If our d evelopment grants move to production that will b e a great help in growing the b usiness. Development MEDIA funding was given to two documentaries that the company has made, projects which might not have b een made without MEDIA funding. Having two completed, broadcast, successful documentaries on the company's slate is only going to encourage growth, recognition and provides a proven track record for the company. We now have a s olid financial base a nd a s trong slate, but when we achieved MEDIA funding we were a younger company and in n eed of d evelopment support to push forward co-‐production projects which could not find support in the UK. Enabling us to d evelop projects that we would have found difficult to find funding for as d evelopment funding is generally s carce right now. It h elped raise our profile as an independent writer to someone who is p laying in the major leagues. Apologies, more sporting metaphors. We were established in Northern Ireland a p lace of massive unemployment, structural problems and on going violence, MEDIA at times was our only supporter. It gave us and the market confidence. The funding of the p ilot u ltimately led to the commissioning of a series. The s eries has h elped increase our turnover a nd hopefully will bring long term financial gain. 57

Growing a business in children's television in the UK is currently very difficult as there are so few slots a vailable. The MEDIA funding has d efinitely helped us keep s taff employed and get interest from Commissioners in the company. It is one of the only funding streams that recognise that independent producers need financial support to b e able to properly d evelop their projects ahead of bringing them to the marketplace. It has b een absolutely essential to the growth of the company over the last few years. It gives us a strong line-‐up of projects, helps our bank finance and insurance possibilities and works with our distributors to ensure wide dissemination of our work. It allows me to have a sustainable business and make 5 or 6 feature film contributions a year. Crucial in h elping us choose the b est talent to work with and giving them the financial support to b e able to nurture their creative ideas. Our support 7 years a go doesn’t build a sustainable business and with the integration of internet TV and cinema, there are bigger forces at play. Enabled d evelopment of a range of projects under our control which have contributed to a consistent run of television and film production. MEDIA funding allows us to d evelop projects, while retaining the copyright and ownership. This is the key to sustainable business. It gave us the funding to pursue the specific international story -‐ providing a creative focus, s timulating international connections and conversations on the European TV scene. Because we didn't in the end go into production, it didn't in itself h elp grow the business which was affected b y the downturn in interest in documentaries. Up until three years ago it had worked really well b ut then we were unsuccessful in a slate application and then again on a s ingle project application. It has meant the company has really struggled b etween films at a time also when the UK industry was n ot very strong. We made other films but n ot the ones supported b y Media and we felt a s late approach for our company would be in the best interest of both parties. MEDIA funding has a llowed long term d evelopment of projects through research to production and this development has facilitated more projects to b e taken on and the growth of the company s late. It has increased output and also grown our n etwork of professional contacts through sustained working relationships during long term d evelopment projects. Success breeds success. Having visible, high-‐end, prestigious projects on our slate is essential in attracting other projects. It's b een invaluable to us. We wouldn't have b een able to d evelop the project to such a h igh standard without MEDIA's support. It has given a fresh burst of investment to our s late and enabled us to drive forward script development and investment in talent. It has s trengthened our core relationships with writers and current investors in projects. Without MEDIA we would not have been able to d evelop in the area of feature film and drama, which is where our new projects are. Helped us in producing our first longer-‐length d ocumentary for the international marketplace. Helped us with generating relationships with international commissioners and potential partners for future projects MEDIA's money invests in the projects rather than in the company so it hasn't really h elped grow the company directly, but of course the more projects we can d evelop, the more projects we make, the more fees are brought into the company which a llows us to continue working in this field and potentially to expand. Essential as it a llowed to d evelop project and grow business through it. Although the funding has supported only one project a nd this has not yet gone into production, that support has been very important in s trengthening the early stages of the company's d evelopment. Because we received MEDIA funding it is a stamp of approval from an established European institution and therefore gives confidence to third party equity investors and financiers. It a lso gives the project credibility a nd makes it stand out within the film industry market place. Without the MEDIA funding, we would not have b een able to produce the s eries. It has helped us to survive as a company. As a result we are about to go into production on our n ext feature film. As we were only funded for a single project, it had limited effect on our overall b usiness. It has allowed us to employ a full-‐time d evelopment staff and to collaborate and foster relationships with more talent and with more varied sources of finance. The particular projects backed d id not progress b eyond first draft.

MEDIA funding provides sophisticated financing which the producer can use to retain creative control and leverage other financing; it is also structured in such a way as to contribute to the sustainable growth of the production company. A number of the scripts developed converted into production and international sales. All the MEDIA programmes are important for British film and broadcast. In my experience UK broadcasters d o not take these initiatives s eriously as a means of funding programmes and films. Out grant focused on a s ingle project b eing further d eveloped so the growth of my business was not really effected. MEDIA Funding has a llowed me to further d evelop a p roject to take to market, which has a d irect impact as it means financiers can take the project more s eriously a nd ultimately the film has a greater chance of b eing produced and financed the more it is d eveloped. Financing the film would imply fees will come into my business to help sustain it and a llow it to grow further too The fund enabled us to d evelop internal s kills. However, due to the project not culminating in a final published product, we haven't expanded as initially planned. Had the economics b een different in the general s ector, we would have doubled the size of the production team a nd created a large number of jobs. Regarding growth of the business, we still retain the s kills that were d eveloped and therefore have potential to expand the studio within that sector when circumstances change. It therefore has a b eneficial effect and does enable us to promote the s kill set within the industry. MEDIA funding has h elped reduce the level of risk investment we would otherwise have had to cover in order to bring what has b een a complex and innovative international co-‐production into fruition. In h elping this particular production work, the company's cash flow h as been improved and the potential for future income from the exploitation of the s eries and related IP rights enhanced. It has given us a major product to sell. The Media funding for this s eries triggered broadcaster confidence to commission further series. We have gone, thanks to MEDIA d evelopment funding, from a one p erson operation in a back room to a fully equipped studio with a full time d evelopment team -‐ p art financed b y MEDIA grants b ut a lso b ecause we were able to develop programmes without undue pressure on completing the development process. The result was stronger programmes that have sold a ll around the world. It h elped in the development of one of our most important projects and increased our slate of d eveloped films. Getting projects a way, and premiering them at A-‐list festivals a llows the company to b e visible and interest in other projects is natural from this. It a llows us to keep a talent p ool linked to the company -‐ this is our business model. I received MEDIA funding for one documentary project. It was extremely effective in the d evelopment of that project, and obviously each project builds the business, but overall it was most important in d eveloping a single project. Absolutely crucial. Our company had a good track record in production and d istribution of music, arts and travel and making low budget programmes. The MEDIA support for one of our projects h elped us enter the high end market of History where we can now make films for with a much greater b udget. This project was well received and it looks like the same co-‐pro partners want to work with us again on n ew History films. We now can increase the b udget as well. S traight forward History films are a d ying genre, more broadcasters want history soaps rather than straight films -‐ so MEDIA support for more artistic films also h elps to keep a threatened but valuable doc form alive. MEDIA support a llows us to prioritise long term projects which contribute to aims and strategies in p lace around the growth and long term sustainability of the company. MEDIA funding has made it possible to continue the b usiness but the withdrawal of Scottish animation production has made it difficult to make films We could not get the project to market, our European partners refocused on other b usiness and we could not generate the revenue to continue as an independent content maker -‐ instead we relied on providing consultancy and production services to 3rd parties. As a result of the grant we have managed to raise the finance for our film. This year we will b e going into production. This is our company's first feature film. The company will grow as a result of this film b eing made and released internationally. I have received funding 3 times for single projects and once for a slate of projects over a p eriod of approximately 10 years. I have produced 4 films in those years and the slate funding in particular helped sustain my business without a d oubt. Producers are n ever able to earn money during development (it is one of the inequities of the profession, that they should s imply find the money to pay others, whilst earning nothing themselves until and unless the project goes into production). Therefore, they lurch b etween extreme p overty 59

and sudden inflow of fees (which have to pay back d ebts which accumulated during d evelopment). To keep a sustainable business going during d evelopment phases, the MEDIA Programme has been invaluable. Our company won MEDIA funding early on in its life and made the company sustainable. The n ew funding we have received in the latest cycle will h elp us build on that and consolidate our position as a successful, small independent production company. Our company is no longer eligible for Media funding b ecause of citizenship of company d irectors. Although we live and work in the UK and have done so for 20 years, pay taxes in the UK, can vote in all elections, advise the government on a one-‐to-‐one basis on film policy, and have p ermanent residency status in the UK, we cannot apply for vitally n eeded funding because we are not British.

Distributor Comments MEDIA Funding through the V OD scheme has h elped u s develop our own documentary d istribution p latform As part of our overall profitability – our film would have made a thin profit margin if it weren't for the selective support -‐ that support makes this a viable b usiness model. It's b een h elpful, but a gain it's just mitigated risk and a llowed us to take more chances on European film that we might n ot otherwise afford to be able to d o. Exhibitor Comments The growth in our own business has led directly to job creation -‐ but in a wider context the training initiative helped b y MEDIA, both in the UK and Europe, have given over 600 organisations the ability to grow and develop creating sustainable employment situations. As previously mentioned, b eing a EUROPA CINEMA has meant that we have b een able to take a chance across the year on titles which would otherwise struggle to find screen space in the country. We are the primary venue for independent world cinema in the country and MEDIA funding has h elped to maintain that level of provision. Trust from d istributors on Europa Cinema Label but as well from the Audience who assimilate Europa Cinemas brand as quality cinema. The increased number of European films has h elped attract a different audience to the cinema. As explained previously, without the Europa Cinemas funding we would not be able to show such a wide range of films and d evelop our local audience for international cinema. We are quite a small b usiness. We have room to expand in terms of our a udience figures and we have expanded in recent years. It's d ifficult to say with 100% certainly to what extent the MEDIA funding played a role in that but it is through the more 'risky' programming that this funding supports which we have b een able to develop our brand identity which is wholeheartedly d ependent on the films we s creen. The strong brand we have been able to develop is undoubtedly h elpful with the nurturing of our audience base. The MEDIA programme has enabled us to d evelop the cinema programme resulting in increase in audience numbers and income. Knowing that we can count on some funding through our participation in Europa cinemas gives us financial stability and allows us to have more imaginative programming and support films that we don't n ecessarily think will make us a lot of money but that we b elieve in. Our business has increased admissions year on year a nd this is undoubtedly in part due to the MEDIA support we receive. Helping us showing films we might not have otherwise offered. We are an independent art house cinema operated b y volunteers, and we do not run on a commercial basis; while we are grateful for the funding we receive, the MEDIA programme b est h elps us through Europa Cinemas, when the collective booking potential of the cinemas involved tempts distributors to release titles they would not n ecessarily release. This is particularly true with respect to 35mm print d istribution, titles for release in the UK will soon no longer warrant the striking of 35mm p rints, it is only the n eed for 35mm prints in Europe that will make them a vailable. Business not growing a t present due to reducing local authority funding. My two venues are quite static Funding is certainly welcome but I cannot measure it in these terms. We now have 50,000 more p eople s eeing specialised film a t our venue than we d id five years a go.

This funding has b een crucial in underwriting our p lans for expansion of programme, screens, and audiences. As a result of the contribution Europa Cinemas and other funders make, we are n ow selling around 50,000 more specialised film tickets a year compared to 2005-‐6.

Market Organiser Comments Funding meant our marketplace assistant job could go year-‐round. Our Market was very UK orientated in its first and s econd years. Since partnership with MEDIA, we have gradually increased the proportion of non national producers and b y 2012 will have more than 50% of producer attendants from outside UK and US/non EU. Crucial for building our international profile. Training Provider Comments Helped us develop an internationally recognised course that has led to international recognition. MEDIA funding has a llowed us to develop international links and form partnerships which enable us to offer a wider range of training opportunities. It has enabled us to expand our work internationally, d eveloping international contacts and broadening the scope of our s ervices. The support offered b y Media has h elped provide the foremost course for producers in the UK and Europe and encouraged European producers and executives to gain experience and contacts in the world of Hollywood. Sales A gent Comments We have b enefited from support through the Development Support s cheme, which has b een extremely h elpful to our efforts to d evelop projects that have a chance of making a serious d ent on the world box office, and creating n ew franchises for the European filmmaking b ase. In our business it's really the prospect of having a consistent s late of s ellable films that will d etermine growth. We specialise in art h ouse titles that may sometimes p re-‐sell but are more often execution d ependent. Because the funding we receive will b e tied to a certain extent to the commerciality of our films and because that funding it is not at a level yet that would make such a difference we would not be able at this moment to make plans to expand. In short, when film budgets and scales are b eing reduced, they're even more difficult to promote and find a place in a crowded market. This problem has b een growing over recent years and is, in my opinion, only getting worse. 61

Appendix 2 In overall terms, how e ffective has MEDIA funding been in stimulating e mployment and creating jobs? Producer Comments The MEDIA funding our project received has created jobs for s everal script editors and a casting director. In this particular case, as the producers were also writer and director and DOP it is n ot possible to say that jobs were created. In one s ense, however, the grant stimulated employment. To date, four p eople have b een employed on the project: three more will b e shortly. Effective, but mainly on a short term basis as one of the projects d idn't move into production for a variety of reasons. We have hired professionals to work with us and when the film is shot will h ire many more staff/ freelancers to realise the project and grow the b usiness. We have occasionally hired researchers to d evelop ideas, and DOPs and production teams to make 'teasers' for our proposals. It certainly provided work for the writers attached to the project. Development project. If we have MEDIA funding it h elps greatly -‐ without that commitment others would find it easier to walk a way. This is a hard one to quantify as it was a d evelopment grant and was for one project. My company remains small and has b een hit -‐ like most p eople -‐ b y the global economic crisis. We s till work as a very lean team with a core of 2-‐3 p eople and h ire in freelance crew for each specific project. There has b een n o growth in employment as a result of the MEDIA funding but we a re surviving in very hard times and we are proud to have been able to add to our portfolio and to watch its international critical (if not economic) success. I'm effectively a one man band in the d evelopment stage so the MEDIA a ward d idn't generate any p ermanent jobs. But it d id lead to a film b eing made and that did indeed generate paid employment for a large team of people. IN our case MEDIA fund hasn’t created employment or jobs. Assistants, s ecretary. MEDIA funding has a llowed us to crew up for production on two films and therefore we've b een able to employ several assistant producers and production managers/assistants for those films. It has enabled us to keep some productions in the UK, thus providing highly paid jobs for the length of each production, which can be as long as 2 years. The company is very s mall, run b y a director, writer, producer so the n eed for employment for others is limited. It has created jobs where developed projects have gone into production. Writer, producer, and artists. We did a fair b it of work. But not every project makes it through. We have run a company in Northern Ireland, in an area with 82% unemployment. MEDIA b y stimulating investment has h elped create and sustain our projects and profile. At times we have employed 7 full time staff and produced over a dozen d ocs and four features. MEDIA was crucial in this. The series that was based on the p ilot d evelopment employed 30 p eople for 12 months. The MEDIA funding has enabled us to keep members of staff employed on the project whereby we would have had to let them go. We have a lso b een able to work with the freelance community. We have converted three MEDIA supported projects a nd thus created employment through both the development and production process on three films. It has kept our company able to compete and thrive in a depressed economy. The funding has allowed the employment of writers and other "development" s taff, working towards further employment of freelance p ersonnel at the production stage. We have b een able to hire writers, d irectors, s cript consultants, casting d irectors, line producers and create short shoots involving any number of experienced crew members: which creates jobs in the sort term but contributes to sustaining a baseline of talent in the industry in the longer term. If only there was more of it.... It’s very d ifficult to build a film d evelopment company because of the nature of the b east but MEDIA does allow you to try things out a nd h ire p eople which you wouldn’t b e able to afford. We are a small company and our MEDIA development funding has been of great value in enabling us to get projects ready for production finance, which in turn creates jobs for many crew and cast members and stimulates employment in the post-‐production and sales processes. We are currently casting our latest 62

MEDIA-‐supported project and the script has secured the interest of Mark Rylance to play the lead. This will, we hope, s ecure an A List director and will then finance a relatively big-‐budget film with a wide range of jobs created. I am employing a number of freelancers in the d evelopment process, and this will be multiplied hugely as the development is likely to result in production. It h elped fund freelance jobs for the research trip and in making the p ilot in Russia. These included: Research trip: researcher and writer/ producer -‐ three weeks each executive producer -‐ 6 months part time production manager -‐ 2 weeks part time Pilot: Russian consultant/fixer -‐ one month full time director -‐ two months full time production manager/executive producer -‐ three months full time accountant -‐ one week editor -‐ two weeks full time. It is very effective when it is there and very hard when it is not. It has enabled us to work with a range of writers and researchers when d eveloping projects, taking these relationships into the future. Not only contributors from within the industry, but also individuals from outside the industry that are d eveloping their first projects for film and television. Scripted film and TV d evelopment pays very poorly outside of 1st look d eals or b eing subsidised b y larger corporations. The MEDIA grant d efinitely h elped s ecure existing jobs in subtle and tangible ways and has provided the p otential to generate future employment. We've been able to work with some excellent writers a nd an amazingly talented bunch of animators, characters designers etc all b ecause of the MEDIA funding. We have hired director & script editing support on one project. We have hired a writer and script editor as well as several specialist police consultants and forensic advisors. We are about to embark upon full development of an e-‐novel/app/online graphic novel with publisher Penguin for another project which will include hiring graphic artists, writers and technological experts. The film for which I received development funding would not have b een made without MEDIA's h elp. So all the employment created b y the film was directly or indirectly attributable to MEDIA funding. We have b een able to keep an assistant on longer than we could have done without MEDIA I'm not sure this is relevant to the particular a ward we received -‐ although of course it enabled us to continue employment on that particular film. Again MEDIA's money goes directly to projects rather than to the company so it doesn't h elp with creating jobs at the production company. What it does do though is enable you to pay a fair rate to the line producers, casting a gents, researchers etc who are brought on as freelancers to work on the project. Possibly without MEDIA's money these roles would have to b e filled b y less experienced in house staff rather than trained professionals in these fields. Allowed us to take on further people to d evelop project. MEDIA funding has b een effective in sustaining a proper d evelopment process and means we've b een able to pay p eople properly for their s ervices rather than work -‐ as we often have to -‐ on a d eferred fee basis. Initially able to source finance from various sources, b ut laterally became increasingly difficult. No further jobs have yet b een created. It s timulates employment b y b eing able to pay d irectly for the projects development costs. As we are a ll aware it is the development costs that are often the hardest to come b y. It creates jobs for writers, directors and crew such as line producers, production managers and casting d irectors. I think it is incredibly effective at the point where a project n eeds and requires the finance to move it forward. A large number of people were involved in the production. We were able to take on a n umber of p eople in different roles during the d evelopment process. Because of the support MEDIA gave our company we a re now a bout to make a feature film which will create over 50 jobs (for the duration of shoot and post production) and will pump over half a million pounds into the Welsh economy. We were able to h ire some freelance support for a p eriod of time. Too early to say. A number of the scripts developed converted into production and international sales. Since it is a development grant for a single film script to be d eveloped, the long term creation of jobs is n ot really relevant. It has meant paying a writer, coordinator and Line Producer. Had the economics b een d ifferent in the general sector, we would have doubled the s ize of the production team and created a large number of jobs. Regarding growth of the b usiness, we s till retain the s kills that were developed and therefore have potential to expand the studio within that sector when circumstances change. It therefore has a b eneficial effect and does enable us to promote the s kill set within the industry. 63

In this particular instance, this Award has had an impact on all three international co-‐production partners. A number of animators and other creatives were n eeded to create the d evelopment materials. If green lit, the programme would provide work for many creatives. It h elped to pay for a t least 40 p eople to be employed on the project in d ifferent production capacities We have -‐ thanks to d evelopment funding, and one TV broadcast grant -‐ b een able to employ over the last ten years some 50 freelance staff for p eriods of 18 months at a time, four times. We have also b een able to employ a full time d evelopment executive, director and art director to concentrate on d evelopment. Several p eople were employed during the d evelopment process of the film. Getting projects a way means jobs are created. Obtaining d evelopment money means jobs are created. It is quite s imple. The MEDIA money is of massive benefit to employment in the independent sector as companies are not under pressure to pay this money back with a premium. We work internationally -‐ we employ freelancers in Scotland, but also in the rest of the UK and Europe. The more projects we d evelop and produce, the more we employ -‐ the s chemes in the MEDIA program allow us to increase the volume of our work, and the ability to do it. With MEDIA funding I was able to employ a cameraman, editor and researcher in order to produce a trailer for my documentary. For a start it saved my job as a Managing Director. The company was on its last legs b efore the MEDIA supported production. I spent years raising finance for two big projects, one came off because of MEDIA. The other is still in the balance. The MEDIA supported film increased the reputation of the European Director as well (but h e lives in Japan). In general UC works with freelancers, so apart from Director & Producer n o n ew jobs were created. Just supporting freelancers and suppliers in the NW region of England, an area which struggles against the d ominance of London in the UK TV business. The financial support creates s tability, stimulates further investment and therefore a llows us to create new opportunities within business. National factors have hindered the company's d evelopment. No n ew jobs were created b ecause the project n ever made it into production. The impact related to employment will b e felt when the film goes into production. At that time an entire crew and cast will b e engaged to produce the film. This employment is a consequence of the grant and not a direct result. I think it is fair to assume, in my case, that the 4 feature films I produced with the help of MEDIA Development funding might not have b een converted into production had they not received the d evelopment grants from MEDIA. The 4 films had budgets of b etween 2.5m and 3.5m GBP and created employment and generated fees and revenues in the UK, Germany, Hungary and Denmark. We have b een able to keep a t least two additional p ermanent members of staff as a result. The original funding was very small. It was my fault b ecause I d id not calculate well the d ifficulties and the demands of the project.

Distributor Comments We don't have staff. We have created three n ew positions as a result of Media funding. Hard to quantify. We might p ossible have a s maller team. Exhibitor Comments We engage in a s ignificant number of projects from film d istribution to professional training courses where MEDIA funding has b een KEY in enabling us to raise significant levels of match-‐funding. The level of funding we receive from MEDIA is marginally b elow what we receive from our Film Agency each year so it is s ignificant in order for us to maintain the effective running of our venue. Its contribution h elps us to maintain our current level of provision and the associated roles within the venue. A thriving cinema can only b e maintained b y effective staffing. The increased numbers of films have led to an increased programme of educational activity around these European films. The funding has allowed us to take risks with our programming; the funding has played a role in sustaining and growing our business. 64

We have quite a s mall team h ere with very low turnover and little room for growth largely due to the limitations of our physical premises. Media funding has not directly resulted in increase in employment as the enhanced programme can be delivered by the same number of staff. However, it can be said to h elp safeguard existing employment. Not relevant to us Stoke Film Theatre is an independent art house cinema run b y volunteers, we only have one part time paid position which pre-‐dates our involvement with the MEDIA Programme. Jobs holding s teady at present but no growth There n eed to b e schemes, which target the non profit sector, to allow trainees, and graduates, access to employment training. We now employ 30 more s taff than we did 5 years ago. Expansion has b een a large part of our work in the last decade, and Europa Cinemas funding has supported a nd helped us realise those plans.

Market Organiser Comments Has given credibility to our Market event -‐ p eople respect an event with MEDIA funding Allowed us to have a year-‐round assistant post and another short term assistant post. Crucial in creating jobs. Training Provider Comments - Our course prepares producers to create sustainable IP and businesses therefore creating jobs for the multiple roles n eeded on cross-‐platform projects. At the lab many of the participants have b egun to work together generating n ew projects and new roles and employment opportunities. - MEDIA funding has a llowed us to increase our own a ctivity and support SMEs to the point where they have employed more p eople. - A large number of the graduates of Inside Pictures have gone on to be industry leaders in the European Film Industry (details available). Sales A gent Comments The funding we have received to date is not sufficient to allow for job growth within the company. I'm afraid the issue is helping s maller scale films and s imilar companies handling them to d eal with the films in a viable way and a positive knock on effect from that is that maybe more jobs will b e created but we're a long way from that... 65

Appendix 3 In overall terms, how e ffective has MEDIA funding been in improving your leverage of m atch funding? Producer Comments The project already had s ecured match funding when the MEDIA application was made, but s ecuring MEDIA funding h elped us raise further d evelopment funds for the project. The production company was able to obtain matching finance at the level of €40,000. It has allowed us to get BFI match funding It has meant we could state the terms of a d eal rather than take the initial terms handed to us. It's a huge help h ere. It impresses European broadcasters and increases their faith in the project In this instance it wasn't effective at all s ince it coincided with a downturn in a nimation production and commissioning in the UK. My partners were in place prior to the application b eing made. The MEDIA funding a ttracted one non-‐profit organisation to support us in d evelopment stage. Instant incentive for public national d evelopment. As part of our finance plan, having MEDIA money was instrumental in attracting a co-‐producer who was also an investor for one of our films. Not s o much for d evelopment, where we are a lmost a lways forced to match the MEDIA money ourselves, but the distribution money we have had has b een a cornerstone in the funding of our shows which have s everal partners in different countries. Once MEDIA has provided finance and endorsed the project it makes it much more a ttractive to other companies to invest. It has helped for example where the BFI are prepared to fund 50% of a development budget, but usually their funding has come first. People are reluctant to match fund without greater control. And that greater control was part of the problem with our initial rights holder and the d eal I had in p lace with h im. Sometimes MEDIA was first in support which we used to leverage other d evelopment finance. We currently have not sought match funding, but I would imagine having MEDIA funding would help. We have b een able to partner with other funds, distributors, other international co-‐producers and financiers at a very early s tage b ecause of this. As already stated, MEDIA support has greatly h elped to leverage the development support of the UK and Scottish national bodies for film. The MEDIA brand is widely recognized as a stamp of a pproval inside the industry and out of it. It has been a key element of our offering to finance and can b e considered crucial in h elping encourage matching -‐ and production -‐ financiers to contribute. Match funding tool is much easier when you have something to match a gainst so yes it did improve the s trategy going forwards. On our latest project, MEDIA funds paid for four drafts of script, on the strength of which the BFI has agreed to fund the n ext stages of d evelopment. We are in the process of funding the project but 'first' money is a very effective leverage tool in raising further finance. I know this from experience. Unfortunately not much -‐ we didn't go into production because of lack of interest from broadcasters. We raised match funding on our s late application from the Creative Investment F und in the North of England but when our slate application was u nsuccessful we struggled to hold onto this money and replace it to match the other investment. It cost us a lot of energy and goodwill not to mention valuable time and resources. Partnership with MEDIA has b een very h elpful in facilitating working with other partner organisations when raising match funding. MEDIA is a respected fund and embarking on a project backing by MEDIA often helps to interest other financial backers. Both Channel 4 and Penguin have endorsed the appeal of the match funding element of slate funding. It was more effective in consolidating domestic funding. International funders were reluctant to pre fund. However, many of the meetings facilitated b y the MEDIA funding d id eventually result in programme sales, once the film was finished, which offset production losses. 66

It's as simple as that -‐ MEDIA provides evidence that we have money, which then enables us often to secure more. We received UK Lottery money after receiving the MEDIA grant, and also money from Slovak TV who bought and broadcast the film on International Roma Day. Development funding is increasingly d ifficult to find and financiers prefer to share the risk on their investment, whether this be the BFI, Film4 or the BBC, or even end users such as S tudio Canal. Once they know it is not only their money at risk or they have to put in only 50% of the d evelopment budget or less then it is a lot easier to negotiate. MEDIA is a good way of improving leverage b ecause it reduces risk for potential match funders. Became increasingly d ifficult to raise match funding. The award of MEDIA funding has b een very valuable in confirming the quality of the project to other potential funders. We have our own fund so we could have put a s mall a mount of finance to the project anyhow. Having said that, I think it h elps us justify what we are paying and why in project development costs to our shareholders/ investors. It has helped to bring in further funds from a number of other sources. It h elped us to b e taken more seriously. It helped improve our company’s credibility. Our ability to match MEDIA funding with investment 'in-‐kind' a llowed and encouraged us to invest in our own IP We were able to bring BFI matching funding to this project after work d one to b e able to apply for the MEDIA grant. Eventually when the project is further developed, I expect it to prove very effective In this case, the start of production came b efore confirmation of receipt of the Award so it was very effective in that a ll the respective co-‐producers a greed that they would invest in the project to a level that was greater than the Award applied for. The possibility of the Award gave a real and meaningful opportunity to producers to reduce their exposure and this d efinitely h elped all parties adopt the structure that was applied. We match funded the budget ourselves It a lso h elped me retain copyright control and a b etter % of royalties. The main b enefit has b een to give us flexibility in p lanning our funding. Encouraged the involvement of the UK Film Council. Having match in p lace is vital and a llows others to have the comfort they n eed. The fact that the MEDIA money is able to b e first in is a lso a real p lus. 100%. The latest project -‐ we have raised 40% of the match funding after a 50% d evelopment funding was awarded and are on our way to rise the last 10% after initially being prepared to put up the last 10% from the company. It has allowed us to get s tarted; to get the work done that has in turn attracted more finance into the project after s eeing proposals and trailers. I think it's d ifficult for me to say. In my case, the d evelopment support meant that I was able to interest broadcasters in the next stage of production. I did not receive extra funding on the basis of MEDIA’s involvement. The MEDIA funding demonstrates significant investment in our projects and incentivises other financial institutions to invest but it is also used as our expenditure and commitment to a project and so is leverage when obtaining match funding and securing our financial stake and future in projects. We d id manage to get match funding from both Dutch and German publishers initially -‐ but n either of them would commit in the end to providing the in-‐kind s ervices that would have a llowed the project to go into production. We were able to raise match funding as a result of the grant. UK Film Council grants and BBC development grant were unlocked through MEDIA funding. In the UK a lmost all d evelopment funding requires a match -‐ Media has really helped us fill that gap.

Distributor Comments We have raised s ome match funding through having a MEDIA grant. This is not something we take into account. Exhibitor Comments This has not been explored a t the venue. We haven't sought match funding for any projects in our businesses recent history. Not effective in match funding but very effective in making the case for breadth of film programme. Training Provider Comments The awarding of MEDIA funding is d efinitely a key h elp in s ecuring funding in other s ources as MEDIA funds some of the leading media courses in Europe. Funding of our programme for four years has a llowed us to d evelop a case to bring in national film funds and decrease the MEDIA % of support for our programme. With MEDIA funding we were able to a ccess funds from the BFI and private industry as well as contributions from students and their employers and regional training bodies. Sales A gent Comments We have not made any attempts to date to use the funding as leverage. It just doesn't h elp. 68

Appendix 4 Did attending a MEDIA-‐funded training course e nhance your skills and k nowledge? Producer Comments Attending the ACE programme has been invaluable -‐ it has considerably accelerated my personal development as a producer and it has h elped the general d evelopment of the company. Went to a training weekend about Journalism in Documentary (Belfast Fest 2007). It was extremely stimulating. It was absolutely essential for a young producer like me to b e able to network with like-‐minded individuals and learn the b est practices for developing and growing the business through our film projects. It greatly assisted the Director. He was a relatively n ew director who now has an award winning film on his resume. Yes, a little, but because the situation is so different in each country, it was not always useful. The networking was more important. Interesting from changing workplace point of view. always useful to know what is going on, even if it doesn't directly affect one's business I was an observer on the first EAVE course. I s till have contacts from that course. At that time it was good to understand how the system works, and producers n eed not b e a lone in producing work. The pixel lab was very informative about n ew transmedia market place. The courses were largely splendid, and helped both with networking leading to later production partnerships, and a raising of general knowledge and a wareness of the international film business. It taught me skills of script development in collaboration with writers; and also gave invaluable introductions to other writers and producers across Europe. Both courses a ttended b y staff members who rated them very h ighly -‐ especially the CICAE course. Not really. I have attended ACE, EAVE and INSIDE PICTURES and have produced and continue to produce feature films with friends and contacts made through these programmes. I attended as a speaker. But yes, the opportunity to network with other professionals definitely helped enhance my knowledge and skills. Good intros to European Producers/potential co-‐production partners and the funding within the European Creative Community. ACE -‐ absolutely fantastic, would not hesitate to recommend it. Perfectly pitched for the experienced producer Knowledge of international marketplace and building relationships with commissioners / future partners, as well as steering particular projects. I was lecturing the Inside p ictures course, but I found it most interesting and helpful also. I was attending as a 'decision-‐maker', and felt that I enhanced my knowledge b y doing so. It is probably the greatest course I have ever taken and progressed my career immensely. It h elped me with finance and s trategy thinking for our work. The financing landscape is constantly changing and meeting and n etworking on these courses allows one to keep abreast of the industry. Also expanding that n etwork is vital to progress. Especially, the new cross over content. Project based intensive training courses give the s kills n ecessary at the level we need to produce, whereas one off workshops or lectures over a day or morning/afternoon only scratch the surface and give information , rather than develop s kills. Absolutely! The courses have always made me a b etter skilled Producer. This was how I began working in multimedia. The course gave us the skills and the knowledge to make the transition from documentary making to fiction projects. My colleague a ttended Inside Pictures and it enormously enhanced h er view of global film making.

Exhibitor Comments Yes. It was a great experience to meet colleagues from around Europe and share ideas I attended the CICAE ART + CINEMA = MANAGEMENT course both as a participant and a facilitator and found it an invaluable forum for making contacts and n etworking with other exhibitors. The Marketing & Distribution course which I attended quite a number of years a go was a key turning point in my professional career as a programmer. Distributer Comments - Inside Pictures has b een hugely b eneficial with knowledge of the production s ector. Market Organiser Comments Unsure at this point Good to learn from other countries' experience. Training Provider Comments I attended all of these courses as a mentor/ tutor -‐ not as a participant 70

Appendix 5 Was attending a MEDIA-‐funded training course an opportunity to meet any partners for possible future collaboration? Producer Comments

I am currently collaborating with two partners which I met through the ACE programme. The Director may have met p eople h e will collaborate with -‐ in Italy especially. But I do not have the d etails. Yes [3 examples of collaboration provided]. Production relationships are still ongoing. It takes more then a course to find a partner but it does start somewhere. These are too numerous to list. I attended as a d ecision-‐maker and made contact with both student attendees and other d ecision makers There have b een s everal b oth in terms of production p artners and financing partners. It enables you to d evelop other ideas with n ew partners you meet and get on with. I am currently working on 2 new documentary ideas with n ew p eople from the recent Documentary Campus training I have done. I met a writer I commissioned a s cript from and I met p eople I may work with in the future.

Distributor Comments - Production projects are in d evelopment now Exhibitor Comments - Both courses I a ttended have resulted in completed projects as well a life-‐long support n etwork of other professionals in the business. 71

Appendix 6 Did attending the event(s) improve your position w ith buyers and financiers? Producer Comments Presenting projects at the market has h elped s ecure p roduction finance as well as co-‐production partners on projects. We pitched the internet film in Barcelona and Sheffield, and drew it to the attention of many broadcasters. Some subsequently contributed finance to the film. Some years ago I got substantial funding as a result of attending Eurodoc. The marketing events are much more difficult but I have come to know key people in the industry better -‐ especially some financiers and distributors who now know my name -‐ but I have not yet managed to attract a distributor as a result of attending any of these events. The market has gone through a period of retraction and there was a period when financiers etc were not taking too many risks on films up front. They seemed to want to see the finished film which is very hard for an independent producer. I stopped going to markets for this reason until it b ecomes more worthwhile to take this risk again. We couldn’t find a pre-‐buyer or a financier that year. We attended Meetmarket in Sheffield and London F ilm F estival with several projects over the last few years. These have b een crucial markets for us and have made a significant different to our success in raising funding and finding distributors. Yes. These markets are essential, though the Cartoon events are much more useful than the markets at film festivals. Cartoon Forum is always h elpful. Not a lways on the day, but a lways, eventually. We sold a number of Projects a t these events through the years. Being nominated for the Annecy official selection was useful to increase the company profile. It enabled us to meet lots of Co-‐production partners a nd broadcasters across Europe. In the long run this will be very useful. Immensely useful access It’s a good p latform. It raises your profile and enables many useful conversations and connections. These have b een over 10 years and a ll have been useful in d ifferent ways. The MEDIA stand a t Cannes in particular is incredibly u seful and really valuable support. It's hugely important to continually meet potential funders and potential partners. These events provide an opportunity to connect with the rest of the industry and for our company to sustain its presence in the marketplace. Cartoon was very h elpful in having such a strong focus. I obtained buyers and financiers through attending Cartoon Forum. Meeting financiers at these types of events is great as you get to know them and when you come to bringing projects to them you have a relationship with them. Because as a producer, you are able to meet Com Eds and other financiers over a series of markets over particular n egotiations over the development of a project. Basis to raise and finalise co-‐pro and pre-‐sales for MEDIA funded TV project. We pitched our film to various buyers and financiers. We developed relationships and we were able to get funding to shoot a p ilot for our film. We also met partners who we are currently in discussions with. Although a number of meetings were h eld, there has b een no tangible outcome as yet. Distributor Comments - Markets are a lways effective 72

Appendix 7 While attending a MEDIA-‐funded networking e vent did you meet any possible partners for future collaboration? Producer Comments I am now collaborating with a film production company in Barcelona who I met at the IDFA pitching forum. Attending IDFA forum and MeetMarket Sheffield has led to direct investment in films, at Berlinale EFM, I have met with production partners I may collaborate in future -‐ Berlinale also introduced me to producers I have collaborated with but not on MEDIA slate productions. Not yet -‐ but we live in hope. We were made an offer of funding at the Galway Film F leadh from a major US distributor s ome years a go but it was withdrawn within months when the market collapsed. It will happen again I a m sure. Several n ew partners have been met at these events. We have coproduced with many people I have met at the Cartoon Forum, primarily in France and Germany, but with presales to S candinavian countries. Too many to list. We are presently involved in a project that came out of the Berlin F ilm Market and Galway Film Fleadh. We have met up and discussed the project with several partners and are waiting to s ee what happens with the UK broadcasters. I've found three collaborators from Germany, Ireland and Sweden who I've met several times at market over a number of years, and we have built a working relationship and in this way. In almost every occasion. Sheffield MeetMarket and others have provided direct connections for ongoing collaborations. Both for productions and in project d evelopments. Recently at the Documentary Campus -‐ collaborators on new projects and partners on the current project in d evelopment; which is funded partly through the MEDIA programme. Sales Agents, Distributors, Co-‐Producers. We met partners we intend to work with in the future. Exhibitor Comments Our links with MEDIA and Europa Cinemas has led to u s delivering and co-‐delivering professional training both nationally and internationally. 73

Appendix 8 Has attending a MEDIA-‐funded networking e vent directly helped you t o produce any of your projects? Producer Comments I'm currently in the process of producing a film with partners I met during the Berlin co-‐production market. Many of our d ocs have b een funded through p itches a nd contacts a t, for example, IDFA, Sheffield. Through possible co-‐producers. My current film about the internet would have b een impossible without n etworking at IDFA and Barcelona. Call regulations could b e simplified and more transparency in the admin process would h elp greatly. Not yet. It's a matter of time I think before we do manage to get other financial partners on board. By p itching to broadcasters. By meeting funders and interested producing partners we've been able to take projects from development to production and then through to d elivery. Yes. We have launched several projects at the Cartoon Forum [3 examples provided]. These have all been financed with the h elp of international partners. [Our animated children’s cartoon] got produced for CiTV as a result. That was the most direct result. I've picked up loads of projects to co-‐produce at co-‐pro markets. I am currently co-‐producing with a S wedish partner. Yes it enabled us to get international funding and distribution for a d ocumentary. These events allow you to meet and MAINTAIN relationships with other producers which is necessary with producers you wish to collaborate and co-‐produce with. [5 examples provided] We've met with some potential co-‐producers and funders…things are going very well. Yes. MEDIA funding and a MEDIA event -‐ Sheffield MeetMarket -‐ provided key partnerships for our project [title and director provided]. The film is longitudinal (filmed over 2 years) and Sheffield provided lots of opportunity regarding generating pre-‐sales interest. Although we weren't able to raise UK production finance, being at the festival to take meetings with our American director helped raise the profile of the project in the marketplace. We’ve also recently s ecured production finance from Participant Media in the States, which is fantastic. Always h elpful to n etwork with other producers. We've pitched four projects at Cartoon Forum over the past 10 years. 2 have successfully gone on to be produced, 1 is about to start production and the other was p icked up by a broadcaster for further d evelopment. There are no results yet but we are hopeful that contacts made will eventually b ear fruit. By exposure to d ifferent funding models and providing network contacts. Networking through these events a llows trusted contacts you a lready have to endorse n ew contacts they might have and with the right meeting of minds this leads to collaboration. By meeting EU broadcasters, co-‐production partners a nd creative partners to work with. By s ecuring sales to broadcasters and negotiating with other potential financial partners. I met a n ow regular co-‐producer a t EAVE. At Documentary Campus I met the person who has now become my Digital producer in the current cross platform -‐ previously this project would have n ever been cross platform, or I would never have met h er. Now it has every chance of happening as a developed project with a great team. All of this facilitated by a very well thought out MEDIA program. It works! Set up a co-‐pro, pre sales and acquisition of a specialist catalogue for my company. Attachment of Sales Agents, Distributors, Co-‐Producers and finance to the projects. Attending the European Producers Club events has lead to 2 projects receiving funding from partners we met for the first time at the events. Meeting potential partners has not a lways h elped the project pitched, but has often helped later d own the line with other projects. 74

Distributor Comments Call regulations could be simplified (especially after successful applications) and more transparency in the admin process would h elp greatly. Berlin 2012 -‐ I met with a number of potential partners. Exhibitor Comments It's hard to overstate the value of MEDIA's contribution to the cultural life of the UK's film sector and it is one of the few organisations which seeks to address all parts of the industry from production to distribution and exhibition. It is one of the very few organisations in the world which is aware of how these three factions of the business work together. This joined-‐up thinking is an invaluable strength. Market Organiser Comments Great contacts to invite to the market Training Provider Comments IDFA h elped me produce an hour long documentary for ARTE, ARD and NCRV.

For all enquiries please contact: Agnieszka Moody, Director MEDIA Desk UK c/o BFI 21 Stephen Street London W1T 1LN Tel: 0207 173 3221 Email: uk@mediadeskuk.eu Website: www.mediadeskuk.eu