the first stop for film and moving image in cornwall and the south west

ARISTA Producer Training Initiative in association with North West Vision

Feature film financing workshop – Liverpool

Sunday 13th March: DAY 1:

4.30 Registration and Welcome: NW Vision
5:00 pm Development:

• Identifying talent and projects, building relationships with talent, agents and managers. Working with unknowns vs working with established talent.
• Building leadership qualities to put the producer at the centre of the development process.
• Development budgeting: when does development become pre-production?
• When is a project ready for the market? How do you judge it? When is it time to abandon a project? How do you abandon a project correctly?
• Survival strategies for producers – supplementing income by developing other skills – e.g. line producing and script editing.
• Sources of development finance, including funding your company rather than funding your projects.

Presented by Stephen Cleary, Arista

Monday 14th March: DAY 2

Financing Overview Introduction

• Overview of film financing strategies, to include a comparison of “conventional” financing involving public and private investment (equity and subsidy), tax breaks and pre-sales versus the use of deferrals and ultra-low budget production
• Current market trends – budget sizes of first time features and likely sources of finance, including up to date information o­n the state of the market, including the collapse in pre-sales and increased revenues from DVD

Presented by Reno Antoniades, Lee and Thompson

Financing Legal issues and Agreements

• Writers option agreements and an overview of copyright and chain of title.
• Intellectual and physical property and differences in international copyright law
• Rights issues involved with pre-selling a project internationally, including music and artist clearances.
• Overview of key legal knowledge required during film financing with specific reference to ‘standard’ distribution and other financing contracts 

Presented by Reno Antoniades, Lee and Thompson

Lunch

Finance Strategies

• The revenue chain for feature films, including theatrical, TV, pay TV, DVD and video and international sales & distribution, to include a realistic analysis of potential fees and revenues for a producer and strategies that can be used to protect and maximise them.
• What financing model to use? Varying financing strategies for first time features, with case studies of an independently made film and o­ne financed conventionally. 

Presented by Reno Antoniades and guests

Tuesday 15th March: DAY 3

Production and company finance models

• What financing model to use? Including two different financing strategies for first time features, to include case studies of an independently made film and o­ne financed conventionally. 
• Successful production company role models – working in television or commercials to build a sustainable business.

Presented by Reno Antoniades and guests Karen Smythe and AN Other

Lunch

Finance and Recoupment plans in Practice

Case by case examination of participants’ projects with investigation and discussion of finance plans and recoupment strategies

Wednesday 16th March: DAY 4

Distribution

• Overview of the UK theatrical exhibition & distribution sector and how UK films perform in the domestic and key international markets,
• Typical distribution costs and the difficulties UK films have competing with US films.
• Explanation how exhibitors & distributors run their businesses, including the relationships between major chains/distributors, independent chains/distributors and subsidised exhibition/distribution.

Presented by Mia Bays

Lunch

Sales Agents, Markets and Production Financing

• The role of a sales agent and distributor and how and when to work with them.
• Using international festivals & markets to build contacts and help finance a project.

Presented by Mia Bays with guests

Thursday 17th March: DAY5

Marketing Tools for the Film Producer

• Understanding and utilizing methods of gaining market awareness for your film.
• Pr and marketing from, development to completion.
• Working with publicists and the publicity machine.
• Preparation for exploitation during development and pre-production
  Case studies

Presented by Mia Bays and guests

Lunch

Participant’s Session

Presentation, examination and discussion of participant’s project marketing plans, sales and distribution strategy.

Presented by Mia Bays

All participants will receive a 60-page course book with handouts summarizing all presentations as well as hard copies of all PowerPoint slides

Additional Written information:

Prepared by Lee and Thompson:

• Contracts with distributors, broadcasters including sales agents, public funders (including UK Film Council), payment terms, delivery requirements, insurance requirements, including E&O and completion bonding.
• Crew contracts and cast contracts, including an overview of Bectu, PACT and Equity contracts

Prepared by Liz Rosenthal:

• Digital feature film production:
• Pros and cons of shooting over film and cost comparisons.
• Key issues of ultra-low budget feature production, including the difficulties of securing sales and distribution, considerations during development, production and post-production, technical spec required to achieve TV sales and improve quality of theatrical print.
• What projects are best suited to digital?
• Digital distribution possibilities and costs – can digital production and distribution provide viable revenues and alternatives to existing structures?
• Production case studies.

Proposed Guests:

Finance Strategies:
Andrew Eaton, Revolution Films

Production company models
Karen Smythe – La Belle Allee Productions, Scotland
Jonny Persey – APT Films

Sales and Marketing
Colin Burch, Director Verve Pictures
Will Clarke, Optimum
Kate Lee, Head of Film, Freuds
Joy Wong, The Works