Submissions open for Film Development and Production Fund (United Kingdom)

Deadline: Ongoing

The Screen Scotland has announced submissions for the Film Development and Production Fund to support filmmakers who are working in live-action, animation and documentary, to develop a range of feature film projects across all genres that reflect Scotland’s culture, creativity and diversity.

They will support projects with international appeal that have the potential to be distinctive, high-quality and commercially and/or creatively-driven. They will also support projects that enable artists and filmmakers to take risks creatively.

Through the film development and production fund, they want to balance projects that have a strong cultural impact with those that have strong economic potential. They will prioritise the development and production of projects by filmmakers based in Scotland, as well projects which reflect or promote Scottish culture, creativity and diversity. They will also prioritise projects which offer significant opportunities to people currently under-represented in the sector. Additionally they will fund the production of projects in Scotland from international producers, but only when working with writing and directing talent based in Scotland.

What will the fund support?

There are two routes in the Film Development and Production Fund. These are:
- Single Project Development Funding: Support towards the initial development costs of a single feature film project.
- Film Production Funding: Support towards the production costs for a film project.

Funding Information

Single Project Development Funding:
- They will award Single Project Development Funding in the range of £3,000-£50,000.
- This funding route will support the following list of development activities (please note this list is not exhaustive and is only intended to be used as a guide):
  - Payment to option the rights to adapt pre-existing works
  - Development of the treatment, outline and/or screenplay
  - Script editing and story development
  - Research
  - Mood boards, concept art work and/or storyboards
  - Taster/sizzle reels
  - Development costs relating to travel, accommodation and subsistence of key personnel involved in the project
  - Budgeting and scheduling
  - Casting
  - External legal costs associated with rights’ options and clearance (eg writers’ agreements/option agreements).
Film Production Funding:
- Awards for Production Funding are likely to be made in the range of £100,000-£500,000.

Who can apply?

Single Project Development Funding:
- They will accept applications for Single Project Development Funding from:
  - Producers based in Scotland
    - If your project is a live action feature film, you must have a screenwriter attached to your project who has written a feature film which has been produced and theatrically released. If the screenwriter does not have such a feature film credit, you should visit Short Circuit for further details of support for new/emerging screenwriters.
  - Producers based outside Scotland (but only where the project involves writing and/or directing talent based in Scotland).
    - You should be an experienced creative producer having produced at least one feature film that has been distributed theatrically and received critical acclaim at international festivals, or a significant television drama project, or have an experienced creative executive producer attached. You must also have a screenwriter attached to your project at the point of application.
  - Individual screenwriters
    - They will accept applications from screenwriters based in Scotland who have had at least one full-length feature screenplay produced and where the completed film has been distributed theatrically, received critical acclaim and/or has been screened at recognised international festivals.
- Overall they strongly encourage applications from writer, director and producer teams with the application being made by the producer. They would not normally fund projects where the producer is also the sole writer of the project.
Film Production Funding:
- Producers based in Scotland, and
- Producers based outside Scotland (but only where the project involves writing and/or directing talent based in Scotland). In both cases, you should be an experienced creative producer having produced at least one feature film that has been distributed theatrically, or that has received critical acclaim at international festivals. Alternatively, you must have an experienced creative executive producer attached who meets these requirements.
- In both cases, you should be an experienced creative producer having produced at least one feature film that has been distributed theatrically, or that has received critical acclaim at international festivals. Alternatively, you must have an experienced creative executive producer attached who meets these requirements.