Goodies for Newbies

If you are fortunate enough to be a recent grad of one of Canada's top 15 film programs, and have a script that you could shoot for $120,000 to 250,000, Telefilm's new program could give you $120,000. Check it out.

60-30-10

Telefilm has changed its definition of a movie's "success." Instead of gauging it 100% on box office, it's now 60% box office, 30% festivals and awards, and 10% how much it was financed privately rather than purely out of the government's pockets.

Personally, this seems to me like a step in the right direction. If Canadians are supporting a Canadian cinema, winning Cannes ought to count. After all, Canadian movies are cultural ambassadors, as well as cultural touchstones.

DVD sales will count, as well, at least indirectly. That's good. Most of the time English Canadians watch their own movies, they're on DVD. After all, Canadian budgets are low, and most people watch low budget movies on DVD. No Canadian movie can compete head to head against TRANSFORMERS and other spectacles.

So I'm glad Telefilm is setting more holistic benchmarks.

Telefilm: a clarification

I don't know how many of you have been submitting to the various Telefilm Canada writer-only programs like Feature It! and Writers First and the Premier Writers Program, but I had an enlightening back-and-forth with a friend at Telefilm. You can only submit a project to Telefilm at a given level (e.g. outline, treatment, first draft, second draft) once.

This gets a bit dicey because the objectives of some of these programs are different. Feature It! was aimed at emerging writers doing low budget stories. Feature It! could have rejected a project for being too high budget or the writer not being "emerging" enough; but the project is then tainted at TFC unless you take it to the next level. (I.e. you turn your outline into a treatment, or your treatment into a draft.)

The requirements are a little looser when producers get involved. If Producer A is rejected with your outline, you can come in later with Producer B, so long as you've made serious changes to the material -- which, with a new producer, you probably have.

I'm passing all this along 'cause I was not aware of it! Careful what you send in and how -- you only get one shot.

Sprint for your Short

This is just a reminder that the August 9 deadline for youngish (<36 years old) Quebec screenwriters to apply to SODEC's SPRINT FOR YOUR SHORT program is fast approaching. Oh, and check out Jeunes Créateurs, too, while you're at it!

Looking Good in Shorts

If you are a young or youngish Quebec-based screenwriter, whether you write in English or French, check out SODEC's "Cours Après Ton Court" aka "Sprint for Your Script." It's a program for writers 18-35 who are "pursuing a professional writing career," that is, no currently enrolled students. There's mentorship, and nifty prizes. Deadline is August 9. Check it out at the official SODEC site.

Feature It Starts Early This Year

Feature It! is a program to support English-language films in Québec. The program gives mentoring and cash to produced Québec screenwriters, so they can write new scripts. Writers can submit either with a producer or on their own. This year, the deadline is April 27, so get on it! 

Toot, Toot

Come shoot your show here.

MONTREAL -- Quebec now offers film producers one of the best tax incentives in North America. All production costs, not just labor expenses, are now eligible for a 25% tax credit.

"I think it's extraordinary. It's really big. The phones have started to ring," says Michel Trudel, who co-owns the equipment rental company Locations Michel Trudel with Mel Hoppenheim of Quebec's La Cité du Cineacute;ma studio. "This is what we needed to get the Americans to come again."

The provincial government said Friday it's increasing the tax credit for foreign filming from 25% of labor expenses to 25% of all spending.

Or, you know, come shoot my show here. Just sayin.

"Spring for your Script" - Quebec Only

Ah to be young again, and fancy free. And get free money from government agencies:

For Quebec WGC Members Only

Sprint for your script: Call for submissions - 10th edition

SODEC invites young screenwriters to enter SPRINT FOR YOUR SCRIPT !

For the tenth edition of this annual competition, screenwriters are asked to submit a first draft script with dialogue for a short drama or animated film (maximum length: 12 minutes) before August 11th, 2008.

MORE THAN A CONTEST!
The selected screenwriters will enjoy the benefits of participating in a truly unique screenwriter’s workshop. They will be paired off with an advisory screenwriter and will participate in intensive individual and group work sessions in the charming atmosphere of the Old Dawes Brewery at the Guy-Descary cultural complex in Lachine, from mid-September to the beginning of October
2008.

Grand Prix consists of a $55,000 investment in production by SODEC and more.

Special Prizes
- the $1,000 CBC/WGC Prize for the Best English Language Script
- the SARTEC Special Mention consisting of a $1,000 prize for a French script
- the Prix coup de coeur du public consisting of a $1, 000 prize
-
In addition, the finalists’ seven scripts will be read publicly by professional actors. This event will be held during the 37th annual Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal (October 8th-19th).
The event will be followed by a cocktail a presentation of the awards.

Eligibility

Writers must:
• Be between the ages of 18 and 35 (i.e. not have turned 36 at the time of script submission deadline)
• Be a resident of Québec for at least two years
• Be pursuing on a professional writing career (high school, college and university undergraduate students are not eligible)
• Have had a script produced and publicly released or broadcast (proof required)

For more information about eligibility for Sprint for Your Script, please visit the WGC website and click on the Sprint for Your Script icon on the home page.

I'm not complaining, mind. My network just ordered two new scripts on the urban metaphysical series I'm developing for them.

Feature It

So after chatting with Carol Whitehead, who's organizing Feature It!, it looks like I'm going to teach part of the workshop. Quebeckers, I hope you got your application in!

Run! Write Your Short

SODEC is holding another "Sprint for your Script / Cours écrire ton court" competition for Montreal-based young creators. (Young means up to 35.) Goodies galore.

COURS ÉCRIRE TON COURT ! will give the selected screenwriters the benefits of taking part in truly unique scriptwriting workshops. In the charming atmosphere of the Old Dawes Brewery at the Guy-Descaries cultural complex in Lachine, between mid-September and mid-October 2006 they will be paired off with advisory screenwriters whose involvement is backed by SARTEC and CBC Television. The writers will participate in intensive individual and group work sessions and discussions.

When the final drafts of the screenplays are completed in October, a five-member panel made up of Télé-Québec and SODEC representatives, a screenwriter representing SARTEC, a director and a producer, will select the winning scripts for:

· the SODEC/Télé-Québec/Kodak Award consisting of a $55,000 investment in production by SODEC, $2,000 worth of Kodak movie film and a broadcast license from Télé-Québec as well as the $5,000 screenwriting award from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec;

· the SARTEC Special Mention consisting of a $1,000 prize for a French script;

· the $1,000 CBC/WGC Prize for the Best English Script.

In addition, the finalists’ seven scripts will be read publicly by professional actors at a reading sponsored by Christal Films, which has agreed to distribute the film made from the winning script theatrically. [snip]

This contest is only open to screenwriters and coauthors who qualify for SODEC’s assistance program for young creators. (For program details, visit SODEC’s website at www.sodec.gouv.qc.ca )

Proposals must be submitted by individuals, not companies. Only one entry per person allowed. Proposals may be submitted in English or French.

Writers must:

• Be between the ages of 18 and 35 (not have turned 36 at the time of submitting the script);
• Have embarked on a professional writing career (high school, college and university undergraduate and graduate students are not eligible);
• Have had a drama script produced and publicly released or broadcast (proof required);
• Have lived in Québec for at least two years;
• Be available between September 12th and October 22th, 2006;
• Send SODEC all the required entry material.

N.B.: Writers who want to direct their own film must have at least one professional credit as director of a film that was publicly released film (i.e. festivals, broadcasters, museums, etc.; student and Kino screenings do not count).

Check out their site. Deadline for applications is August 15.

Le Grand Flirt

I spent the afternoon at Le Grand Flirt, an event Telefilm organized to put producers together with writers who've written screenplays (or treatments) in the Telefilm-funded Writers First Program. Ten producers, ten screenwriters, one hundred rencontres.

My throat is sore from pitching three projects every fifteen minutes.

It says something about the system in Québec that I knew two out of the ten producers. Granted two of them produce only in French, but that still leaves six I'd never met, although I've been here six years and I don't exactly have a low profile. So blessings on Telefilm's governmental head that they organized this. It does no good to fund scripts if the producers don't ever see them. (Number of Québec producers who have called me because I co-wrote the film that broke the Canadian box office for a Canadian film: 0.)

I got to meet Kim McCraw, who produced the film that grabbed the Jutra for Best Film and Best Director and a bunch of other Bests. And a bunch of fellow screenwriters I didn't know, because they don't come to the annual WGC cocktail party.

My French is definitely getting better. I had about half my conversations in French, and didn't feel I was stumbling too much over my vocabulary. I'm still lost when I have to listen to a conversation, but I can hold my own one-on-one.

I was particularly tickled that no one didn't want to read my romantic comedy just because I want to direct the sucker.

This evening I'm following up with everyone, emailing scripts. Let's see what comes of it.

Free Money, But Not Much of It

Telefilm has recently announced a new program to support English screenwriting in Quebec. Deadline is February 13. It's intended to give a lot of support and professional feedback, and a couple thousand bucks, to help develop either a TV project or a feature. You have to be a produced Quebec anglophone writer working with a Quebec "anglophone producer."

"Anglophone producers" are producers who have produced 51% or more in English. Which leads me to ask: who are the anglophone producers in La Belle Province? Aside from Galafilm, Muse and Kevin Tierney, who qualifies? Cirrus and CitéAmérique both are strong producers of anglo work, but probably would not qualify for the program as they produce more than 51% in French, I'm guessing.

Any of you kind readers care to add to this very short list?

TELEFILM LIKES ME, IT REALLY REALLY LIKES ME

I'm in Toronto fighting the good fight -- meetings with execs and producers. I just got the very good news from home that Telefilm Canada's given me a grant to write a feature. The Writers First program pays you to write a feature, which you own. If you sell it, you give the money back. How's that for friendly?

Since no one's picked up my comedy series The Alternative, I decided it would make a fine low budget romantic comedy. And so, apparently does Telefilm.

Nice to have a bit of good news to relate to the people I'm meeting today and tomorrow.

WRITERS FIRST

Telefilm Canada has an engagingly named program called Writers First, which used to be the Scriptwriting Assistance Programme -- which, I guess, sounded too much like a handout. The program now allows writers with 2 hours of produced credits (shared credits count) to apply for a chunk of money to enable them to spec a script. All Telefilm asks in return is that if you sell the script, you give them back the money. Nice program, huh? It enables a working writer to justify spending the time on a spec feature.

So for the past week I've been working up a five page outline for a comedy based loosely on one of the TV series ideas. Writing the backdoor pilot if you will. The story ought to be a fun, goofy, quirky, inexpensive little comedy about twentysomethings trying to avoid growing up.

I am sort of noodling around with the idea of directing the thing. That is, if anyone wants to produce it at all! This is the first feature script idea I've had that I would, if I were a producer, allow someone with my inexperience to direct. It's all people talking in rooms and on empty streets. No serious production challenges. It's a talky comedy, which is a genre first time writer-directors do well in. But the main reason, oddly, would be that it avoids having to get directors to read and attach themselves to it. There are very few directors up here, I feel, who really add value to a project; but even the merely competent ones are hard to attach to your project, and they're going to want free rewrites. If I'm the putative director, I can always step away for someone I think is a great director, but I don't have to go begging to find someone, anyone to direct. And I'm at least as plausible as a first time director as a lot of people I see out there in the biz. I do, after all, have a degree in filmmaking!

I guess my point is: sometimes asking for more is more effective than asking for less.

But the first step is convince Telefilm they want to give me the money to write my movie...

INTERESTING CHAT WITH TELEFILM

I had an interesting chat with my friendly local Telefilm guy. Telefilm seems to be trying to decide how best to fulfill its mandate to promote Canadian stories told on screen. They're not thrilled with the Screenwriting Assistance Program because while writers may be writing popular stories, producers aren't necessarily interested in those stories -- producers have their own stories they want to push. They don't want to go back to the idea of hiring CAA to promote Canadian screenwriters who have abandoned Canada for LA. They'd like Canadians to stay in Canada and make movies for a little while before going to LA. (Or, for that matter, didn't feel they needed to go to LA.)

How do you help the industry without becoming a crutch. Where is the bottleneck? If you just give producers money, they'll take it until it's all gone. Where is the ball being dropped?

Personally, I think there's not enough of a connection between those of us writing up here and producers down in the States who are looking to package co-productions. There is no US-Canadian co-production treaty (co-production treaties basically exist to allow non-US producers to survive; a co-production treaty that allowed US producers would defeat the whole purpose). But there are US producers who want to enable Canadian productions for money and an Exec Producer credit. There are also UK and European and Israeli producers in LA who want to do Canadian co-pros. But they have no idea who the good writers are up here. I know. I used to work for them. I had a hell of a time trying to identify the good Quebec anglophone writers.

In other words it's the reverse of the CAA deal. The point isn't to enable Canadian writers who are in LA. The point would be to hook up Canadian writers telling Canadian stories with producers in LA, with access to US bucks, who want to put those stories on the screen. (Which means, of course, when I say Canadian stories, I mean human stories about Canadians. Not stories about Mounties and maple syrup.)

We also talked about mentoring. There could a program where experienced screenwriters mentor promising beginners. I'd volunteer for that. I just want to know that whoever I'm mentoring (a) has talent and (b) will break their butt to take my advice seriously. I don't mind giving some of my time away. I only mind wasting it.

Tags: Telefilm; co-productions; mentoring

GERMAN TAX SHELTER DEAD?

Apparently, the German tax shelter may be dead, drying up a source of revenue for the motion picture studios. I'm not sure the tax shelter was helping indie filmmakers, though there have been from time to time other German monies for, say, doing your post-production in Berlin.

Outside of the US, all the national film industries survive on government support. French films are subsidized directly, and there are also requirements that a certain percentage of TV aired in France be officially made by European filmmakers. Certain blessed British producers have access to money that comes from the national lottery. "Canadian content" pictures (films made by Canadian writers, directors and actors) get a big production subsidy, and Canadian broadcasters are required to air a certain amount of homegrown product. Telefilm Canada can also at its discretion support films it deems worthy because they speak to Canadian culture. Producing outside the US is partly a chase after the various government goodies.

This accounts for the different flavors of the different national cinemas. If you have to please the audience alone, you get American-style movies. But some films out of France seem to be made with apparent total disregard for audiences, perhaps because they are so heavily supported by their government.

I don't know that there's an incentive system that will guarantee that filmmakers make culturally worthy films that audiences want to see. It's the filmmakers that have to figure out how to bridge the gap -- how to make an audience-pleasing film that also speaks to culture. And it's important they figure that out, because the audience is also the voters. And if they have to pay taxes to have a national cinema, they're going to want to know what they bought.

Tags: screenwriting; film; Canada