Overview

This standard is about procedures for securing funding for productions. 

You need to identify the funding sources available to you and/or the production company, which could include sponsorship, product or prop placement, crowd funding, tax breaks, national or regional financial incentives or co-production treaties.

You need to know how to budget a production and be aware that an initial budget may have cuts enforced upon it.

Financial resources could be for development funding and/or funding for some or all of the production depending on the production requirements.

This standard is for those involved in securing production financing.

 

Performance Criteria 

You must be able to:

  1. evaluate evidence to ensure projected costings are accurate
  2. base decisions about securing finance on financial information and production requirements
  3. consult experts to verify production details as required
  4. research and identify possible investors and relevant forms of funding for productions
  5. identify valid tax breaks and financial incentives available to the production company
  6. collaborate with potential co-production companies to secure funding from outside the UK
  7. specify criteria and procedures for contingency purposes in line with organisational requirements
  8. check that documentation relating to planned productions is presented in line with organisational requirements
  9. make a case for funding that highlights clear advantages to investors
  10. identify areas of budgets which can be negotiated or relinquished in order to secure funding
  11. check that any funding proposals meet planned objectives, targets and are in line with specific broadcaster tariffs
  12. negotiate financial arrangements and production rights to ensure the best deal for productions and the production company
  13. approach distributors and sales agents for expertise on market and audience viability
  14. include valid information about market and audience viability in finance packages
  15. maintain records on all contracts and agreements in line with organisational requirements

 

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand:  

  1. how to evaluate an initial budget using industry tools and calculations of costs
  2. the potential markets for production ideas and those which would be most attractive to investors
  3. the main sources and ranges of investment which are available
  4. when and how to use product placement and props placement to finance productions
  5. when and how to use sponsorship to finance productions
  6. when and how to use crowd funding to finance productions
  7. tax breaks and financial incentives available to productions
  8. how to identify where UK and non-UK sources of funding exist for potential co-productions
  9. how co-production treaties operate
  10. the different tariffs applied by broadcasters to productions
  11. how to negotiate rights and which areas of the budget can be released in order to secure it
  12. artistic and audience demands projects can claim to fulfil such as climate story telling
  13. how to estimate the timescales, technical demands and their implications on production schedules and budgets to enable the preparation of full proposals
  14. the importance of contingency planning for finance
  15. how to prepare and present a rationale to potential investors or partners for funding
  16. negotiation strategies to use when agreeing financial arrangement
  17. how to approach distributors and sales agents to assess the project for market and audience viability