FEATURE: CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Lights, camera, action!
CREATIVE ENGLAND, the new dedicated support agency for the creative industries, will, for the first time, provide joined-up support for film, television, games, and digital and creative services
C
reative England opened for business in October, with the core purpose of supporting the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses, and the talent that feeds them in the English regions outside London.
The new organisation builds on the work of the regional screen agencies such as Screen WM that for the past 10 years have assisted the development of the film, TV, interactive, games and digital media industries, and the growth of film culture in England. One of the agency’s first objectives is to establish a new infrastructure
for film in the English regions, to ensure continuity for the film industry in the regions, laying the foundations for the development and sustainability of a vibrant film and moving image culture outside London.
Creative England aims to: • Ensure that the best film talent is supported, by developing creative talent and distinctive voices;
• Nurture film culture, increasing choice and growing audiences, supporting innovative approaches to exhibition and distribution of film, with a focus on film heritage, film festivals and film archive; and
• Help maximise inward investment for film production.
As well as supporting film, Creative England will also support television, games, and digital and creative services, making it the first joined up, dedicated support agency for the creative industries outside London. Creative England receives DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) Grant-in-Aid from the British Film Institute (BFI) to support the strategic development of film in the English regions, and is a BFI delegated body for the distribution of National Lottery funds for film. For the remainder of the financial year 2011/12, it will have an initial budget for film activity of approximately £900,000 in Grant-in-Aid from the BFI and £1m in Lottery funds. Funding for other activities is being sought from public and commercial sources.
The agency’s first scheme open for applications is the Film Culture Fund, which aims to ensure audiences have access to a wide and diverse range of film content, to deepen and enrich audiences’ experience through education opportunities, and to integrate the unique resources of regional screen heritage into wider film provision. Funding will be aimed at organisations such as cinemas, film archives,
film festivals and the non-theatrical exhibition sector (mobile cinema and film societies), for project activity including:
• audience development within the film exhibition sector
• film education activities which are linked to and support film exhibition infrastructure (e.g. cinemas, film festivals, film societies and other platforms)
• the acquisition, preservation and conservation of and access to regional screen heritage.
Another funding scheme for Talent Development will open for applications this month. There will be support for organisations and networks working with talent on a local/regional level, and for individuals, such as writers, directors and producers. Preparations are also under way for an English regions-wide digital
feature film initiative, which will provide an integrated development, production and training offer to writer/director/producer teams who have already demonstrated exceptional ability and vision in relation to their work in shorts, television, theatre and other related fields. This is planned to launch in late 2011/early 2012. Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey said: “This marks a new chapter for
the creative industries in the English regions, which are a crucial part of the UK economy and essential for driving growth and employment. “I commend the dedication and commitment of everyone that has
worked so hard to get Creative England up and running, and look forward to working with the agency, particularly on the current film policy review, which is seeking to boost growth and help tackle some of the barriers to the further expansion of the creative industries.”
30 CHAMBERLINK NOVEMBER 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56