The new Creative Europe Programme is now well underway since its launch in December 2013. The EU is investing €1.46 billion in the audiovisual and cultural sectors through Creative Europe (2014-2020) which replaces the previous Culture and MEDIA programmes. So what does this mean for audiovisual industries in Ireland?
The MEDIA sub-programme supports the ability of the EU’s film and audiovisual industries to develop, distribute and promote their work across all platforms within Europe. Funding is available in a number of areas including innovation and competitiveness; audience development strategies; training and professional development; developing projects for international audiences; and cross-border co-productions.
Finally, the Creative Europe MEDIA sub-programme helps increase the impact of audiovisual projects by supporting marketing, distribution, branding, exhibitions
and film literacy initiatives.
The first round of Creative Europe deadlines have already passed with a high number of applications across Europe. There are two upcoming deadlines which should be of interest to Irish producers and below are some tips to help you make a stronger application.
Single Project Development Scheme
The next deadline for the Single Project Development Scheme is June 6th. This scheme is aimed at production companies who have a drama, animation or creative documentary project for cinema, TV or digital platforms which has international appeal.
While the funding system is still based on a matched funding principal (50%), the awards are now lump sums making the financing aspect of the application process much simpler. The competition is quite strong for this particular scheme but there are a number of areas that you can work on to increase your chances. It is important to demonstrate a good degree of European market knowledge – distributors, sales agents, broadcasters, co-producers etc. If you have any partners attached or interested in your project, this is even better.
There are additional extra points in the current scheme which can give Irish producers who avail of them a good headstart:
- As Ireland is considered a country of low audiovisual capacity, there is an immediate 10 points for a company based here.
- There are 10 extra points for a project which is aimed at a young audience.
- There are 5 extra points if you have a co-producer attached who is from an EU country with a different official language.
TV Programming Support Scheme
The TV Programming Support Scheme is focused on production of projects aimed primarily at the TV marketplace. The next deadline for this scheme is June 13th. To be eligible, the project must have at least 50% of its finance confirmed and at least 3 international broadcasters on board.
The maximum amounts that can be awarded are:
- Documentary: 20% of total production costs up to a max €300,000
- Drama and Animation: the threshold is 12.5% of total production budget up to a max of €500,000.
To capatalise on the recent international success of high budget European TV Drama the Creative Europe programme has recognised this by awarding up to €1m to TV Drama Series where the budgets are in excess of €10m.
The MEDIA Offices in both Dublin and Galway are available for consultation on any queries regarding the schemes and they can inform you of the process.