WHY AUTOMATIC FUNDING SUCKS! > MEDICI, Zürich, 28.09.16

INTRODUCTION > film funding in Denmark - an overview > from automatic funding to selective funding of Danish maintsream films - a story from real life > wider implications - a science fiction about European film funding > discussion

BASIC ASSUMPTIONS > a funding system can’t create good films > but it can easily destroy them or prevent them from being made! > cooperation between funders and producers, directors and scriptwriters is of key importance > development is an important part of film funding > selective schemes best secure cooperation and development

DANISH FILM INSTITUTE > government agency > main funding body for films > based on cultural criteria: quality, variety & volume > funding budget: 51 million € > development, production and distribution > features, documentaries, drama series, short films, talent films, digital games and transmedia projects

FEATURE FILMS Funding scemes for features: > Commissioner Scheme: art house films with artistic qualities > New Danish Screen: low budget films to develop new talents > Minor co-production: cooperation with other countries > Market Scheme: mainstream films with broad appeal and cultural value

FUNDS Feature films > Commissioner Scheme – art house films 13,2 > New Danish Screen - talent developing 3,4 > Minor co-productions 1,6 > Market Scheme - mainstream films 8,6 26,8

COMMISSIONER SCHEME > orginal art house films with artistic qualities > main criteria: to contest or challenge > 7-10 films a year > 3 commissioners making funding decisions > individual decision makers > recruited from the business: editors, writers, etc. > employed for up to 5 years

NEW DANISH SCREEN > talent developing in all genres > main criteria: talents engaged in new ways of filmmaking > 2 commissioners working closely together > individual decision makers > recruited from the business > usually employed 4 to 6 years

MINOR CO-PRODUCTIONS > films made in coorperaton with foreign major producers > criteria: creative strength, cooperation between producers, participation of Danish talents & distribution > editorial board of film commissioners > 5 - 9 films a year > half of the films with the Nordic countries > treaties with Canada and New Zealand, negotiating with Australia and China

MAINSTREAM FILMS > broadly appealing films to a larger audience > cultural value, but not necesarily any artistic quality > genres: comedies, drama, crime, family films

AUTOMATIC OR SELECTIVE? > untill 2011 a semi automatic scheme: the 60/40- scheme > replaced by the Market Scheme > from a automatic to a selective scheme for mainstream films > how did it go?

60/40-SCHEME > films with more than 175.000 admissions > funding based on past merit and prediction of audience performance > assessment done by 4 anonymous readers > funding decided by a points system

PAST MERIT

AUDIENCE PERFORMANCE

PROBLEMS > low precision to predict audience performance > too many films with a reasonably audience, but a very low quality > low transparency and no dialogue with anonymous decicionsmakers > a point system based on merits can’t acknowledge new and original projects > goal: to fulfill requirements

MARKET SCHEME > mainstream films within ‘popular culture’ > 7-10 films a year > editorial board > 2 members from the Film Institute, 3 part time members from the business > appointed for 2 to 4 years

CRITERIA > 2 main criteria: quality and performance > quality: good storytelling, high production value & unique position on the market > performance: potential for a large audience, effective distribution & strong marketing

DECISION MAKING > editorial board - no points! > majority of applications are invited to a pitch > written assessment of all projects > emphasis on dialogue and cooperation through development, production and distribution > from 1% to 7% of funds used on development > flexibility!

HOW DID IT GO? > initialy some concern from the producers > higher quality of the films > more films on festivals > and better performance! > goal: focus on the film and not on fulfiling requirements

ADMISSIONS 60/40 Market Number of films 26 31 > average admissions 257.000 293.000 > under 50.000 12% 6% > over 100.000 77% 90% > over 200.000 42% 61% > over 300.000 35% 35%

LEARNINGS > is this an universal truth? > is automatic funding good for producers? > is automatic funding good for box office? > selective funding can be better for producers and box office > but it requires cooperation, challenges and a realistic approach to audience and cultural value

DANISH FILMS > market share for Danish features: 25-30% > Danish films make up 12-14% of all films in the market > so far in 2016 Danish films were in the main competition at Sundance, Berlin and Cannes > the country with most nominations for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards for last 10 years

EUROPEAN FUNDING > from selective funding to automatic funding: Denmark the only country without automatic funding > from funding schemes to incentives: 5 countries without incentives > ’race to the bottom’ > film is politically moving from the culture to commmerce > the future: ’Game of Thrones’ financed by european tax payers!

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