A £500,000
Lottery Application that was Rejected by the Lottery in 1997 written by Paul
Darke
The British
Film Institute
Disability
and Film Project
An Arts
for Everyone Application
The British
Film Institute Disability and Film Project
Contents
Section A
Application Form Page
2
Section B
Business Plan Page 13
(Sections: 1 - 10)
Section C Marketing
Plan Page 76
Section D
Budget Plan Page 84
Appendices
Appendices Title Appendices
No.
BFI Royal Charter 1
BFI Constitution 2
BFI Corporate Plan 3
BFI Annual report 1996-7 4
BFI Equal Opportunities Policy 5
BFI Accounts 1996-7 6
BFI Lottery bids - Summary to Date 7
BFI Training Policy 8
BFI Disability Committee 9
Participation and support statements 10
List and Supporting Letters From Participation: 11
Regional
Film Theatres
Regional
Arts Boards
Media
Development Agency
National
Film and Television School
Report on BFI initiative Perception 12
Draft Tender Document 13
Screenwrite 2 14
Draft Sponsorship Form 15
Wie Wir Leben Film Festival 16
Copy of BFI publication Framed 17
Section A
Application Form
Section A -
Application Form
A4E Application
Form
Your project
What is your
organisation / group's name?
The British
Film Institute bfi
What is your
project called?
The British
Film Institute Disability and Film Project
(bfi Disability and Film Project)
How much money
are you applying for?
£
499,593
Checklist of
additional information to accompany application
0.1 Compulsory
Accounts Enclosed:
Appendix 6
Constitution
or set of rules Enclosed:
in Appendix 2
Detailed
Budget (see 3.6) Enclosed:
in Budget Plan
0.2 Optional
Business Plan Enclosed:
Business Plan
Marketing Plan
Enclosed: in Marketing Plan
01 About
your organisation
1.1 Who
should we contact about the application?
xxxxx xxxxxxx
Post
held in your organisation/group bfi
Production Executive
Address bfi
Production
29
Rathbone Street
London
W1P
1AG
Phone/Fax
number (day/evening) Tel:
0171 636 5587
Fax:
0171 580 9456
Best
time to contact by phone? During
office hours only.
1.2 Please
describe your organisation.
The
British Film Institute (bfi) :
Arts
organisation applying in its own right
Registered
charity. Registration number: 287780
Company
limited by guarantee
A body incorporated by Royal Charter (Appendix 1)
bfi
constitution (Appendix 2)
1.3 If
you are acting on behalf of a consortium please list the names of the
other
organisations/groups involved.
Not
Applicable
1.4 In
which year did your organisation begin operation?
1933
1.5 What
does your organisation do?
The
British Film Institute is the UK's national agency with
responsibility for
encouraging
the arts of film and television and conserving them in the national
interest.
Copy
of current corporate plan enclosed (Appendix 3).
1.6 (i) How many members
are there in your group?
520
employees at bfi
(ii) How
many of them are specifically involved in this project?
6
lead officers (see project management structure in business plan)
1.7 How
many people do you employ on a regular paid basis?
520
1.8 If
you have any volunteers, how many and what do they do?
Not
Applicable
1.9 Please
provide the following financial details using your organisation's
latest
annual accounts:
Accounts
for the year ended: 31/03/1997
£
Public
grant income 16,473,000
Other
grant income 1,299,000
Earned
and other income 13,529,00
Total
income 31,301,000
Expenditure 32,017,000
Surplus
(deficit) for the year (716,000)
Total
all reserves shown in your balance sheet 29,005,000
Copy
of most recent signed accounts
enclosed (Appendix 6).
1.10 You must have a
bank or building society account in the same name as
your
organisation to be eligible for a grant.
Please give the account
details
below.
Account
name
British
Film Institute
Bank/building
society name Lloyds
Bank plc.
Address
32 Oxford Street
London
W1A 2LD
Sort code
xxxxxxxxxx
Account no.
xxxxxxxxxx
1.11 Do you have any
special communication needs (e.g. Minicom, large print,
sign
language)?
Not at
present but the project itself will require a number of items.
02 About
your project
Project
start date April 1999 Finish
date June 2002
2.1 Please
describe the project/programme you plan to undertake.
Running
over 3 years the project will create new opportunities for disabled
filmmakers
wishing to write, produce and direct films to extend the range of
films
available to audiences and provide education on the issue of disability and
the
media.
The
project has 5 inter-related components:
1.
A programme of developmental workshops on script-writing and directing for
disabled filmmakers plus an intensive feature script writing school of
workshops
at
the National Film and Television School (NFTVS);
2.
A Production Programme - producing 5 short films by disabled filmmakers;
3.
A national exhibition and education touring programme at Regional Film Theatres
(RFTs) of
disability specific films including (in years 2 & 3 of the project) work
completed in the production
programme (see 2);
4.
Education Publication - publication of teaching material for use in the
classroom on
the issue of
representations of disability;
5.
bfi, RFT and RAB staff disability and access
training programme.
2.2 Please summarise how your project meets
each of the five A4E core objectives
1. Encouraging
new audiences to experience high quality arts activity
The
high profile launch and national touring exhibition programme is intended to
encourage an entirely new audience to experience the work of disabled film
makers.
This supported exhibition and distribution programme will provide full public
access to work of previously limited viewing opportunity/access.
In
addition the contextualising education events to be held at participating RFTs
ensure greater appreciation and understanding of the work of disabled film
practitioners by new audiences.
The
touring programme itself will consist of the highest quality work
available and the degree of
professionalism and technical expertise provided by the NFTVS will ensure that
the films produced are of the highest quality possible.
The
teaching materials specifically targeted at young people (5-18) years in
disability related issues and the media will encourage understanding and
insight in the able bodied and provide inspiration to the disabled young
person.
2. Encouraging
and developing participation in arts activity
The
core objective of the project and its raison d’être is to encourage
and develop the participation of the disabled community in arts activity. The
project offers disabled film makers an unprecedented opportunity to learn the
craft of writing, directing and producing for film and through the resulting
tour offer them a high media profile.
During the
course of the production of the 5 shorts representatives of local
communities will be encouraged to involve themselves in the project by visiting
the locations.
In
addition the education publications will encourage discussion on the issue of
disability in the classroom. The monitoring and feedback from these various
activities will feed the views of young people themselves back into the
project.
3. Getting
more young people actively involved in arts & cultural activity
The
target group for the project's 2 education publications are young people
primarily 5-18 yrs. Through consultation with educational professionals and
education publications the project will actively encourage young people to
engage with the cultural activity of disabled people. In addition the project
will, in part, specifically address the needs of disabled children in its
planned location visits.
It is
further hoped that the project will act as inspiration to young disabled people
to become involved in arts activity and further that they will be encouraged to
seek employment in the film/media industry itself. Equally, short films are traditionally the main area
of concern for young and new film-makers.
4.
Supporting
new work and helping it develop its audience
The
workshops and script writing school are designed for disabled film makers to
develop new work. The resulting 5 short productions and feature scripts will be
completed in an environment which offers structured support to film-makers to
develop, realise and showcase completely new work.
The
project's marketing campaign (see marketing plan) and the creation of new
distribution and exhibition opportunities will ensure the project supports the
new work while also developing new audiences for that work.
5. Building
people's creative potential through training or professional development
The
workshop and script writing school experience represent an important
/significant opportunity in the
career of the participants - the developmental workshops will allow
participants to realise their creative potential in the structured, supported
environment of the NFTVS
The
IN-Service training (INSET) for the teachers provided at the RFTs education
events and based around the education publications will allow this important
professional development to be taken back and used in the classroom.
In
addition the bfi/RFT/RAB disability and access training
programme will ensure these organisations' continued commitment to enabling the
disabled communities' creative potential.
2.3 The
Arts Council of England's A4E programme is committed to giving
all
applicants equal access to funding.
Awards will be made irrespective
of
gender, race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, disability, marital
status
or sexual orientation. In what
practical way does your group
match
the spirit of this policy?
The
bfi has a strong and vigorous commitment to the
pursuit of equal opportunities in all areas of its work. Our Equal
Opportunities Policy document (see Appendix 5) is in the process of being up
dated through a consultative Equal Opportunities monitoring group. The project
will adhere strictly to this policy ensuring it is accessible to all sections
of the community.
Examples
of recent bfi initiatives include: the appointment of a Black
& Minorities Project leader to promote awareness of minority work; the
introduction of Diverse Awareness training for staff; the publication of Framed (see
Appendix 17); the Disability Committee which advises the Governors and bfi
Management Board on disability issues; the Institute's acquisition and theatric
and video realising policies is also committed to making a wide diversity of
work available to the widest possible audience, including the distribution of a
wide selection of Hearing Impaired Subtitled prints; other examples of the
Institute's work include the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and the Jewish
Film Festival.
2.4 How
will your project/programme advance or support your equal
opportunities
policy?
In
keeping with the bfi's EOPs policies, the open competition for places on the workshops and at the
schools will be targeted (see
Marketing Plan) at the widest possible range of disabled people. The selection
of participants will be monitored and forms for feedback will include EOP
feedback.
The
touring exhibition programmes and series of special events are designed to
reach as wide an audience as possible; and the publication of teaching aids
will provide teachers with the tools to raise the issues of disability in the
classroom. As above it will be part of the Project Director's remit to monitor EOPs.
An
important aspect of the project is to challenge stereotypical representations,
ignorance and intolerance of disablement as represented at present in the film
industry.
03 Project
planning & finance
3.1 How
do you know there's a demand for what your project plans to do?
Through
the Project Consultant's connections with a variety of disability organisations
and in light of the research undertaken by Ann Pointon for the bfi (see
Appendix 12) it is clear there is a real need for this type of project. While in the development process of
this application the Project Consultant has sought the views of a variety of
people and organisations, the Regional Film Theatres (RFTs), the Regional Arts
Boards (RABs), the bfi Disability Committee and the 1 in 8 Group
(see Appendices 10 & 11 for letters of support); feedback from teachers
consulted has also suggested there is little available material for teaching
purposes; in addition Freaks Out a season of films by disabled film
makers at the National Film Theatre proved extremely successful attracting
enthusiastic audience response; consultations with disabled film makers
themselves have also highlighted the desperate need for training opportunities
tailored to suit their specific needs where none at present exist. (See also Appendices 10, 11 and 12: letters
of support; participation; and 'Perception' research; etc.)
3.2 How might your proposal complement,
or differ from, the work being
undertaken
by other similar organisations in your region (or those areas
in
which the project will take place)?
Through
the research and development phase of the project and via consultation
with
Regional Arts Boards and National and local disability organisations it is
clear that no provision of this kind exists at present (see Appendix 10 &
11). Uniquely the project has a
national remit involving every region of the UK. In consultation with
disability organisations including close consultation with West Midlands
Disability Arts Forum (of which the Project Director is co-ordinator) the
project will compliment existing creative activity for disabled people taking
place regionally. The project
expands on the bfi's initiative Perception (see
Appendix 12).
3.3 How do you
plan to feed the opinions of your audience/beneficiaries
into
the shaping of your project/programme?
Taking
as its basis the afore mentioned project Perception a
considerable number of potential participants for the Workshops, Script School
and the productions have been consulted. This consultation process has been
undertaken by the project's director in his various roles at the National
Disability Arts Forum and West Midlands Disability Arts Forum (see also Project Director's Curriculum Vitae). In addition, and in
consultation with Regional Film Theatres, target audiences have been
identified, and feedback from the bfi screening programme Freaks Out has
been evaluated. Training Needs
Analysis will be undertaken by the bfi as part of the
first stage of the project. As a
disabled person himself, the Project Director has first hand experience of the
particular problems facing disabled practitioners and audiences alike. These
have been fed directly into the project.
Constant
monitoring and evaluation of the project will feedback directly into shaping
the form and content throughout.
3.4 How
will you work with other organisations and agencies in your area
on
this project?
In
consultation with Regional Arts Boards and Disability Forums, the regional
strategy of each project area has been assessed with regard to access and
equality of opportunity. As a result a number of the Regional Arts Boards have
given their support to the project which they regard as a necessary inclusion in their region
wide objectives. In addition the Project Director's close links with various
disability organisations will allow the project to make strategic interventions
at a national level.
The
project will collaborate directly with The National Film And Television School
which will co-ordinate and host the practical workshops and production
elements. The project will also provide reciprocal opportunities for its
partners brokering links between disabled film makers and audiences, the bfi,
Regional Film Theatres, Regional Arts Boards and the National Film And
Television School.
Please
enclose your marketing plan/audience research funding, if appropriate.
Marketing
and Budget Plans enclosed.
3.5 (i) How much A4E funding are you applying
for? £499,593
(ii) How much partnership funding do you
have for the project?
(a) applied for £148,204 (b) confirmed Yes - agreed 'in principle' both
'in-kind'
and 'cash'.
3.6 Please
give us a breakdown of your estimated income and expenditure on
this
project:
Income Year
1 Year 2 Year
3 Total
A4E grant applied
for
226,029 203,137 70,427 499,593
Partnership
income:
NFTVS
income 'in kind' 6,440 6,762 16,632 29,834
Regional
Film Theatres 9,390 9,220 9,240 27,850
British
Film Institute funding 19,000 20,500 2,500 42,000
Local authority
Private Sponsorship:
SWMDA
(film agency) 500 500 1,000
EU
Other public
income
Regional
Arts Board funding 13,966 19,218 14,336 47,520
Earned income
Total
income
275,325 259,337 113,135 647,797
Revenue
expenditure Year
1 Year 2 Year
3 Total
Artistic
Programmes
183,864 199,278 70,066 453,208
Marketing
34,224 10,829 14,229
59,282
Overhead
salaries
14,000 9,500 9,500
33,000
Other
overheads
25,359 23,957 9,063
58,379
Other: 5% inflation
10,674
5,177
15,851
12%
management costs
25,359
23,957
9,063
59,167
Staff
training 5,100 5,100 5,100
15,300
Total revenue
spending
262,547 259,337 113,135 635,020
Capital
expenditure Year
1 Year 2 Year
3 Total
Equipment
12,778 12,778
Vehicle
Refurbishment
Total capital
spending 12,778 12,778
Year
1 Year 2 Year
3 Total
Total
expenditure
275,325 259,337 113,135 647,797
Surplus /
Deficit
0
0
0 0
Detailed financial
analysis showing the full project budget
and cashflow forecast for the project enclosed in Budget Plan.
Is your
organisation VAT registered? YES
Registration
number GB xxx xxx xxx
3.7 Have
you already applied for, or do you intend to apply for, funds from another
Lottery
distribution body for the project/programme described in this application or
for
any other project?
Yes
- See Appendix 7
3.8 Your
Chair and your most senior employee must sign the
declaration below.
I
confirm that I am authorised to sign this declaration on behalf of
(Name
of organisation)
and
that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all the information supplied on
this form
and
any accompanying documents is true and accurate.
I
further confirm that if this application is successful the organisation will
use the grant
exclusively
for the purposes specified in this application and will comply with any
conditions
attached
to the grant by the Arts Council of England.
1.
Signature Name: Date
(Chair/Governor)
2.
Signature Name: Date
(Senior
employee) John
Woodward
Section B
Business Plan
Section One
The
bfi
'The British
Film Institute is the UK national agency
with responsibility for encouraging the arts of film and television and
conserving them in the national interest.
Our key corporate
aims are to develop a diverse and accessible national film and television
culture and to increase public access to the widest possible range and
diversity of film, television and video, and encourage access to our
collections.
We are,
essentially, an educational institution and our mission places audiences at the
heart of our work' (Jeremy Thomas; Chairman, 1996/7 Annual Review).
·
The British Film Institute is the UK agency with responsibility for encouraging the arts of film
and television and conserving them in the national interest. Unlike any other body of its kind, it
combines into a single organisation activities and expertise covering all
aspects of film, television and video: production, distribution, exhibition,
preservation and conservation, education, publishing, library services and
research.
·
These activities are carried out by the
following bfi divisions: The National Film
Theatre; The London Film Festival and other festivals; The Museum of the Moving
Image; The National Film and Television Archive; bfi Education; bfi Production; and bfi Films; bfi South Bank; and the bfi Library at Stephen Street.
·
Approximately half the bfi's funding comes as grant-in-aid from the Department of Media, Culture
and Sport. The rest from is raised
from subscriptions of its members, provision of services, sponsorship and
donations.
The bfi has a number of different sections which carry out its mission to
foster cultural diversity and access to film, video and television. The National Film and Television
Archive is primarily concerned with preservation of our moving image heritage
and preserving it for the future and has recently received a Heritage Lottery
Fund award of £13.8 million.
It not only preserves moving images but also provides archivist training
and advice around the world.
The bfi has a significant South Bank operation where the National Film Theatre
(NFT) is based; which has also received a recent lottery grant from the Arts
Council of England to build The IMAX Cinema - the first in London. The National Film Theatre is the centre
piece of the bfi membership programme and the
bfi now has a membership of 33,000 people. The NFT is one of the country's leading
programming operations and is the site of many UK premiers and the Guardian
Interviews take place there on a regular basis. Many NFT programmes not only travel the UK but also the
world and is the site and organisational force behind a variety of film and
video festivals; including The Jewish Film Festival, The London Film Festival
and the London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The bfi's Museum of the
Moving Image is also based on the South Bank and is attached to the National
Film Theatre.
Cinema Services
and Development at the bfi has many elements and is instrumental in the
organisation and operation processes of a variety of exhibition and
distribution touring programmes and in the location of Regional Funding unit,
the UK MEDIA Desk and co-ordinates and offers regional liaison, through its
Joint Officers Group, expert advice and funding to regional film institutions
such as the Regional Film Theatres, the Regional Arts Boards and offers lottery
application advice and support for whom ever requests it on an equal and
consistent basis.
Research and
Education is largely concerned with, as its departmental title would suggest,
research and education in relation to film and video; it produces a variety of
educational materials on the issue of film and television and includes bfi Publishing and the monthly journal Sight and Sound. It also publishes the
successful series' 'film classics' and 'film classics' and numerous educational
books, teachers packs and academic studies that either the bfi have undertaken
or are carried out externally. The
conferences 'Children on Screen' and 'Curriculum 2000' were organised by this
section and have had a significant impact on policy and practice by those who
it was aimed at.
Library and
Information Services provide a comprehensive library service to both the
general public and media interested specialists; it has special collections,
has published a series of specialist guides to its holdings and has a comprehensive
SIFT Database and Data Collection which provides information available on
CD-ROM in its spacious reading room based at the bfi's main offices in Stephen Street in London.
bfi Production is concerned with the development of films - both short and
feature length - and actively works within the British film industry to secure
funding for a variety of films in addition to providing some funding
itself. It also runs a New
Directors scheme which has been the launch pad on to greater things, both
externally and internally, and has developed such talents as Andrew Kotting,
John Maybury, Lynne Ramsey and Shane Meadows. Its production board staff are respected throughout the UK
and Europe and in the USA and were formerly chaired by Charles Denton, now the Arts
Council of England's film panel chair.
Its national
mission is to foster cultural diversity within the British film and television
industry and, by extension in the wider society through educating the public
and film specialists about the immense power, beauty and potential of
film. We have not under taken a
project such as the one proposed in this Arts for Application for disabled
people; the time is right for such a pro-active project and will utilise a variety
of the above mentioned departments and sections and will give the project all
the support it requires to guarantee its success.
The A4E project
is based on our vast range of strengths and talented individuals such as Steve
Brookes (Production), Alan Gregory (Regional Marketing), Cary Bazalgette
(Education and Research), Stephen Filby (training) and Briony Hanson (Cinema
Services/Regional Development) et al, combined with
those of others such as the National Film And Television School, the Regional
Film Theatres and the individual Paul Anthony Darke and all the others who will
lead and work on different parts of the project.
For a more
in-depth overview and review of bfi
activities, policies and plans see documents from the bfi in the appendices (1-9).
Section Two
Project
Background
(Research,
Development and Option Appraisal)
Ann Pointon
undertook an extensive research process at the conclusion of a disability
initiative that the bfi carried out in
1995 (a draft copy of which is enclosed in the Appendix 12); the initiative,
called Perception, was an open competition for
a script-writing development award (for either feature or short) and had no
guaranteed follow-up funding to carry forward any of those selected. It was very much seen as a 'toe in the
water' exercise in order to 'see who was out there' and to send a message to
disabled writers and film-makers that the bfi was interested to hear from them.
It was, in retrospect, a 'pilot' scheme out of which this project was
born.
Ann Pointon's
research on the initiative found that disability film initiatives need to be
properly funded, include developmental elements and should include the elements
included in this project: workshops/school; production; exhibition; publishing; and improved access and staff training.. The quality of submissions to the
initiative showed two things: firstly, that there were a significant number of
talented disabled people interested in film-making and writing in the UK; and,
secondly, that initial developmental training was needed which was specifically
geared towards them and their needs.
Thus, the depth, scope and nature of this project was formed.
Paul Darke, this Project's Director, a member
of the Perception selection panel, considered
a range of research, including that undertaken by Ann Pointon; the book Framed; confidential research undertaken by Karen Ross at the BBC Equal
Opportunities unit; policy review meetings on the Arts Council of
England's Disability
Arts Video Project; articles and books by Steve
Dwoskin, Elspeth Morrison, and Colin Barnes and Richard Reiser, and
others.
Research and Development
In 1995 in the wake of the bfi's disability initiative Perception (see
Appendix 12) a script development award scheme, disability consultant and
freelance producer/director Ann Pointon undertook an extensive follow-up
research project. Perception was regarded as a pilot scheme both to provide the bfi with quantitative data
about this unknown constituency of film makers and to signal to disabled
writers and film makers the bfi's
commitment to them.
The quality of submissions to
this first bfi initiative revealed firstly,
that there were a significant number of talented disabled people interested in
film making, and secondly, that training was needed which was specifically
designed to meet their needs. From the basis of these findings this bfi Disability and Film Project has been developed.
The initial development and co-ordination of
this project has been undertaken by the Project
Director, who was a member of the Perception selection panel. In support of this application the Project Director has
undertaken extensive consultation with disabled individuals and representative
organisations in order to garner a better understand their hopes and
expectations. In addition, having consulted Pointon's and other research,
attended various international disability Film Festivals (Wie Wir Leben see Appendix 16) and seasons and serving as a member of the bfi Disability Committee, the Project
Director was able to structure the project through a number of key individuals
and appropriate groups and agencies.
As a result of this research Paul has co-ordinated the process of
structuring this project, contacting key individuals who would: a) contribute;
b) participate; c) provide financial in-put; d) potentially participate on
various elements.
By linking various bfi Divisions, contacting and networking with the Regional Arts Boards and Regional Film
Theatres and gaining the support of influential
Disability Arts co-ordinators: i.e. Geof Armstrong (National Disability Arts
Forum, NDAF) and disability media specialists: i.e.
Richard Reiser (1 in 8 Group), the Project
Director has created a holistic project fully attuned to the needs and
aspirations of disabled people (following the careful evaluation of what is
needed in both short and long term), considering what is viable in relation to
potential participants, audiences and quality of the finished product..
From March 1997
until the final submission of this application to Arts for Everyone, the Project Director, Paul Darke, has travelled the country gauging
the needs, hopes and expectations of both disabled people and film agencies, as
well as the potential range and required contents of a project on film and
disability.
Option
Appraisal (Notes Towards)
Before proceeding
with an appraisal of the possible options confronting the Institute once a
decision has been forthcoming from ACE
concerning this application, it is important, in its important to summarise the
thinking which underlies the project as outlined in this document and which
justifies the scale and range of activities described.
Firstly, this
project takes as its starting point the pilot scheme, Perception, 1995 (see Appendix 12), which was an attempt on the part of the Institute’s Production Division, to
assess the numbers and quality of film-makers and writers in Britain with
aspirations to create work for the cinema. This resulted concretely in two feature film projects and a
number of shorts going into development.
Perhaps more importantly, the experience drew attention to the general
lack of training and educational
opportunities available to disabled people wishing to enter the
field. As well as highlighting the
problems inherent within the film industry and the infrastructure of training
(film schools) that feeds into it, the project and the follow-up research
commissioned jointly by the bfi and the LFVDA, also served to point up the wider problems of access to education
experienced by disabled people in British society at large.
The clear lack of
a level playing field across the board in England pointed towards a large scale
film-based project with a number of dimensions which could have a lasting
cultural impact and be seen as something of a benchmark for future activities
for both the Institute and its partners, nationally and regionally.
Secondly, the
range of inter-related activities within this project became a critical part of
the thinking at an early stage, if the whole was to be able to deliver the
cultural impact desired. the
management structure (described further below) makes clear the intention to
fully exploit the web of interconnected film-related activities of which the
Institute is a facilitating central point. By bringing together a pan-Institute team of specialists (and
related partners) for the three years of the project under the general guidance
of a steering group drawn from the filed of disability arts it is anticipated
that new long term links will be forged and new cross-disciplinary thinking and
creativity encouraged, looking
towards a future beyond the life of the project itself.
Thirdly, the
project is a major initiative in the field of the arts and disability and carries with it appropriately high
costs at £647,797 over three years, some 22% of which is, however,
already in place. If at all
possible, as is envisaged, the ambitious programme will expand through
sponsorship and other kinds of private sector support increasing the percentage
on income achieved in relation to the sum requested from the ACE.
Option
1
The
zero option. In the vent of this
application being unsuccessful, it can
be
assumed that the Institute will continue with its current range of
activities;
occasionally engaging in one-off small scale initiatives with a
disability
focus (e.g. the publication of Framed or the Perception
initiative),
but mot being able to address any of the key areas of this project
with
the resources necessary. Thus, the
additionality of this Project.
Option
2
Successful
application as per document with satisfaction in its aims and
objectives.
Option
3
In
the event of this application being deemed only partially successful and
being
recommended for an award in the region of £400,000 by the ACE
there
would be concerted attempts to raise the shortfall via fund-raising and
sponsorship. In the event of not being able to raise
the £100,000 shortfall
(likely
die to it being less attractive and effective), the regrettable decision
would
have to be made to run only years one and two of the described
project.
The
reasons for this decision are as follows:
firstly,
to shave money across the range of activities would unacceptably
weaken
all elements;
secondly,
to remove any one or a number of least costly elements would
not
produce the level of savings required and would threaten the integrity
and
wider impact of the project (in its aims and objectives);
thirdly,
to significantly reduce the most costly area of the project (i.e. the
production
element) would mean reducing the number of films produced to
a
level that falls beneath an acceptable ‘visibility’ threshold in
terms of
cultural
impact (and exhibition element viability); in addition it would fail to
justify
the numbers of people trained and
the expectations raised within the
disabled
community, given the anticipated high profile recruitment and
dissemination
campaign. To summarise, the
current number of short films
projected
is seen as a minimum desirable in order to achieve ‘critical
mass’;
to remove this strand from the programme as a whole would
undoubtedly
reduce costs considerably but would completely undermine
at
least Objectives 2 and 4 (Section Six {56-62}) of the Project
rendering
it ineligible for A4E funding anyhow.
It
should, however, be pointed out that the option of running only years
one
and two of the project does undermine the cumulative and
developmental
approach of the project in a number of ways; firstly, it
means
that there is no ‘next stage’ of progression for those who have
successfully
‘graduated’ from years one and two (including the new
audiences
created and fostered in the exhibition element); secondly, it
means
that the potential cultural impact of the project will diminish as, for
film-makers
and audiences alike, feature films represent the pinnacle of
cultural
achievement within cinema. If the
project ultimately fails to lay
foundations
for new work in this area it will have stopped well short of the
thinking
that inspired its conception.
Option
4
It
should be clear from the discussion of Option 3 above that funding at
significantly
less than £400,000 from ACE would completely
undermine
the
project as described and would
necessitate a total reconception
(unrealistic)
or abandonment given the integrated nature of the whole; the
balance
of elements, contributions and overall costings across the five key
elements
of the project and the five essential A4E criteria.
Section Three
Project
Description
Introduction
This is a ground-breaking
integrated film production, exhibition, education and training project working
with disabled people aiming to promote disabled people working in the film
industry and overcome their social exclusion. Running over three years, the project will create and offer
new opportunities for disabled people wishing to write, produce (where
possible) and direct films for cinema and television; extend the range of films
available to UK audiences, disabled or otherwise; and finally, provide
education on the issue of disability and the media. This is a high profile
project that will draw upon the experiences of industry professionals from the British
Film Institute (bfi), Regional Film Theatres (RFT), The National Film and Television School (NFTVS) and a number of Regional
Arts Boards (RAB) and Media
Development Agencies (MDA).
The project will create
opportunities for disabled people to participate in various film-related
disciplines and broaden general industry understanding and appreciation of the
artistic and cultural potential of disabled film-makers. Equally, involvement in the project
will improve future employment prospects for disabled film-makers and writers
and create cultural and artistic opportunities for disabled people, and more
generally, promote the principles of cultural diversity and social inclusion.
Project Aims
The Project will be a
pan-Institute initiative - in collaboration with a variety of participating
external agencies - with the primary aim of extending opportunities for
disabled people in the areas of film-making, film education and training and
exhibition, opportunities which, at present, are virtually non-existent. The
project will seek to foster new talent and improve the creative and employment
potential of disabled people in the industry. Film is a significant tool in the
struggle to validate and create true cultural diversity, and as the UK's
national agency with responsibility for encouraging the arts of film and
television, it is natural that the bfi should take on this project.
Film will be explored, in all
the project's elements, to look at disability in the media and culture
generally; disability will be explored in relation to film writing, production
and education. All elements of the project will be designed not only to address
issues of disability in film but to deal with the wider issues of social
integration and education. This duality is one of the most exciting, innovative
and original aspects of the entire project and prevents the exercise from
becoming polemical or dogmatic about the 'disability issue'. The project will
be as much about using film to educate people about disability as it is about
providing opportunities for disabled film-makers and writers.
As outlined above, the
project will build upon the work and research already undertaken by the bfi and the Project Director to produce an integrated programme of
activities linked together by a dual concern with the power of image-making in
our society, and the principles of cultural diversity which need to be applied
to all artistic endeavour within a modern democracy. Thus, it aims to make a significant intervention in the area
of development and training for disabled people with aspirations to write and
direct for the cinema; it also aims, via the exhibition component, to widen the
range of films available to UK audiences from a disability perspective; and
finally, via the educational publishing strand, aims to introduce discussion
and awareness about the representation of disability in film and the media
throughout the country. We believe that a project of this scale
and comprehensiveness within this area of film and disability has not been
attempted before.
Project Strategy
To achieve these aims we
propose the following:
1 a programme of
development workshops on short film script-writing
and directing and a more intensive feature
script-writing ‘School’ of
workshops for a select group of disabled writers, running in the final year of
the project (all in collaboration with, and at, the National Film and
Television School);
2 a production programme producing 5 short films selected from those produced in the
workshops (2 films in year one and
3 films in year two of the
project) written and directed by disabled film-makers and writers;
3 an annual film exhibition programme
launched at the National Film Theatre (NFT) followed
by a national tour to selected Regional Film Theatres (RFTs) of disability-specific short films
(providing a showcase for those films produced by the project). The exhibition programme will include
educational events at participating RFTs over the
three years;
4 two publications from bfi
Education/Publishing; a teachers pack which includes a booklet and video aimed at secondary
schools linking in to the National Curriculum, O and A Level
syllabuses dealing with disability awareness, and a booklet for use in primary
schools examining disability imagery. These publications form part of the
education events that accompany RFT screenings;
5 bfi/project personnel training programme and selected access improvements
at the
bfi including the purchase of a minicom and computer equipment to enable
improved hearing and visually
impaired people's access.
Each part of the project, the
workshops and ‘School’, the productions, the touring exhibition programme, the educational publications and the staff training, are integrated
to ensure that the project works as a socially significant exercise which will
ensure that disabled people and film are not seen as mutually exclusive in
social, political, industrial and economic terms. The inter-linking of all
aspects of film culture and disability in production, exhibition, education and
training which considers both film-makers and audiences is essential if the
long-term benefits of the project are to be realised: i.e. inclusion, on equal
terms, in the cultural film industry of disabled people.
Overall
Costings Total
Annual
Cashflow Forecast
Section Four
Detailed
Project Description
1. Workshops
and ‘School’
Content
There are two sections to this element:
1) In the first two years of the project there will be
three or four days of short film development (depending on individual
progression) workshops for 10 disabled film-makers/writers on scripting, pitching ideas and sources
of funding, taking place at the National Film and Television School.
These workshops will
facilitate the improved quality and content of participant's submissions to the production element in future years of the project, with some proceeding on to the
later feature film Scriptwriting ‘School’ (a series of workshops). In addition these workshops will act as
developmental stages for each year's production awards. The short films that will go into
production will be chosen from the ten individuals and their ideas being
developed through the workshop process and its masterclasses.
The two completed productions
will form part of the touring exhibition programme.
2) April 2001 will see the launch of a feature film
scripting 'school' (starting in September
2001): 7 two day workshops of seminars, lectures and Masterclasses (spread over
10 months) for a selected group of experienced disabled filmmakers, writers
and/or highly talented newcomers (possibly identified in one of the 3/4 day
workshops in section 1 of this element) wanting to develop their skills to
write a first, or further, feature-length screenplay.
The school is a development
programme of workshops aimed at providing participants with access to industry
professionals and facilitating learning and script development in a structured
environment. There will be 8-10 participants and the ‘School’, covering all areas of scriptwriting, will be led by a variety
of leading academic experts and practising screenwriters. Although it is not
planned as part of this project for these draft scripts to be put into
production, it is hoped that the bfi, and others, will develop and/or foster as many scripts as is possible
created out of the school for future feature production.
Although it is expected that
some participants (in both the short and feature film elements) will already be
'known' disabled people (for example, BBC Disability Programmes Unit writers,
directors, members/graduates) most will not and may well be a variety of other
artists, performers and writers who have no experience of writing a screenplay
to date. Recruitment will be in accordance with the bfi's strict and committed Equal Opportunities Policy, and participants will be from a
cross-section of the community, including disabled people of differing race,
sexual orientation and gender.
The ‘School’s’ workshops will be held at the National Film and
Television School whose costs in mounting this
element, are counted as partnership funding in the overall project budget. The
cost of the ‘School’ is
considerable, requiring as it does, accommodation for disabled participants
travelling some distance. Thus, costings include accommodation and travel with
a significant allowance to ensure true equality of access (i.e. the cost of
bringing a signer, lip-speaker, physical facilitator etc.). The NFTVS has already begun the process
of appointing from their internal staff, project contribution curriculum
producers, co-ordinators and directors.
All elements (workshops and ‘School’) taking
place in this element at the NFTVS will be accredited to NVQ level, wherever
possible, based on the NFTVS' considerable experience in this area and their
current accreditation of media related courses (not all elements can carry an
NVQ but they will wherever possible).
Equally, it is the NFTVS's intention to write up their project
contribution in order for it to act as a role model for use in other film
schools across Europe (see their letter of participation and support in
Appendix 11). The NFTVS have also
indicated that they will provide practical support to the actual productions
(i.e. studio space, technical staff, placements for their students, advice on
their graduates for consideration on production technical staffing side etc.).
How will this be achieved?
The workshops will be run by
the NFTVS with the travel and accommodation costs of
most participants met by a bursary* from their Regional Arts Board or Media Development Agency (see Appendix 11
for list of participating RABs and MDA) with non-bursary funded participants being funded from general project
funds.
Advertising and promotional
work (see Marketing Plan- Section C) will begin as soon as the project receives
funding. In addition, all publicity relating to the exhibition programme will carry an information request slip ensuring that
potential participants can be identified and logged onto a database of targeted
mailing to interested parties.
The feature film script
‘School’ will be similar in
content, format and principles to those already carried out by the National
Film and Television School and as demonstrated by Screenwrite
2, a school run in 1996-7 by the bfi in collaboration with British Screen focusing on black screenwriters .
The collaborators for this disability-specific equivalent of
Screenwrite will be the National Film and Television
School and the programme of workshops will include
introductions to agents, directors, producers and commissioning editors. (A copy of the outline of Screenwrite
2 is enclosed as Appendix 14.)
The ‘School’ will be residential (accessible local accommodation will be
used) thus, costs will be higher in order that the school can accommodate the
variety of disabilities of the
participants and to enable and minimise any specific access or learning needs
(i.e. wheelchair, sign language, Braille, large-print etc.).
Time Scale
Preparatory work will confirm
precise details of course content prior to the full public launch of the
project.
From January 1999, publicity
material will be disseminated and places will be advertised and allocated for
both workshops and feature script ‘School’ of workshops in the latter parts of 1999 and 2000 (for the workshops) and early 2001 (for the ‘School’).
* Only ONE bursary from each participating RAB or MDA will be
made available for each of the two years of workshops of short film development
- see Appendix 11 for letters of participation and financial contribution.
1 a) Workshop Outline
Workshops:
Selection of 10 writers for a series of three/four day seminars and
masterclasses (working with actors) prior to
the selection of two for
production.
Development & Production of Scripts
(Yrs 1- 2) - Total Cost = £84,711
(this figure incl. NFTVS costs as an in-kind contribution: £13,202)
The Workshops will involve 10 participants attending two separate sessions on short
film theory and scripting. Four will then go on to a two day masterclass with a
professional director and actors to realise their scripts. Finally, two will be
selected for actual production.
The remaining six unsuccessful participants not selected for the
masterclass will have a separate day for analysis and further development (i.e.
Training Needs Analysis). Any one
writer/director will not be permitted to do more than one production within the
project but if unsuccessful in the first year applicants may re-submit to the
second year's production plan. Equally any applicant may go through to the
feature script ‘School’.
Participants are given a facilitation grant for research and development once
selected for development with the final four successful scripts given a further
facilitation grant for completion of the workshops. Both the Workshops and the Script ‘School’ will take
place at the National Film and Television School, and be run, taught and organised NFTVS staff.
Schedule
April 1999 - Prepare combined tender document
and advert for production and regional surgeries in conjunction with relevant Regional
Arts Boards
weeks 1/ 2 Advert
in The Guardian, DAIL and Disability Now
week 3/ 4 Regional surgeries: identifying project aims, principles and
projected participants for short film direction/writing and
other project expectations at appropriate locations i.e. Regional
Arts
Boards and Media Development Agencies
week 10
Closing date for submissions. Select 20 candidates for interview
week 14
Interviews: select 10 participants (£1000 facilitation grant for
each
participant)
week 20 1 day workshop at NFTVS: format, style,
form and meaning
week 24
Participants deliver first
draft scripts
week 26 2nd 1
day workshop at NFTVS on overall script editing/realisation
week 28
Participants deliver second draft scripts
SELECT
FOUR SCRIPTS (a further £500 facilitation grant for
each
remaining
participant)
week 29 Script
editing for remaining four via tutorials
week 32
Participants deliver third draft scripts
week 33 2 day Masterclass writing/directing/using actors
week 33 1 day 'exit' Masterclass for remaining 6 un-selected for analysis and
improving
skills.
week 36 Participants deliver fourth
draft scripts
week 38
Selection of two of the remaining four scripts for production.
Final Script Editing
Followed by pre and post production of 2
selected shorts
(2 x 10 Week Productions spread over 17 Weeks)
week 42 - Pre-production:
Appointment of key personnel in collaboration
with writer/director team - Cast - Crew - Location Scouting - Location
agreements - Shooting script - Story-boarding - Location/studio finalisation -
Equipment - Insurance - Contracting -Catering - Budgeting - Lab/facility deal -
Costume Design - Scheduling
week 46 - 51 Rehearsals
(NFTVS);
Shoot (1 week) - Studio and/or
Location;
Post
Production; Completion/Delivery
Budget outline:
Workshops
Year 1 £ 41,322
Year 2 £ 43,389
Total
£84,711
Please see budget section - Section D - for detailed budget.
(Please
note: non-MDA/RAB's bursary funded applicants in workshops and school from
those areas covered by participating MDA/RAB's regions will have priority to
project funded bursaries over and above all others. In addition, short film productions will be made solely in
and by participants from MDA/RAB's committing in principle to contributing up
to £5,000 to short films.)
1 b) Feature Script ‘School’
Outline
‘School’: A feature film script ‘School’
for 8-10 disabled writers,
spread over 7 weekends during a 10 month period in the project's third
year (2001/2). Resulting in a
first draft feature script for each participant.
1 Feature Film Script ‘School’
(Yrs 2-3) Total Cost =
£69,309
(incl. NFTVS costs as an in-kind contribution of: £16,632)
The Feature Script ‘School’ is to be devised, co-ordinated, taught and hosted by the National
Film and Television School.
Schedule
April 2001
week 1 Advert in The Guardian, Disability Now and DAIL
week 3/ 4 Regional surgeries/seminar identifying project aims, objectives and
potential participants held at Regional Arts Boards and Media
Development Agencies.
week 12 Submit
feature script ideas for treatment workshops to work on
week 17 Interview 25
potential writers/directors.
Select 10 participants for Script School
(participants granted £1000 each to facilitate equality of
development learning and development teaching)
week 22 ‘School’ starts
Date
No. of days attendance
Content
Sept. 2001
2
Script
Treatment
October
2
Script
Treatment
November 2
Outline
December 2
Narrative
February 2002 2
Submit
first 30 Pages
April
2
Script
Editing
June
2
First
Draft
(‘School’ contact
time = 14 Days in total over 10 month period)
Budget Summary : Script ‘School’
Costs include: (see full budget - Section D- for full breakdown)
Script editing for ten
scripts x 3 sessions = 30
days Sub-total £3,000
Expenses for people attending
10 x two day workshops; a £2,500 travel and accommodation bursary per
participant to include -
a) Accommodation for two
nights x 7 Sessions for 10 people
(potential)
2 nights (£100) x 10 people
(=£1000) x 7 Sessions
(=£7000) Sub-total £7,000
b) Travel expenses (per
session of 10 people) = £1000
Total travel expenses x 7 sessions
Sub-total £7,000
(Additional costs covered in travel and
accommodation bursary includes: an enabler plus accommodation and travel;
subsistence; access particulars for individual participants; computer software
package for screenwriting.)
Full
Total £69,309
Please see budget section - Section D - for detailed budget.
(Please
note: non-MDA/RAB's bursary funded applicants in workshops and
‘School’ from those areas covered by participating
MDA/RAB's regions will have priority to project funded bursaries over and above
all others. In addition, short
film productions will be made solely in and by participants from MDA/RAB's
committing in principle to contributing up to £5,000 to short films.)
Budget Summary: Total for Workshops and
‘School’
Workshops Yrs
1 & 2 £84,
711
Feature Script
‘School’ Yr
3 £69,
309
2. Production
Content
The development and
production of 5 short films scripted, produced and directed by disabled people
in response to a tender document detailing the project's aims, intentions,
themes and entry restrictions - similar in format to other non-disability specific
projects such as New Directors that the bfi have previously undertaken (draft copy is enclosed in Appendix
13). The initial dissemination of
the production tender document, issued in April 1999 (and April 2000), will be
in response to advertisements for submissions in both the disability and
non-disability media and the project's promotional materials (see Marketing
Plan - Section C). The productions themselves and their development represent
approximately 68% of the overall project budget.
There will be two tender
documents issued over the three years of the project; varying in theme and
detail but not principle, responding to feedback from the previous year's
experience. Two short films will be made in year one, with three in year two. However, it is envisaged that
additional sponsorship money raised as the project progresses will enable the
production of three films in year one as well as year two.
Productions will require
varying degrees of development (depending upon individual experience); however
based on the experience of the bfi's Perception initiative (see Appendix 12) it is expected that there will be a need
for an above-average amount of pre-production work. It is this fact that links
the developmental workshops and ‘School’ to the productions. As each film will be scripted (a primary
condition of the production element of the project) and made by disabled
writers and film-makers, it is expected that any cost will be 10% above average
in order to facilitate and eradicate any disabling elements in the production
process.
Two disabled writers who have
attended the short film scriptwriting workshops (see workshops and ‘School’ sections
above) will graduate to having their script produced as a short film. It is thought likely that some participants
of the feature film scriptwriting ‘School’ will also have made, or be
making, a short film as part of the project.
It is assumed, based on
passed experience, that there will be some dual participation in different
aspects of the project given the probable and potential participants. There is
already enough recognised talent to develop or build upon in the disabled
community for this project to make a significant impact upon the industry both
creatively and in employment terms.
The content of each film will
be decided upon by its disabled writer, but the theme will not necessarily be
confined to disability per se; though, as part of the project's remit, the
films will be, from a disability perspective. This is a change from previous
projects for disabled filmmakers, artists and writers and one which will enable
them to explore wider issues of concern to them (see also Pointon's research in
Appendix 12).
By not insisting that
submissions from disabled film makers and writers are specifically 'about'
impairment but rather from a disability perspective, with themes that
have a strong resonance in the disability community, the resulting films will
be freely creative rather than shoehorned into a narrative straight-jacket of
the experience of impairment. One
of the perceived problems of the Arts Council of England's Disability Arts Video Project, and the
pilot bfi initiative Perception was their insistence that projects be 'about' disability - a
prerequisite that even members of their selection panels found tended to
ghettoise disabled people. No other specialist projects are rigidly restricted
to their intended participants physical abilities - New Directors (the bfi's annual short film
development programme) is broadly themed, but never prescriptive. Disabled film-makers and writers need
this project because of the problems of disablement which prevent their full
participation in generalised schemes such as New Directors, and do not need additional restrictions on their creativity. Equally,
by not insisting that the film proposals and productions are 'about' impairment
the project will encourage and develop a new audience avoiding the problems of
disability-made films, television and video being perceived as issued-based,
dogmatic and polemical.
This creative freedom ensures
that those who have made videos, television (i.e. Disability Programme Unit graduates from the BBC) and/or radio
programmes on disability can progress and develop a more creative use of their
imagination.
Though it is expected that
most of the films produced and developed will be narrative fictions, it is
hoped that other submissions will explore other forms of filmic expression e.g.
documentary, experimental or biography. One only has to look at the innovative
work of disabled people on television and video (e.g. Jo Pearson, David Hevey,
Tom Shakespeare and Jenny
Meredith) to see that this expectation has a real chance of being
fulfilled.
Each year's theme (an option
of two in the first and one in the second) has been inspired by the French
Revolutionary principles of fraternity, equality and liberty. As a call to cultural diversity, true democracy and citizenship, these
three principles have a resonance to disability in contemporary society. The themes are inspired by Krzysztof
Kielslowski's three features films titles 'Three Colours ...'; made between
1993-1994.
How will this be achieved?
The production element of the
project, will be an 'open competition' to disabled film-makers and writers
either on their own, in collaboration, or in partnership with a specific
production company. Tender
documents (see Appendix 13 for draft copy) will be advertised and issued in
April each year of the project so that those selected for participation can be
announced at the annual launch screening at the National Film Theatre (see Exhibition, following on from this
below). Submissions will be selected by a panel made up of Paul Darke (Project
Director), Steve Brookes (bfi Production),
Dick Ross (National Film and Television School) and specialists from the bfi Disability Committee and the film and
television industry. In addition, a short film specialist will be included on the selection
panel.
Advertisements will be placed
in the Disability press and The Guardian (see
Marketing Plan - Section C) with a series of regional seminars taking place at
Media Development Agencies and Regional Arts Boards (see Appendix 11 for
confirmation of participation).
These seminars/surgeries will be designed to ensure maximum awareness,
access to and information about the project within the disability arts
community and film-making worlds.
The seminar/surgeries will
also act as a way of getting interested parties together so that the host Arts Board or Media
Development Agency can disseminate appropriate information and clarify that the
productions need only be from a disabled perspective rather than about
disability. This point will need constant elaboration because of disabled
people's experience of working in the media to date and the desire to make the
project as open and accessible as possible. However, it is expected that a
proportion of productions will be about disability (from applicants own
choice).
As the project will run for
three years, there will be opportunity to feedback applicant's responses and
results into the project in subsequent years. Accordingly, the tender document
will be amended each year in content and theme though broadly based around the
notions of fraternity, equality and liberty.
On completion, the
productions will form the centrepiece for subsequent exhibition programme at RFTs events showcasing new work.
These events will develop new audiences for short films made by disabled film
makers and script writers. Further, ease of audience access will be as
applicable to the production's reception as it is to their production (i.e. the
consideration of sub-titling and audio-description for hearing and/or sight
impaired audiences). Access will be widened further by the entrance of
productions to both regional, national and international film festivals and
competitions (disabled and non-disabled).
Time Scale
Once the development stage is
complete, the short-listed projects will go into production. The development
process means that there is a possibility that some films developed one year
will not go into production until the following year and that not all projects
that are initially developed will go into full production. We would hope to develop 10 projects
per year in the workshops (see above) and
that a number of these will be submitted to other non-disability specific
project funds such as the bfi's New
Directors scheme, Regional Production Funds, European
initiatives and to mainstream production companies for further development.
In developing many more
production ideas that will actually be produced as films, the project will
fulfil its principle aim of creating a significant group of respected disabled
film-makers and writers impacting on the industry as a whole.
Budget Summary: Production ONLY
For two productions in year one
(1999/2000)
Total Yr. 1 = £110, 880
For three productions in year two (2000/2001) Total Yr.
2 = £174, 636
Total
= £285, 516
(See Budget Plan - Section D - for detailed
Production costings.)
The projected budget for each
production have been set (excluding disability access at 10% of costs,
management costs at 12% and inflation at 5%), at £45,000 based upon an industry average and existing bfi targets.
A number of Regional Arts
Boards (see Appendix 11 for supporting RABs) have
agreed to contribute £5,000 to a production
(in principle) made in their region by a film-maker from that region. A commitment that shows the national
significance and support given to this project.
Production Schedule
April 1999 - 2000
week 1/2 Advert in The Guardian, DAIL and Disability Now and
RAB newsletters
week 3/4 Regional surgeries/seminars
week 10 Closing date for
submissions, select 20 candidates for interview
week 14 Interview 20
candidates
week 20 First one day
workshops for 10 writers
week 24 Deliver
first draft scripts
week 26 Second
one day workshops for 10 Writers
week 28 Deliver
second draft scripts (Select 4)
week 29 Editing
of remaining 4 scripts
week 32 Deliver
third draft scripts
week 33 2 day Masterclass:
writing/directing/working with actors
1 day Masterclass for un-selected final 6
week 36 Deliver fourth draft scripts
week 38 Choose
two of the remaining four scripts for production.
Final script edit & introduction of tutor for two chosen.
Week 42 Pre-Production
Week 46 Rehearsals
Week 48 5-6 Day
Shoot
Week
49 Post-Production
Week 51 Completion/Delivery
3. Exhibition
Content
There are 2 sections to this element:
1.
Touring programme of films by disabled film makers and post-screening
audience
discussion;
2.
In-Service training for education professionals.
1. Touring Programme
An annual launch at the National
Film Theatre (NFT) in London, the first of which
(September 1999) will be the press launch of the entire project, with a
specially invited audience of
representatives from the industry, press, relevant disability
organisations and disabled individuals. The first programme will consist of a
selection of international short films made by disabled people. At this stage in each year the names of
the selected writers and short films to be developed by the workshops will be
announced with successful applicants in attendance.
At each launch event (in
September of 1999, 2000, and 2001) there will be a screening of all the films
to be included in the subsequent national touring programme. Each screening
programme will be followed by an audience discussion.
The exhibition programme
itself will be approved, as will much of the entire project, by a sub-committee
of the bfi Disability Committee, with external co-optees, (see Appendix 9, and management structure
pages in Section Nine in this section B) in collaboration with the Project's
Director. The attendance of a representative of the Director at relevant film
festivals will be crucial in programming the widest possible range of films and
in contextualising screenings (see Film Festivals below).
It is intended that these
national screenings will serve as a showcase for the work produced by disabled
film-makers during the project. The launch event and touring programme in the second
and third years will then, include a screening of the project's productions as
well as new shorts from other disability-oriented projects (e.g. The Arts
Council's Disability Arts Video Project).
The annual national tour
lasting approximately three months will visit 17 Regional Film Theatres (a network of independent cinemas who receive services and/or direct
grants from the bfi). The project
will provide generic pre-prepared publicity (see Marketing Plan) detailing all
screenings and events for use by each participating RFT to distribute.
2. In-Service Training
At each regional venue, in
collaboration with the RFT's own education
staff, a leading disabled artist and/or film-makers (i.e. from that region's Disability
Arts Forum) will be invited to lead a dedicated
education event on disability and the media. In Year 1 of the project the
dedicated education event will address further and higher education
professionals and those involved in adult education using, as a framework, the bfi Publication Framed (1997); in Years 2 & 3 the audiences will be, respectively, primary
and secondary school teachers, using as a framework for the event, the
project's education publications, a teachers' pack and video for secondary
schools and a booklet for primary schools.
The costs of the dedicated
education event part will be funded, except for the production of the teacher's
pack and video, by the RFTs themselves
having been provided with the tour materials and generic publicity material by
the project. (See Appendix 11 for RFT commitment to events and Budget Plan - Section D - for costs.)
These two separate events, In
Service training sessions and post-screening discussions are all part of the
educational foundation of the project within a mission to inform and encourage
new young audiences to engage with issues around disability and the media.
How will this be achieved?
Mark Adams, Head of Programme
Planning at the National Film Theatre, has already
agreed to host the launch event and screening each year, and commitment has
been received from participating Regional Film Theatres to host the touring programme and events. (Details in Appendix11.)
The primary organisation and
cost of the screenings and educational event will be undertaken by the
individual participating RFTs as part of
their cultural diversity and open access policy. However project itself has a
commitment to covering costs of generic publicity, rights payment for the
exhibition tour, carriage and insurance, and bfi personnel costs to attend events.
Contact will be made with
participating venue's regional Disability Arts Forum (DAF) to encourage their collaboration in their region's education event.
Brokering these connections will encourage future collaborations between the RFTs and their regional disability arts forum (DAF). This will be a key
element of the Project Director's job (and particularly given his positions as
co-ordinator the West Midlands Disability Arts Forum and as a Board member of the National Disability Arts Forum (NDAF)) to ensure this project is organised, run and participated in by
disabled artists, writers and film-makers.
A small number of RFTs are already addressing the issue of disability in their cultural
policy and programme; Watershed in Bristol, Broadway in Nottingham, Tyneside Cinema in
Newcastle and Chapter Arts in Cardiff have
variously held disability events/festivals or seasons but without the level of
support and back-up this project will provide. However, it needs to be stated
that the majority of participating RFTs have
never held any kind of disability event.
In addition these proposed events will specifically target education
professionals as a way of addressing a new, young audience back in the
classroom.
Film Festivals
The Project Director will
attend selected disability specific film and art festivals in UK (also Europe
and elsewhere if additional funding found) in order to identify relevant short
films for inclusion in the exhibition programme; festivals such as the 2nd
Festival Europeo Cinema Handicap, in Italy, and
the 2nd International Kurzfilmfestival 'Wie Wir Leben', in Munich (held in October and November of
1997 respectively). (See Appendix
16 for copy of Wie Wir Leben programme).
Others festivals in the UK, e.g. The London Film
Festival and The British
Short Film Festival, that include
disability-specific shorts will be attended. It is envisaged that the films
produced by this project will enter other national and international festivals.
The current Arts Council
of England's Disability Arts Video Project - run in 1998 by the West Midlands Disability Arts Forum (see letter of
support in Appendix 10) - will also provide films for inclusion in the touring
programme potentially attracting an element of additional finance for publicity
material. The necessity of a
concerted, consistent and regular exhibition programme, with targeted
marketing, is fully demonstrated by the problems faced by the Arts Council
of England's Disability Arts Video Project. In the years that it has been running (three sets of productions have
been funded with a fourth imminent) the number of screenings nation-wide for
individual productions (including London) is a maximum of three with the
majority never receiving a big screen debut.
It must be made clear that The
Arts Council of England's (ACE) project is quite
different in style, content and budget to the proposed bfi scheme: ACE maximum per video budget is
£15,000, out of a total project budget of £60,000 per annum. In
addition it excludes drama and
fiction pieces and was primarily constrained by its aim of being 'about'
impairment/disability arts practice and activity rather than film-making.
Time Scale
All participating RFTs have committed to the project (see Appendix 11). The Project Director
has made a presentation to COMEX (The Consortium
of Media Exhibitors) Education Officers Group where support was comprehensive
for the project.
Immediately following the A4E
decision the process' of programme selection for year 1 will begin; dates
confirmed with venues; and publicity materials prepares. The distribution of promotion materials
to RFTs at least one month prior to their
screening/educational event. Similar time scales will be followed in subsequent
years.
The preparation,
commissioning and distribution of marketing materials is to be undertaken by
the Head of Regional Publicity Unit at the bfi, Alan Gregory. The organisation and bookings of the screening programme
will be the responsibility of the bfi’s Central Booking Service, currently represented by Briony Hanson. RFT liaison, disability organisation, networking and advice will be the
responsibility of the Project Director in collaboration with each individual RFT and with the bfi Regional
Education Officer Louise Anderson. Selection of the programme will also be
co-ordinated by Paul Darke, the Project Director, in conjunction with the
programming committee as outlined above.
Budget Summary: Exhibition:
Year One £25,226
Year Two £25,815
Year Three £28,028.
Total Cost =
£79,069
(Please see budget section for detailed
Exhibition budget.)
4. Education Publishing
Content
There are two sections to
this element of the Project: the commissioning and publication of a teachers'
pack with accompanying video aimed at Secondary School pupils/teachers; and a
Primary School pupil and teachers' booklet on disability and film.
(See following pages - 43-45
- for an indicative outline of Publications' aims and objectives as envisaged
by the bfi's Principal Education
Officer Cary Bazalgette - the Institute's lead officer on this element of the
project.)
The teachers' pack will
comprise a 50,000 word A4 booklet containing black and white stills with
accompanying 90 minute video containing a variety of film clips for use with
the teachers' book and pupils' worksheets. The pack will follow the model of
those currently produced by bfi
Publishing, for example Film in Victorian Britain and Teaching African Cinema.
It will be written, by a
variety of authors managed by Cary Bazalgette, and laid out with a clear and
comprehensive exploration of disability and film, aimed at National
Curriculum Key Stage 4 English, as well as addressing
issues in A Level Syllabus General, Media/Film Studies, English and Social and
Political Sciences.
The teachers' pack will tie
in to the RFTs' educational events during
the exhibition tour attracting a wide range of school teachers. The pack continues the process of developing a new audience for the future
not only for disability films but for film in general. In addition it will act
as a significant tool of social understanding and education. These teaching resources will be
published by bfi Publishing and will not solely educate young people about disability but also
about film. The nature of films and film-makers' use of disability is as
revealing about the structures and industrial practices of film as they are
about general social attitudes and practices in relation to disabled people.
The teachers' pack will explore these issues and develop further the previous
work done by writers in the bfi book
Framed.
No disability publications to date have been so pro-actively used as
those proposed in this project.
The Primary School booklet
will be written for use in teaching 'able' and disabled children about
disability from a social perspective.
It will be a 24 page full colour A4 booklet and will be used in the
second year of the RFT's touring programme as the basis of educational events for Primary School
teachers. 40,000 copies of the booklet will be used at the educational events
and then distributed free to all Primary Schools in England.
How will this be achieved?
Richard Reiser (co-ordinator
and founder of Disability in Education and the 1
in 8 Group ) has agreed to lead on and co-write the
teachers' pack. Richard is not only a leading figure in disability inclusion in
schools, but also the leading activist and thinker on the issue of film and
disability and a former disabled secondary school teacher. Another two disabled
writers with specialisms in the National Curriculum and an appropriate A Level
syllabus will also collaborate on producing the pack. A writer and educational
professional with a knowledge of disability and film and its use in the primary
classroom will also contribute to the booklet's production.
As a senior member of the bfi's specialist education staff, Cary Bazalgette, will ensure that expert
advice on the issues of teaching the media in the classroom is available to the
authors and fully incorporated by them.
Time Scale
The teachers' pack and the
booklet will go into development as soon as a positive A4E application result is known. The Primary booklet will be ready for use
in the project's second year and the teachers' pack will be completed and ready
for use the following year.
The publications will be
marketed and available throughout the touring exhibition programme and events,
but will also be made available through the bfi Publishing catalogue.
In order to promote the pack
and the booklet - which will be free - and the educational events at which they
will be used marketing will take place in selected teaching professional
journals and newspapers. The time
scale of this marketing will be appropriate to the publication and events dates
(see Marketing Plan - section C - for further details).
Budget Summary: Education Publications
Primary Booklet
Year One
£29,288 (incl. marketing)
Secondary Teachers' Pack Year
Two
£36,119 (incl. marketing)
Total Cost
£65,407
(Please see budget section - Section D - for
detailed budget for this element.)
Publications' Aims and Objectives
(indicative)
as outlined by Cary Bazalgette - bfi Principal Education
Officer
Primary Booklet
This booklet will be sent
free to all primary schools with the aims of alerting them to the possibilities
of exploring disability issues through film.
The booklet will have 3
sections:
1 Introduction:
outline of key issues; learning outcomes; how these relate to
current
curricular requirements in England and Wales, Scotland, and
Northern
Island; what this booklet provides.
This section will also include
some
facts and figures about disability and 'what is disability and
impairment?'.
2 Start
Now! A series of short exercises
in analysis and discussion which will
be
fun and easy to do but will also enable both teachers and pupils to
explore
questions of representation such as 'how do we know this is meant
to
be true?' and does a character's appearance tell what sort of person they
are?'. Advice on how to study short sections
of moving image material will
be
provided, as will photographs and film stills for discussion. All of this
section
- including the stills - will be photocopiable.
3 Resources:
an annotated list of films and video material that can be used to
focus
attention on disability topics and disabled film-makers, which are
suitable
for use at primary level.
Annotations will include production
information
and suggestions for preparatory and follow-up work. Also a list
of
regional disability arts/education organisations will be included.
Secondary Teaching Pack
This teaching pack will consist of a video compilation and accompanying teachers' book, which will include photocopiable worksheets.