Cinema Canada (May-Jun 1975)

=! a —_— provide all or part of the production money. In return, they’ll ask for, and get, final edit, first recoupment, a distribution fee of 35% or 40% of box office revenues after the exhibitor takes his share, and sometimes television rights. It’s a high price but remember, it will be easier to attract further investors if you have a distributor. Investment in the film by exhibitors in Canada is possible if you talk to Famous Players; Odeon, to date, has not shown any interest. Famous invests only when the CFDC is also an investor, and upon their recommendation, so go to them last. A television network can show the film and reap great profits in doing so. In exchange for financial participation, they'll want TV rights, of course, and if, in the case of our Bethune film model, they can get it, they'll run the documentary on the making of the film, before the theatrical release and before the TV showing. CTV looks for universality (so foreign TV sales are possible), potential series spinoffs, and potential sponsors for the program. They'll buy shorts, but not filler. Global has invested in features to a small extent, but usually buys the TV rights from the distributor. The CBC has a mandate that says it must produce for TV. They're always hungry for new ideas and new talent but usually they’ll buy only when the film is completed and only when the film fits into their programming needs. Sometimes they do invest. Watch the CBC, pick out the programs that are possible outlets for your project, and then try to interest the individual producers of the programs. Price and payment terms are negotiated individually. Generally, on a sale of a finished film, the CBC pays 30 days after acceptance of the print. To sell to the CBC, you will need a CRTC number which officially proclaims your film as Canadian content (no problem if the production personnel and services are native). Businesses related to film are possible investors. Labs will perform services in exchange for financial participation. Deferments of payments to talent or labs can reduce initial cash needs. Budgets can also be lowered by arranging for goods and services in exchange for credit in the film. But be careful not to give too much exposure, so that it becomes a commercial, because it will drastically limit your TV sales. You might be able to raise additional money by selling novelisation, music or merchandising rights. Increasingly, as film is recognised more as a business, new groups are investing. Try banks, institutions, investment groups, or bodies that have a direct relation to the content of your film; e.g., a church to invest in a biblical story or missionary tale. Personal loans, secured by personal assets or films already owned, should be avoided for selfprotection. Provincial government agencies may participate; many are seeing film as a product that provides export potential and employment at home. And for shorts, too, see the members of the Canadian Film and Television Association; they may want to make your film. They will rent or sell prints of a completed film for you also, in return for a fee ranging around 20% to 60%. The Canada Council This august body offers several aids to film-makers, basically in the short film category. There are grants available from the Film and Video program or the Explorations program. The latter offers a wide range of funds mainly for research in the areas of new methods of participation and communication in learning and the arts, cultural activities, preserving cultural heritage, and in multidisciplinary work that includes both arts and sciences. The Film and Video program is more definite. Direct grants for films as well as grants for research, training and script-writing are available. You must be Canadian or a landed immigrant to qualify, and you must have made one film or several tapes outside school, or have a good reputation in the visual arts to obtain a grant for a project.