New Zealand Film Commission See-Saw Films Masterclass

New Zealand Film Commission
              See-Saw Films Masterclass
                     He Aratohu mā ngā Kaitono
                      Guidelines for Applicants

                             October 2022

                    Īmēra mai, mēnā he pātai āu
If you have any questions, please e-mail joel.rudolph@nzfilm.co.nz

   You are encouraged to read these guidelines carefully as they set out
     important eligibility criteria and are intended to help you deliver
                    the strongest application possible.

KUPU WHAKATAKI - SEE-SAW FILMS MASTERCLASS OVERVIEW
Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga I New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC)
invites eligible New Zealand screen practitioners to apply for a one-off
half-day masterclass presented by See-Saw Film executives Libby Sharpe
(Head of Production, AUS) and Rebecca Hardman (Head of Legal &
Business Affairs, AUS).
The masterclass is for approximately 40 producers looking to further
their knowledge of the current market, audience behaviour,
consumption of content, international co-productions, multi-party
financing, international finance and large-scale production challenges.
WHERE:     Rydges Auckland, 59 Federal Street, Auckland Centtral
WHEN:      Thursday 24 November 2022
TIME:      12pm midday to 6pm
           (lunch and snacks included – networking drinks cash bar)
COST:      No cost to the successful applicants.
See-Saw Films (See-Saw) is a world leading film and television
production house, founded in 2008 by Academy Award®, BAFTA, Golden
Globe and Emmy winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman.
See-Saw’s past and current productions include internationally based
features The King’s Speech, Lion, Shame, Tracks and Macbeth. See-Saw’s
New Zealand-shot productions include drama series Top Of The Lake and
two seasons of The New Legends of Monkey and feature films Slow West
(Winner Grand Jury Prize Sundance 2015) and The Power Of The Dog
(Venice International Film Festival Silver Lion for Best Direction 2021,
BAFTA Best Film Award 2022, Academy Award for Best Directing 2022).
NZFC is here to support the Aotearoa New Zealand screen industry and
facilitate dynamic pathways for outstanding people, projects, and
businesses.

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KO WAI KA ĀHEI KI TE TONO - WHO CAN APPLY?
Individual applicants must:
1. Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
2. Be attached as a producer to a slate of film or series projects in
   development; and
3. Have ‘produced by’ credit on a significant feature film and/or series
   production that has screened theatrically, on a digital platform, or via
   a broadcast/cable network.

Significant is defined as:
For films
   • A feature film selected in a top tier festival (e.g. Cannes, Venice,
     Toronto, Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, Busan, Tokyo, London, IDFA,
     Tribeca), or a major international festival that reaches key
     audiences; and/or
   • a feature film that has achieved market success of at least
     NZ$350,000 for drama, NZ$150,000 for documentary, or 10,000
     admissions at the New Zealand box office.

For series production:
   • The series has been commercially released and broadcast on a
     premium SVOD service or domestic primetime free-to-air TV; or
   • The series received or receives a regular online audience over
     750,000 views.

The NZFC may elect NZFC staff members and representatives from the
2022 Gender Scholarship rōpū to attend the masterclass. Such
attendees will be in addition to the successful applicants and be
observers rather than participants.

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WHAKARITENGA TONO - APPLICATION PROCESS

  HOW TO APPLY:
  Eligible filmmakers must apply using the online application portal at
  https://funding.nzfilm.co.nz/.
  If you have not applied for NZFC funding before you will need to create
  an account on the portal first.
  Search for See-Saw Films Masterclass and click ‘New Application’. The
  form will take you step by step through the application process and
  prompt you to provide all the information we require.

  TIMELINE:
  Applications Open:       1pm Thursday 20 October 2022
  Deadline:                1pm Monday 31 October 2022
  Decision Notification:   Friday 11 November 2022

  Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted unless there are
  exceptional circumstances such as a technical difficulty with the
  application portal and you notify the NZFC immediately by emailing
  funding@nzfilm.co.nz

   Applications            Applications         Notification sent       Masterclass
      OPEN                   CLOSE              to applicants by       takes place on
1pm Thu 20 October     1pm Mon 31 October       Fri 11 November       Thu 24 November

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NGĀ MEA HEI WHAKAURU ATU KI TŌ TONO - WHAT TO INCLUDE
The online application will ask you to include the following information:
1.   Brief company or personal profile (150 words max).
2.   ‘Produced by’ credits - year and any commercial data (3 max).
3.   Projects currently in development, logline and key people. (3 max).
4.   A statement outlining how the masterclass aligns with your skills and
     career strategy (either 150 words max, or short video up to 120 secs).
     For video submission this should be simply made with you speaking
     straight to camera (phone camera is acceptable).

The NZFC collects statistical information to enable us to report
anonymised aggregated information and trends to our stakeholders, to
measure our performance against our Statement of Performance
Expectations, and for planning purposes. The statistical information
requested aligns with Statistics NZ Census data. Providing this
information is voluntary, but we ask that you do complete this to help
enable us to accurately measure, report on, and respond to, trends in
the industry. Any personal information collected will not be passed on
or sold to third parties and will only be reported in an anonymised
aggregated manner.
The NZFC will use reasonable efforts to maintain the confidentiality of
the information provided by the applicant. Please note that any
information you provide to the NZFC is subject to Official Information
Act 1982 (OIA) requests. In processing a request under the OIA, the NZFC
will consult with the relevant applicant prior to deciding to release or
withhold the information.

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TIKANGA AROMATAWAI - ASSESSMENT
When your application is received, it will be checked for eligibility. You
will be notified if your application is deemed ineligible. If your
application is eligible, it will be assessed by NZFC and Screen Production
and Development Association (SPADA) executives using the objectives
below to reach a shortlist of applicants.
A panel consisting of NZFC’s Head of Development and Production,
NZFC’s Acting CEO and the Executive Director of SPADA, or a nominated
SPADA executive will review the shortlisted applications, and then meet
to decide the successful applicants at their total discretion. The
objectives and all submitted information will inform the panel’s
decision-making process for the masterclass. The panel’s decision is
final.
Please note that by submitting your application you agree that your
application will be reviewed by the SPADA Executive Director for
assessment purposes only.

    OBJECTIVES                       WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
    Support the development of       Do the applicant’s key credits relate to the
    screen stories that have the     application criteria and demonstrate a
1   potential to be high impact,     relevant level of success to date?
    authentic    and    culturally   How relevant are the applicant’s slate and
    significant.                     current projects to the masterclass?

    Facilitate dynamic pathways      Based on the applicant’s statement, will
    for outstanding filmmaking       the masterclass have relevance to their
    talent with the experience       skill-level and career stage?
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    and ability to advance the       How relevant will the information from
    feature film towards             the masterclass be to progressing the
    production.                      applicant and their projects?

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TE HUARAHI WHAKAMUA - NEXT STEPS
Applicants will be notified through the NZFC portal as soon as possible
after the panel’s decision is made.
You will receive an email notification linking you to the online application
portal where your decision letter is held. If you wish to accept the offer
of a place at the masterclass you will need to sign and return a copy of
the decision letter to us by 5pm on Friday 18 November 2022.
If your application is successful, your letter will outline any conditions
attached to participation in the masterclass, which may include agreeing
to provide feedback about the masterclass via a short online survey.
Successful applicants will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement
restricting the sharing of information or materials presented or
discussed over the duration of the masterclass.
Once the decision letters have been issued, details of the successful
applicants may be published on the NZFC website, in the NZFC
newsletter and subsequently in the NZFC’s annual report.
If your application is unsuccessful, feedback on the reasons for the
decision will not be given.

CANCELLATION POLICY
NZFC reserves the right to cancel the See-Saw Films Masterclass. In such
an event the NZFC will not be held liable for any personal costs incurred
by attendees.

         A final reminder that if you have any questions, please contact
                           joel.rudolph@nzfilm.co.nz

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