NESTA suggestions:
"If you believe that you will need additional resources to see the project through to a successful end please tell us what the skills gaps are and whether you have identified ways of meetings these skills gaps? We also want to know what other facilities and support you will require in the future, e.g. any key suppliers / third parties that will be crucial to the development of your idea and why they are crucial. If they are crucial have you any other options if they were to become unavailable in the future? If the team will remain the same e.g. as described in Q3.5 then there is no need to repeat the information already provided."
Please see "Team" attachment for biography and references of key team members.
The production team will be structured into three departments, Film, Console
and Community. Current team members and advisors will be re-assigned once production funding is in place and heads of each department (i.e. the producers) are signed.
In structuring the team for the proposal I have made the assumption that certain key team members will work cross-department during production, at the discretion of the three producers. For example, the console technical lead will sit within the Console department but will be a valuable resource in planning the film production/post-production pipeline, DVD asset management, and the online community content management system.
Many of the existing advisors will be given an opportunity to participate in the production phase. The community dimension of the project means that the notion of team extends to non-paid contributors and participants. An organisation chart is included in 9.1 to show the relationship of advisors to production teams.
It is not possible to finalise the film, console and community teams ahead of production funding. This is due to the gap between submitting the proposal and the start of production. Responsibility for finalising teams will fall to each departmental Producer.
The rationale for setting up a new company is to create a structure by which the core SANCTUARY development team (and thequality.com trust network of advisors already contributing) can continue to work together on the production of SANCTUARY and on future new projects exploring cutting-edge interactive ideas.
Executive Producer:
I will seek an exceptional producer who can realise film screening opportunities and DVD distribution deals to come on-board at the production funding stage and take a stake of the new company. This may be the Project Champion proposed by NESTA.
Film Producer:
This person oversees film production. It will be someone from within the film industry, ideally with experience in convergent film/game projects, able to cope with the unforeseen and the peculiar and particular requirements that convergent projects bring with them. This will be a full-time position starting soon after funding comes through, continuing through marketing and distribution of the Sanctuary film.
This position will be filled once production funding is secured. I will begin discussions with new and already identified producers as soon as NESTA funding is secured.
Console Producer:
This person will be responsible for producing the SANCTUARY DVD. This will be someone from within the console games industry with titles already under their belt. The producer will have experience in relevant fields (rhythm games, film tie-ins, etc.) and will have dealt with Microsoft and Sony on previous titles. This will be a part-time position, except during design, programming and testing, when it will become full-time.
This position will be filled once production funding is secured. Given that the technologies chosen for the console product will influence the development plan, technology partners will be consulted in filling this role. Several contenders for this position have already been discussed and discussions are underway to sign them onto the project as advisors during the development phase. Criterion have also offered to help source this position using their global contacts if their product Renderman is licensed.
Community Producer:
This person will manage and nurture the growth of an online re-mixable film community. The person will have PR/Marketing experience as well as online community management experience. It will be a part-time job, starting once funding is secured.
The role will require liasion with other online communities and identifying stake-holders within these groups who can assist with PR and Marketing. As such, the role will be advertised after funding is secured, in established online communities like emint (community managers), VJcentral (visual artists), MODcentral (game mod creators), fanfilms.com (fan film-makers) and machinima.com (Machinima film-makers). The community web site will be the prime marketing tool for the project.
Information Manager:
This role (akin to Chief Knowledge Officer in an enterprise) assumes overall responsibility for knowledge management during production. The project will be decentralised, across different work environments, and this person will ensure that information goes through the appropriate avenues, is being recorded, and is available to the right people. This is a role requiring excellent communications skills, an approachable personality and thorough knowledge of all information communications technology.
This will be a part-time role, except during production when it will be full-time. This role possibly be combined with the Community Producer role if an appropriate individual is found.
Other key skills gaps required are
* Sales and Marketing - dedicated staff will be required to promote SANCTUARY and other completed products, the team's skillset and capabilities to existing markets by way of commissions and secure distribution deals and ongoing consultancy work.
* PR - in order to best leverage the company's assets, public relations will be key, especially with regards to ongoing liasion with online communities. The success of "Horses for Courses" as a PR exercise suggests that SANCTUARY will generate considerable interest which can be leveraged to creatively develop new ideas ongoing (e.g. competitions, recruitment, collaborations)
* Producers - a full-time in-house producer will be hired to support parallel project development and help run the business.
Most of the missing resources required to see the idea through to a successful end, after the production and distribution of SANCTUARY, will have to supplied through partnership and/or sales to a major studio. My aim is to keep the in-house team lightweight (as in key team members) and flexible (as is the typical independent film production company model).
Posted by .M. at October 17, 2003 02:06 PM