Earlier in the form at question 3.6 we asked what you currently estimate to be the costs of the project beyond the NESTA funded phases. For that question we wanted to know about amounts and what your current plans are for covering these costs. Now we want a more detailed view of this including names of the potential external sources of funding and what the current status of discussions with them are. We also need to know this information so that we are able to identify any potential conflicts of interest that might arise.
I am also in early discussions to see how Australian funding sources could contribute to the idea through my Australian company TLWM-A-TQC Pty Ltd. This funding could be for the project as a whole (as development for the international co-production "ten weeks in the head bin") and/or for the SANCTUARY short film in particular (as an innovative short film project, again under international co-production legislation).
The plan is to apply to Britfilms once the 35mm print of SANCTUARY is completed for marketing support for festivals.
While market research and early discussions have ruled out initial game industry funding for SANCTUARY, I keep informal contact with various games companies. It appears clear that the games industry is moving (albeit slowly) towards recognising this kind of project as relevent (as re-usable game art) and there are likely to be opportunities for related work and the funding of related projects once the demo is produced.
Early discussions had with the games publisher SCi also suggest that it will be worth approaching traditional games publishers during the NESTA funded phase once it is possible to demonstrate the feasibility of user-contributed games being deployed into SANCTUARY.
I plan to approach Sony Networks for funding in February. Criterion have offered to introduce me to a high level contact on the basis that this project will open up a new genre for the console and could be a "killer app" for the upcoming hard drive peripheral for the Playstation 2.
The UK Film Council New Cinema fund is a potential funder of "ten weeks in the head bin" who will be approached once the film animatic for SANCTUARY is complete.
Other potential sources of funding include Microsoft, DTI, and NESTA (follow-on funding). I will also be considering direct investment in the new company as a source of funding for the production of SANCTUARY.
An NDA has been signed with Aurelius Capital Ltd (media financiers) to assess business development opportunities and a relationship post the NESTA-funded phase.
http://www.aureliuspartners.com
The possibility of major studio intervention at an earlier stage has not been ruled out but I am not actively seeking their involvement until the development phase is complete.
Posted by .M. at October 17, 2003 03:23 PMWorking on submission to Film Council
Posted by: .M. at November 28, 2003 09:54 AM