Development - Slate Funding

Current call: 31/2012 (Slate)

Deadlines:

23 Nov 201211am GMT  expired
12 Apr 201311am GMT  expired

Slate Funding is aimed at medium-sized European companies which have experience at an international level and the financial capacity to contemplate and support the simultaneous development of several projects.

The budget available for Slate Funding and Slate Funding 2nd Stage applications under this Call for Proposals is estimated at €10.75 million (or approx €5.4m per deadline).

Slate Funding supports three to five projects. Grants of €10,000 to €60,000 are available for each project. The total amount of support per slate is from €70,000 to €190,000.

Exceptionally this year, MEDIA Desk UK will only be able to offer full comprehensive advice, including a review of an application, until 28 March 2013 so please contact us as early as possible. During the last two weeks before the deadline we’ll only be able to answer last minute questions.

Which companies can apply?

Applications are accepted from European independent production companies which at the time of applying:

  • Have been officially registered for at least 36 months
  • hold a minimum of 50% of the rights in the projects
  • Can demonstrate a previous track record (as detailed below).

There are no minimum requirements in terms of the company's turnover or profit, but the company must provide evidence of its financial capacity.

What kind of track record must the company have to be eligible?

The company must be able to provide evidence that in the five years prior to submission they have completed and internationally distributed, as the majority producer, two previous works in one of MEDIA's eligible project categories.
 
What if the company doesn't have the required track record?

If the company lacks the above previous experience, then the individual track record of professionals who are linked to the company can be used even if they produced the previous work for other companies or worked on a freelance basis. In this case at the time of submission the individual must be one of the following:

  • Shareholder
  • CEO/MD of the company
  • On the company's payroll as a producer for the last 12 months.

On a previous production they must have a producer, executive producer or delegate producer credit.
 
What kinds of projects are eligible?

  • Fiction (one-off and series, minimum duration 50 minutes)
  • Creative documentary (one-off and series, minimum duration 25 minutes)
  • Animation (one-off or series, minimum duration 24 minutes)

Slate funding supports three to five projects. All projects must demonstrate a European dimension - they need to have the potential to find audiences and distribution markets in Europe.

If you are working on a multi-platform project you might find it useful to see the details for MEDIA's Development - Interactive Projects scheme.

Applicants must submit an electronic application form (e-form) with two embedded attachments. This must be done by 11am UK time on the day of the deadline. In addition, a print-out of the completed e-form and a set of required documents as per the checklist (see below) must be sent by post by the day of the deadline (the postmark will be used as a proof of timely sending).

For technical queries about the electronic application form please contact the IT Helpdesk in Brussels by email or by telephoning 0032 229 90705. They are open Monday to Thursday from 7.30am until 4.30pm, and on Fridays from 7.30am until 4pm (UK time). They are not open on Belgian public holidays.

Application forms

Electronic application form ('e-form': scroll down the page for MEDIA - Project development)
Budget form
Declaration on the applicant's honour


Application advice documents

Ten steps to making an application

  1. Read the guidelines, submission guide, operational and technical instructions
  2. Download the electronic application form and save it on your computer with a unique name
  3. Fill in the form and attach the two embedded attachments (description of project and budget). Please use these file names for your embedded attachments (entering your own company name):
  4. - Description of project: Devt_UK_company name_ProjDesc
     - Development budget: Devt_UK_company name_Budget
  5. Work through the form in page order because the information you put on the first page influences the rest of the form
  6. When you have completed the form, use the 'validate' button. This will result in the form automatically notifying you of any errors you have made
  7. You can work in stages, share the form with colleagues and send it for consultation with your local MEDIA Desk or Antenna
  8. Only when you are absolutely sure that all corrections have been made, press the 'submit' button. This must be done by 11am UK time on the day of the deadline. The system will automatically provide you with an email confirmation and a unique submission number
  9. Print the electronic application form (ensuring it includes the submission number)
  10. Collate all required documents in hard copy as per the checklist provided
  11. Send the printed electronic application form and documents by courier to the Executive Agency in Brussels, at the latest on the day of the deadline (date of postmark or courier receipt is evidence of timely sending).

How much money is available?

  • Up to 50% of the development budget submitted with the application is offered as a non-repayable grant
  • Matching funds (in cash) are the responsibility of the applicant.

Slate funding supports three to five projects. Grants of €10,000 to €60,000 are available for each project. The total amount of support per slate is from €70,000 to €190,000.

Which costs are eligible?

This scheme aims to support development costs and cannot be used to fund the production phase of projects. These costs are eligible:

  • The acquisition of rights
  • Research (including archive research)
  • All scriptwriting up to and including the final draft (provided that it is paid before first day of principal photography or pre-production)
  • Storyboards
  • Identification of the key cast and crew
  • Preparation of the production budget and schedule
  • Preparation of financing plan
  • Identification of industry partners, co-producers and financiers
  • Initial marketing and sales plans (attending markets and attracting buyers).

Other eligible costs:

  • For drama and creative documentary: teaser / video treatment
  • For animation: graphics research and production of a pilot.

 
What is the period of eligibility of costs?

All costs are eligible from the date of submission of the application with the exception of costs that are related to the acquisition of rights (these can be eligible for the 12 months prior to the date of submission).

Eligibility ends on the date of entry into production or on:

  • 30 June 2015 for projects submitted under the 23 November 2012 deadline
  • 30 November 2015 for projects submitted under the 12 April 2013 deadline

(whichever is the earlier).
 

What is Slate Funding 2nd Stage?

Slate Funding 2nd Stage is available to companies who currently have an active MEDIA Slate (agreements signed between 2007 and 2011) and can show that at least one project on the existing slate has entered production. For full details please contact your local MEDIA Desk or Antenna.

Previous calls for this scheme

Call number Deadlines
16/2006 (Slate) 16 Apr 2007
16/2007 (Slate) 15 Nov 2007, 15 Apr 2008
24/2008 (Slate) 17 Nov 2008, 17 Apr 2009
20/2009 (Slate) 27 Nov 2009, 12 Apr 2010
25/2010 (Slate) 29 Nov 2010, 11 Apr 2011
21/2011 (Slate) 25 Nov 2011, 13 Apr 2012

Summary information

UK total: € 333,622
European total: € N/A
UK % of European total: N/A

Previous recipients for this call

Deadline Recipient Film / project title Amount received (€)
12 Apr 2013 Either the results for this deadline have not been announced or there were no UK beneficiaries.
23 Nov 2012 Revolution Films [Fiction] 190,000
23 Nov 2012 Wellington Films [Fiction] 143,622
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