Consultation Period Update

Week one of Screen Tasmania's consultation process seeking comment on the draft Strategic Plan and 2011 - 2012 Funding Program Outlines has finished with the industry sessions held so far providing a lot of very positive comment.

There is still plenty of time to provide feedback, and a nother chance to discuss the drafts at a facilitated discussion taking place at the Screen Tasmania office at 4pm on Wednesday 20 April 2011.

A reminder that all comments must be made in writing by COB Friday 29th April 2011.

*** Full details of the consultation can be found by following THIS LINK ***

Key Issues Raised So Far

A number of topics have been discussed but some of the specific comments to date have been:

General program responses to date:

• Too much emphasis on Development and not Production. Annual Budget allocation should be split 50:50 between Production and Development.
• Less emphasis on Feature Film Development and more on Television Drama and factual and/or Digital.
• For the New Writers Program less script development on specific projects and more general training and workshops for new writers.
• Digital Development Fund should be more orientated to producing low budget content for immediate release rather than development.
• Very positive response from all attendees to proposed Factual Entertainment Fund.
• In light of above the Special Initiative Program on Adaptation should be a workshop based on Factual Entertainment formats and their potential markets.
• Should be a specific incentive to encourage Post-production activity in the state.
• Corporate Connect Service is outside of Screen Tasmania’s brief and should not be a priority.
• Screen Tasmania needs to be more active in facilitating meetings between potential marketplace and practitioners.
• Broad consensus that priority be given to Tasmanian but that non-Tasmanians can still access funding provided they are in a genuine co-production arrangement with a Tasmanian Company or key creative.

General strategic plan responses

• Not sure that both ‘quality and innovation’ will always be possible in the same instance.
• ‘Growth and sustainability’ may at times be at odds with one another.