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About our Short Film Schemes
BSÉ/IFB provides funding for short films through a series of schemes, each of which is open for applications once a year and each of which provides full funding for production.

About Reality Bites 
Reality Bites is a new scheme to enable the making of short documentaries.

The scheme aims to encourage experimentation and the realisation of fresh approaches to non-fiction filmmaking. Projects selected for support may be journalistic or creative, observational or aesthetic, objective or personal, but they will all contain something new in their use of the documentary form. Short sketches of subjects being considered for longer-form treatment may also be appropriate to this scheme.

Films may be made in Irish or English.

The deadline for applications is Friday 10th June 2011

Parameters of the Scheme
   -  Films may be made in Irish or English.

   -  Number of films: up to 3 per year

   -  Duration: maximum 12 minutes

   -  Budget per film: maximum €15,000

   -  Format:
             -  Origination on any digital format
             -  Delivery on digi-beta and HD Cam
             -  Further funding to cover costs of 35mm prints may be
                provided where a film obtains a bona fide theatrical
                release in Ireland or is invited to a major international
                film festival, subject to BSÉ/IFB regulations in force at
                the time

*Please note that this scheme is delivered on HD Cam, as well as Digi-beta, and the application budget should reflect the costs required to deliver on these formats

Who Can Apply
Applications are invited from producer/director teams, subject to eligibility guidelines as follows:

Producers - must be able to prove some relevant production experience
Directors - must provide a showreel demonstrating ability to direct documentary material (and, where a director plans to act as camera operator, the showreel should provide evidence of this ability also)

Producers and Directors - there is no limit to the number of REALITY BITES an individual may apply to make

The scheme is not open to full-time students.

Procedure
Application forms should be downloaded from BSÉ/IFB's website, completed in full, and sent - together with all the additional materials requested - to BSÉ/IFB's head office in Galway. (It is not possible to apply for BSÉ/IFB funding by fax or online.) Incomplete applications will not be processed.

Submissions will be examined, with consideration given to the script and the creative team, by a group of assessors put together by BSÉ/IFB from in-house and externally. A shortlist of around six teams will be drawn up, who will be invited to attend an interview.

Awards will be made to up to three teams, the number of REALITY BITES to be funded being dependent upon the overall standard of submissions. Teams selected must attend an information day in order to be entitled to claim their funding.

Rights
Previously, the distribution rights were retained by the IFB for five years and a sales agent was appointed to distribute the shorts internationally. 

Going forward the distribution rights will remain with the filmmaker who can now choose to appoint a sales agent or distribute the film themselves.  The IFB feel this will provide vital training in the area of distribution and will enable filmmakers to build relationships with distributors directly.  

Although the distribution policy has now changed, the IFB policy on submitting Reality Bites films to international festivals remain the same.

This will only affect films contracted from 2010 onwards and does not change the distribution of any films already contracted.

Important Features of the Scheme
• As a general rule REALITY BITES films should be originated and creatively led by Irish talent or talent resident in Ireland, and their production should be practically managed from Ireland.

• For selected projects producers must acquire all rights worldwide inperpetuity in all forms of media.

• One producer only may be approved and credited for selected projects.

• The following rates will apply to the production budgets of all films made under the scheme:
- Daily rate for all cast and crew (as agreed annually with the
Film Group of Unions) June 2010-June 2011: €120

• BSÉ/IFB will have approval rights over the following elements of all films made under the scheme:
     -  Shooting script
     -  Key technical crew

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