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About Signatures
Signatures is a new short film scheme for the making of live-action, fiction films that act as a proving-ground for Irish creative talents aspiring to write, direct and produce films for the cinema.

The scheme aims to encourage strong, original storytelling, visual flair, and production values appropriate to the big screen. The scheme also offers an opportunity for producers, directors and writers to work in a professional environment that will bring their experience up to a higher level.

Films may be made in Irish or English.

The deadline for Signatures applications is Friday 3rd September 2010.

Parameters of the scheme
     -  Number of films: up to 5 per year

     -  Duration: maximum 12 minutes

     -  Budget per film: maximum €75,000

     -  Format: 
- Origination on Hi-Def, S16mm or 35mm
- Delivery on digi-beta and HD Cam (but films originated on 35mm may be delivered on 35mm or digi-beta)

- 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/writer teams (where the producer and director are not the same person) subject to eligibility guidelines as follows:

Producers - must have previously produced at least one short film*
Directors - must have previously directed at least one short film*
Writers - need not have previously written for the screen

For the avoidance of doubt, the above individuals must be attached at application stage.

Directors - may produce more than one SIGNATURES film but not more than three in a 10-year period.

Producers and Writers - there is no limit to the number of SIGNATURES an individual may apply to make

The scheme is not open to full-time students

* SIGNATURES is not a wide-open scheme in terms of the talent it aims to attract: it is designed to enable the making of short films by producers and directors with new creative voices but also with some measure of professional experience. Accordingly a short film made as part of college work will not be considered eligible in this context, though a graduation film that has achieved significant festival exposure might be.

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 screenplay and the creative team, by a group of assessors put together by BSÉ/IFB from in-house and externally. A shortlist of around 10 teams will be drawn up, who will be invited to attend an interview.

Awards will be made to up to five teams, the number of SIGNATURES 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 Signatures 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 SIGNATURES 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 in perpetuity 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:
      -  Producer: €2,000
      -  Director: €2,000
      -  Writer: €1,300
      -  Writer-Director: €3,000
      -  Daily rate for all cast and crew (as agreed annually with the 
         Film Group of Unions) June 2010-June 2011: €120
      -  Insurance: 1.2% of budget
      -  Contingency: 5% of budget

• BSÉ/IFB will have approval rights over the following elements of all films made under the scheme:
      -  Shooting script (and BSÉ/IFB may appoint a script editor 
         in certain cases)
      -  Casting
      -  Key technical crew

 

 

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