Funding for small

filmsBy Josh McGeoghan

Option 1: British Film Institute

The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organization established by

Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film,

television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to

promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to

promote education about film, television and the moving image

generally, and their impact on society, to promote access to and

appreciation of the widest possible range of British and world cinema

and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the

moving image history and heritage of the United Kingdom.

‘We use Lottery funds to nurture and invest

in a diverse mix of first-class filmmakers UK-

wide; to discover and develop new talent;

and to support the production of a wide

range of films that will enrich British film

culture and define Britain and its storytellers

in the 21st century, for the benefit of

audiences at home and abroad.’

-http://www.bfi.org.uk/film-industry

Option 2: Crowdsourcing Organisations

Crowd souring organisations are part of an

online community service that fund individual

companies with new ideas. It works by people

with a new product put it online and people

then use the website to donate money to

them.We’re a home for everything from films,

games, and music to art, design, and

technology. Kickstarter is full of projects, big

and small, that are brought to life through

the direct support of people like you. Since

our launch in 2009,5.1 millionpeople have

pledged$863 million, funding51,000creative

projects. Thousands of creative projects are

raising funds on Kickstarter right now.

-http://www.kickstarter.com/hello?ref=nav

Option 3: Local Council

Local councils will often put money towards

a short filmmaking initiative, especially if it

deals with social exclusion or aids the local

community in some way. You could visit

your local council or county website to find

out if their arts department will support a film

project.

Local councils are also known to

support arts ventures in the immediate

area. Many often contain film offices

which support film-making within the

region. Funding opportunities are

usually limited to grassroots short film-

making initiatives. However, it is worth

checking the website of the local

council in which you live or work to see

what might be available.

Option 4: Lottery Funding

The British Film Institute plans to pump

£273m of lottery money into British film over

the next five years, spending a third more

money on backing new films, digitising up

to 15,000 movies from the enormous back

catalogue of British films, and equipping

up to 1,000 new venues including village

halls with digital projectors so such films

can be shown nationwide, as well as

promoting training in film skills, and a

chance for every school child to watch

films and experiment in film techniques.

Lottery Funding is a joint website run

by all Lottery funders in the UK. This site

allows you to search information on

current funding programmes across

the UK. The funding search will help

you to find the funding programmes

that best match your project. It will

search programmes offered by

Lottery funders that are currently

open to applications. The funding

search will take you through a series

of four questions about: the location

of your project; about you as an

applicant; about the project itself;

and about the amount of money you

are applying for.

A number of charities fund short films (often

though on an ad hoc basis). If you're

interested in getting funding from a charity,

think laterally about the type of film you are

trying to make and don’t be afraid to

contact organisations that are in some way

linked to the topic/goal of your film. For

example the Wellcome Trust(UK's largest

medical research charity) has an Arts Award

that funds projects (including short films)

inspired by biomedical science.

Option 5: Charities

The aim of the fund is to raise £1 million

pounds for the NFTS, the Flagship School in

the UK, to build on its reputation as a hub of

creativity and world class professional

teaching, and remain at the forefront of

developments in the Industry.

-National Film and Television School