(New content is added regularly - last update 17 January 2011 - Producer category. New information about Concept Modelling under the "Pitching" question.)

JOIN AN INDUSTRY GROUP SUCH AS:

Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA)
Australian Director's Guild (ADG)
Australian Writers' Guild (AWG)
The Network at Metro Screen
Women in Film & Television NSW (WIFT)
Special Interest Group in Computer Graphics & Interactive Techniques
Visual Effects Society (VES) Contact Trish Graham at Fuel International for information about the Sydney chapter 
Australia Cinematographer Society
Australian Guild of Screen Composers
Australian Production Design Guild
Game Developers Association of Australia

VOLUNTEER AT A FILM FESTIVAL
Festivals are always in need of extra help, and it's a great way to meet people in the industry. Film Festival World is a good resource for international festivals and it also has information about some of the Australian festivals. Film Festival World

The Sydney Film Festival also has a great volunteer program.

ATTEND EVENTS HOSTED BY Popcorn Taxi

CHECK OUT THE FREE Friday On My Mind events at AFTRS

JOIN THE CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING SITE - The Loop

CROWD SOURCED FINANCING
Put your project online and get the international community to help you fund it. For some tips on how to start-up your project read this article How To Get Crowdsourced Funding For Your Startup

Here is a sample list of websites that support crowd sourced financing, and examples of projects that have their own crowdfunding sites:

Kickstarter 
IndiGoGo
HaveMoneyWillVlog
Kachingle
The Cosmonaut
Pozible

CHECK THE GUIDELINES FOR FUNDING AT THESE ORGANISATIONS:

Screen NSW
Screen Australia
Metro Screen
Information & Cultural Exchange
Documentary Australia
Regional Arts NSW
Arts NSW


APPROACH A CORPORATION FOR SPONSORSHIP:

Screen NSW does not endorse any specific companies. However, the following are a few possible ideas and just a starting point to get you thinking. You will need to do your own research to determine if a company's sponsorship guidelines are appropriate for your purposes.
Sony Australia
Kodak Australia - Education OR Kodak Australia - Sponsorship


APPROACH A LOCAL BUSINESS FOR SPONSORSHIP:

In exchange for providing a sponsorship toward a portion of the expenses for the film, you could offer to somehow include a local business in the film and also add their name/logo to the credits.

Most businesses would be happy to have a film crew at their location, as long as you don't get in the way, as cameras usually draw the attention of prospective customers. It might be a café, or a clothing store, or a car dealership, or a pub. There is an endless list of possibilities... just look in the phone book or have a walk around your neighbourhood for some ideas.


APPROACH A COMMUNITY ORGANISATION OR LOCAL COUNCIL FOR A GRANT OR MATCHED FUNDING:

City of Sydney
Directory of NSW local councils
NSW community organisations


PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Brandchannel Check out this website! It may give you some ideas about companies you could approach for funding in exchange for product placement. You can search through the top box office films by year, and also by the products that were featured in the film. As noted on the website, "Brandchannel records all brand mentions and appearances deliberate or coincidental."


CREATE A WEBPAGE/TEASER/BLOG  and post it online to generate interest. Here are a couple of different approaches to promoting your film(s) while they are in development:
Porchlight Films
Indywood Movie Project


HAVE A LOOK AT Fearfreefilmfundraising Blog Spot
Lots of interesting information here for independent filmmakers.


HOLD A FUNDRAISING PARTY FOR YOUR PROJECT

Although no longer updated,  AFTRS Laboratory for Advanced Media Production (LAMP) has a wealth of information. The vodcasts are particularly helpful, such as the one posted on 15 July 2009 titled Innovations in Multi-Platform Content

Check out Metro Screen's multiplatform blog that's leading up to the April 2010 launch of their Multiplatform Screen Producer Scholarship.

Australian Christy Dena is a cross/transmedia educator, researcher and practitioner. Her blogs http://www.christydena.com/ and http://www.yousuckattransmedia.com/ both have a wealth of information for emerging transmedia practitioners.

Metro Screen offer short courses in multiplatform, as well as an advanced diploma.
http://www.metroscreen.com.au/learning/overview

A list of Australian cross platform developers can be found on this website Christy's Corner of the Universe

Film Victoria also has a list in their industry directory.

Regional film offices
Filming in regional NSW (booklet)
Metroscreen Mobile Unit
Regional Arts NSW network

ABC Open has a specifically regional outlook. Although it does not provide financial funding, depending on the project there is in-kind support in the form of gear, and it also provides a platform for the finished work. http://open.abc.net.au/

You can find comprehensive information at the Australian Copyright Council.
Check out the "Information Sheets" section here.

Screen NSW's Short Film Marketing Guide has a wealth of information about how to go about marketing your film, along with several lists of links to festivals, on-line marketing/sales opportunities, and international broadcasters and distributors.

Click here for the Short Film Marketing Guide.

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