The application form for the current round must be used, and A4 size paper only. ALL required attachments and any support material must be provided by the closing date. Late, incomplete, retyped, or faxed applications will not be considered.

Do not use: staples, bindings, plastic sleeves, display books - the application may be photocopied. Please use clips or post-it notes to separate sections.

Screen NSW retains your application on file for auditing purposes. Optional supporting material will be returned at the end of the assessment process if it’s clearly labeled with the applicant name and project title and you provide a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Include copies only, not original documents. Examples of proof of residency include: NSW Driver's Licence, residential telephone/gas/water bill, Australian Electoral Office card, or residential tenancy agreement. Proof of residency for all of the key creatives (e.g. writer, director and producer) must be included, even if one of them is not an applicant.

For purposes of the EFF application, the following definitions apply:

Drama - A film whose content is created by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.

Documentary - a program that is a creative treatment of actuality other than a news, current affairs, sports coverage, magazine, infotainment or light entertainment program.

Animation - filmed or computer-generated sequences of drawings or models.

Experimental – projects that are experimental in form and may be non-narrative

Online/transmedia– interactive or online dramas, documentaries, or animations.

Request from Screen NSW – Put the total cash you are requesting from Screen NSW on this line. The maximum amount you can request is $30,000.

Total of cast & crew deferred fees, and facility/supplier deals -  This is the total amount being deferred by all of the cast and crew (including key creatives) AND the total amount of money you are saving due to deals you have made with facilities. 

Sponsorship/other financing – If you are proposing sponsorship or financing from other sources, put this amount here. This might be cash the applicant is contributing to the project, third party investment, cash sponsorship, or the dollar value of in-kind sponsorship (e.g. free use of a location or production office). 

An EFF budget template will be available for download from the EFF page on the Screen NSW website shortly. This is an Excel spreadsheet with formulas already embedded. For comprehensive answers to questions about production budgets, please go to this link on the Screen Australia website http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/filmmaking/budgeting/a_z.aspx

 

On the EFF budget, there are columns for: the standard award rates, any deals or deferrals, and the cash amounts you are actually paying. This allows Screen NSW to distinguish between the cash cost of your project and the total cost if standard fees and rates were being paid. You can use a different budget template, however, you must be sure to distinguish between these amounts. 

The 'award rates' column should include the minimum award rate for the period the cast/crew member is working on the production.

The 'deal/deferrals' column is for the amount you are deferring or the discount you are getting.

The 'cash total' is the amount you have negotiated to pay up front. If you enter the 'award rates' and 'deal/deferrals' the 'cash total' will be calculated automatically.

For example, an editor may normally charge $300 per day but is willing to accept $100 and defer $200 until the film makes a profit. $300 is the 'award rate', $200 are the 'deferred fees', and $100 is the 'cash total'. An example for a facility deal is: an edit suite may cost $1,000, and you have negotiated a fee of $600. $1000 would be the 'award rate', $400 would be the 'deal/deferral' and then $600 would be the 'cash total'.

Each deal or deferral in the budget must be supported by correspondence or an invoice from the facility confirming the arrangement.

A cast & crew deal memo is a short agreement setting out the terms on which a producer engages the services of a cast or crew member. The applicant should have an agreement in writing with all cast and crew that covers matters including the person’s role in the production, their willingness to participate in the project, and the agreed fee. The agreed fee should correspond with the fee structure in the budget. Only the names of cast and crew who have agreed to participate should be included in the application.

Sample deal memos for actors and crew can be found at the Arts Law Centre http://www.artslaw.com.au/ and Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance http://www.alliance.org.au/

Similarly to a cast & crew deal memo, a service agreement is a short agreement setting out the terms on which a producer engages the services of its key creatives (writer, director, producer). The applicant should have an agreement in writing with all key creatives that covers matters including, but not limited to, the person's role in the production, their assignment of rights to the applicant, the fee structure and credit entitlements. 

To find out what the minimum award wages are for cast and crew, you can contact the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance at 9333 0999 or http://www.alliance.org.au. Once you have worked out the fee for each role, you can negotiate with your cast and crew to defer a portion or all of their fees.

Screen NSW will pay GST on top of the grant if the grantee is GST-registered. However, do not include this amount in the budget as it is a separate amount that is dealt with contractually and by invoice.

You will need to consider the following insurances, and include expenses for those that are applicable in your EFF budget. Insurance does not need to be purchased at the application stage - only included as expenses in your budget. If your application is successful, we will discuss this further with you at that time.

Public Liability
Required

Worker's Compensation
Required

Volunteers
Required if applicable
If any of your cast and crew is deferring all rather than part of their fees, you will need this coverage.

Personal Accident
Required if applicable
If deemed necessary due to significant safety risks in the production (stunts, etc), you will need this to ensure that all persons involved in the production, including volunteers, are adequately covered for personal accident

Negative Risk
Required
This generally covers "all risk" associated with physical loss, or damage to, or destruction of the negative film, computer generated images or sound, videotape or soundtrack. It also provides coverage for the extra expenses incurred in re-shooting or re-recording the lost or damaged material.

Multi Risk
Required if applicable
This generally covers camera equipment, props and sets, and is required if the camera equipment is being hired

Applicants are responsible for assembling the production team. You can locate film producers or other crew through the Encore Directory - 9422 2999 or The Production Book - 9660 2113. You may also find out what is happening in the local film industry through magazines and email bulletins such as: Inside Film Daily, Screenhub, and Filmink. Other sources include:

Metro Screen Network:
Metro Screen Website or 9356 1818

Australian Film Television & Radio School:
AFTRS Website or 1300 13 14 61

Information & Cultural Exchange:
ICE Website or 9897 5744

Yes. If any of your cast/crew are under the age of 15, you will need to follow the requirements of the Office of the Children's Guardian. Comprehensive guidelines for employing children are at NSW Government Children's Employment Website

Screen NSW holds an umbrella license for employing children through the EFF only. If your application is successful, we will require you to meet all OCG criteria, and following this, you will be covered under Screen NSW's license. We encourage you to become familiar with the OCG guidelines so that you will be prepared if your application is successful. Depending on the complexity of the project, it can take several weeks to meet the criteria and finalise arrangements.

If your application is successful, we will discuss this further with you at that time.

This statement should specify how the project will develop and advance the team. For example, an experienced writer may be taking on the role of director for the first time. Or a director may be making his/her first attempt at working on a project for a non-traditional platform. Or an inexperienced writer/director may be supported by an experienced producer.

This statement should outline the economic activity the project will generate. For example, number of people who will be employed, total amount of money that will be spent on facilities and supplies, or suburbs where the production will occur.

This statement should outline what the project will contribute to the cultural life of NSW. For example, will the project bring innovation to its art form? Will it provide skills development? Will it represent the views or portray the concerns of marginalised or disadvantaged groups in the community?

A brief statement setting out the applicant’s rights to make the film. This statement should outline:

• the rights in the script and the film the applicant owns, and/or
• certain rights necessary to produce the film which the applicant has an option to (e.g. Film production and ancillary rights to an underlying work such as a novel, stageplay, song or poem that the script/film is based).

 If the applicant has already entered into a writer’s agreement with the writer please provide a copy with the application.

Copies of any documents or letters showing permission to use copyright music or archival footage must be attached. If the project is a documentary, please attach interviewee release forms from the key people who will be interviewed or, at a minimum, a sample of release forms that will be used at the time of contracting and written confirmation from each key interviewee outlining their willingness to participate in the project. Any associated costs must be included in your budget.

These notes should discuss how the film is to be shot, what the intentions of the film's sound design are, who is to the intended cast, and what is the intended style of performance. They should demonstrate an understanding of the themes of the script, whose journey forms the central story, or, in the case of an ensemble story, what theme or element unifies the different character's journeys.

This should describe in detail the producer's understanding of the themes of the script, the production methods that will be used to complete the film, why you believe the film should be made, and at which potential market or audience the story is aimed. Most importantly the notes should describe the way in which the writer, director, and producer will be working in order to realise the vision of the film.

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