D1.5 iArts (Digital Interactive Arts Initiative)

Purpose and Scope: 

In 2008, iArts, will facilitate at least two interactive projects to be hosted by ABC TV across its digital platforms. We are seeking partnerships and collaborations between Western Australian resident producers of digital content and Western Australian arts practitioners, including arts companies or practitioner collectives, to create multiplatform interactive projects for a national and international audience.

iArts is a new digital programming space hosted by ABC TV. It aims to publish and promote content collaborations between Western Australian arts practitioners and digital content producers. The content produced will be published by ABC TV on its online site. Additionally the content could be podcast, vodcast, streamed or broadcast on mobile devices. The project must incorporate a short companion piece for television.

It is hoped that these collaborations will generate new interactive works from WA for a national and an international audience. Incorporating interactivity on multiple platforms will allow the collaborating artists and producers to broaden the scope of their practice to directly involve audiences in the work.

Funding Available:

The Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) , ScreenWest and ABC TV have committed up to $160,000 production funding to iArts in 2008. It is anticipated that a minimum of two projects will be funded. The maximum amount funded will be $80,000 per project. All projects will be comparatively assessed on the strength of the partnership, demonstration of a shared vision, engagement with different platforms and budget feasibility.

It is anticipated that a request of $80,000 will provide most, if not all, of the cash income required to enable the team to produce a core work to be published online, plus interactive elements and any additional content required for podcasting , vodcasting or broadcasting.

Where project budgets exceed the allocation, the applicants will be encouraged to seek funding or investment from other sources, provided they conform to editorial policy requirements of ABC TV, DCA and ScreenWest.

Arts practitioners may have projects or programs already in receipt of funding through the Department of Culture and the Arts. These can form the basis of a proposal to iArts. Please note that applications to iArts fall outside the normal funding rounds of DCA and will not affect an artist’s or an arts organisation’s eligibility to apply to DCA’s other funding rounds.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

Eligibility:

• All applications will need to be submitted through a WA registered business or production company (referred to from here as ‘production company’). The production company will also be the principal contracting entity with the funding bodies and ABC TV. The production company will also have principal responsibility to ensure reasonable requests (both technical and editorial) sought by a designated ABC Executive Producer are carried out in accordance with the ABC’s Editorial Policies and the Production Grant Agreement. The producer will also be responsible for delivering the final product and marketing elements to ABC TV.
• WA personnel must be employed unless agreed by DCA or ScreenWest. A list of key personnel with CV’s will be required.
• The assessors will be seeking creative collaborations between WA based arts practitioners and digital content producers.

Eligible Arts Practitioners and Digital Content Producers are defined as follows.

Arts Practitioners:

Arts organisations or professional artists, performers, writers, designers or musicians (including collectives or groups) are eligible. This may include practitioners or organisations already in receipt of funding from the Department of Culture and the Arts.

This may be a new venture into the digital arena for the practitioner, arts organisation or collective. However all Arts Practitioners must be able to demonstrate a professional track record in their existing fields of creative endeavour and provide documentation of past work, relevant support letters and/or a history of publication, public performance or exhibition.

Digital Content Producers:

• Digital Content Producers will be required to be WA based practitioners or companies with an established track record in film or digital content production.
• Applicants will need to demonstrate previous production experience. They will be required to provide evidence of previous achievements in their craft e.g. being accepted into national or international competitions or festivals, or to have a Producer’s credit on a completed film/TV/or digital content production produced with funding from a WA State Government funding body, or to have produced work of a professional standard for mainstream media or digital platforms.
• Emerging or mid career producers who can provide evidence of reaching a high standard of work in innovative media or the arts are strongly encouraged to apply.

Selection Criteria:

Applications will be assessed by a panel comprising ABC TV, DCA and ScreenWest representatives and specific industry experts, although final editorial decisions will reside with ABC TV.

Selection criteria will be:

• Strength of idea, originality and distinctiveness of vision;
• How it will engage with different platforms; (TV, online, mobile & interactivity on these platforms).
• Relevance for an ABC digital audience;
• Demonstrated professional development opportunities for the creative team; and
• An innovative creative collaboration between arts and media. This should be demonstrated by:

• Outstanding and imaginative interactive content creation;
• Creative collaboration between makers, organisations and audiences;
• Creative approach to audience involvement in the work,
• Particular relevance for new audiences locally and internationally.

All elements will need to comply with the ABC’s Editorial Policies. ABC’s editorial policies and requirements can be located at www.abc.net.au/corp/

How to Apply:

Applicants will need to apply to ScreenWest, which will be the managing agency for the initiative. Production Companies will need to complete:

• A ScreenWest application form (Can be completed online using your ScreenXtra account or downloaded and hand-written as a PDF file).
• A supplementary form (available as a Microsoft Word document or PDF file).

• Applicants will need to outline the conceptual and visual approach of their project (preferably a brief document limited to five pages).
• Applicants should detail the multiplatform elements they intend to produce.
• Applicants should detail the production elements for the television companion piece.
• Applicants will need to provide a budget breakdown including a summary of artistic, production, marketing and rights clearances cost elements. Where artists, cast and crew are employed, at least award minimums must be paid.
• Two copies of examples of previous work by the digital content producer, or of the work from which the current project will be derived (DVD or hard copy format). NOTE: Arts practitioners intending to submit examples showing previous work should discuss accepted formats and limits with the DCA Senior Project Officer (Helen McLean) prior to submission.
• A list of key personnel with CV’s will be required.
• Letters or emails showing confirmation of involvement from the collaborating artists or arts organisations will also be required.

Shortlisted applicants may be asked to attend an interview. They will be required to provide a full financing strategy and production plan. They will be encouraged to source additional in-kind or cash components for their projects and to show how this will be finalised if they are successful. Applicants will be asked to identify activities already in receipt of DCA or other funding as an in kind contribution to the project.

Rights:

Applicants will be expected to prepare proposals and budget for clearances throughout the world, although consideration will be given to the extent to which worldwide clearances for television, video and online are achievable. The rights to be granted to ABC TV in consideration of its contribution will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis, however the following represents a summary of the rights to be required by ABC TV:

• Exclusive Australian free-to-air television rights over seven years from time of delivery. The number of runs over this period will reflect standard television licensing practices but will be negotiated with ABC TV, DCA and ScreenWest.
• Exclusive website and online rights for a two year period, with non-exclusive rights for a further five years. However in the event that ABC TV does not exploit the exclusive rights for a continuous period of 3 months, these rights will automatically revert to the producer.
• First and last right to acquire distribution rights throughout the world.
• Non-exclusive promotional and transcript rights.

Final approval of projects will require authorisation from the respective executive, board and commissioning bodies of the partnering organisations, and final and satisfactory contracting.

Successful applicants will work with a ScreenWest Project Officer and an ABC TV Executive Producer to deliver content to be broadcast and hosted by the ABC.

All applications will be required to conform with the General and Editorial guidelines of the commissioning organisations.

Important Dates:

• 21 July 2008 Applications close.
• Late August 2008 Successful projects announced and contracted.
• June 30 2009 Last date for successful projects to be launched on ABC Online.

Further Information:

For more information and assistance please contact:

Department of Culture and the Arts
Helen McLean
Phone: (08) 9224 7317
Email: Helen.mclean@dca.wa.gov.au

Or

ScreenWest
Mala Sujan
Phone: (08) 9224 7346
Email: mala@screenwest.com.au