How to Get British Film Grants

Getting hold of funding to develop a film is more or less guaranteed to take a long time. Although there are several UK sources of cash for up and coming directors, application processes tend to be very longwinded and competition fierce. Prepare for a LOT of letter writing!

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Bear in mind that funding for films comes from two main areas: public finance (often referred to in the industry as “soft money”) and private finance (known as “hard money”).
2. Soft money takes the form of funding from organisations such as the government-funded UK Film Council and generally comes with fewer strings attached than private money, which is usually provided by businesses.
3. Get in touch with the New Producer's Alliance (npa.org.uk) who provide advice (including financial advice) and support for new producers.
4. Contact the UK Film Council (ukfilmcouncil.org.uk) which has numerous funding schemes for new producers and directors. The New Cinema Fund is popular with potential filmmakers as it provides up to 50% of a film’s budget.
5. Visit channel4.com/film to find information about the Channel 4 scheme to help fund new films to be produced and filmed in the UK.
6. To raise private finance, the best thing to do is to start your own fundraising company. Raise money through local networks and small businesses to start with and then build up to large business and major corporations. The idea of financing a film project is often perceived to be quite sexy by company managers and directors; they can be reasonably keen to give money!
7. Find a good accountant. In the producer of a film can claim up to 20% of their total budget back from the Inland Revenue if the film meets certain criteria (most importantly, it must be British and shot in the UK).
8. Still young? Look out for Mediabox (media-box.co.uk), a group who fund disadvantaged 13-19-year-olds in England to make their own films.

Tips & Warnings

• Be prepared to wait for years before you receive any kind of funding. The application process is often very longwinded!
• Expect to write hundreds of letters and make a similar amount of phone calls. To get funding, you will need to get yourself noticed!
• To get funding, you will need a good script. Get yours checked by industry folk before using it to generate funding.