MONTREAL – Finding audiences, whatever screen they’re in front of, is the new mandate of Telefilm Canada.
The funding agency published its 2006-2011 corporate plan, dubbed: "From cinemas to cell phones: Telefilm Canada responds to the multiplatform challenge."
But success on all these platforms will require more cash, says the document.
"We believe the future looks promising for the Canadian industry – promise that will be fulfilled, increasingly, as the creators of Canadian stories take a multiplatform approach to distributing and transmitting productions," said Charles Bélanger, Telefilm’s board chair, in a release. "Telefilm is ready to adapt its policies and strategies to help clients explore new business models, and establish a spirit of co-operation among industry sectors such as producers, broadcasters, Internet and other digital service providers to meet the public demand for mobile content."
"Canadian audiovisual companies want to build an industry that supports skilled creators, including up-and-coming talent, that attracts audiences and that enjoys significant foreign investments," added Wayne Clarkson, executive director. "In this light, Telefilm will help companies produce and distribute a wide range of works, take advantage of digital technologies, improve its skills and build strong partnerships."
Telefilm administers funds totaling nearly $390 million, including $270 million for television programs in accordance with a three-year service agreement with the Canadian Television Fund; $81 million for feature films; $14 million for new media; $5 million for industry development; and $2 million for the national training program. Corporate management represents $16 million, or 4.1%, of the total funds.
That $14 million for new media isn’t near enough, says the plan itself. And, the wording of what Telefilm wants to do in gaming, for example, could be interpreted to mean the agency would like to see certain levels of Canadian content in video games (perhaps a Pinball CFL 07 game series? A Grand Theft Auto Vancouver edition? A Hans Island Invasion Force? Def Jam Fight St. John’s?).
An excerpt: "Books tell you something, movies show you something, but games let you do something. Games give a player some of the responsibility that the director used to take. In fact, we are now seeing the movie versions of games, books and other products inspired by games. There is another side to this rosy picture: the barriers to entering the games market are formidable. Like most hit movies, the top-selling video games have become very expensive to develop and market. Production and marketing costs rise easily into the tens of millions for hit titles. Like the worldwide movie business, the games industry is dominated by a few very large companies, which sit atop a pyramid of much smaller companies that simply cannot afford to compete with the dominant developers of bestselling games," reads the Telefilm plan.
"With total resources equaling $14 million, the Canada New Media Fund cannot provide enough support in its present form to individual projects and companies to make a real difference in this market. It will require far greater resources to help build a sustainable Canadian-owned games industry… there is simply far too little money in the Fund. In practical terms, this means the Fund cannot achieve the Government’s own objective—namely, as in other media, ensuring that domestic new media content reaches a significant number of Canadian end-users.
"Telefilm will seek ways to stimulate the production of Canadian content in the games industry, and collaborate with the Department in the design and implementation of a new program better aligned with the industry’s needs and opportunities," it reads.
– Greg O’Brien
Telefilm restructures its corporate management
Telefilm has restructured its corporate management, installing Elizabeth Friesen as chief operating officer. It includes Corporate Affairs (policy, planning, research and communications), English and French Operations (through the Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver offices), and industry development (festivals, markets, co-production, training and professional development).
Carolle Brabant, chief administrative officer, is in charge of the finance and administration teams, human resources and legal affairs. She also oversees delivery of the service agreement with the Canadian Television Fund. This division ensures Telefilm is an efficient, transparent and accountable administrator of public funds.
