Public funding has been an important resource for producers for some time. Public bodies in Europe have paid particular attention to the sector since it came into existence. Public intervention was made necessary by the domination of the international film market by the Hollywood giants since the end of the First World War, as well as by the economic weakness of national film industries and the political and cultural issues associated with the production and distribution of images.

Reaching European financing

Currently, Europe has a vast range of sources, from direct cash injections to tax credits & shelters, favourable loans and guarantees as well as support in promotion. Given the complexity of film finances, producers need to be aware of all the various support mechanisms that are available.

This year’s review covers key issues and questions:

• Exhaustive coverage: from influential national film agencies to small-scale local initiatives
• Direct public funding in 37 European countries
• Unique overview of the geographical spread, scale and scope of direct public funding
• With authoritative answers to the key questions:
  • How many funds?
  • How are they financed?
  • What is the total volume of funding?
  • Which activities are supported?
  • National versus regional funding – how do they differ?

The report also provides brief insights into a selection of special topics, including funding for the transition to digital cinema, tax incentives, public financial institutions active in the sector and a review of the public policy context at European level.

More specifically, the conference will ask:

• How does television contribute towards financing film production?
• What sort of showcase does television represent for films?
• What are the legal obligations for television to invest in film?

Expect presentations on:

• Film scheduling on traditional and pay-TV channels in Europe: Who’s showing the most movies?
• The success of film on TV in Europe : What’s the success rate ?
• The role of broadcasters in the financing of film funds: How important is TV money to film funds?
• Broadcaster’s legal obligations to invest in film production: What’s law got to do with it?
• Box office trends in 2010: Which impact did 3D have on cinema markets?

These will be followed by a panel discussion on the possible evolution of the relationship between film and television; the AVMS Directive as a means of promoting  European film; investment obligations of the various partners and the evolution of exploitation windows.

Taking part on the panel moderated by Michael Gubbins, author and consultant :

-       Pascal Rogard, Director of the SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques, France)

-        Martin Moszkowicz, Chairman of the European Producers’ Club

-        Pascaline Gineste, Director for Regulatory and European Affairs, CANAL +

-         Ivan Hronec, CEO Film Europe s.r.o

-         Carolina Lorenzon, Director International Affairs, MEDIASET (tbc)

-          Emilia Sawicka, Marketing Manager Telewizja Polska S.A.

The event is slated for the Bunuel room, but it’s best to check on the day. Invitations from cannes@coe.int.

Four categories enable companies the opportunity to win international recognition, meet new business partners and secure development contracts from prestigious media groups.

The FremantleMedia category winner will be awarded €10,000 in funding to further develop and jointly exploit the winning idea. On the MIPTV blog, Fremantle’s Claire Tavernier gave an indication of what they are looking for. “We’ll particularly look at the originality of the concept, and the understanding of both the TV and the digital world,” she said. “We aren’t looking for TV shows with extensions. We are looking for cross-media experiences in which TV is a part of the mix. We will also look at the commercial and brand integration potential.”

The National Film Board of Canada category winner will also receive a €12,000 development contract.

The other two categories are Reed Midem’s open categories: Online and Social Games, and Rich Media Tablet and Social TV Apps are some of the fastest growing content sectors.The nominated companies stand to gain global recognition and unmissable market opportunities.

The 4 competition categories are open to any company or individual from all countries.

For details, visit MIPTV.

The seminar will kick off with a special iPad showcase session during which a range of new apps will be presented, from brand-dedicated apps to those targeting children. Daniel Efergan, Creative Director of Aardman Digital, part of Aardman Animations, and Patrice Slupowski, VP Digital Innovation and Communities at Orange, will speak on the subject, while a broadcaster’s point of view will be delivered by Jen Topping, New Media Commissioning Manager for Channel 4.

This will be followed by a series of case studies: Anna Rafferty, MD of Digital Publishing at Penguin Books, will explain how a leading book publisher is adopting mobile applications and is adapting to multimedia ePublishing; Shaun Barriball, Founder and CEO of Mobile IQ, will talk about being an App creator; Dan Witters, UK Managing Director of Kiwa Media, will describe the new licensing deals; and Cedric Thomas from the Ovi by Nokia App store will speak for online App sellers.

The seminar will be chaired by Ferhan Cook, Publisher of MobiADNews and President of Any Screen Productions Ltd.

“Convergence is finally here. The new tablet devices and the App stores complete the full circle on rich media publishing, with a clear business model for content. A brand new ‘connected publishing’ industry is being born,” explains Ferhan Cook. “We are in the midst of a new publishing revolution which is impacting the entire spectrum of the entertainment industry,” adds Laurine Garaude, Director of MIPCOM.

The Cannes or Bust twitter account, which features news, tips and deals about MIPCOM, MIPTV and MIDEM, is featured on a number of applications. Of most interest to to visitors to Cannes is the iRiveria application.

Korean pop at Mipcom 2010

On the eve of MIPCOM 2010, one of the words that seems to be coming back repeatedly is cross-platform. The trend has been growing over the past few years and is now reaching maturity.

Asked if he set out to be a pioneer in cross-platform content last year, writer/producer Tom Kring (“Heroes”) replied candidly, “No, I wanted to stay employed”. As the effect of instant availability kicks in worldwide, it is increasingly important to be available across media and build followers and revenue from various sources as people move way from traditional TV viewing. “It’s a quest to stay relevant,” said Kring. “We wanted to reach the audience wherever they are going.”

TV seems to be leading the path on this, rather than the more traditional cinema industry. This year, a number of projects are coming with a comprehensive platform strategy. These include sci-fi series “Resonance” from the UK and a umber of project from Armoza. “The support that we have been receiving, and the excitement and buzz that we’ve been generating with our 3.0 formats, has proven that cross-platform is the way forward,” according to CEO Ari Armoza.

Almost inevitably, the first division teams are coming with the biggest fire-power. Endemol will be unveiling a portfolio of programmes under the Hybrid banner that “cross over programming genres and media platforms.” They include “The Money Drop”, “Zoom” and “Timeline”.

The big goal is to try and connect with people using the power of social media, effectively blending the TV product into people’s live in ways that were unthinkable only five years ago.

What about the Wonder Girls? Well, every MIPCOM has its pop moment. This year’s hot ticket seems to be Korea’s Wonder Girls (photo). It’s not that I know anything about the group, it’s just that the sheer number of blog comments and Tweets about them shows there is some sort of latent demand there. They had a hit in the US with “Nobody” recently and will be appearing at the opening MIPCOM party, under the wing of Korea’s KOCCA.


Wonder Girls - Tell Me
envoyé par 99ca. - Regardez d'autres vidéos de musique.

The Content 360 Challenge at MIPTV offers an opportunity to pitch directly to media decision makers, including Coca-Cola executives, in Cannes next April 13-14. Entry is free and the deadline for submitting a short description of your idea is February 15.

Check http://www.miptv.com/content360 to compete. In addition to Coca-Cola, there are 5 other pitching categories supported by TF1, National Film Board of Canada, Korea Communications Commission and the European Commission.

The clip should express a personal vision of Europe and be able to captivate a young and wide audience via the Internet and/or mobile devices through its original, creative or aesthetic approach. The clips should convey a positive vision of Europe with an artistic, documentary, humoristic or fictional angle, picturing personal or public situations, current or historical, of European life in their immediate environment: family, enterprise, community, association, city, village; local events – music, fashion, leisure, games that could represent an original vision of Europe.

Download the EU Content 360 Challenge full brief: and the competition’s General Terms and Conditions. Check also the European Commission archives material.

More information about the Content 360 challenge:

To stay informed about opportunities like this, why not get Cannes news straight to your mailbox.

The Mipcom website is not a news site. However, clients are posting news releases that could be useful for people not attending the Cannes event. You’ll find them at the Mipcom online media centre. Current headlines: NBC Universal invest in revitalised global portfolio; Flickerlab LLC unveils “The Wild Life”; Power become exclusive distributor for P&G’s daytime drama series in China.

So what’s with the funky sneakers in the photo? This is a shot taken this morning by format developer Simon Staffans, in town with MediaCity. We used it to remind people to wear good shoes at MIPCOM. You’ll be walking between 6-7 kilometers per day!