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The History of Channel 4 and The Future of British
Animation
(continued from page 5)
New Funding Methods
With shrinking budgets and audience shares, it will take more
than TV sponsorship for British animation to shift gear and channel
more of its talent and originality into major productions for the
world market. The Independent Producers' Association (P.A.C.T.) is
addressing some of the issues.
In recent years and especially since the new Labour government came
to office in 1997, important strides have been made to assist live-action
feature production and the results are already visible in an increased
number of successful British films. The Conservative government introduced
a National Lottery four years ago, and some of the profits are channelled
into a fund for film co-production. Live-action features which have
received Lottery assistance include Hilary and Jackie and An
Ideal Husband. More recently, the new Labour government's newly-created
Department of Media, Culture, and Sport persuaded the Treasury to
grant tax-breaks for investors in feature film production.
These steps are not enough to help the specific needs of animation,
however, argues P.A.C.T.'s Diane Freeman. To qualify for a tax break,
British films must meet stringent definitions, which need to be adapted
to include animation; also, the tax break (up to £15 million)
must be spent in the first year of production, which does not reflect
the longer production schedules and cashflow for animation. Britain
needs to introduce special tax breaks for animation, such as already
exist in other countries like France and Canada. Freeman also says
the shorter runs of animated series -- usually thirteen episodes --
which British broadcasters tend to commission disadvantages UK productions
in an international market which prefers twenty-six.
The Lottery fund aims to assist the theatrical film industry. It provides
only up to 50% match-funding, and it has assisted a number of animated
shorts. Applications have to fulfill certain seemingly arcane criteria,
however, such as that the film must benefit the public in some way.
Projects applying for Lottery funding must also have letters of support
from theatrical distributors.
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T.R.A.N.S.I.T. by Piet
Kroon.
© The Illuminated Film Company Ltd/Stichting Picture Start
1997.
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One independent animation producer I spoke to said the promise of
support from distributors was a bit of a scam and at the end of the
day he had been unable to find any real interest. He also said another
of the Lottery's conditions -- under which if a film goes into profit
they are first in line to recoup their input -- could be problematic
with other financiers including broadcasters, who are unlikely to
be content to wait in the queue behind the Lottery before they see
any returns.
On the other hand Emma Calder, whose film The Queen's Monastery
received a Lottery grant, was very pleased with the theatrical release
of her film with the live-action feature Love is the Devil,
through the south London-based independent distributor Oasis. She
feels the Lottery is encouraging the cinema sector to take an interest
and her film had been very well received. She was originally given
a fairly small amount from Colin Rose left over from his 10 x 10 short
film series, but he suggested she also approach the Lottery. She also
had a grant from the London Production Fund.
With the shrinking of financing from broadcasting, this kind of funding
package may well point the way forward for independent animated shorts,
and the Lottery's emphasis on theatrical distribution may be a move
in the right direction. Clare Kitson has apparently also had success
in getting Lottery co-funding for projects, including the international
co-production T.R.A.N.S.I.T.
by Piet Kroon (1997).
The Rough Road Ahead
Meanwhile, some of the concern about the way things are going
at Channel 4 are focused on new interpretations of its remit to innovate,
educate and serve minority audiences. P.A.C.T. is concerned about
recent sleights of hand, whereby, for example, cricket matches are
considered part of the Channel's provision for ethnic minorities,
and the soap opera Brookside is meant to count as educational
because it sometimes addresses social issues.
It has been assumed all these years that animation was covered under
the remit. Clare Kitson says, however, that the remit has been rewritten
several times spelling out in ever greater detail which ethnic minorities
it should serve, and no mention has been made of animation.
In a recent speech to the Broadcasting Press Guild, Channel 4's Chief
Executive since 1997, Michael Jackson, said that good minority programming
should also appeal to the majority. This apparent tautology has been
widely interpreted as a head-on threat to the original spirit of the
remit fought for so hard in the '70s. It also seems ironic given Jackson's
own history, as he was originally organiser of the Channel 4 lobby
group. Another producer I spoke to said it was contradictory in terms
of Jackson's history but not to his ambitions, which now are to turn
Channel 4 into a modern multi-media channel.
Times have of course changed considerably in tele-communications,
or in TV jargon, 'the new multi-channel environment' and this is affecting
broadcasters everywhere. As to the immediate future for animation,
many I spoke to have the impression Channel 4 is looking for a new
Simpsons, or another Nick Park. This is ironic since, when
the Simpsons were the latest thing and was on offer to British broadcasters
in the early '90s, Channel 4 passed on it. Plus as several people
I spoke to were quick to point out, Channel 4 had Nick Park first,
but let him go to the BBC when they were unwilling to back Clare up
and find the budget for the Wallace and Gromit sequel, The Wrong
Trousers.
So it seems Channel 4's policies toward animation, while in some ways
visionary, have in other respects been rather short-termist and blind
to the way things have been going in the 1990s. By stressing the individual
artist they have failed to invest in the infrastructure of the indigenous
animation industry, or foresee global developments in media in the
way, say, the BBC or MTV have.
By all accounts Clare has had to fight very hard in recent years to
defend her patch, and many animators feel very moved and emotional
about her struggles on their behalf. Lacking her own department, for
instance, Clare has been shunted around the Channel from Programme
Acquisitions, to Drama, to Arts and Entertainment.
I spoke to Clare's replacement Camilla Deakin, who is by contrast
clearly excited about her new role and upbeat about the future. Asked
if she is daunted by her complete lack of knowledge, she said she
felt she had youth and enthusiasm on her side. She confirmed she will
be looking for series ideas with the help of Entertainment's Cheryl
Taylor. Ruth Fielding will help in reading scripts.
As for the future of one-off films, she confirms that the MOMI and
Animate! schemes will continue. MOMI itself will be closing shortly
for at least five years while London's Southbank Centre where it lives
is being redeveloped. Meanwhile, the animation booth has been relocated
to the nearby newly-opened IMAX theatre. It sounds as though the MOMI
scheme is being curtailed in that under a new rule films will be kept
to a running time of three minutes. Animate! supervising producer
Maggie Ellis presently has funds for one more year. As one producer
put it, the Animate! and MOMI schemes being essentially low budget
and aimed at young animators are philanthropy and will probably continue.
Serious budgets for short films by professional animators outside
of the schemes will be fewer and farther between. As far as one-off
shorts go, Camilla will be looking for pieces for the 7:55 pm slot.
She hopes to commission animation to fit into forthcoming thematic
seasons planned for the schedules. As far as acquisitions go, Camilla
said that the shelves of Channel 4 are for the moment very well stocked.
Meanwhile, not only is Clare going, but David Curtis is leaving the
Arts Council next year. This, in addition to last year's demise of
the Cardiff animation festival, makes it truly feel like we are seeing
the end of an era. Let's hope that the new generation of animators
who have been nurtured by the tender loving care of Channel 4 et.
al. are ready to seize the day and make the future their own.
Channel 4 can be reached at 124 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 2TX,
England.
Telephone: (0)171 396 4444
Irene Kotlarz is a Los Angeles-based freelance producer and animation
consultant. Kotlarz was the director of the Cardiff/Bristol/Cambridge
festival from 1985 to 1992. She has taught animation history and theory
at West Surrey College, Royal College of Arts and the National Film
and Television School in the U.K. and was a producer at Speedy Films
from 1993 to 1997.
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