A. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY & PRODUCTION
The film and video production industry is complex and ever?evolving. Film commissioners must understand the various types of production, the production process, and the nature of the film commissioner’s role in the entertainment industry.
THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
- Understand the nature of film production as a global industry.
- Identify the various types of production.
- Recognize the role of the film commission as it relates to production.
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
- Be familiar with the various aspects of the production process.
- Be familiar with production terminology.
- Recognize the unique job descriptions and classifications of the entertainment industry.
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FINANCE
- Understand various models of entertainment industry?related financing.
- Assess the film commission’s role in development of production financing.
INCENTIVES
- Understand a wide variety of incentive models.
- Determine service?oriented, non?financial and other types of incentives.
- Examine options for developing an incentive program for the film commission jurisdiction.
- Seek government support for incentive development.
- Administer finance and tax incentive package programs.
- Determine the total spend of a production.
WORKING WITH PRODUCTION
- Analyze script or storyboard breakdown to determine location needs.
- Manage media requests in cooperation with the on?set publicist or production company representative.
- Facilitate the use of essential local production services.
- Support location owners or providers and the interaction with the production company.
- Understand how to wrap the production to ensure all business and financial obligations have been met.
- Film Permitting and Policy
B. MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Marketing is essential to recruiting production, and is a major part of each film commission’s mission. An effective film commissioner understands proven marketing and communications techniques and how to use them to develop, plan and execute an effective campaign.
- Outline marketing objectives in order to develop and implement a marketing plan.
- Utilize public relations and advertising to promote the jurisdiction locally and internationally.
- Evaluate best practices for allocation of marketing resources.
- Track effectiveness of marketing initiatives.
- Understand the use of established sales techniques to sell the jurisdiction.
- Utilize a variety of photographic techniques to represent and sell the jurisdiction.
- Understand how to design an effective website as an on?line marketing tool.
- Control the Social Media space
C. FILM COMMISSION OPERATIONS
There are several key elements essential to creating and managing a film commission. A successful commissioner understands the importance of good customer relations, effective management of production, use of modern technology, knowledge of legal issues, sound budgeting techniques, human resource management and effective written communications.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
- Examine and choose appropriate information technology systems for the successful day-to-day operations of the film commission.
- Monitor the selection, purchase, installation, maintenance, and upgrading of film commission technology systems.
- Understand the techniques involved in developing a film commission website and the process of managing site content.
- Cultivate an awareness of new technology, new media and related issues.
- Understand how to use online technologies for information management, marketing and communications.
LEGAL ISSUES
- Recognize confidentiality issues as they relate to production.
- Comply with all relevant local and national laws.
- Evaluate legal issues that may have an effect on production or film commission work.
- Understand immigration issues that may affect production.
- Corporate Governance
HUMAN RESOURCES / PHYSICAL ASSETS
- Understand how to create and maintain a work environment that fosters teamwork, communication, efficiency and effectiveness.
- Ensure a clear delineation of accountability and responsibility among staff members.
- Understand policies and procedures for effective personnel management.
- Recruit, hire, train and evaluate staff.
- Implement contingency plans for business continuity.
- Inventory all film commission physical assets on a regular basis (computers, cameras, etc.).
BUDGETING
- Utilize established budgeting techniques to manage funds.
- Monitor and track cash flow.
- Examine best practices for asset allocation.
- Identify short?and long?term funding opportunities for the film commission and understand how to develop a strategy for accessing funds.
- Identify and foster lobbying resources that support funding opportunities.
- Recognize how to utilize grant?writing skills in order to access funds.
- Analyze and promote both government and alternative sources of private funding for film commissions.
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
- Demonstrate effective writing presentation and reporting techniques.
- Identify sources of industry data and information for use in reports and presentations.
D. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Film commissions bring new business, jobs and revenue to their jurisdictions. A thorough knowledge of business and economic development techniques including strategic and business planning, economic impact studies, and an understanding of incentives used to recruit business are valuable to Film Commissioners.
STRATEGIC & BUSINESS PLANNING
- Establish and communicate the film commission’s vision and mission.
- Understand how to use a strategic planning process to advance the film commission’s mission and vision.
- Prepare a business plan to clarify goals and objectives.
- Be able to align the strategic plan with the business plan to focus resource allocation.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & IMPACT
- Evaluate the principles of economic development as they relate to production.
- Understand methods of determining the economic impact of the entertainment industry.
WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
- Understand principles and techniques of workforce development.
- Recognize and anticipate trends and forecasts in production to assure availability of local talent and crew.
- Understand how to develop and track the local production workforce, including talent and crew.
- Develop a database of local production resources.
- Develop positive relationships and interact effectively with unions and guilds.
- Understand training systems for nurturing locally-based filmmakers.
E. ALLIANCES & PARTNERSHIPS
Film commissions must operate within a network of allies and partners that include government entities, community groups, businesses, crews, talent, production companies and studios. The ability to work successfully within this framework to manage effective business, community and governmental relationships while interacting with the local workforce and production entities is essential for fostering a film-friendly environment.
CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
- Understand how to establish production company relationships through meetings, telephone or electronic communications.
- Communicate with production representatives to determine the specific needs of each project.
- Understand how to organize and manage an effective location scout/survey.
- Be aware of the relationship between industry guilds, unions and production, and utilize the knowledge to facilitate efficient operations.
- Ethics
BUSINESS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
- Establish working relationships with local businesses, community leaders, and local associations to facilitate the production process.
- Inform businesses and educate the community about the value of local production activity.
- Track and promote services needed by production.
- Be able to maximize opportunities for local business during the production process.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
- Establish positive relationships with national, regional and local government entities and officials.
- Create formal Film Friendliness and Film Partnership Programmes.
- Develop an effective network of local film liaisons.
- Be aware of local and national economic development tools and resources for the identification of available real estate property for production use.
KEY OUTCOMES-BASED COURSES
Here we work with participants to help them craft and walk away with their own document:
- Understand a Film Budget.
- Create a Film incentive proposal
- Create service?oriented, non?financial and other types of incentives.
- Create a Film Incentive lobbying kit
- Create a Film Policy
- Create a Film Permit management proposal
- Draft a Film Permit management brief
- Create a marketing plan
- Develop an active social media profile
- Track effectiveness of marketing initiatives.
- Create a Sales plan
- Create a Website developers’ brief
- Create a comparative study of film commission technology systems.
- Identify relevant local and national laws
- Draft a local Risk Assessment
- Create an HR plan
- Create a Staff Continuity Plan
- Create a Film Commission budget
- Monitor and track cash flow.
- Draft an asset allocation proposal
- Write a funding / fundraising proposal.
- Create a Business Plan
- Create a Strategic Plan
- Establish and communicate the film commission’s vision and mission.
- Create / Brief an Economic Impact Assessment
- Create a Workforce Development Plan
- Create a Film Partnership
- Assess a Film Tourism opportunity
- Create a Film Tourism plan