Interested in co-producing a documentary, animation, new media or alternative drama project with NFB's English Program? The following guide gives an overview of the kinds of projects we produce and how to propose an idea to us.

The NFB Difference

The NFB offers directors and co-producers a unique creative environment. As a public sector producer we have the ability and believe it is our responsibility to take risks that are more difficult for producers working entirely within the private sector. This includes creative risk-taking, placing an emphasis on process as well as product and production timelines that can allow for extended in situ shooting periods.

As a public sector producer, we feel a strong sense of obligation to the people who allow us to tell their stories. We develop deep and lasting relationships with the communities whose stories we tell. An ethical process that respects the individuals and communities involved is every bit as important to us as the final product. We believe this is one of the hallmarks of NFB productions.

Whether 100% NFB-produced or co-produced, we undertake projects that are innovative, original and that take chances in content, form and mode of creation. We prioritize director talent, authenticity and diversity of voice, and creative excellence.

Co-production offers a way of pooling expertise and resources so that films are produced under the best possible conditions, with partners who share the same vision and passion for filmmaking.

Working with the NFB

The NFB acts as neither a financier nor a commissioning editor on the projects we co-produce. Our producers are intimately involved in every aspect of development and production and work closely and creatively with directors and co-producers. The result is outstanding documentary, animation, new media and alternative drama productions, acclaimed around the world for their quality and innovation.

The NFB's financial participation in co-productions ranges from 30% to 49% of the overall budget. As an integrated production and distribution house, we also have superb post-production services, a conservation lab, access to our world-class audiovisual archives, and extensive Canadian and international distribution networks.

The NFB works closely with independent documentary and animation co-producers in every region of Canada and the world.

The Type of Projects we Co-Produce

Whether 100% NFB-produced or co-produced, we undertake projects that are innovative, original and that take chances in content, form and mode of creation. We prioritize director talent, authenticity and diversity of voice, and creative excellence.

Documentary

A leader in documentary innovation since its founding by documentary pioneer John Grierson back in 1939, the NFB today produces and co-produces feature and short documentaries as well as documentaries for television.

We specialize in innovative, social issue documentary. Key qualities we look for in projects are director talent, original points of view, strong storytelling, social relevance and creative excellence. Our aim is to be trailblazers, setting new standards in both critical and audience appreciation.

These characteristics are in evidence in new and upcoming documentaries including:

• Manufactured Landscapes the Genie Award-winning doc by Jennifer Baichwal using the work of photographer Edward Burtynsky to reflect on the state of the planet (Foundry Films/Mercury Films/NFB)
  
• Radiant City Gary Burns and Jim Brown’s vivid account of life in suburbia (Burns Film/NFB)
  
• Up the Yangtze! Yung Chang’s stunning film on the human impact of flooding caused by China’s massive Three Gorges Dam (EyeSteel Films/NFB)
  

UPCOMING

• The Dark Years A three-hour animation/documentary hybrid exploring the Great Depression in Canada (Barna Alper/NFB)
  
• Becoming Human A look at humanitarian renagade James Orbinski. Peter Raymont’s sequel to the Sundance winner Shake Hands with the Devil (White Pine Pictures/NFB)
  

Animation

It was animation legend Norman McLaren who created the NFB’s Oscar winning Animation Studio, over 65 years ago. Today, his legacy of artistry and experimentation lives on, through trailblazing works from a new generation of pioneers as well as pioneering developments in stereoscopic animation.

We specialize in auteur animation. Our animated productions are defined by excellence in storytelling, artistry, and experimentation in both form and technique. Most of our animation productions are 100% NFB, however we’re also working with some of the world’s finest animators through our Canadian and international co-productions.

Here are a few examples of NFB leadership in auteur animation:

IN RELEASE

• Madame Tutli-Putli A stop-motion-animated film about a woman’s metaphysical train ride by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. Winner of the Canal + Grand Prize for Best Short Film at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
  
• The Danish Poet 2007 Academy Award-winner by Torill Kove (Mikrofilm AS (Norway)/NFB).
  
• Norman McLaren – The Master’s Edition This 7-DVD box set offers unparalleled access to the work of Norman McLaren, featuring digitally restored masterpieces.
  

New Media

The NFB is claiming a space for the public voice in the digital realm in a way that few others can do. We bring the values of social relevance and artistic integrity to these kinds of projects.

From our pioneering work on mobile shorts to an experimental interactive DVD, we’re working alongside a range of partners to define a new language for cross-platform and interactive media by using their unique characteristics to create new ways of telling stories. Along the way we’re developing new production and distribution models and working with a range of public and private partners to develop new ways of financing these projects.

New and upcoming projects include:

IN RELEASE

• Shorts in Motion: The Art of Seduction This award-winning series of mobile shorts features works by some of Canada’s top directors. A presentation of CHUM Television’s Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent), co-produced by the NFB and marblemedia.
• Confessions A collection of 10 documentary and animation shorts by leading directors that bring intimate stories of secrets, lies, mysteries and revelations to the mobile phone market. The first international partnership for mobile content production, Confessions is co-produced by the NFB and Film Australia.
  
• CITIZENShift An interactive Web platform where people can explore a range of social issues.
  

UPCOMING

• Late Fragment – An experimental interactive feature film in partnership with the Canadian Film Centre’s Habitat New Media Lab.
  

Alternative Drama

In the tradition of pioneering projects such as Train of Dreams, Sitting in Limbo and The Company of Strangers, NFB is producing a select number of alternative dramas: low budget, fictional films driven by social-issue narratives, cast with non-professional actors and based on scripts written in conjunction with the community.

Our work in alternative drama brings together the world of the social issue documentary with creative fiction filmmaking, redefining the form in powerful, cinematic ways.

IN RELEASE

• The Point – a film by and about inner city kids (Silo Productions/NFB).
  

UPCOMING

• Family Motel – a soon-to-be-released alternative drama from acclaimed director Helen Klodawsky about a Somali-Canadian family’s struggle for survival in the land of plenty (Instinct Film/NFB).
  

We encourage you to check out our recent projects on our Web site: www.nfb.ca

Our Criteria

We look at a number of things when deciding whether or not to co-produce a project.

1. talent and creative vision of the director
2. originality of concept and approach
3. authenticity and diversity of voice
4. cinematic and narrative potential of the project
5. clearly articulated sense of the intended audience
6. social relevance
7. viability of project (in terms of access, timeframe, budget and financing scenario)
8. production approach adheres to NFB ethical standards
9. experience of the co-production team
10. distribution potential of the production

If you have any questions, a producer in your local production studio will be happy to flesh this out in more detail.

Submitting a Proposal

There are no deadlines or application forms and we accept proposals from potential co-production partners throughout the year. You must submit your proposal directly to the production centre in your region, but we also encourage you to contact a producer in your region to discuss your idea before sending it in.

Your initial submission should include:

1. A 2- to 4-page proposal that describes the story, explains the director’s motivation and point of view, a sense of the style and approach he/she would bring to the project and an overview of the intended audience.

2. A project demo if available

3. Resumes for the key creative team

4. A DVD of previous work; or an art portfolio including sketches of representative artwork in the case of a proposal for animation.

5. A budget summary for the relevant stage (investigate, development, production)

6. A financing scenario

The NFB has 7 production studios across the country. Proposals should be submitted by e-mail, regular mail or fax to the contact in your nearest studio.

We’re also happy to consider fully developed treatments.

Evaluation Process

Within a week, we’ll send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your proposal. Your project will then go through an evaluation process. You’ll hear back from us in 6-8 weeks about whether or not your project is something we’re interested in pursuing.

If your project is something that makes a potential fit for us, there are three possible outcomes:

1. Proposals at a very preliminary stage could be approved for what we call an “Investigate”. This is an early development stage (with a maximum budget of $5,000) intended to further develop the idea and explore its potential.

2. Proposals at a more advanced stage could be approved for Research & Script development. This is a more comprehensive development stage enabling more detailed research, the writing of a treatment, preliminary shooting if necessary, the preparation of a production schedule, marketing plan and a production budget.

The final decision on whether or not to put a project into an Investigate or Research and Development phase rests with the studio’s Executive Producer.

3. Proposals at a very advanced stage could be recommended for Production. The final decision on whether or not to put a project into Production rests with the Director General of English Program.

When a proposal is approved for one of these three stages, an NFB producer is assigned to the project. You’ll have a very close working relationship with your producer. The NFB plays an integral part in every step of the creative process.

Marketing, Sales & Distribution

The NFB works with co-producers to ensure that our films reach their target markets. Marketing strategies are tailored to the unique needs of each co-production.

Marketing is an integral part of the programming process at the National Film Board of Canada, with NFB Marketing Managers involved from the development phase through to the launch.

Marketing Managers prepare and implement launch strategies that identify target audiences and how best to reach them, and develop promotional materials. They work with NFB colleagues as well as external partners to reach audiences effectively, whether through a community-based approach or a more traditional campaign.

An unrivalled Canadian sales network

Point-of-view social documentaries and auteur animation produced in the private sector rarely receive the kind of national and international distribution that the NFB can provide. NFB co-productions benefit from a distribution network that is well-established in the educational, institutional and consumer markets.

The NFB has hundreds of access points in communities across Canada, thanks to partnership agreements with the public sector (public libraries and school libraries) and private sector (distribution companies, cataloguers, movie theatre chains, video clubs, etc.). We also offer on-line sales boutiques and toll free customer service in Canada and the U.S.

Co-producers can negotiate shared distribution rights with the NFB, tailored to the interests of the each project and co-producers' expertise with certain markets.

A presence on the international scene

The NFB has an outstanding international reputation. Our documentaries and animated films win some 130 awards every year, with NFB films are broadcast on over 80 television networks around the world.

Thanks to framework agreements and wide-ranging partnerships with key players in the global audiovisual industry, NFB productions and co-productions occupy an advantageous position on the international scene.

A dedicated distribution team

• Sales offices and staff located in Montreal, New York, Los Angeles and Paris
• Sophisticated website, on-line sales boutiques and e-marketing capabilities, plus toll free customer service in Canada and the U.S.
• In-depth knowledge and sales experience across all media channels, including television, non-theatrical, institutional and consumer markets
• Participation in key industry markets
• Precise rights management and revenue reporting systems