Tamara Anghie has been working in the film and new media industries for the past 15 years after completing a Degree in Film & Media Studies in Melbourne, Australia. She has worked in various production capacities in Australia, South-East Asia and Europe on television commercials, music videos, short and feature films as well as for computer games and new media companies. She now works as a producer for Zanzibar Films in Dublin and Make Ireland in Belfast.

Esther Terradas: How did you fund your first short?

Tamara Anghie: My first non-college short in Australia was self-financed along with the writer/director. My first Irish short was funded via the Filmbase/RTÉ scheme.

What do you think is most important when you apply to funding schemes (script, interview, awards previously received, application form...)?

Generally a good script is the most crucial thing for raising any interest in a film, be it funding or that of 'recognised' talent (cast, director, DOP etc), which in turn attracts funding. For me personally, when I have received financing it has probably been because the preparation for the funding application is always very thorough. I work closely with the writer well in advance of a deadline to ensure the script is as good as it can be. I also always breakdown the script so that I have a schedule and can form a realistic budget, based on discussions with the director so that the needs of the production can be facilitated as best as possible. Having a track record of award-winning shorts I would hope helps the process, but ultimately I believe it's about the package: the script, the team involved and if it's realistically feasible for the budget provided.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films funded by film
centres?

Films funded by film centres such as Filmbase are particularly great for filmmakers just entering the industry, because the way the schemes work encourages learning in a less demanding environment than making your first short, for instance, through the Short Cuts scheme, where the expected deliverables are greater. Also the film centre schemes provide facilities, especially off line editing, which is a plus. The down side of these schemes is the limited budget, which really doesn't allow for paying people and you can only do so many before people get fed up with you asking for freebies.

Once the film is finished, how do you deal with promotion and distribution? What do you think of the existing options?

Financing the promotion and distribution of a short is not easy – particularly on a film centre award. There is simply no money in the budget to allow for this, so invariably the producer and possibly the director will have to invest their own money for film festival promotion. The Film Board shorts are assisted with promotion, and this helps, but if you want to circulate your film beyond the list of festivals they cover, the cost of all region DVDs, a promo pack and postal/courier fees for sending the film to festivals is going to have to be budgeted for. Keeping track of all the festivals and ensuring you meet all the deadlines is also a time consuming job – particularly once you have a few films doing the circuit. This is why invariably having a sales agent or someone to look after your film becomes important, as it frees you up as a producer to keep producing!

What should an award-winning short film have from a producing point of view?

Once again – a good script is essential. However, it has to also be one that can be feasibly made for the amounts of money available from schemes which support shorts. A script heavy in cast, with loads of locations or special effects, or a period drama – regardless of how well it reads – is going to be disastrous to produce on a €10,000 budget. You'd be lucky to get it made, let alone win an award! Generally, though, a short film that has been made from a good script, has great performances and – very importantly – high production values, has the best chance of winning an award. With high production values don't forget the importance of sound – a film that is shot and edited really well but has poor sound will probably get overlooked.

How many short films should you make before going to feature length?

I would say producing at least five or six shorts, including a few higher budget ones which involve having to deliver things like cost reports and distribution deliverables to the financier, is advantageous before venturing into features.