The Space and Creative Scotland Commissioning Brief: Lo Fi Extend

Transcription

1 The Space and Creative Scotland Commissioning Brief: Lo Fi Extend 1 December

2 Contents 1 Summary About The Space and Creative Scotland Lo Fi Extend Who is eligible to apply? Audiences and distribution Audience reach Rights Accessibility Building skills and sharing insight Commissioning Process Timeline Using the online application system ing questions Assessment criteria Amber light process for shortlisted applicants Budgeting Budget lines Frequently asked questions

3 1 Summary The Space, in partnership with Creative Scotland is launching a targeted commissioning round for arts and cultural projects in Scotland, which meet the criteria of The Space s Lo- Fi Extend category. Lo-Fi Extend is a commissioning strand that aims to extend the digital reach of arts and cultural organisations by increasing the impact of existing work or projects. These are smaller scale digital projects which can be turned around reasonably quickly but still create significant online audience engagement. These commissions should also build the internal digital capacity and skills of an organisation so the learnings and practice are sustainable. We are looking for proposals for projects that can be published online by 31 March You can apply to the commissioning round via an online system which will be available on The Space website from 8 December The deadline for applications is 5pm 29 December 2017 and we expect to notify successful projects by 18 January 2018 at the latest. The available funding budget for each Lo-Fi Extend project will be in the range of 5,000 to 15,000. In addition to financial investment, The Space provides advice and support for Lo Fi projects in the areas of self-publishing and online audience development. To be eligible to apply you must be an arts or cultural organisation based in Scotland. We will also accept applications from individual artists if the artist is working in partnership with an arts or cultural organisation. In such cases, the organisation should be the applicant as we will contract with that organisation. We are interested in proposals across all art forms, provided that they are focused on extending the reach of existing work or projects. The rest of this brief gives examples of the types of projects we re looking for, the commissioning process and things to consider in your application. 2 About The Space and Creative Scotland The Space is a commissioning and development organisation, established by Arts Council England and the BBC to support greater digital access to the arts. We re committed to supporting and facilitating the UK arts sector to realise its digital ambitions. Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland. The Space works with Creative Scotland to fund and support projects which build digital capacity and extend the audience reach of organisations in the Scottish arts and cultural sector. 3

4 The Space provides funding and support, often through expert associates, to ensure projects can achieve their stated outcomes. We also work with organisations once projects are delivered to evaluate project outcomes and share learnings with the arts and cultural sector more widely. 3 Lo Fi Extend The Lo-Fi Extend commissioning strand aims to increase the digital reach of arts and cultural organisations and/or increase the impact of existing work or projects. A Lo-Fi Extend project is likely to focus on improved or wider use of an arts organisation s existing content, networks, social media or other digital platforms. This could include creating new content to market or contextualise the organisation s work, curating content about existing work, or optimising an organisation s existing platforms for their target audiences. We also want to ensure any projects we support lead to increased digital skills and capacity in organisations, so are looking for projects which build on existing knowledge but also expand on current practice. We have included examples of the types of project we are looking for below. The examples listed are by no means exhaustive but give a guide to the sort of project that would be in scope for this strand of work. Of course, projects will often include many of the activities outlined below- these areas are not listed in isolation. Extending the audience reach of existing work or productions using social media and/or other digital platforms This type of project focuses on expanding the reach of an existing artwork by the use of digital content across relevant social media and other digital platforms. There is a keen focus on auditing the current reach and engagement of the organisation in this area, supporting the organisation to deliver effective digital content and outreach activities which build audiences for the work, and a test and learn approach which is measured throughout. Examples: Tromolo Productions working with a social media content specialist and music plugger to reach music audiences and drive interest in their gig theatre piece, Music Is Torture, which toured in Scotland in summer The work involved optimisation of existing online content, plus reaching out to influencers and a detailed targeting plan for music fans. Objectives were to increase live ticket sales and to drive awareness and engagement with the work of the company amongst audiences online. These objectives were met and exceeded. 4

5 Zest Theatre worked with a digital producer to create a suite of social media assets designed to reach and engage young people, encouraging them to attend a touring theatre production, What Once Was Ours, which was inspired by the issues surrounding Brexit. Making use of Zest s existing knowledge of the audience, content which was likely to resonate with young people was created and distributed via social media platforms. Targeted social seeding was undertaken, reaching out to partner organisations, touring venues and influencers, ensuring the campaign gained traction. The activity on social networks was very successful, complementing the direct advertising that Zest already had planned, resulting in many of the performances towards the end of the tour being sold out. Radiophrenia is a temporary art radio station exploring current trends in sound and transmission arts. Broadcasting from the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow Radiophrenia aims to promote radio as an art form, encouraging experimental approaches to the medium not catered for by mainstream stations. This year, the station was broadcasting on an analogue FM radio frequency with a simultaneous live webstream 24-hours a day, 7 days a week for a two-week period. At the core of the project are a series of new radio art commissions including crafted radio features from Scottish and International artists as well as a new series of live-toair performances that respond to the unique circumstance of having two audiences - both a live theatre audience and an unseen audience of listeners at home. The online elements of the programming e.g. the webstream would be considered in scope for Lo Fi Extend, as this is extending an existing artistic experience. Radiophrenia 2017 ran from 6 th to 19 th November this year. Curating content around existing artworks, performances, or artists Lo-Fi Extend commissions may revolve around curating content about existing artworks, performances or artists. For this, organisations may want to harness the power of their networks and contacts. Organisations and artists may also want to think about how to share their archives digitally, and curate new digital content around them. Examples: My Dance DNA is a series of live streamed interviews with well-known choreographers about their work and their influences. The filmed talks are held in arts venues with which each choreographer has a personal connection, giving venues an opportunity to reconnect with their audiences live and reach out to potential new audiences for their venue. 5

6 Walk with Me is a free story walk app created by Cornish theatre company Kneehigh, featuring stories that the company have collected on their rambles around Cornwall. The stories have been reimagined and recorded by local young people, Kneehigh actors and by Kneehigh fan Dawn French. People can listen to the stories as they walk around Cornwall, triggered by GPS in the app, or can listen from home (in armchair mode). The Space commissioned Kneehigh to extend the reach of and interest in the app using online content, including a series of moving postcards which bring six of the stories to life by animation, images or film, for YouTube. Low cost capture This type of project involves using low cost digital technologies and production techniques to capture a piece of work or performance, for online distribution: To audiences that cannot attend a physical venue for reasons of geography, time or cost. To enhance the experience of those people who are visiting/have visited the live work or event. To build the organisation s brand amongst a wider audience, delivering longer term benefits in terms of audience numbers, demand and advocacy Examples: The Philharmonia Orchestra s Live Stream of Mahler s Third Symphony, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonon, on the Southbank Centre s YouTube channel and on Facebook Live via the Guardian s Facebook page, and captured on film for wider distribution. Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts live streaming a poetry reading event The Mighty Stream: Poems in celebration of Martin Luther King, to commemorate Newcastle University s award of an honorary degree to Dr King in Poets from both sides of the Atlantic read specially commissioned pieces addressing the challenges of racism, poverty and war addressed by Dr King in his acceptance speech, in the exact location where he made the speech. The readings were broadcast on Facebook, Periscope and YouTube and at a simultaneous event at the National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington DC. 4 Who is eligible to apply? We are interested in receiving applications from arts and cultural organisations based in Scotland, and from artists working in partnership with arts and cultural organisations on an existing project. We are happy to support projects from all sizes and types of organisation in this sector, as long as the proposal has clear use of digital content, 6

7 techniques and platforms at its heart, and has significant potential to grow audiences for that organisation using online platforms and content. We can support applications that include partnerships between organisations. However, there must be a lead arts or cultural organisation which applies and takes overall responsibility for the project. 5 Audiences and distribution For your application to be successful you should have a clear sense of who the target audience is for the work. You should consider ways of reaching them that you already have available (e.g. social media accounts for your organisation, your team and influencers you may know, marketing, media coverage, your own website or YouTube channel). You should also consider how you might encourage your audience to share or recommend the experience. If applications are shortlisted, we will provide advice and support (including through the use of expert associates) to refine marketing and publication plans to have the widest possible reach amongst their target audience. Although we can help commissioned projects with advice and support, we do expect proposals to include some thinking around proposed distribution platform(s) and marketing approaches. When considering which distribution strategy would help you reach your audience objectives, it is important to identify where your target audience might already engage, in addition to the best environment for the work. 5.1 Audience reach We are ambitious for the projects we support and want them to help you reach significant audiences. It is important that the projects we finance demonstrate value for money in terms of audience reach. As a rough benchmark we expect projects to result in at least one audience session for every 1 invested by The Space. So a project requesting 10,000 of finance from The Space will need an audience development approach that shows a strong potential to generate at least 10,000 video views, online sessions or an equivalent measure of audience engagement. There can be exceptions to this rule of thumb. For example, if your project is aimed at under-represented or new audiences we recognise you may need additional investment to achieve your objectives. Your application should specifically address why your audience is distinctive and how you intend to overcome the barriers to reaching them. Your case for additional investment will be strengthened by evidence of how the insights you gain from your project might be widely shared and provide significant value to the wider arts and cultural sector. 7

8 6 Rights We don t look to own any of the intellectual property in the work you create. One of our key objectives is to put the interests of artists and arts organisations first. This means that ownership of works will remain with the artists that have created them. We will also want to be sure you ve budgeted to pay artists at appropriate industry rates for their work. This is particularly relevant where you are capturing work and/or using captured content for online distribution, including for marketing activities. We need to know that you can clear the rights necessary for online publication of your project. This normally means that you are in a position to clear all copyright in the work for worldwide non-commercial online publication. Ideally, this should be for a minimum period of five years but it could be shorter if you have specific constraints. The details of required rights clearances and the appropriate budgets are something we will discuss with shortlisted applicants. They can vary depending on the distribution plan, so we don t expect you to have rights clearance and costs finalised in advance of your application. What we want to know is that you have considered the feasibility and likely cost for rights clearances in your planning and budgeting process. 7 Accessibility We want to ensure that the projects we are financing are as accessible as possible to the audiences who wish to experience them. In its widest sense, this means thinking about how your work might be experienced by audiences using a range of devices (e.g. desktop/laptop computer, tablet, mobile phone). This tends to be fairly straightforward for Lo-Fi Extend projects using established video formats, social media platforms etc. Accessibility planning is also about considering people with specific access issues. For example, we would usually expect video experiences with dialogue to have subtitles that can be switched on or off. Experiences should ideally be navigable by keyboard for people who cannot easily use a mouse. They should also be designed in a way that considers users with visual impairments. Remember that these same design principles will create clear and user-friendly experiences that help all audiences to understand, navigate and fully engage with what you are creating. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides a useful summary of its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines here: As the BBC is a core distribution partner for The Space, its Accessibility Standards and Guidelines are another good reference: 8

9 8 Building skills and sharing insight We are focused on helping you develop skills and experience around the use of online platforms and content in the way you engage with audiences. Projects we support should therefore help you develop new skills in this area, and ultimately provide insights which can be shared with others in the sector. We ask applicants to outline specific objectives and to indicate a target expectation for audience reach. We also want to measure progress against your other objectives and understand how we can improve the service we offer. We ll therefore ask successful candidates to collaborate with us and our evaluation partners in reviewing the project and experience of working with us. 9 Commissioning Process 9.1 Timeline 1 December 2017 This brief published 8 December 2017 Online application system available 1 December to 22 December December pm Factual questions can be submitted Deadline for applications 18 January 2018 All shortlisted projects notified Once applications have been submitted, The Space and Creative Scotland will undertake a scoring and shortlisting process based on the criteria outlined in section 9.4. Shortlisted applicants will be informed by 18 January 2018 at the latest, after which point we will go through an amber light process with those organisations which is aimed at getting the project ready to be commissioned. See section 9.5 for details. We appreciate that timings are tight in terms of approval to publication, so will work quickly with shortlisted applications and, usually, expert associates, to complete this process as rapidly as possible. Once projects are commissioned, The Space will act as a supportive partner in the background of the project, ensuring the project team has what it needs to deliver the commission and that milestones are met. 9

10 9.2 Using the online application system The online application system is will be open from 8 December. You can access it via links on The Space website. When the online application system is live, you can create an account on the system using your address or register using your Facebook, Twitter or Google account. Once registered you can create one or more applications. Progress can be saved between sessions so that you do not have to complete the form in one go. The form is divided into sections and asks for information about: Your project and the audience experience Your target audience Your creative team and partners Your proposed budget and project timelines Benefits to you and the wider sector You must submit your application no later than 5pm on 29 December. Applications submitted after this time cannot be considered for this round. If you are unable to use the online application system because of a disability or impairment please contact our team by ing commissioning@thespace.org or by calling and we can discuss alternative arrangements for you to submit your application ing questions If you have a question about the brief or the application process please our team: commissioning@thespace.org. Out of fairness to other applicants, we are unfortunately unable to give detailed advice about your project, whether by , telephone or face to face meetings. However, we can answer brief, factual questions regarding the brief or the process by . Please note we will not be able to answer questions between 22 December and 27 December due to Christmas Break, however we will be available via to assist with any technical queries or issues with completing applications online on December. You can us any time between 1 and 29 December and we will pick up and respond to your query as soon as we can. 9.4 Assessment criteria We will use the following criteria to assess applications: Fit with the commissioning brief The quality of the idea proposed 10

11 The audience potential Whether you have the ability to deliver the commission with the correct level of support and resourcing Value for money and financial viability Whether the project enhances digital capacity in the organisation in a way which will be sustainable We will also consider a number of balancing criteria including diversity, geographic spread, and types of art represented across the total portfolio of The Space s commissions. 9.5 Amber light process for shortlisted applicants If you are successfully shortlisted, our commissioning team will engage with you to work through your proposal and help you to strengthen any areas where you may need additional expertise, before funding is formally agreed. Ensuring that you have the right resources and expertise in place to deliver the project, and, if not, advising on what is required and budgeted for Making sure your budget is sufficient for the work and that clear and achievable targets are set We aim to make this review process as quick and streamlined as possible. Where particular help is needed, we may appoint an expert associate to refine your plans. We will cover the cost for this work. The amber light process will involve time and engagement from your team during this period, but we find that this process, pre commissioning, makes for better project outcomes. 10 Budgeting We expect most projects to fall in the 5,000 to 15,000 budget range. We cannot finance capital expenditure and we cannot pay for staff salaries or other overhead costs that are not directly related to your project ( business as usual costs). Our investment needs to be focused on the digital elements that are additional to the live or real world work. We cannot finance activities that have happened prior to us making the decision to support your project. We can however participate in projects already in development, providing our investment is restricted to additional activities that have yet to begin. Please also note that our commissioning agreements are contracts for services rather than grants. We also normally expect to contract with a VAT registered entity. Being VAT 11

12 registered means you can issue VAT invoices to us and recover the VAT element of any costs you incur from your suppliers. This can have a significant impact in making your project more cost-effective Budget lines In your application you should give amounts for key budget lines. We recommend using the categories listed below, where relevant, but this is not an exhaustive list. Note: the costs need to reflect any costs incurred in the delivery and evaluation of the project, whether the use of suppliers, physical costs or internal costs. For internal/staff time and costs, this must be directly related and ring fenced for the Lo Fi Project, so not business as usual costs. Budget line What to include Project management Time involved in project management for the Lo Fi project only including project evaluation (you can include time for internal staff or external suppliers in this area provided that it is for the delivery of the Lo Fi project only, so not business as usual staff costs) Marketing/audience development Creation of marketing plans, assets (images, video trailers) and running a marketing campaign, e.g. media relations, direct marketing, content marketing, social media campaign. Any costs involved in self-publishing your work. Measurement and Evaluation The time/resource needed to set up and monitor audience engagement with your work across the platform(s) where the work is published but also analysis of the marketing or other activity which is driving engagement. A final evaluation report covering the final audience metrics, the impact of the project and any learnings. We have an evaluation process and can work with commissioned organisations on this. However, do build in time and resource to complete this. Again, the time needed for someone to set up and complete this measurement and evaluation should be separate from business as usual staff costs. External experts can be used in this area if the skills do not exist in house. 12

13 Budget line What to include Rights clearances Clearing rights with all those relevant to your project, e.g. writer/original artist, director, producer, cast, musicians, music clearance for recorded music, stage management, wardrobe, set, lighting and sound design Legal / Insurance Contract and rights. Where relevant, public liability and professional indemnity insurance 11 Frequently asked questions Q: What is the application deadline? You can submit your online application up until 5pm on Friday 29 December The closing deadline will not be extended. We strongly recommend that you do not leave the online application until the final days, but instead input your application in sections as you are ready to do so. You can save your work as you go along and come back to your application before final submission. Q: Does my project have to take place in Scotland? Not necessarily, but the applicant has to be an organisation based in Scotland and we would want to be sure that it will reach a substantial audience in Scotland. Q. Why do proposed projects need to be published by March ? Our current funding settlement from the BBC, Arts Council England and Creative Scotland ends on this date. Any projects from this commissioning round therefore need to be delivered by this date. In practice, this means they need to be published online by this point and the costs associated with delivering the project completed at that time. This does not mean that the project cannot have a life after that point, in fact we find that the projects we support tend to grow in terms of audience and presence over time. It simply means that the project must be delivered by March 31. Q. Can we apply again if we ve applied before? If you have already received a commission from The Space, you can apply for a further project but 13

14 you should be aware that we will prioritise applications from new organisations as we are trying to support the widest range of arts and cultural organisations. This doesn t stop a previously commissioned organisation from partnering with another organisation that can lead on the project. If you are resubmitting a previously unsuccessful proposal, please make sure it meets the requirements of this brief. Q: Can we submit more than one proposal? Yes, but we re very unlikely to commission more than one project from the same applicant. Q: Do we need prior experience creating works of this kind? No. However ideally your application would include details of partners or suppliers you intend to work with to deliver the project, as necessary. The Space can provide advice and assist you in identifying suitable associates or suppliers/partners. However, we will not directly manage your project so you need to be confident you have the ability to oversee all the elements you are planning to deliver. Q: Can you commission projects that are already underway? Yes. The commissioned activity may form part of a project that is already in development. However, we can only finance activities that commence on or after the application deadline. Q: Do I need to have any matched or third-party funding to submit an application? No. However, if you plan or have secured additional funding, please give details on your application form. Q: How do you select which projects to commission? All applications are assessed against the criteria listed above. Q: If you commission my idea, does this mean you own it? No. The intellectual property rights to the work will remain with the artist(s) and/or your organisation. You do need to ensure that those rights can be licensed for distribution in accordance with the agreed distribution plan. Contact us If you have any questions about this brief or the commissioning process, please commissioning@thespace.org. 14