Written evidence submitted by First Light
(arts 122)
1. Introduction
1.1 First Light gives young people aged
five to 25 in the UK the opportunity to tell their stories, recount
their experiences, learn new skills and share their views through
creative, digital film and media projects.
1.2 We have enabled almost 30,000 young
people between the ages of five and 19 to make more than 1,000
films and to create 100s of media projects, including magazines,
TV and radio broadcasts, comics and games since we were established
in 2001.
1.3 All of First Light's activity is unique
and shares the following ethos:
— professional support for young people
to ensure high level, relevant skills development;
— industry engagement to provide "real
world" experiences, validation and pathways to employment;
— high levels of youth leadership to ensure
authenticity of voice and creative expression; and
— exhibition and distribution activity
to ensure the young people's work is seen and enjoyed by a wide
audience.
1.4 We believe that every young person regardless
of gender, heritage or economic background should be given the
chance to realise their creative potential using a form of media
that makes the most of their particular talents.
1.5 First Light distributes National Lottery
grants, via funding from DCMS through the UK Film Council and
is therefore directly affected by the recent announcement of the
latter's abolishment. The First Light Board and its Executive
look forward to discussions with the Secretary of State for the
Department of Culture, Media and Sport as to how the organisation
will be enabled, and further supported, to continue supporting
the aspirations, creativity and talent development of young people
across the UK.
In consideration of the issues raised by the
Committee, First Light offers the following views and comments:
2. What impact recent, and future, spending
cuts from central and local Government will have on the arts and
heritage at a national and local level
2.1 The recent cuts to public funding in
the arts/heritage sectors are a retrograde step. The years of
investment that have gone into developing capacity, strategic
partnerships and improving the experience for both participants
and the respective workforces will be eroded.
2.2 First Light in its funding criteria
requires applicants to have a certain threshold of match funding
(some in-kind, part in-cash). Many of the type of organisations
that we typically fund bring match from local authority sources.
Consequently they will have to identify and compete for monies
in areas less familiar and starting from a lower knowledge base,
it will take time for them to become skilled.
2.3 This is not to say that they will not
be successful but rather competition for alternative sources will
increase and smaller organisations will be disadvantaged. They
are often reliant on project funding which is a fine balancing
act and capacity to fundraise is more often than not, a function
that is informally included into a staff member's role.
2.4 Training is usually the first target
when budgets become constrained, whereas it should be retained
as skills and expertise become important capital to the organisation.
2.5 Spending cuts both at central and local
Government levels may discourage partnerships as organisations
and sectors become more territorial and competitive, keen to establish
an edge and unique characteristics that make them more fundable.
2.6 Smaller organisations are liable to
be more vulnerable at the local level whereas larger, established
ones are likely to be able to ride out the years of austerity
that lie ahead, though it could be argued that the less well known
brands outside of London will also find it difficult to fundraise.
2.7 We could see the merger of organisations
which will of course create savings due to scales of economy being
met. However, the diversity and breadth of expertise which smaller
organisations represent will be lost. The UK is a country defined
by the variety of distinct communities our arts and heritage sectors
engage with and we will be all the poorer if such uniqueness is
lost.
2.8 First Light is a national charity that
champions the full spectrum of diverse backgrounds that young
people can be drawn upon in our funded projects. We seek to support
new opportunities for those who would otherwise not have access
to filmmaking activities. It is essential that we continue to
have different voices and fresh talent exposed to what the creative
moving image industries is about, contributing new ideas and developing
the business case for greater diversity in the workforce. The
film and television industries need to be more representative
of the UK population, more technically adept (which young people
are), and able to contribute and participant in the creative knowledge
economy, one of the UK's strength in the global marketplace.
3. The impact of recent changes to DCMS arm's-length
bodies—in particular the abolition of the UK Film Council
and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
3.1 The UK Film Council's demise has a direct
consequence for First Light. It is the channel through which the
charity receives its National Lottery grant from the Department
for Culture, Media and Sports. However, taking aside this issue,
First light identifies the following impacts that will arise from
the abolishment of this strategic agency for UK filmmaking.
3.1 The UK Film Council has been able to
bring under one umbrella the various distinct but interconnected
areas of archives, film education, young people's filmmaking,
audience development, production, exhibition and distribution,
certification, etc. This has enabled partnership working and development
of strategies which have served not only the public well but also
strengthened the sector as a whole.
3.1.2 The discussions to date in the press
and public at large have understandably concentrated on production,
the profile capturing story. However, without acknowledging the
important of audience development and film education/ work with
young people shortsightedness comes into play. Key to developing
the UK's film production base there has to be a parallel strategy
to develop the knowledge, appreciation and cultivation of British
cinema audiences who will drive the need to produce more indigenous
films. Solely concentrating on making more British films ignores
that fact that without input at the other end of the film value
chain means that British filmmakers will more often than not lose
out to the stronger, higher profile US film fare.
3.1.3 The Regional Screen Agencies and Nations
will also be affected. Funded by the UK Film Council, the majority
if not all, are also funded by their respective Regional Development
Agencies which are also being abolished. This double hit consequently
means that the less glamorous grassroots work to develop audiences
and education work are most vulnerable to being cut.
3.1.4 The UK Film Council has become an
international brand around which UK film activity can coalesce
around and use to strong effect to promote the full value chain
of British filmmaking. It has its respected ambassadors whom they
are able to draw upon to promote the UK as a place to do business
and that has some of the world's leading filmmaking technical
expertise.
4. Whether businesses and philanthropists
can play a long-term role in funding arts at a national and local
level
4.1 Developing a philanthropic culture to
mirror the American model will take many years and may require
incentives to stimulate interest. There is a danger that without
support/incentives/pressure for businesses and high net worth
individuals to consider becoming supporters, the culture will
take a long time to develop. This gap between public funding being
withdrawn and the philanthropic culture becoming established could
result in may arts/cultural organisations closing.
4.2 There are some areas that businesses
and philanthropists will not view as fundable. This is particularly
pertinent given that these alternative sources of funding will
not be subject to the level of scrutiny and accountability as
publicly funders, who have to be transparent in their decision
making processes.
4.3 There are particular issues that are
of wider public interest that require the intervention of the
public purse. Companies are unlikely to endorse projects which
cannot fit into a business or CSR case for them, and similarly
philanthropists will not necessarily be wide ranging in their
support, but may wish to support particular niche areas. There
is nothing fundamentally wrong with either approach but it does
mean that there is the potential for a narrowing band of organisations
that are seen as fundable.
4.4 Experts in the arts and heritage sectors
with their knowledge and expertise are able to bring to the fore
strategic overviews and opinion pieces that business and philanthropists
will lack.
4.5 Smaller, less well known organisations
may not be as attractive to support, whereas headline organisations
will have resources (human capital, skills to navigate this specialism,
networks, etc) to succeed in connecting with both businesses and
philanthropists.
4.6 Where both could play a role would be
to offer skills transfer exchange to make organisations in both
the arts and heritage sectors more business-like. More often than
not, arts/heritage managers have learnt on the job, without the
training and development budgets their equivalent in the business
sectors would benefit from. Consequently some practices are not
as strong, efficient or robust as they can be. In these economic
straightened times managers need to be even more smart and business
like in their approach to running their respective organisations.
4.7 The interplay between business and organisations/agencies
such as First Light who operate within the wider creative moving
image sector is more dynamic. The charity has been working with
a wide range of industry partners to support its work around access
and connecting with diverse talent. This is an area of work the
organisation will develop and anticipates that film/television
businesses as they come to recognize and trust the brand, will
seek it out to source potential talent.
4.8 Support from businesses has to date
come in all shapes and sizes, depending on capacity, work-flow,
appropriate work available, etc. Cash support has been thin on
the ground, but instead, businesses have been playing the long
game and have become involved through activities such as mentoring,
placements, offering experts for masterclasses, technical support,
and creative training.
September 2010
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