Frameworks

About the Funding

FRAMEWORKS is an initiative for the support of short animation film-making.

It is a flagship scheme for the Irish animation sector which has produced global award-winning films to a consistently high standard.

This scheme is emphatically for professionals already working in the animation industry and is not a training scheme.

Projects selected for funding will combine creative exploration with an ability to appeal to a general audience however, please note this is not a scheme aimed at children.

The scheme is co-funded by Screen Ireland & RTÉ. Films may be made in English or Irish (if produced in the Irish language subtitling will be necessary for festivals & sales worldwide)

Parameters of the scheme

Films can be between two (2) and five (5) minutes in duration.

Budgets can be between €13,000 and €14,500 per minute depending on format.

The scheme recognises that economies of scale occur in films of longer duration and therefore cost per minute at the lower end of the scale may be applicable.                                          

• Method: All forms of animation acceptable.
• Delivery: DCP, Prores & MP4.               

The application budget should reflect costs for delivery as above and subtitling if applicable.

Please note in the case of a preliminary offer being made we reserve the right to adjust budgets and script lengths should we feel the projects would benefit from this.

Structure of the Frameworks scheme

Please note that the guidelines for the Frameworks 2024 scheme reflects recommendations from the industry and differ from previous years.

This scheme seeks high-quality, concise, imaginative story-telling to be delivered by applicants wishing to make an impact on the domestic and international stage.

Applicants should demonstrate previous experience in delivering high quality animation.

The proposal should showcase the director and creative team’s outstanding talent and be of a story-telling and visual standard capable of attracting world-wide festivals and distribution.

We would encourage less experienced applicants to apply for funding for shorter films (eg. 2 minutes).

We remind applicants that for longer films (ie. films longer than 2 minutes in duration) it is advisable to apply through a studio with a proven ability to deliver high quality animation projects.

All Frameworks projects are selected with an expectation of achieving international success, and this particularly applies to the higher budget films. Examples of successful films from previous rounds include Late Afternoon (Cartoon Saloon), Worry World (Jam Media), The Lost Letter (Igloo), Second to None (Caboom), The Missing Scarf (Belly Creative), Coda (And Maps And Plans) amongst others. The recently launched Screen Ireland short film player plays host to many of the films funded under Frameworks and can be accessed on Screen Ireland's Shorts Player.

Frameworks films are broadcast on RTÉ television and on the RTÉ Player.

Deadline

The extended deadline is 1pm, Friday 22nd March 2024.

The online system will automatically close down at 1pm on this day so please ensure your submission is completed and submitted well in advance of the deadline as late applications will not be accepted by email or otherwise.

Who can apply

Applications are invited from producer/director/writer teams (where the producer and director are not the same person) applying through a limited company registered in Ireland subject to eligibility guidelines as follows:-

• Producers - must provide a CV demonstrating their ability to produce animation.
• Directors - must have previously directed at least one animated short film or substantial sequence in a film or series.
• There is no restriction on the number of Frameworks a Producer can receive funding for however, if a producer has previously produced a Frameworks and failed to deliver the project fully they would be ineligible to apply.
• Directors may apply to make more than one FRAMEWORKS film but may not receive funding through the scheme more than three times during a ten-year period.
• Projects submitted twice before unsuccessfully may not reapply.

For the avoidance of doubt, the writer, director and producer must all be attached at application stage and a comprehensive CV should be submitted for each individual. Please note biogs will not suffice.

Application requirements

Important Note on Timeframe

When preparing your submission applicants should carefully consider the production timeframe. It is the producer’s responsibility to ensure that the schedule and budget are achievable and that they are working to bring projects to delivery by end of May 2025. The scheme recognises that some animation methods are more time consuming and delivery deadlines are open to discussion at pitching stage.

Important Features of the Scheme

• FRAMEWORKS films should be originated and creatively led by talent who are Resident in the Republic of Ireland and produced by an ROI registered production company using an ROI based crew. Irish citizens living abroad for a time may also be considered. For the avoidance of doubt, if any applicant, creative contributor or HoD is neither an Irish citizen nor is resident in the Republic of Ireland, they are not eligible to either apply to or participate in the scheme. Please consider this very carefully before deciding to apply.
• The production company used to contract with the funder must be limited & registered in the ROI and only one company may be used to produce the film.
• Should a project be shortlisted, a company director of the applicant production company must be present at the interview.
• One producer only may be approved and credited for selected projects where they will be expected to assume full responsibility for the production and delivery of the film.
• The Executive Producer credit and role lies with Screen Ireland & RTÉ only as the sole funders of the project.
• The proposed team must demonstrate their ability and methodology to complete the project on schedule and to the agreed specification. The funders will hold the producer responsible for the project and as such the producer should ensure they have full commitment from their team prior to commencement.
• Producers must provide evidence of their ability to acquire all rights worldwide in perpetuity in all forms of media now known and to be invented.
• Particular attention should be paid to adaptation, life rights or any necessary archival materials that are essential to the project ensuring the rights are available worldwide in perpetuity in all forms of media. Evidence of availability from the source must be included with the application and costs accounted for in the submission budget.
• No outside source of funding may be added to the offer made by Screen Ireland & RTÉ.
• The following applies to production budgets of all films made under the scheme:
• The Writer, Director and Producer fees should be in line with the budget, the overall cost of the project and the intentions of the scheme. Fees deemed excessive will be adjusted should projects be selected.
  • Insurance:                   Allow 1.2% of budget
  • Contingency:              Allow 5% of budget (a production fee should not be included)                                       
• Screen Ireland & RTÉ will have approval rights over the following elements of all films made under the scheme:

1. Final script (and the funders may appoint a script editor in certain cases)
2. Budget
3. Production Schedule
4. Casting voice and/or other cast requires pre-approval
5. Animatic, Rough Cut and Final Animation Stages
6. Credits

• Any significant changes to a successful project’s screenplay, schedule, key personnel or cast that are not approved by Screen Ireland & RTÉ may result in the award being withdrawn. If such changes are necessary, they must be discussed in advance with the Funders.

Rights   

Screen Ireland will retain non-exclusive rights in all media in Ireland and non-exclusive promotional rights for the rest of the world.  RTÉ will retain non-exclusive internet rights and a number of broadcasts in Ireland. The rest of the distribution rights will remain with the film maker who can choose to appoint a sales agent or distribute the film themselves.  Screen Ireland feel this will provide vital experience in the area of distribution and will enable filmmakers to build relationships with distributors directly.  

Festivals

Screen Ireland will arrange a festival strategy meeting with filmmakers of completed projects where together we will consider the best options. A separate limited budget will be made available to producers for this, therefore festival expenses should not be included in the production budget.

Procedure

• Submissions will be examined, with consideration given to the treatment, creative notes and the creative team. We welcome applications which pay attention to authentic inclusivity and diversity within their subject matter and their teams. We aim to achieve gender balance across the selected creative teams.
• A shortlist of teams will be invited to attend an interview.
• After a project has been shortlisted for interview, any significant changes to the treatment, schedule or key personnel may result in the withdrawal by Screen Ireland  & RTÉ of the proposed interview. If such changes are necessary at this stage, they must be discussed with the funders.
• Should a project be selected for funding, any subsequent significant changes to the team or the story will be presented to the Screen Ireland Board for approval which could result in the offer being revoked.
• Teams selected must attend an information day in order to be entitled to claim their funding.

Application requirements

In order to thoroughly assess the potential of applications the following materials are required:

• Logline and Synopsis
• Script
• Visual examples ie. characters, background etc.
• Director’s Notes
• Producer’s Notes
• Links to director’s previous animation work
• Summary production budget in Euro
• Signed Evidence of Ownership of Rights (to include any necessary permissions for adaptation and/or archival clearances from their sources)
• Comprehensive CVs clearly outlining relevant previous experience for writer, director and producer role’s

How to apply

• Applications can be made online using the 'Make an Application' button on this page.
• Applications which do not meet the criteria set out in these guidelines will automatically be deemed ineligible for consideration.
• Applicants must apply through a Production Company/Producer account in the Screen Ireland online application system.

The extended deadline is 1pm, Friday 22nd March 2024.

For any enquiries relating to this scheme please email: shortsapplications@screenireland.ie.

Online submission opens Tuesday, 16th January 2024.

This page was last updated on 15/03/2024.