Market & Audience – Audience Testing

Applicants and projects must meet Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, any general eligibility or other requirements listed on the agency’s website (see Information for Applicants and Information for Recipients), as well as the specific eligibility criteria set out in these guidelines.

Specific requirements apply to projects which involve First Nations participation or content.

Specific requirements may apply to projects which involve community participation or content with the following communities: d/Deaf, disabled, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQIA+, or those from other under-represented groups.

This program is open to arms-length co-applicants consisting of the project’s distributor and the project’s production company for theatrical Feature Film titles. To be eligible, co-applicants must:

• be incorporated companies carrying on business in Australia, with central management and control in Australia;
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN);
• be registered for the purposes of GST if required by law;
• for the production company co-applicant, be arms-length to the distribution company and be the producer of the title and maintain and retain control of the rights necessary to carry out the project, meaning that it must have clear Chain of Title and must generally be party to any underlying rights agreements; and
• for the distribution company co-applicant, be arms-length to the production company and be the bona fide ANZ distributor of the title with a distribution agreement in place.

The following types of entities are not eligible to apply to this program:

• Commonwealth, state, territory or local government agencies or bodies; and
• any organisations that are otherwise excluded pursuant to the Information for Applicants.

To be eligible, the project must:

• be a theatrical feature film that is in receipt of Screen Australia Narrative Content, Scripted or First Nations Production Funding;
• not be locked or locking the cut of the film within the application and decision timeframe if requesting audience testing to inform the cut of the film;
• not have commenced theatrical release or exhibition in Australia if requesting audience testing to inform campaign, positioning and audience strategy;
• be not more than 18 months from confirmed release date if requesting audience testing to inform campaign, positioning and audience strategy;
• have been developed by Australian production companies/producers and creatives, not sub-contracted from a commissioning platform;
• provide a quote or quotes and outline of services for audience testing from an Australian or global bona fide audience testing provider. Screen Australia defines a bona fide audience testing provider as a business whose focus is to provide insights (qualitative and quantitative) on a project through testing locally and/or globally audience insights and trends on a project and the territories that the project will be available); and
• have secured a Rest of World (ROW) Sales Agent.

The following projects/costs are not eligible for funding:

• narrative projects for which the first and primary window is not theatrical feature film;
• narrative projects that are not in receipt of Screen Australia Narrative Content, Scripted or First Nations Production Funding;
• projects that are not prior to post-production or prior to release;
• capital works or purchases;
• retrospective costs;
• purchase of underlying Intellectual Property;
• non-narrative projects, such as documentary, factual, sporting or entertainment (i.e. panel shows and variety shows); and
• educational and training programs and projects.

For full eligibility information, please refer to the attached guideline documents.

Before applying co-applicants must read and understand these guidelines, Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, Information for Applicants, Information for Recipients, and preview the application form on SmartyGrants.

Co-applicants are required to provide information in the application form and upload the following submission materials with their application form:

Creative:

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan for the Audience testing or campaign activity for the activity being applied for, where applicable (for example, a title may wish to test the title globally with regards to a specific community)
• First Nations Statement for the Audience testing or campaign activity for the activity being applied for, where applicable (for example, a title may wish to test the title regionally).

Budget:

• Budget for eligible costs and any co-contribution provided by co-applicant or third party which directly relate to the activity of audience testing
• apply for a maximum amount of $15,000
• a quote or quotes for audience testing from Australian and/or global bona fide audience testing provider(s)
• confirmation that the distributor, producer, key creatives will be involved in and receive audience testing report/s

Materials:

• Company Biographies for each co-applicant
• Company Biography for each audience testing provider
• Preliminary campaign Strategy and Schedule
• Audience Testing Strategy
• Distribution Agreement evidencing an arms-length relationship between distributor and producer/production company.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

For full details on the application process, please refer to the attached guidelines.

Applications will be assessed the following criteria:

Audience strategy:

• Does the project have the potential to resonate with specific or broad Australian and/or global audiences, and will it invite them to buy a ticket?
• Will the story have impact for audiences and/or reflect the depth and diversity of people and experiences from around Australia?
• Does the preliminary campaign and audience testing strategy align with its intended audience reach?

Campaign strategy:

• Is the preliminary campaign to be informed by audience testing activity strong and distinctive for the title?
• Is the preliminary campaign suited to its platform and intended audience?
• Does the preliminary campaign have potential to support discoverability and impact of the title?

Audience testing strategy:

• Does the previous experience and/or track record of the co-applicants position them to execute the audience testing strategy?
• Will the timing, provider and team work collaboratively on the audience testing strategy and is there evidence that audience testing will impact the project and/or campaign?
• Will audience testing support the impact of this title?

Other factors may be considered including the:

• availability of funds;
• range of projects in receipt of direct funding from Screen Australia, inclusive of a project’s scale, budget, intended audience, genre and themes;
• range of applicants in receipt of direct program funding from Screen Australia, inclusive of applicant, applicant company and geographic diversity; and
• extent to which a project is likely to effectively and properly increase and amplify equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

For full details on the assessment criteria, please refer to the attached guidelines.