Screen Australia

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SPECIAL INITIATIVE

Audience Design Initiative

Screen Australia recognises the importance of raising awareness and understanding of audience design in a globally competitive feature film marketplace. The Audience Design Initiative is a purpose-built opportunity for Australian producers and key creative teams wiht scripted and documentary feature film projects.

Screen Australia will present a pre-application information webinar for interested practitioners on this initiative. It will cover what audience design is and how to use it,  the difference between demographics and psychographics and include case studies. 

Following the webinar, Screen Australia will support intensive in person workshops for selected producers and/or key creative teams led by Audience specialist Síle Culley on audience design strategy for scripted and documentary feature films. 

About Síle Culley

Since 2019, Síle has been consulting on Audience Design for both independent producers and established production companies throughout Europe and the rest of world. She facilitates and runs workshops for film teams to help them identify potential audiences for their films and the positioning of their projects in the ever-competitive marketplace. Her contribution as Audience Designer has led to international premieres at top festivals, world sales deals and theatrically-released titles, and successful applications with Creative Europe, Screen Ireland and the BFI. She is key advisor to Film i Väst on their Audience-focused initiative, and has collaborated with Screen Australia, Netherlands Film Fund, VAF Flanders and Creative Europe MEDIA.

Before this, Síle held positions in Distribution at Pulse Films, CinemaLive and Altitude Films where she worked on award-winning campaigns and on box-office records, ranging from Cannes buzz indies and Oscar-nominated animations, to boyband concerts and live opera.

She is an industry expert for Eurimages, as well as the Director of The Audience Design Lab for the International Screen Institute. Síle is a voting member of the European Film Academy and an alumna of Berlinale Talents, Torino Film Lab, LIM Less Is More and the NFTS. She is also the founder of The Breakfast Club, a peer-to-peer network for women working in the Business of Film in Ireland.   

Aims

  • The primary aim is to build skills and awareness for producers and/or key creatives to enable them to effectively advance their scripted or documentary feature film projects in audience design. 

What is the opportunity?

  • A webinar aimed at all Australian key creatives wanting to know more about audience design strategies for scripted or documentary feature films. Screen Australia will provide a pre-recorded webinar on 30 May 2025. 
  • Following an application and review process conducted by Screen Australia, five mid-career producers and/or key creative teams will be chosen to take part in individual two-day workshops in Sydney with Síle Culley. They will work on the positioning of their films in relation to audiences. Three scripted/narrative feature films and two documentary feature films will be selected. 
  • Screen Australia will pay for domestic travel and accommodation for successful participants residing outside of Sydney for up to two members of a successful team. 

WHO CAN APPLY

Applications for this initiative are open to anyone who:

  • Meets all requirements and conditions in our Terms of Trade, any general eligibility or other requirements set out on Screen Australia's website (see Information for Applicants and Information for Recipients), as well as the specific eligibility criteria set out below;
  • Is an individual or a team with a current Australian sole trader or company ABN.  If applying as an individual who is not a producer, a producer must be attached to the projects applying for consideration;
  • Is a key creative (e.g., producer, writer/director or writer) who has mid to high level experience (minimum 2 credits) in episodic or one-off productions in the screen sector (television, feature films) that have been produced and distributed to audiences. Please note, self-released projects on YouTube, Vimeo or other online platforms are note eligible for the purposesof this program; 
  • Has an active slate of feature film projects in development (scripted or documentary), with at least one-to-two projects at treatment or completed script stage; and
  • Has participated in, or reviewed a recording of the webinar from 30 May 2025.

Note: the webinar will be removed from Screen Australia's website at 5pm AEST 26 June 2025 when applications close.

Applicants must be available to attend workshops in person in Sydney. Workshops are scheduled to occur between Thursday 11 September and Friday 26 September 2025, with specific dates to be coordinated with successful applicants/teams. 

How and when can I apply?

Applications close 5pm AEST Thursday26 June 2025, and can be made through Screen Australia’s application portal with the following materials:

  • A completed online application form including contact details and confirmation of eligibility;
  • Two-to-three page CV for all key team members
  • A current list of projects on your slate and the stage they are at in regards to development and financing; 
  • For one-to-two of your selected feature projects, a dossier including:
  • Logline
  • Synopsis
  • Production company profile (including credits and festivals),
  • Producer’s Statement (including audience and market notes)
  • Director’s Statement (including tone and visual references)
  • Writer’s Statement (including inspiration and process)
  • Tech information Statement (language/genre/financiers/project status/other relevant information);
  • A completed script or treatment of one-to-two selected feature projects. 

If you have access requirements that make it difficult for you to submit your application in the requested format or if you require other adjustments to be made, please email [email protected] for the program you are applying to, or call 1800 507 901, so we can assist.

First Nations Content, Collaboration and Participation

Screen Australia supports the telling of First Nations stories by First Nations creatives and storytellers and/or meaningful collaboration with the First Nations communities to which these stories belong.

Whenever there is First Nations content and/or First Nations community participation in the project, or when there are First Nations members of the team who do not have the authority to speak for the people or place being represented in the story, you will need to follow the checklists from Pathways & Protocols: a film maker’s guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts.

The checklists include a statement on how you are approaching the First Nations content, (even if you believe the content is not specific to a community or individual), evidence of your collaboration to date and where relevant, signed letters of consent confirming the community and/or individual’s willingness to collaborate.

Inclusive Storytelling

For Australian screen content to effectively deliver cultural and economic benefits it must speak to, and be for, all Australians. A diversity of ideas and a diverse workforce will enhance the Australian screen industry, making it more relevant to Australian audiences and more competitive internationally.

Screen Australia is committed to building equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility into its programs and into our engagement with the community.

Screen Australia encourages applications from applicants from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences. In particular, the agency welcomes applications from applicants who are First Nations, d/Deaf and disabled, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTIQ+, women or gender diverse, regionally based, or those from other under-represented groups.

Screen Australia strives to make its programs accessible by removing barriers for people who are d/Deaf and disabled and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Screen Australia expects that any experiences portrayed through the narrative and characters which are aimed at illustrating diverse perspectives are reflected within the key creative team with appropriate representation and lived experience. It is vital the creative team has the cultural authorship to tell the story so that telling of the story is authentic.

How are applications assessed?

Screen Australia’s Program Operations team will review each application to ensure eligibility and that required application materials have been provided. Once confirmed, the applicant will receive an email advising that their application has moved to assessment.

Applications will be assessed by Screen Australia executives and/or industry specialists as required against the following criteria:

  • The demonstrable experience of the applicant/team
  • The calibre of the applicant/team’s slate of projects
  • The benefit to the applicant/team to be derived from the workshop experience. 

All projects involving First Nations content or participation will be assessed in conjunction with First Nations assessors.

Applicants will be advised of the outcome by 1 August 2025.

If you are unsure about your eligibility or have questions about the application form, please email us at development@screenaustralia.gov.au or call Program Operations on 1800 507 901. Please note that we are not able to provide creative advice or suggestions to strengthen your application.