Music Video Grants - a variation

I know funding debates and the cost of music videos have both been done to death, but I was intrigued to read this in an interview with Chris Graham in the latest Pavement:

...Graham thinks the standard $5000 grant is actually hurting the film community. Filmmakers are "creatively suffocated" by having to stick to cheap ideas and although suppliers give discount rates because they want to support New Zealand musicians and crews work for cheap or even free, goodwill only lasts so long.
"It's better to make half as many videos and make them for 10 grand because then at least everyone can go home with $200 in their pockets."
(Pavement - Summer 03/04 issue)

The reason it stood out is because it touches on quite a few different topics on which nzmers have generally expressed opposing views.

Forums: NZ Music,

There is only a few vids funded every year anyway really, and of those how many are getting good airplay- maybe instead of dispensing 'short-change' to bands based on their songs, directors should forward proposals to NZOA including the song & storyboards etc. to vie for more funding on the merits of their idea?

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// maybe instead of dispensing 'short-change' to bands based on their songs

haha...buddy, you wouldn't be calling it "short change" if you guys got some love from NZOA. Your latest vid cost a great deal less then $5k and it looks very cool.

//haha...buddy, you wouldn't be calling it "short change" if you guys got some love from NZOA. Your latest vid cost a great deal less then $5k and it looks very cool.

I think our vid looks fucking fab for what we paid for it. You're right though, we certainly would stick our noses up in the air about it, given the opportunity.

and

//ah yes...but if the funding were $10k...then after 3-4 years would directors be whining and asking for more?

Yes. People can't help themselves, it is the way the industry works, until we find better solutions for less dollars.....wonder if this ever happen.

// maybe instead of dispensing 'short-change'

Don't get me wrong blink, I was just responding to Chris's comment:

//Filmmakers are "creatively suffocated" by having to stick to cheap ideas

Do you disagree with this?

I do disagree with this.

I feel short changed when bands can't even afford to pay me $50 for photos.
I feel short changed when either i design album artwork for free or i ask a friend to do it for free

There are many, many aspects of this industry that need more money before music video funding gets more. Many directors can make kick ass vids for $5k and don't complain.

This is by means a personal attack on Chris, I know how he feels about this, and I appreciate that he feels his art is being cheapened....but what about the rest of us fuckers who don't get shit?

//...3-4 years would directors be whining and asking for more?

Well there's always going to be whiners, no matter what changes (if any) need to be made. The possible negative reactions of some people shouldn't preclude a decision to make a positive change for the majority. I don't really have a definitive opinion on this, but I'm interested in the discussion.

But from NZOA's perspective, where the primary objective is airplay, do you think that NZOA vids would get more plays per year if there were fewer, but better funded ideas?

Unlike Chris I'm not suggesting that there's a correlation between 'better funded' and 'creatively better', just in terms of competing for airplay with dominant american mainstream vids. You can hardly say that most of that big budget stuff has a scrap of creativity put into it, yet with the bigger budgets 'n all... ???

// This is by means a personal attack on Chris

Haha, you big meanie, blink.

NZOA do not care about the artistic merit of a video, just as do not care about the artistic merit of a song. It is all about its commercial viability....NZOA used to take a different outlook with video funding, but now the song has to be radio friendly as well...they decided there was no point giving money to fund videos which wouldn't go on to get airplay.

Less Videos being funded means any "less commercial bands "who might get a lucky break from NZOA every now and then, would now be fucked. It will just mean that Bic Runga gets to have twice as much catering :)

// This is by means a personal attack on Chris

hahah...shit...did i not stick the "no" in there...'doh.

I love chris and the love he puts into nzmusic..i have much, much respect!!

what a greedy bastard. 5 grand is heaps of money to spend on a video.
good ideas are no more expensive than the shit ones we have to watch.
now in the digital age this kind of escapade should be cheaper than ever.

but the nz or AIr are elitist f@#ks
if there was any sort of fair minded system there should be no grants for major lable acts!!!!!!!!!!!!
and
perhaps
and don't get me wrong here. this is just an inking of an idea.
maybe NZ on AIR could score their own gear;
CAMERAS, LIGHTS, FAST RENDERING COMPUTERS, LEGIT WAREZ
hire some in house experts. (editors, technicians, directors
lose 90% of the f@*king commitee
and give everyone the opportunity to make a video on a case by case basis
same with the recording grants (why not just save a few million and build a non profit studio)

but some guy who gets given money to make films, complaining about being given money to make films,
should try making films with no money.

toss
er

It's heratbreking stuff for a lot of musicians out there wanting their submission pushed through to the next round of grants. Quite frankly sometimes, I would rather rub a bottle and have a genie appear and wipe all video grants to allow the artisit more freedom without the grief grant brings with it.

Like Foetusboys idea of submitting to the NZQA., but hey man, what kind of infrastructures have they got in place for musicians? I'm interested to know. Does anyone else know?

I'd also be interested to know why Chris Graham said it. Maybe because he's sick to death with all the stupid and sill questions that most people throw at them, perhaps more intelligent questions will be applicable.

foetus boys idea?????? rinsa!!!!!!!!
19:02 · 13 Dec 03

Best of the Boards » NZon AIR funding » yeah this is a good idea trillion,
and perhaps instead of just allocating the grant on the merits of the track (Nz on Air system)
the grant could be given to the artists who have a creative propsal as to what kind of video to make!
I've seen a lot of good bands recieve video grants with a good track
and then waste it on a shitty video concept which gets played twice
on channel 4

Yeah, we know this is pretty much a delayed echo of other posts..

but you took the bait dude

ah yes...but if the funding were $10k...then after 3-4 years would directors be whining and asking for more?

also, the $5k was ALWAYS meant to be met half way by the label.....NZOA found the figure of $5000, by finding out that a good clip could be made for $10K and dividing it by half.

I love Chris Graham and he is a good cunt, but I say, that $5K be more then enough. When a band needs to spend more then that, that is about the time they will have label support and the $5K means nothing anyway.

// was ALWAYS meant to be met half way by the label

and i know they've given up with this dream now.

i rekn if fools want cool vids, then dont simply rely on the grant you get..

put some of your own fucking cash into it

i recon anyone who starts a sentence with i recon must be billowing over with intellect. and i also recon, that if new zealand wants its bands to be keeping up with an international standard of quality of music, image and exposure, then more money should be poured into the bands that are good. it is the bands responcibility to make fucking good music that people can relate to and want to hear. not to sell sausages outside the warehouse to fundraise for their fucking video clip. overseas, music pays for all the bells and whistles of video clips. sorry to say folks, but thats why linkon part can afford mean c.g. in their videos. music pays for all that shit. how many nz bands have shitty videos. quite a few. nz on air should decide which bands are going to be pushed in the media and then fucking push them. give them a mean video. give them expencive haircuts, clothes and underpants. and make them national icons. the music will then pay back for all of that. take john toogood. he's gone from sitting on a couch,(home again) to sitting inside some sort of firewall(castles in the sand) and all he had to do was say "castles" like an american! come on nz. give our bands the rockstardom they deserve. before they leave and make fuckloads of cash elsewhere.

if less bands get funded, we go back to the mid nineties again when the only bands on the radio are shitty pop/rock. Since NZOA begun, it has meant a HUGE boost for nzmusic across the board. To change their structure could spell the end of all the good work done.

//It is all about its commercial viability

//we go back to the mid nineties again when the only bands on the radio are shitty pop/rock

Why wouldn't NZOA make a decision to support more MOR vids ? I mean, that's their mandate, likelyhood of commercial airplay. I'm not saying it's right or anything, but are we questioning how much vid $5K gets you, or which sort of bands should get the $5K in the first place???

which bands should get given the grants? the one who do get the money are obviously the bands which the record label, and or nz on air see as able to make them the most money, the ones who are marketable and easy to make popular. Unfrotunately this seems to quite often be medioka crap which any gorrilla with a guitar could mimic after learning three chords and a powerchord. There needs to be some form of median. Some middle ground where due to clever marketing and a bit of balls, where new sounding original bands are made public. Are given the same opportunities as those other mor bands, if not better opportunities, to try and allow nz to flourish as an original sounding country. We dont want our bands to be known overseas because they sound like fucking american music. We want them to be noticed as original sounding, and new zealand sounding musicians.

Obviously there are people out there with their own musical taste and opinions. For the other 95% of people, they will like what ever is being played on their choice of radio station. They let the station deciepher for them what they will like and disslike. If these people were suddenly introduced to some new sounding music that was then played as frequently as the fucking feelers new single "larger thatn shit" maybe they would like that too. Chances are they would. Why wouldnt they? Its on their radio station. The media tool forming all their musical tastes for them. After all, those who have musical tastes own CDs by the shitlaod. Those who dont, listen to Channel Z.

man..i'm confused.

I figured the underlying message of this forum was bascially..

"Should NZOA give half as many bands twice as much money for videos?"

Your argument that directors/bands should be only given money if proven they can make a great vid, through storyboards, experience etc...

My argument that NZOA don't care. They want to get more nz music on the tv and the radio...that is their aim, not to make "better" videos.

All that will happen is the "major label" artists will continue to recieve money (but twice as much) and all the smaller bands won't get a dime.

Mikey.

Your long, un-punctuated comments which seem off topis and irrelevant are just confusing man.

//the "major label" artists will continue to recieve money (but twice as much) and all the smaller bands won't get a dime.

I know what you're saying dude, and being in a smaller band myself of course I'd feel stink if our chances of funding were reduced.

I guess I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here- bear with me- but you and I both know that NZOA don't care about little bands when evaluating their video grant decisions. They'd be outside their mandate if they did. It's about likelyhood of commercial airplay. It's about big bands, right?

// It's about likelyhood of commercial airplay. It's about big bands, right?

nope, it's about bands with commercial airplay potential. you don't have to be big to be radio-friendly.

// And those coke clips are a bit suss. Run in conjunction with Satellite Pictures who were also the judges, who also shot the clip. Sounds like a few conflict of interests in there.

It would be a conflict of interest if one of the bands in the competition had some sort of connection with Satellite or Coke. I don't think there's anything dodgy with a company running its own competition. Besides, wasn't the winner ultimately decided by public vote?

//you don't have to be big to be radio-friendly.

Oh, agreed. I guess what I mean is how do NZOA measure their success- by airplay quota generated by the bands they've funded, or by the number of smaller, radio friendly bands they fund per year. In the end they have to question which bands will take the funding the furtherest, and I would have thought that a well established band will usually get more mileage than a new band.

sorry about my punctuation(and spelling).
I just feel the bitterness of a unknown mucisian in a great band, with a great message, who has to turn on juice and watch shit videos from shit bands, like rubicon and the feelers. not to mention fucking r&b nad hip hop shite. Surely the are better things nz has to offer than remastered mimiced, and dumbed down versions of this shit. There are definately bands out there who deserve at least a little of the recognition these 'right place right time' cheezedick "musicians" are recieving, and surely these grants air aimed at or at least claimed at giving these true miusicians that chance?! I just cant stand to watch this moccery of real bands, this human injustice of giving opportunities to those who are willing to ape american crap.

// but you and I both know that NZOA don't care about little bands when evaluating their video grant decisions.

I think they do a pretty good job. Welly bands The Accelerants and 1QA both got funding in the last round. these are not "Big" bands.

NZOA do actually make an effort to find out the "little" bands making waves.

Also, since when did having a "better" video mean more airplay? I can a bunch of fucken wicked videos that saw fractional airplay...when compared to "best indie video of the year" by 48May

mikey.

your sentiments are appreciated...but this isn't the forum to be discussing it.

// how do NZOA measure their success-
// by airplay quota generated by the bands they've funded

from what I've seen of NZ On Air press releases, and their own mission statement, this is exactly it. They're almost entirely focussed on getting NZ radio (and music video) figures up. Who's doing it for them, big or little bands, is irrelevant, and I don't think the relative size or popularity of a band would play a large part in any funding decision.

(specifically 'large part' - for, of course, it would be difficult to entirely remove a bands popularity from the equation - high profile acts already have one foot in the door with regards to convincing commercial radio stations to play them, so as you point out, this factor may sway the decision makers a bit on some of the closer calls).

I'd like to think that NZOA don't have any particular bias towards bigger and major label acts, and I think the video grants that were handed out last year (mostly to indie label bands) reflect this.

//giving opportunities to those who are willing to ape american crap.

It's been posted somewhere before. I'm with you, I believe that basing funding decisions purely on likelyhood of MOR airplay hardly celebrates anything unique or vital about the music we make in NZ, and that it could in fact be destroying/homogonising it. I just don't know how else a funding model would work. How do you quantify 'New Zealand music' other than geographically?

Anyway, the original discussion was about whether a 5K grant 'creatively suffocates' a director, and whether that matters given the NZOA mandate.

also...lets not try and bring this forum to a "bitching about NZOA's funding policy" becuase that shit has been discussed time and time again.

cut to the chase. Would $10K budgets make a noticable difference? Do we need them? Would it be really beneficial to nz Artists?

// I'd like to think that NZOA don't have any particular bias towards bigger and major label acts, and I think the video grants that were handed out last year

yes...i think this is because of the large number of grants. Noizy, do you think that if the amount of video grants were halved...then the amount of majors/indies getting funding would be dropped 50/50 or do you think (like me) that the majors (more liklely to gain airplay) would be the first to get funding and the (slightly more risky) indies would lose out?

someone at EMI told me Goldenhorse where on them...and that Siren was just a token label thing.....i think the person at EMI wasn't really in the know on this one though.....mayby someone vould clarify?

jesus, long way to the top of this thread. anyway...

here's the info about siren records of nzmusic.org:

"Founded by Tracy Magan and Adrien De Croy in 2001 Siren is a new label signing serious singer / songwriters. Tracy used to manage Dave Dobbyn, The Exponents, The Feelers and Anika Moa and started this label a year after coming back to NZ from a world tour with U2. Adrien wrote the software Wingate and owns York Street Studios."

Which would make me think they're a 'proper' standalone indie label, as opposed to just a stamp that EMI just throw on releases they want to have indie cred with.

http://www.nzmusic.org.nz/pag.cfm?i=538 ]

//lets not try and bring this forum to a "bitching about NZOA's funding policy"

Oh, I'm yawning just thinking about it...

welll thats nice

// It would be a conflict of interest if one of the bands in the competition had some sort of connection with Satellite or Coke. Besides, wasn't the winner ultimately decided by public vote?

One of the members of Bolbox Rex goes out with Jane Yee who works at Satellite. And the winner may have been by public vote, but the shortlist of three was decided by them.

//Also, since when did having a "better" video mean more airplay?

Well it depends who's asking. If it's NZOA, then wouldn't that be about right? They don't just fund videos to win awards shows, eh. Like you said, it's not about creative merit.

yep. the ability for the NZ On Air crew to slip in a few leftfield acts in each round would be dramatically lessened.

ulimately, Chris Graham has a point regarding the $5000 being an impediment to film-makers, and it does limit the amount that can be done. But (a) NZOA aren't in the business of furthering and funding local film makers careers, they just want to get the local music on air, great video, good video or mediocre video. and (b) for a new band, a $5000 grant is a heap of cash to make a video with, especially if you've got mates who work at Oktobor or some other post-production whiz shop. More established bands should, as you point out above somewhere, be hitting up their labels for more cash to make videos - I mean, really, who ultimately stands to benefit financially from a well-made video that generates radio and tv play, and album/single sales for a band? The label? Or NZ On Air?

too long typing, that 'yep' was in reply to...

// Noizy, do you think that if the amount of video grants were halved...

I guess NZOA would be doing someone elses job if they began to consider whether $5000 was 'fair' or not to directors. And it's true thet there are plenty of examples where NZOA can say they've achieved what they wanted with the funding they've given.

And a director can always pick and choose- I mean surely they don't rely soley on NZOA to pay for their groceries, and there's probably a ton of other reasons for feeling 'creatively stiffled' than how much they're being paid.

//NZOA publishes data on how many times each clip gets paid.

Where do I find that data- I've done a quick rummage through the site but came up dry.

I mean, it would probably be more of an issue to me if NZOA were the ones complaining that not enough good vids were being made with their grants.

It was a hard copy print out that I saw at a friends work. Obviously some of the clips would still be in production but there were a lot of blanks when it came to times played.

Oh, BTW blink re the whole 'small bands come last 'thing from before,

//The Accelerants and 1QA both got funding in the last round. these are not "Big" bands.

The only independant artist who qualified for a video grant in the last funding round was Fastcrew with 'Suburbia.'

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Whoa, if you focus too much when scrolling up this thread your eyes start to hurt... anyway,

//They don't just fund videos to win awards shows, eh.

I wanted to clarify this point a bit- I'd like to think that awards for creative merit don't take the number of plays a video has recieved into account. What has that got to do with it? Rather the creativity displayed relative to the budget available should earn you your award.

What contrbution have award winning vids had to airplay, as opposed to large budget vids? That'd be an interesting statistic!