Salter Street Films, winner of the hotly contested digital derby for an indie film channel, is in the process of setting up carriage arrangements and sourcing material for its winning app, The Independent Film Channel Canada. But filmmakers who think this new specialty will open up a whole new funding source might have a wait ahead of them.

‘We have to be realistic about the economics of the channel at the outset,’ says Catherine Tait, president and coo of Salter Street Films.

‘We’re going to be reaching a smaller audience because of the digital platform, and right out of the gate I don’t think there would be an earth-shattering effect on independent production. However, we will begin developing independent features and strategic relationships that will provide young filmmakers with work.’

Julia Sereny of Sienna Films, a producer of New Waterford Girl, is under no illusions about the ifcc’s potential for short-term contribution to Canadian production.

‘As with any start-up, they’re going to need a lot of inventory. And I suspect that acquisitions will have to play a major part of the programming off the top, but I’m optimistic that they’ll get into the business of doing presales and equity and be a real player in the film production community.’

The channel does have plans to eventually participate in production.

‘We’ll be looking at digital video, which is a lower-budget format [than conventional film] and actually licensing original work,’ says Tait. ‘Most of the digital licences that have been issued are limited in terms of feature films; they can’t trigger the kind of licences we would want right out of the gate. Licence fees for feature-length digital video, for instance, cost hundreds of thousands [of dollars] and trigger licences will go down obviously from that.’

Salter Street Films, the parent of The Independent Film Channel Canada (owned 95% by Salter and 5% by Toronto’s Triptych Media), will be ‘overseeing the coproductions that the channel will be financing and [the channel] will have a budget for licensing and development of new films as well.’

Elizabeth McDonald, president and ceo of the cftpa, says: ‘They will contribute to Canadian features but I don’t think they’ll be the driver that tmn has been as quickly.’

Unlike pay specialty TMN-The Movie Network at its launch, ifcc is tied into a technology with little acceptance.

‘We’re looking at the launch of new services and a push to a new technology which has fairly – relative to other launches – low-penetration,’ says McDonald.

‘This is a very different launch from previous cable launches. It will have to be very market-driven. It’s tied to a new technology that’s just beginning to penetrate whereas previous [technologies] were available to a wide number of subscribers from the first day. It’ll be a tougher marketing job. It’s a new technology; it’s very consumer friendly. It’s just difficult when we’re in a transition period. On the other hand, the uptake with satellite is good and it’s going to be interesting to watch.’

Whether ifcc manages to drive production or not, McDonald is sure the channel’s potential as a showcase for Canadian film will benefit the industry.

‘It’s important to understand the role tv plays for independent producers. Any new outlet that has a mandate to focus on feature film with Canadian-content requirements is critical. Just look back at if tmn were not in the picture: the window, the financing, all is key. This is another window, another outreach to Canadians – all of this is very positive,’ says McDonald.

‘One of our problems is to get a forum for Canadian features. Sometime fans [of a particular film] come from the fact that they are able to see it on tmn. I think that Canadian movies are very credible. The problem is when they’re competing against blockbuster American movies, Canadian movies have a problem getting noticed and getting picked [by audiences]. Having a window dedicated to Canadian movies is absolutely key,’ she says.

‘And don’t forget that how people choose to watch tv is different from how they go to films. People cruise through with the clicker and may choose something. tv has a better chance to tantalize and draw in audience.’

‘This channel, coupled with the already existing tmn, coupled with the new Feature Film Fund all should mean much a brighter environment for Canadian film.’

As for word on what ifcc is offering for product, Tait is non-specific. ‘We’re in the process of putting together those budgets and securing carriage with the distributors. Once we have a commitment from them we’ll be able to formalize budget. We’re not actually committing to licence fees until we know what that budget is going to be.’

And independent film is not the channel’s only staple: the licence, which stipulates a maximum of 60% theatrical feature films and no more than 25% for long-form documentary, allows for the schedule to contain other forms of programming – ‘short films and series that would be magazine or information style,’ says Tait.

‘So, for example, in the short film area we might be looking at short films that deal with certain subject areas in different countries. For the magazine-style format we’d be looking for shows like a movie review show in the Siskel and Ebert tradition. We might look at the technique of filmmaking. We are looking to independent producers to come in with ideas was well.’

Tait’s plans for the channel include themed packages of films. ‘Seeing a film in isolation, one of a filmmaker’s films, is a certain experience. Being able to see a body of work, that’s a different experience. It’s like seeing one Picasso rather than a roomful of Picassos. I would argue that the latter is the more valuable experience. That’s the approach we take to film; showing it in context. We could show films that deal with social issues – gay politics, for example, [as a themed package]. There’s an enormous body of work that mainstream audiences never see, an enormously rich territory to be able to start mining.

‘In my experience, in the u.s. over 2,000 independent films are made every year; probably 200 independent films make it to the festival circuit and maybe 20 receive some restricted distribution and maybe one or two receive broad distribution. In Canada, it’s a not dissimilar story – maybe 100 short independent films are made every year and 20 independent feature films and very few of them reach broad distribution. They’re not necessarily as commercially viable as a Hollywood film and don’t have that money-muscle behind them.

‘There’s an enormous body of work that we can mine and bring to the screen, but people want to know about what’s new and fresh and bring it to the screen. That will become more clear in the second and third year.’

Conditions of licence for the channel include staggered Canadian content requirements that climb to 60% in the seventh year. *

-www.salter.com