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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Strategic Outcome

In pursuing its mandate, the National Film Board aims to achieve the following strategic outcome:

The reflection of Canadian values and perspectives through the production of innovative Canadian audiovisual works accessible in relevant media of the day.

The NFB achieves this strategic outcome through two program activities: Production of Audiovisual Works and Distribution, Accessibility, Outreach. By producing relevant, challenging and innovative audiovisual works, the NFB gives Canadians a better understanding of Canada and the world. It also utilizes new technologies to ensure that the works of the NFB and its partners are readily and widely accessible to the Canadian public in both official languages and in all regions of the country, while helping strengthen Canada's presence in the digital realm through its internationally recognized brand.

 

Program Activity 1: Production of Audiovisual Works

Program Activity 1: Production of Audiovisual Works

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2010-2011		2011-2012		2012-2013
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
259	46,714	259	46,666	259	46,666

 

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets6
The NFB produces relevant, challenging and innovative audiovisual works that give Canadians a better understanding of Canada and the world.	Percentage of Canadian public that perceive the NFB as producing relevant, challenging and innovative audiovisual works.	50%, by March 31, 2011
	Awards, mentions, nominations and tributes earned at Canadian and international festivals.	150 by March 31, 2011
	Percentage of NFB audience that perceive the NFB as producing audiovisual works that provide a better understanding of Canada and of the world.	75%, by March 31, 2011

 

Program Activity Summary

National Film Board productions provide a uniquely Canadian perspective, recognized across Canada and around the world, thereby playing an important role in the lives of Canadians and a pivotal role in the Canadian film and television industry. The NFB's programming fosters diverse cultural and regional voices and content in both official languages by encouraging participation from Aboriginal groups and ethno-cultural communities from across the country. Production activities include the conceptualization, research, development, production and marketing of documentaries, animation films, new media content, as well as other emerging forms. Continuously innovating with the use of new production methods and technologies provides for quality works that are accessible on new and future distribution platforms.

Planning Highlights

The NFB is bringing a multiplatform, digital focus to its overall programming process. On an ongoing basis, the NFB seeks out talented Canadian artists and media-makers interested in experimenting with the creative application of digital technologies and interactivity as it relates to story, expression and community. The NFB will continue to push boundaries in filmmaking by exploring the possibilities of interactive documentary and stereoscopic 3D filmmaking projects, such as The Brain, the result of a collaboration with the world-renowned Montreal Neurological Institute.

The NFB will maintain and strengthen its ability to identify, mentor and develop the talent and creative skills of emerging filmmakers, and filmmakers from Aboriginal and diverse regional, linguistic and ethnocultural communities.

As part of its commitment to ensuring that NFB programming features unique and distinctive regional voices, the NFB will open a small office in St John's in early 2010, coinciding with a new emerging filmmaker initiative, New Screen, which the NFB will be launching in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation. Initiatives in Nunavut and with Aboriginal filmmakers will aim to develop emerging filmmakers in aboriginal communities and support the building of an aboriginal film industry.

The NFB will also meet the programming requirements of specific client groups such as the education sector, by producing English- and French-language works primarily targeted at the educational sector and tailoring other projects to the needs of educational clients through systematic consultations with stakeholders specializing in the education market.

The NFB will continue seeking out new partnerships with public and private sector organizations. For the third year in a row, it will create short films commemorating the winners of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. It will continue its collaboration with the Cirque du Soleil in another project of national significance: the signature film at the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Benefits to Canadians

The production program activity supports government priorities of cultural creativity and innovation, promotion of Canadian culture and values, and highlights significant and historic Canadian events.

The NFB plays an important role in Canada's cultural arena by helping to engage filmmakers from culturally diverse communities. Its programming fosters diverse voices and content in both official languages by encouraging participation from Aboriginal groups, ethnocultural communities and people with disabilities. Its commitment to official language minority communities has ensured a vibrant cultural community that is able to share its stories.

The NFB serves Canadians by producing the rich and diverse cultural content that reflects Canada's rapidly shifting demographic profile and which cannot otherwise be easily produced. NFB media content promotes the exploration of contemporary social issues, with an emphasis on diverse, point-of-view films that help Canadians engage with each other.

 

Program Activity 2: Distribution, Accessibility, Outreach

Program Activity 2: Distribution, Accessibility, Outreach

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2010-2011		2011-2012		2012-2013
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
135	12,733	135	12,734	135	12,734

 

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets7
The NFB's audiovisual works are accessible to the Canadian public in all regions of the country.	Percentage of Canadian population who used, accessed, viewed an NFB product.	85%, by March 31, 2011
	Number of clients, users and audience reached.	No target set
	Percentage of Canadian population who have access to NFB programming.	60%, by March 31, 2011

 

Program Activity Summary

The NFB's distribution, accessibility and outreach activities contribute to a dynamic Canadian culture and heritage. The distribution of audiovisual work includes: dissemination and commercializing its audiovisual catalogues and ancillary assets (such as its well-established stock shot library and its photo collection), developing and diversifying markets (theatrical, TV, mobile, Web and new platforms, both home consumer and institutional) in Canada and abroad. These activities make works available in communities across Canada, including those in remote, rural areas, and provide increased access to all Canadians especially those with disabilities, Aboriginal groups and official language minority groups.

Planning Highlights

NEW DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS.
The NFB will make its productions more accessible to Canadian and international audiences through digital technologies by increasing its online offerings at NFB.ca and in syndication with its online partners, while building even greater confidence in its brand. In 2010 the next phase for NFB.ca involves added features (such as HD and 3-D programming), an interactive showcase, two-way communication with users (comments, bookmarks, and special features) and transactional capabilities, such as downloads. While the NFB will continue to increase its compelling free offering, it will also begin to offer premium content and services for a fee (for its newer releases), testing different business models in doing so. These initiatives will not only help the NFB generate revenues, but they will also help expand its audience, particularly younger audiences.

A business-to-business site for buyers will also be expanded and NFB Images (the NFB's full service stock and archival footage site) will continue to increase its offerings.

The NFB will also continue to develop and enhance its online offerings to the education sector. Educators can subscribe for a premium service suited to their pedagogical needs and for use in the classroom. This will give teachers access to films available to subscribers only. By September 2010, more complex features – such as indexed study guides, curriculum-based searching and the availability of archival materials for classroom use – will have been added, and the new subscription service for educators will be officially launched.

ACCESSIBILITY AND OUTREACH.
A cornerstone of the NFB's strategic plan is to take advantage of new digital technologies to make its films available to the majority of Canadians. The e-cinema network, launched as a pilot project in January of 2008, is a key example of how the NFB is accomplishing this. Building on the experience gathered from the pilot project, it will expand the network by offering NFB content to underserviced communities in Baie Ste Marie, NS and Fogo Island, NL. In 2010–11 an evaluation of the pilot project implemented in 2007–08 will be conducted.

Another way the NFB is trying to extend its reach into underserved communities with new technologies is by exploring ways to expand access in northern remote communities. In 2010–11, an action plan will be developed based on consultations with the communities, which will include accessibility initiatives involving web, e-cinema or mobile technologies facilitated through partnerships with schools and libraries.

The NFB's outreach activities are also instrumental to strengthening our relationship with the education sector and its teachers, and making meaningful connections with young Canadians. In 2010–11, the NFB will create travelling mobile workshops for schoolchildren on digital storytelling. The workshops will build on the experience of creating workshops in partnership with Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) for the Canada Code – Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition.

Major federal partnerships have enabled the NFB to join forces with other organizations to showcase Canadian works and foster greater cultural understanding through film and media. In 2010–11, its DVD collection The Many Faces of Afghanistan, which was sent to 143 Canadian Missions, will continue to be used as part of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada's (DFAIT) Afghanistan Task Force Public Diplomacy events, or events that promote Canadian Culture. Through another key partnership with the Inuit Relations Secretariat (IRS) and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the NFB wishes to make a concrete, lasting and ongoing contribution to strengthening Inuit culture by giving Inuit communities access to their rich audiovisual heritage and offering an audiovisual legacy to Inuit and other Canadians.

Central to the accessibility strategy is a refocused marketing strategy. New orientations in marketing at the NFB will ensure that NFB productions are seen and appreciated by ever-expanding audiences. The establishment of the cross-departmental Marketing Committee will result in more structured and prioritized marketing and a focused marketing strategy that is more targeted and effective. In addition, the newly established asset management group will ensure a more effective approach to distribution, maximizing the exploitation of all the NFB's assets and cross-selling or combining assets to enhance the marketing of the collection.

COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT.
The NFB will continue the implementation of the Digitization and Digital Archiving plan and anticipates that several production, postproduction and delivery workflows will have migrated into fully digital processes by 2010–11. Additionally, as determined in the NFB's risk profile, there are security concerns about the physical collection which need to be addressed. The NFB will develop a conservation plan for its collection to ensure the preservation of its rich Canadian heritage collection for future generations.

In addition, the NFB will continue investing in its capacity to meet new technology requirements, particularly in its ability to deliver its films on many and diverse digital platforms. These investments will allow the NFB to create content that is at the leading edge in creation and will make its productions more readily available in optimal quality. Through the digitization plan, the delivery infrastructure will create Digital Source Masters (DSM) thus contributing to the preservation and wider accessibility of NFB productions. In addition, the NFB will implement an integrated information management system with improved content management capabilities. Targets and performance indicators will be set for 2010–11.

Benefits to Canadians

The NFB provides an essential service by distributing stories that reflect our history and values and interpret Canada to Canadians and to other nations. The NFB benefits Canadians with its programming by stimulating learning, renewing our shared values and contributing in the long run to a well functioning civil society. This program activity increases the visibility and awareness of the NFB and its products, through marketing, programming and distribution, and building on its strong brand.

The digital revolution provides a wealth of opportunities for the NFB to serve Canadians by making its rich collection and ongoing productions available when and where Canadians want to see them, on the platform of their choice. The great popularity of its online Screening Room and mobile application indicates that Canadians want to see more films by the NFB and will do so when these are readily accessible in ways that Canadians have come to expect. By making its films available on the Internet and on mobile platforms the NFB is also reaching more Canadian youth in the media they consume, ensuring they have access to Canadian stories and values. Through e-cinema and other forms of digital distribution the NFB is able to connect better with Canadians across the country and in both official languages, particularly in underserved communities.

The NFB's commitment to supplying the education sector with Canadian content for classrooms is the foundation for building a stronger, more cooperative federation for the future.

The NFB serves Canadians and the industry by ensuring a strong Canadian presence in a globalized, digital universe. Through its distribution activities, the NFB continues in its tradition of excellence, allowing Canadians to be both witnesses and participants in history and giving creators the freedom to explore and to innovate.

 

Program Activity 3: Revolving Fund

Program Activity 3: Revolving Fund

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2010-2011		2011-2012		2012-2013
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

 

Program Activity Summary

Operations are funded through a permanent authority from Parliament (Revolving Fund) and Parliamentary appropriations voted annually. The Revolving Fund allows the Board to make payments out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for working capital interim financing of operating costs and capital assets acquisitions.

Benefits to Canadians

The Revolving Fund allows the NFB to provide uninterrupted services to Canadians

Program Activity 4: Internal Services

Program Activity 4: Internal Services

Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands)
2010-2011		2011-2012		2012-2013
FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending	FTEs	Planned Spending
58	7,770	58	7,767	58	7,767

 

Program Activity Summary

This program activity supports internal service expectations and monitoring of overall service performance of the NFB.

Planning Highlights

The NFB's five-year strategic plan has identified organizational renewal as a key objective – to fulfill its mission it needs to be flexible, efficient and forward-thinking. A fundamental step to realizing this goal has been the reorganization of divisions, by merging nine branches into five, to create a more integrated and a coherent way of working for the NFB to better deliver on its mandate. In 2010–11 this restructuring will produce improved work processes as the new division heads work with their teams to develop new methods of organizing workflows.

An operational committee was established in the fall of 2009 with the mandate to spearhead the implementation of the Strategic Plan in accordance with the priorities set by the Commissioner and the Management Committee. In 2010–2011, a framework for cross-disciplinary collaborative work groups and processes will be developed to ensure efficient coordination of all these projects.

In addition, as part of the general restructuring and revitalization of the organization, the NFB will establish a corporate secretariat, similar to the corporate secretariat function found in other federal departments and agencies. Its objective will be to streamline the circulation of information across the NFB, and strengthen internal communications between sectors on corporate matters.

Essential to the restructuring mentioned above is creating an organization that is more responsive to the needs of its employees. As the NFB grows and changes, it will support its employees with more training, opportunities and enrichment, while adapting its work force to the new realities of the digital environment. In 2010–11 the NFB will continue training employees in new media and create a training and skills development strategy.

As stated in its strategic plan, an important component of organizational renewal is the potential relocation in 2014 of the NFB's Montreal headquarters to a more central location and to a building that is more reflective of the creative and innovative nature of the organization. A crucial first step to achieving this has been for Public Works and Government Services Canada to develop a functional and technical program (FTP), a background document that assesses the functional, operational and technical needs of the move, in close collaboration with the NFB. In 2010-11 the FTP will be completed.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
As a measure to strengthen public sector management and accountability, and ensure the effectiveness of the organization, performance indicators and targets are continually being set and used as a tool for evaluating the NFB's progress in achieving its objectives. As the NFB operationalizes its performance framework, additional indicators and targets will be added to its Management, Resources and Results Structure (MRRS). As part of this endeavour, an audience measurement framework will be established and integrated into its digital initiatives. Targets set out in the MRRS are to be attained by March 31, 2011.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
In order to anchor itself on a sound financial footing, the NFB will implement the new government policy on internal control and changes made to Treasury Board Accounting Standard TBAS 1.2. It will review the sources-of-revenue strategy to adapt it to suit new media.

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
At the NFB, analysis and compliance with the government's sound management requirements are ongoing processes as well as organizational priorities.

The NFB will continue to work towards improving management areas assessed in the round V of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF). It is expected that the NFB will be assessed under round VII of the MAF Assessment taking place in the fall of 2010.

Benefits to Canadians

This program activity provides ongoing support to NFB's Production and Accessibility programs and ensures the overall good governance and management of the NFB.

As it addresses the needs and requirements of the Government of Canada that all public resources be properly managed, the NFB contributes to the strengthening of public sector resource management and leadership, thereby contributing to appropriate stewardship of public resources, effective decision-making, and efficient policy and program delivery.

The NFB's commitment to continued responsible spending and sound financial management will allow the organization to fully utilize its resources, wealth of knowledge, talent and skills, speeding the organization's efficiency and effectiveness and overall contribution to the creative economy that is important for the nation's economic recovery. The NFB's strategic plan positions the NFB and its partners to be more competitive in the digital environment. More Canadians accessing home-grown arts and culture means increased economic activity for the sector and for Canada as a whole.

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