Introduction to the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development ROC Ministry of Culture

Preface

The Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID) was established May 20, 2012 under the Ministry of Culture. It undertakes missions previously performed by the former Government Information Office of the Executive Yuan to provide assistance for the development of Taiwan’s film, radio & TV, and popular music industries.

Organizational Structure

BAMID has one director general, two deputy director generals, and one chief secretary. Its operations are carried out by three divisions: the Motion Picture Industry Division; the Radio and Television Industry Division; and the Popular Music Industry Division. Each division comprises three sections: a general affairs section; a production assistance section; and a marketing promotion section. In addition, BAMID has four administrative offices: the Secretariat; the Personnel Office; the Accounting Office; and the Ethics Office.  

Scope of Operations


I.Motion Picture Industry

Taiwan cinema, possessing its own distinctive character, vaulted onto the world stage with its New Wave Movement of the 1980s. Cinematic works, involving much more than techniques of motion picture image production, are fusions of multifaceted cultural and artistic elements as well as investment arrangements. In view of the interplay of such diverse factors, BAMID formulates and administers a wide variety of programs to advance technological sophistication, boost creative energy and talents, enhance the quality and quantity of domestic film productions, facilitate multi-source financing, and promote international cooperation.

Cultivation of Talents

• Assistance in conduct of cinema-related training activities in order to nurture outstanding internationally competitive talents; encouragement of cooperative intern work programs between film enterprises and educational institutions so as to advance coordination between academia and industry, and to promote transmission of experience and skills.       
• Administration of funds for assistance in production of short films, aimed at encouraging enthusiastic creative talents who lack funding for film shooting and, thereby, to steadily develop their abilities to produce feature-length motion pictures. 

Production Assistance

• Administration of funds for assistance in domestic production of feature-length films deemed to have good market potential, multi-faceted creative features, and/or superior cultural and artistic value. 
• Provision of assistance and subsidies enabling filmmakers to employ professional screenwriters to develop story concepts, or to produce screenplays adapted from existing works of literature or comic books for movies which have good market potential.   
• Provision of administrative coordination to facilitate governmental agencies’ interaction with filmmakers who wish to use film-shooting sites under their respective jurisdictions.   

Utilization of New Techniques

• Encouragement of domestic filmmakers to acquire advanced digital production equipment to enhance digital content quality.
• Provision of subsidies aimed at encouraging domestic filmmakers to utilize digital visual special effect techniques to develop innovative story lines and produce a greater diversity of film genres. 

Marketing Promotion

• Provision of diversified assistance for conducting as well as participating in marketing and exhibition activities abroad, to elevate Taiwan cinema’s distinctive international profile.        
• Promotion of cinematic education programs aimed at cultivating young peoples’

artistic sensibilities, widening their global perspectives, and stimulating the growth of domestic film viewership in Taiwan.

• Conduct of international documentary film festivals and screening tours to nurture the talents of documentary filmmakers and boost viewership of their works.   

 Awards and Incentives

• Stimulation of cinematic screenplay production by supporting competitions for eliciting and promoting outstanding screenplays, and by sponsoring of the Golden Harvest Awards in recognition of highly original screenplay works.
• Provision of assistance to Taiwan’s motion picture enterprises and related key creative artists for participation in international film festival activities; granting of financial rewards to key film production personnel and creative artists whose cinematic works have won awards at major film festivals.

  

II. Radio and Television Industry

BAMID provides diverse rewards, incentives and assistance to the radio & TV industry in the spheres of talent development, program production and marketing with a special focus on digital convergence. The aim is to help television and radio enterprises take advantage of the newest technologies and develop innovative strategies to advance the processes and concepts of program production, to boost their productiveness and international competitiveness and, thereby, to expand their foreign markets and global clout.    

Cultivation of Talents

• Encouragement of cooperation between business and educational organizations to design and provide specialized curricula focusing on the development of talent in the fields of screenwriting, directing, performance, production processes, audiovisual special effects, and post-production operations.  
• Commissioning of various organizations to keep the radio & television industry abreast of the latest developments and trends by providing training programs for industry personnel, wherein world-class instructors or outstanding program production teams are invited to conduct training symposia in Taiwan to augment the knowledge and skills of middle- and high-level personnel.

Production Assistance

BAMID provides financial assistance for production of TV drama series; televised films; TV programs for children; TV variety shows; TV documentaries; TV screenwriting and radio programs. Such assistance focuses on program content innovation; development of formats for audiovisual informational presentation; Internet utilization and cross-media integration; and consideration of international market appeal. Its general aims are to boost the productivity and stability of Taiwan’s television and radio content providers and to fortify the international competitiveness of its TV productions.

Production Assistance of Creative Cross-Platform Audiovisual Programs for Utilizing New Media

BAMID provides financial assistance for production of creative cross-platform audiovisual programs for utilizing new media in response to the post-digital convergence era, where audiovisual content sales platforms are diverse and audience’s viewing habits have changed. Through the innovation of program contents and the development of business models, BAMID helps strive for international market cooperation, ratings and clicks in order to shape the international recognition of Taiwan’s content brand.

Marketing Promotion

With the mindset of representing the nation, BAMID financially supports Taiwanese TV content creators, casts and crews to attend international film and TV markets and forums not only to “broadcast” Taiwan’s TV shows and IPs, expanding business and cultural influence overseas but also to refine Taiwan’s quality and techniques of TV production.

Awards and Incentives

• The Golden Bell Awards are the most prestigious honors in Taiwan’s radio & TV industry, presented in a variety of categories in affirmation of the outstanding quality of radio and television productions and industry workers, as well as to boost their “Taiwan-brand” image in the international community. 
• The Golden Visual Awards rewards cable TV operators to create quality local TV programs, to improve customer service, and to promote public access channels focused on promoting volunteerism and charitable organizations, arts, or social topics for the use of social education and public service.
• The Television Scriptwriting Awards are awarded in yearly competitions to encourage those with interest and creative potential in this field and to expand their opportunities to enter the screenwriting profession. At the same time, such activities are aimed at helping content providers create outstanding productions for public enjoyment.     

III. Popular Music Industry

Taiwan’s popular music has long been the prime engine driving evolution of Chinese-language music. In response to trends in development of digital and other technologies as well as of Internet communications, BAMID provides assistance to Taiwan’s music enterprises in their efforts to upgrade their operations through advancement of production processes and techniques, marketing promotion strategies, and cultivation of talents.

BAMID also sponsors the Golden Melody Awards, the highest-profile awards ceremony in the Chinese-language popular music world. Its aims are to enliven Taiwan’s domestic market while at the same time boosting development of diverse overseas performance and marketing opportunities; to catalyze synergy between creative talents; and to promote Chinese-language popular music as a leading force in the global music scene.  

Cultivation of Talents

• Promotion of the A&R Project for advancing the professionalism and skills of popular music agents.     
• Encouragement of professionals in Taiwan’s popular music world to study abroad, and support for arrangements to bring in foreign experts to share their experience and skills. 
• Promotion of cooperation between private enterprise and educational institutions, including the establishment and development of school departments and curricula focusing on popular music.  
• Subsidization of projects for cultivating creative talents in different ethno-linguistic traditions and of related academic activities.

Production Assistance

• Promotion of R&D projects for stimulating cross-fertilization between different professional realms and talents, so as to encourage evolution of diversified genres of popular music and formulation of new business strategies, thereby advancing their common progress. 

Utilization of New Techniques

• Subsidization of popular music enterprise’ application of digital technology and mobile broadband services to produce and broadcast innovative content.   
• Energization of international marketing of Taiwan’s popular music by assisting in the establishment of the ‘Taiwan Beats’ Internet community platform, which provides audiovisual and related informational content.  

Marketing Promotion

• Enhancing the international standing of Taiwan’s popular music industry by organizing international popular music exhibitions and exchange activities, such as the Golden Melody Awards & Festival (GMA) and the World Music Festival.     
• Encouragement of diversification of export markets, including subsidization of efforts to stimulate cross-national and cross-territorial confluence of resources and mutually advantageous cooperation in order to expand markets for live performances and musical products.
• Support for participation in major music-industry trade shows and music festival performances, aimed at elevating the international image of Taiwan’s popular music.

Awards and Incentives

• Sponsoring of the Golden Melody Awards to reward the efforts of popular music enterprises and key workers, with the aim of maintaining its reputation as the most prestigious awards event in the Chinese-language pop music world and elevate its status in the international music world.
• Sponsoring of the Golden Indie Music Awards, aimed at encouraging diversification and innovativeness of popular music composition, enriching the creative energy of Taiwan’s popular music. 
• Sponsoring of the Taiwan Composition and Songwriting Contest to spur the momentum of Holo-language, Hakka-language and indigenous Austronesian-language popular music creation, as well as to encourage the transmission, recording and preservation of the cultural heritages of Taiwan’s various ethno-linguistic communities.   

Related Websites

• Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, Ministry of Culture 

 https://www.bamid.gov.tw

• Taiwan Cinema

https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Eng/Index