Tricentennial Story Incubator
As the Crescent City prepares for its 300th Anniversary celebration, four film and artist support organizations join forces to celebrate and share our rich history and culture by cultivating and funding five short films that focus on New Orleans. NOVAC, The New Orleans Film Society, Kickstarter and The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy/Film New Orleans call for proposals for short films by New Orleans Filmmakers. Applications for this opportunity are open August 8 through September 1, 2017.
Films must be 15 minutes or less and speak to the themes, history and people of New Orleans, as we look to the upcoming celebration of the Tricentennial in 2018. A total of five selected films will receive mentorship from Kickstarter to aid in the creation of dynamic crowdfunding campaigns to raise $5,000 in funding for their films. If/When they raise their $5,000, they will then be awarded an additional $5,000 in project support.
The deadline for applications is September 1, 2017, 11:59PM. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee. Applications must be submitted through NOVAC’s online grant platform, at www.novacvideo.org/tricentennial
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
- Must be 18 years of age or older.
- Must be a director and producer team.
- Must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident.
- Both director and producer must currently reside in the city of New Orleans and have lived in
- New Orleans for a minimum of 12 months prior to submitting the application. You cannot apply if you are attending school full-time outside of the City of New Orleans. Proof of residency required. (two of the following: Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana voter registration card or a utility bill in your name with your New Orleans address.)
- Staff, board members, and interns of NOVAC, Film New Orleans,The City of New Orleans, Kickstarter and The New Orleans Film Society may not apply.
- Both director and producer must be available to participate in a feedback session during the New Orleans Film Festival, October 11-19, 2017
- Must agree to grant NOVAC, Film New Orleans, Kickstarter and The New Orleans Film Society the right to stream, screen and distribute the completed film (non-commercial use/promotional purposes only).
THE PROJECT
- Must be a short film of 15 minutes or less
- Film may be in pre-production, production or post production. Projects may not apply for
- development or distribution funds.
- All projects must be stand-alone single works (TV and web series are not eligible)
- If the project is documentary in nature, must have secured all appropriate release forms for documentary subjects featured in the project. If material that requires licensing is integral to the film (i.e. music, archival materials, etc.), team must demonstrate that they have secured the rights to use said material in the project (signed agreements granting permission or licensing agreements must be included with the application or available upon request prior to receipt of grant funds).
- Cannot be a work-for-hire.
- Final film must be completed and delivered by April 15, 2018, and meet milestone deliverables throughout funding process.
- All production and post-production services must take place in New Orleans.
- Must be shot digitally and mastered and delivered on HD.
- If awarded a grant, the recipient is required to carry out a project that is consistent with the submitted proposal, as well as meet milestones outlined in the grant agreement.
- All grant funds are to be used solely for the purpose of supporting the project. Spending must be consistent with the budget submitted with the application.
STAGE ONE:
A jury of representatives from NOVAC, Film New Orleans, Kickstarter, and The New Orleans Film Society and industry partners will review all applications. The jury will consider the following when reviewing all submissions:
- originality of the project idea
- experience and quality of the applicant director/producer team
- clearly articulated director’s vision
- feasibility of project
- realistic budget and financing plan
- experience of the team/key creatives assembled to support the project
- use of New Orleans talent in the project
- overall strength and viability of the project
- completion of the full application with all necessary documentation provided
- incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible
A shortlist of up to 10 applicants will be selected to move forward to Stage Two.
STAGE TWO:
The shortlisted applicants will be invited to pitch their projects and be interviewed before the grant committee. The private pitch/interview session will take place in late September 2017. Both director and producer must be present for the pitch session. 5 applicant teams will be selected by the jury panel and announced via press release following the selection. The submitted bios and logline will be used in the press release and in all formal announcements.
STAGE THREE:
5 finalist filmmaker teams will participate in live event at the New Orleans Film Festival in October and will launch their Kickstarter campaigns with support of Kickstarter and NOVAC during the festival. Once $5,000 campaign goal is met, filmmakers will be granted additional $5,000. Filmmakers will be responsible to meet delivery check-ins throughout the fall of 2017 in order to meet production deadline.
TIMELINE
- Application Available: August 8, 2017
- Application Deadline: September 1, 2017, 11:59PM
- Shortlist announced: September 15 2017
- Interview/Pitch Meeting: to be scheduled between September 25 and September 29
- Award announced: October 1
- Online Kickstarter Intensive: October 1 – October 12
- Kickstarter event @ NOFF 17
- Kickstarter campaign launched by October 19
- Project Complete: April 15, 2018
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The deadline for applications is September 1, 2017, 11:59PM. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee. Applications must be submitted through NOVAC’s online grant platform, at www.novacvideo.org/tricentennial
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I MAKE MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS AS A DIRECTOR?
No. One application may be submitted per Director.
CAN I APPLY WITH A CO-DIRECTOR?
Co-director relationships are fine, but the application can only be made on behalf of one director or producer, and that person will take on responsibility for the grant deliverables.
CAN A PRODUCER BE LISTED ON MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS?
Yes.
CAN I SERVE AS A DIRECTOR ON ONE APPLICATION AND A PRODUCER OR WRITER ON ANOTHER?
Yes.
AM I REQUIRED TO HAVE A PRODUCER ATTACHED TO MY PROJECT AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION?
Yes, the producer is evaluated as part of the application process.
WHAT STAGES OF PRODUCTION WILL BE CONSIDERED AND HOW WILL THEY BE EVALUATED?
Though this call for films is intended to support films in the pre-production and production phases, we will accept applications for short films in all phases of production. If your project has already completed principal photography, it would need to have a direct connection to the theme of the tricentennial and have completion costs that equal the $10,000 funding, or a comprehensive plan to raise them within the time frame of the project, in order to be competitive. If you have completed or sample footage, we encourage you to include links in your application along with prior work samples. Films will still be required to be delivered by April 15, 2018, regardless of what phase of production they are in at the time of the award.
IS THE GRANT OPEN TO STUDENT FILMMAKERS?
No.
I AM THE PROPOSED DIRECTOR. CAN I ALSO BE THE PRODUCER OF THE PROJECT?
The applicant director may also be attached as the writer but not the producer. At least two separate people must comprise the roles of director and producer.
DO I NEED FISCAL SPONSORSHIP TO APPLY FOR THIS GRANT?
No.
HOW DETAILED MUST MY BUDGET BE AT THE APPLICATION STAGE?
Your budget must be complete with all applicable line items accounted for. Please make sure to include any deferrals and in-kind donations.
CAN I RAISE MORE THAN $5000 ON KICKSTARTER?
Yes. You can raise as much on Kickstarter as you want, to meet the budget you have drawn up for your project. Additionally, if you have other grants in place, or plan to pursue them, your budget and financing plan should reflect this source of support. Film financing models whose deliverables conflict with the delivery and distribution timeline of this initiative may not be approved.
I HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS A SEMI-FINALIST. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
10 semi-finalist teams will be selected from stage one. They will each have approximately two weeks to prepare for stage two. Stage two is a private pitch/interview in front of the grant review committee. 5 of the 10 semi-finalists will be selected as grant recipients.
WHO HAS CREATIVE CONTROL OF THE PROJECT?
Final editorial and creative control rests with the selected recipient teams of the initiative. NOVAC will be managing milestones of delivery, and should be kept abreast of developments prior to, during and after production. The disbursement of funds will be contingent on cost reports submitted to and approved by NOVAC and the sponsor partners. Film New Orleans, NOVAC, Kickstarter and the New Orleans Film Society do reserve the right to screen the final locked film before release.
WHAT DOES IN-KIND MEAN?
In-kind consists of those services, goods and/or facilities donated to the project. Examples of in-kind contributions include volunteer time, donated supplies, use of equipment, and donated office space. If you use a loaned camera or editorial system, the in-kind cost is what you would have to pay if you had to rent it. The
director or producer’s unpaid time at work on the project can be counted as an in-kind salary. Filmmakers may choose a flat rate for the entire project, or a weekly rate or monthly rate in scale with the rest of the project budget.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
With any other questions please contact Darcy McKinnon.