film resources
Ask Programming: Recent Questions from Filmmakers
ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:
Q: My proposal was declined from the last round of Open Call. Can I apply to LINCS with the same project?
A. Yes, you may apply for LINCS with the same project. The application and evaluation processes for the two initiatives are distinct and a declination in one initiative does not affect your chances in the other. There are differences between the initiatives. The most notable is that the LINCS initiative requires a producer and public television station partnership while Open Call does not. Please read the full guidelines to see if your project is a good fit for LINCS.
Q: I have had communications with two stations who are interested in supporting my proposal for LINCS this year. Can I partner with both?
A. Yes, you can partner with more than one public television station for the LINCS initiative. Letters of Agreement with each station must be negotiated and included with the proposal materials. These letters should make clear how the required LINCS partnership responsibilities are divided up among the partnering stations. You can also use the combined in-kind from both stations in your matching funds request from LINCS (up to $100,00).
Registration Open for the 2010 Robert Flaherty Film Seminar
The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar is regarded as one of the premier experiences for international documentary exploration. Film aficionados and filmmakers are immersed in days of screenings and in-depth discussions.
This year’s seminar will take place at Colgate University from June 19–25 and is open to all artists, practitioners, students, and enthusiasts of film and video. The registration fee includes lodging, all meals, seminar screenings and discussions, receptions, and other special events during the week.
Independent filmmaker Christian Bruno attended his first Flaherty Seminar a few years ago. Find out how he spent seven bleary-eyed days and nights immersed in documentary viewing and dissecting at “Cinematic Summer Camp,” a.k.a. the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar.
Read The Illuminated Darkness on Inside Indies >>
Find out how to register for this year’s Robert Flaherty Film Seminar >>
Filmmaker Pamela Yates Reflects on Open Call Orientation at ITVS
ITVS’s Open Call orientation concluded last week. Pamela Yates, filmmaker of Granito, gives an overview on her experience and why she is excited about working with ITVS and presenting her film on public television. Get her take below.
Pamela Yates
Open Call funded filmmakers.
The first thing that struck me at the ITVS Producer’s Orientation was the force. The force of dozens of people working as one to help get my film made, to get it broadcast and to have it make the greatest possible impact in the wider world.
It wasn’t always so. Richard O’Connell, director of production, gave a salient presentation recounting the little-known history of filmmakers coming together in 1984 –– and working for five years to create an independent television service by, for and about independent filmmakers. It was a bold, creative strategy to take government funds already earmarked for independent production on public television (but usurped by executive producers of the big series), and create a body to get it to individual filmmakers. I was one of those young filmmakers who worked to create ITVS — to ensure an eclectic vision, a diversity of voices, and a filmic exploration into the American psyche.
We opened the door. Then an amazing number of dedicated and talented people walked through it during the past twenty years and brought their own ideas to an organization that has become a vibrant contributor to the field of independent filmmaking and an essential player in the explosion of the documentary genre.
Let me tell you about some of the insights I gained about ITVS over the past few days.
Ravi Patel Discusses His First Open Call Orientation
ITVS’s Open Call provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. This week, ITVS hosted 17 filmmakers who were recently awarded Open Call funding. Ravi Patel, writer, director, and subject of the film One in a Billion, shares his thoughts about his first several days at ITVS.
Ravi Patel, writer, director, and subject of One in a Billion.
It’s day three of my first relationship with ITVS. My best exposure to the doc world prior to ITVS was somewhat vicarious –– I live with my sister in Los Angeles, and her last film Project Kashmir was also with ITVS. And now, for the first time, here I am. Making a doc. Working with ITVS. Blogging. In retrospect, just days ago, I was nothing.
Flashback To Day One:
So excited!! It’s 9:00 AM and time for a group breakfast. Tired, I chose coffee, orange juice, and a banana… And half a bagel. And some grapes… I looked around –– Whoa. What is this?
My sister and I are making what I guess you would call a romantic comedy documentary. It’s called One in a Billion and we follow my love life… and my relationship with my family. Yes, odd, weird, crazy… But here’s my point: there is no typical ITVS film, no set agenda, no studio jumping down your throat about what’s going to make it big at the box office. ITVS is about telling important and great stories, and using any creative measure to do it.
Open Call filmmakers listen to a presentation about communication services.
What stands out to me are the people who work in this place. I mean, they seem genuinely happy to be here. What is going on? It’s like my birthday or something. We walk around and everyone has seen our film, has thoughts on it, wants to discuss how we are going to package it, distribute it… This is amazing. I have had to subject my friends to these kinds of conversations, but the people here at the country of ITVS are actually interested. The rest of the day was pretty intense, as we went through budget, contracts, media, etc. I really loved learning about the history of public television, something I had no idea about. Coffee coupled with first-day-of-school jitters had me at dangerously high energy levels. An hour later, I crashed. Images blurring. Regret coupled with desperate gulps of water. Too much water. Constant bathroom breaks. Day one was awesome.
That night we got an opportunity to see trailers and short presentations of all the filmmakers’ projects. That’s when it hit me: I am SO lucky. I am surrounded by some of the hottest filmmakers in the world. The filmmakers surrounding me were inspiring beyond words, real ballers. And the content they were producing ranged in topic from global health to soul food to graphic novels in the Middle East to revolutionary leaders. What an incredible slate of films! The ITVS team and the filmmakers are such kind, interesting, passionate people. Thanks ITVS! Thank you so much. Quick question: How did I get in here?
Ask Programming: Recent Questions from Filmmakers
ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:
Q. Why does ITVS only support three-act, character-driven films?
A. This is a common misconception about ITVS. We actually support all types of documentaries, and don’t prescribe to any one approach. It’s up to the filmmaker to determine the approach and most choose the character-driven, three-act structure form. As part of our mission, we encourage innovation and want filmmakers to come to us with non-traditional forms of storytelling that will work for a broad public television audience.
A recent example of a documentary that breaks out of the conventional genre is Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness, airing on Independent Lens, Tuesday, February 2 at 10:00 PM (check local listings). Three-act, character-driven documentaries are an effective and powerful way to tell a story, but we invite filmmakers to explore and innovate with new forms.
Q. Is there anywhere that I can I learn more about documentary storytelling?
A. Glad you asked! On February 8, ITVS is co-presenting a seminar at the San Francisco Film Society, entitled Thinking Outside the Doc Box. Video from the seminar will be available after the event on Beyond the Box blog and the ITVS Facebook fan page.
ITVS International: Application for Film Funding; Deadline February 5
ITVS International Call enables independent producers from outside of the United States to create documentaries for U.S. television. Through the International Call, storytellers from other countries introduce U.S. audiences to their global neighbors, opening a window into unfamiliar lives, experiences and perspectives.
The deadline for ITVS International Call is Friday, February 5, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.
Have additional questions about the International Media Development Fund? Email Cynthia_Kane@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x445.
Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>
The application is now available on the ITVS website. Download now >>
Have additional questions about the International Media Development Fund? Email Cynthia_Kane@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x445.
ITVS Open Call Funding: Deadline January 15
Looking for film funding? Don’t miss out on Open Call, which provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.
The deadline for Open Call funding is Friday, January 15, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.
Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>
Have additional questions about Open Call? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.
Looking for advice on how to write a treatment? Click on the “continue reading” button below to get some insider tips.
Ask Programming: International Call Questions
With the ITVS International Call deadline quickly approaching on February 5, 2010, the ITVS programming staff takes some time out to answer a few of your frequently asked questions:
Q. How does the International Call work?
A. Through the International Call funding initiative, ITVS works to:
1. Seek out international projects. We work closely with international media markets, film festivals and producer organizations to find and attract the most compelling television project proposals from around the world.
2. Select the best projects created by international independent producers. The International Call incorporates a peer-review process involving distinguished industry professionals (filmmakers, commissioning editors, broadcasters, etc.) from around the world.
Cynthia Kane, ITVS International Program Manager, posing in front of the International Call submissions library.
3. Fund and manage projects to completion. Through the International Call, we provide production funds in exchange for a license for domestic broadcast; strategic commissioning commitments vary. ITVS works with producers to ensure that all programs meet broadcast and editorial standards.
4. Find U.S. television distribution outlets. Working with the producer, public television and other outlets, we negotiate U.S. distribution through public or cable television.
5. Maximize impact. Through publicity and community outreach campaigns, we help programs find and impact audiences.
Apply for ITVS Open Call Funding: Deadline January 15
Looking for film funding? ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs primarily for public television. We work with independent producers to create and present programs that take creative risks, advance issues and represent points of view not usually seen on public or commercial television.
Open Call provides finishing funds for single non-fiction or animation public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Projects must have begun production as evidenced by a work-in-progress video.
The deadline for Open Call funding is Friday, January 15, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM.
Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>
Have additional questions about Open Call? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.
At the Greenhouse Seminar in Izmir, Turkey with ITVS Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar
Greenhouse is a professional initiative devoted to the development of documentaries across the Mediterranean region. It seeks to build a multi-cultural dialogue, promoting the creation of professional and personal ties between filmmakers and the international market, while training the next generation of Mediterranean documentary filmmakers. Read about ITVS Vice President of Programming Claire Aguilar’s experience at the Greenhouse seminar held in Izmir, Turkey .
I spent last weekend in Izmir, Turkey, where I had the pleasure of participating in a unique training program for documentary filmmakers, Greenhouse. Supported by the European Union, Greenhouse creates cultural exchange between countries in the Mediterranean region, including the Middle East. Selecting more than a dozen 
filmmaker teams with their documentary projects, Greenhouse stages three seminars and training workshops over the course of the year. Emphasizing creative documentary with innovative cinematic approaches, Greenhouse gives filmmakers unique tutorial sessions with strong experts and mentors, and culminates in a pitching session with international commissioning editors from around the world. This last session was a showcase of these documentaries, and although they are still in development, we could see the potential of the great films that they would become.
Izmir is known historically as Smyrna, and although I didn’t know much about it before now except for its famed golden raisins, it is a large port city on the Aegean sea. Izmir was chosen as a location for its accessibility, since the filmmakers who participated in Greenhouse came from Turkey as well as Egypt, Palestine and Israel.
Upcoming Screenings
|
A free monthly screening series, Community Cinema features films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens.
In over 50 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. Last season, over 40,000 people attended 500 events nationwide.
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
- All Video
- Ask Programming
- Audio Podcasts
- Awards
- Community Cinema
- Community Classroom
- Film Festivals
- Filmmaker Profile
- From the President's Desk
- FUTURESTATES
- Global Voices
- In the News
- Independent Lens
- Inside Indies
- Institutional Updates
- ITVS Broadcasts
- ITVS Deep Dive
- ITVS Funding
- ITVS International
- New Online
- On the Road
- Producer Resources
- Recently Funded
- Special Events
- Talkback
- Uncategorized
Related sites
Film Blogs
Public Media Blogs
-
Get the Beyond the Box e-newsletter, sent monthly with the latest news about ITVS, funding opportunities and more. Enter your email and sign up.
-
Sign up for the Independent Lens newsletter. Get news once a week during the broadcast season (fall-spring). We'll also let you know about new Inside Indies features, Web site highlights and more.