LINCS Initiative

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).

Q: Would partnering with a station in a top market help my chances of getting LINCS funding?

A. No, partnering with a station in a top market is not a guarantee of funding. LINCS partner stations represent small to large markets all across the country. Of stations partnering with LINCS funded programs in the last two years, 56 percent were from a top-50 market and 44 percent were from smaller markets.

A station’s market is not a factor in the evaluation of a LINCS proposal. Evaluators do take into consideration the letter of agreement between the producer and the station partner. What interest does the station have in this project? What resources and support will it commit? These are more important factors when reviewing the strength of the station-producer partnership.

Want to know more about ITVS policies and procedures for funding? Read past entries of Ask Programming >>

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 >>

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.

The Good:

• ITVS considers each program a flagship, with the possibility of different versions, short informative modules, and supplemental educational material.
• There are now three curated series emanating from ITVS — Independent Lens, Global Voices, and FUTURESTATES. In the digital age, with the glut of audio-visual material available, well-respected curation gets much more attention.
• The Independent Lens Community Cinema program reaches 60+ cities with a once a month film, and a panel afterwards with people who discuss how the issue portrayed in the film can affect local knowledge and action.

The Bad:

• All of the non-film related work required. I spent one entire transcontinental flight reading the contract at 42 pages and half of another flight reviewing it. But there are often really boring tasks in filmmaking.
• The accounting requirement is a bear that needs to be wrestled to the ground.
• We’re right brainers, not left.

The Ugly:

• One aspiration I know I share, is to have my program shown on every single household in the US, for free during a good time slot. But each local PBS programmer decides how your film will appear and when it will air. Some programmers are great supporters, some are not.

Luckily we have the ITVS ambassadors –– diplomats who build relationships with public television programmers as assiduously as we do with the protagonists who appear in our films.

The title of the film I’m working on with ITVS is Granito. It’s a concept I first heard in the Guatemalan highlands in 1982 from young guerrillas who were fighting to end a brutal military dictatorship. I asked why they were risking their lives, living rough, with little food. They told me they just wanted to add their granito de arena, their tiny grain of sand, to free their country. I’ve carried that concept with me throughout my filmmaking career.

And I couldn’t help think: how many granitos has ITVS contributed with all the films it has supported over the years?

Pamela Yates
Director of Granito

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?

ITVS Orientation Day Two:

I’m tired. Day one was long one, and coffee/sugar overdose –– or as I call it, the “energy crisis” –– ruined my day. They make us get to “class” at 9:00 AM, and then we don’t get done until the evening. I’d say this is like college, but I had attendance issues during college, so instead, I’ll say it’s more like other’s people’s college. I’m thinking a liberal arts school (smaller classes, mandatory attendance). Anyway, that’s not my point. My point is: this is a very different experience from my day-to-day life; a lot of new people and information in little time. Exhaustion. But when it’s done, it feels AMAZING. To that extent, it’s like yoga. Yoga at Swarthmore.

Today, we spent more of the day meeting the ITVS team, many of the other filmmakers, and our wonderful Production Manager Allison Davis. After seeing the broad range of services and networks we gain through ITVS, I can no longer imagine a world without them. Being a bit of a media nerd, I am VERY excited of all the social/new media initiatives.

Ravi Patel
Writer, director, and subject of One in a Billion

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.

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.

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.

ITVS Senior Programming Manager Richard

ITVS Senior Programming Manager Richard Saiz recently gave a teleseminar in collaboration with DocuMentors on how to make an ITVS proposal more competitive.

Listen to the audio recording >>

Beyond the Box blog and the ITVS website are also great resources for application tips. Check out the articles below and learn how you can stick out among the applicants:

Ask Programming: Seven Criteria for Your Film Proposal
ITVS fields well over 1,000 applications for program funding. In reviewing a documentary proposal, there are seven criteria that ITVS and its peer reviewers consider in their evaluations.
Learn the seven tips >>

Inside the Minds of the Open Call Panelists
ITVS’s Open Call panel is made up of peers in the independent film and public media community. We recently asked them to answer the question, “What do you look for in a successful documentary proposal?”
Get insight into the review and decision-making process >>

Writing a Better ITVS Treatment
In the treatment section of the ITVS proposal, you’ll need to communicate your passion and explain how you envision translating your story from page to screen –– taking into account structure, theme, style, format, voice, and point-of-view. What do these words really mean?
Read suggestions from the programming staff on how to write an effective treatment >>

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.

Q. What is the most common mistake that International Call applicants make?

A. Unfortunately many applicants do not read the guidelines as carefully as they should. Many producers do not write clear treatments, making them generic and unspecific as to how the story will be told. Other common mistakes are incomplete proposals, no work-in-progress reel or no completed sample work. These can make applications
ineligible.

If you have additional questions, visit our International Call message board at www.itvs.proboards.com.

And for more information, email Jonathan Archer: jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call ITVS at 415-356-8383.

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.

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.

Guy Davidi (producer) and Emad Bornat (director/producer) of 5 BROKEN CAMERAS.

The projects had gone through two previous stages of development, working with top-notch editors Joelle Alexis, Maaik Krijgsman and Srdjan Fink — and with documentary experts Lucinda Broadbent, who ran a pitching workshop, and Paul Pauwels, who coached teams and moderated the pitching session. Mentors Steve Seidenberg, John Appel, Nenad Puhovski and Hans Robert Eisenhauer worked with the teams on editorial and content.

After the pitching forum, ITVS gave a $15,000 research and development prize to the strongest of the 13 projects. Selected by the participating commissioning editors, including Tabitha Jackson (Channel 4/UK), Margie de Koning (IKON/Netherlands), Leena Pasanen (YLE/Finland), Alex Szalat (Arte France) and Marieanne Bergmann (Film Fund Hamburg/Germany), the prize was awarded to the astonishing and courageous 5 BROKEN CAMERAS by Emad Bornat and Guy Davidi. Director/producer Emad Bornat stated: “My name is Emad Bornat. I am a cameraman. During the last five years I have had five different video cameras and each camera has lived certain events. Each camera tells a story. When I started filming it was a way of reacting to reality, but soon after, it became a way of survival.” The footage from Emad’s five cameras ranged from the personal lives of his family and his friends, to the landscapes of his village home near Ramallah in the West Bank, being bulldozed. Other footage features violent demonstrations where soldiers shoot gas bullets — even capturing one of Emad’s friends who is hit by a gas bullet as he rolls to ground and dies. It is remarkable and fearless in its intimate point of view of documentation of life in Palestinian village. Israeli producer Guy Davidi, states that the “real story of resistance comes alive through filmmaking” and it is seen clearly through his own collaboration on this Israeli-Palestinian film.

Greenhouse showcased many other strong documentaries in the making. I am certain that many of them will progress well enough to come to ITVS for international funding in February 2010 and will be competitive candidates. They will surely tell stories that American audiences haven’t heard, and hopefully give us insight and perspectives that we haven’t seen. Next year, Greenhouse is looking for projects about racism and human rights for their development training program. For information and application, see: www.ghfilmcentre.org.

Special thanks to the Greenhouse team for organizing a dynamic and captivating event: Sigal Yehuda, Yair Lev and Sarah Assouline.

- Claire Aguilar
ITVS Vice President of Programming