WTIU-Bloomington LINCS Partnership: BLACKING UP

Linking Independents and Co-Producing Stations (LINCS) provides matching funds (up to $100,000) to partnerships between public television stations and independent producers. To apply for LINCS funds, independents must first approach a public television station and establish a partnership.

Learn more about a recent LINCS partnership with WTIU-Bloomington, IN and the film BLACKING UP: Hip-Hop’s Remix of Race and Identity, which explores the tension between white racial identity and black cultural propriety at a time when hip-hop is redefining American life. Brent Molnar, program manager at WTIU, shares his thoughts about the film, which airs in December on public television.

As a Program Manager of a local PBS station, I was brought into the BLACKING UP project to assist the producer, Robert Clift, in creating a more conservative version of his original documentary, and to make recommendations for editing strong language and specific content that public television viewers might find objectionable. Initially, I thought my role with the documentary was to be fairly nuts and bolts – bleep this, pull that out, say this in a different way, etc.

What I didn’t expect, however, was the amount of historical content and the broad range of perspectives BLACKING UP contained. As a society, I think we sometimes gloss over the human experience, and may even begin to pocket people into different categories, just to be able to deal with everything that comes at us in a given day. When this happens, I think we lose part of the richness and depth that our culture really possesses. This can lead to us not only missing out on opportunities to understand one another, but to understand ourselves as well.

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Tags: film resources, hip hop, KLRU, LINCS

OPEN CALL: Inside the Minds of the Panelists

ITVS’s Open Call funding initiative provides finishing funds to independent producers. Programs selected for funding are supported by ITVS’s production team and broadcast on public television. For the past two days, the Open Call panel–made up of peers in the independent film and public media community–has been convening to recommend eight to ten projects for ITVS funding from a slate of 30 finalists. The individual identities of readers and panelists are not disclosed for each initiative, but below is a short Q&A with our current Open Call panel to give you some insight into their review and decision-making process. We asked them to answer the question, “What do you look for in a successful documentary proposal?” Here are their answers:

“I am always looking for stories that connect me to the awesome drudgery, romance and absurdity of modern life–that elusive factor known to fans of Stephen Colbert as “truthiness”–that makes documentaries spring to life and create change first in the mind and then in the world.”
– Public Media Professional

“I think it is very important that the producer clearly explain why an audience will care and feel invested in their work. If someone who knows nothing about the subject matter ends up engaged and caring about the story after reading a treatment, then the project has a good chance for success.”
– Station Programmer

“What I look for in a proposal is a great story premise, well-developed characters who go through some kind of transformation as the story progresses, and an appropriate (hopefully surprising and fresh) filmmaking style. The work-in-progress should showcase at least the main characters if it’s a character-driven piece. Or it should feature a couple of scenes or sequences that give us a sense of how the main themes in the project will be addressed, both content-wise and stylistically.”
– Independent Filmmaker

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Tags: film financing, film funding, film resources, independent films

Ask Programming: Recent Questions from Filmmakers

ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:

Q. How many times must I submit an application to ITVS before my project is recommended for funding? I’ve heard that ITVS doesn’t fund first-time applicants and that a person generally has to apply with a project multiple times before it’s awarded funding.

A. This is certainly a myth to bust, and our statistics for 2009 do just that. In reviewing the projects that were recommended for funding by peer panels for Open Call, International Call and LINCS, 65 percent were first-time applications. And of those funded projects, over one-third came from applicants new to ITVS.

True, sometimes a filmmaker applies with a project two, three or even seven times (on rare occasion), before his or her project is finally recommended for funding. However, it is in no way part of our evaluation criteria; generally, it’s a matter of timing. Often a filmmaker submits an application to ITVS early in the production phase, and their proposal isn’t as developed as other projects in competition that are further along in production. There are examples of projects that were recommended for funding early in production, but they were exceptional in other aspects (ie. urgency of the story; filmmaker’s track record).

Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran, devote your resources to developing your project proposal, and rest assured that statistics are descriptive, not prescriptive.

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

Tags: film resources, independent film

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 >>

Interested in seeing what’s been funded recently? Watch videos of filmmakers discussing their projects >>

Have additional questions about Open Call? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.

Tags: film resources, Open Call

ITVS International Call: 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.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about International Call? Email Joy_Scott@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x232.

Tags: film resources, international

Returning Home: Interactive Website to Honor American Soldiers

“It’s really a personal story not a political one. That goes for the greeters themselves as well. They have different views on the war, but their
main goal is to support the troops.”
— Aron Gaudet, director, THE WAY WE GET BY

On call for the past six years, a group of senior citizens have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine. THE WAY WE GET BY, an ITVS-funded documentary that aired last night on P.O.V., tells their uplifting and emotional journey and demonstrates the meaning of community at a time when America needs it most.

Inspired by the film, Returning Home is a new interactive website that seeks to ensure that American soldiers, both newly returned and those whose service ended many years ago, are not forgotten. Returning Home provides a place to share thoughts, photos, video or audio and to find support. Like the Maine troop greeters featured in the film, the site will honor American soldiers as they return from duty, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Visit Returning Home and learn more >>

Missed last night’s broadcast? The program is now available online in its entirety until December 12 on PBS’s video portal. Watch now >>

Learn more about the online project in this video interview with filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly and others involved in the project.

Tags: film resources, Maine, Military, P.O.V., senior citizens, soldiers, troop greeters

KLRU-Austin LINCS Partnership: TATTOOED UNDER FIRE

Linking Independents and Co-Producing Stations (LINCS) provides matching funds (up to $100,000) to partnerships between public television stations and independent producers. To apply for LINCS funds, independents must first approach a public television station and establish a partnership.

Learn more about a recent LINCS partnership with KLRU-Austin and the film TATTOOED UNDER FIRE, which looks at a tattoo parlor in Killeen, Texas where war-bound and returning soldiers go under the needle and confess their deepest secrets and fears. Maria Rodriguez, senior vice president of programming at KLRU-Austin, shares her thoughts about the film, which airs in November on public television.

I am deeply saddened by the events at Fort Hood this past week. My thoughts and prayers go out to the soldiers and their families at this time.

When I first watched clips of TATTOOED UNDER FIRE by Nancy Schiesari, I saw an outline of a unique story that needed to be brought to public television. I saw young men and women just out of high school who were preparing to go to war in Iraq as they as visited a local tattoo parlor near their base. There they revealed their American pride, their concerns and fears about going over to fight. Then the film provides more revelations upon their return from Iraq. Each soldier gives their own personal perspective giving us the sense of the human and cultural cost of war. It gives a perspective and an experience that very few of us will ever experience in our lifetime.

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Tags: film resources, Iraq, KLRU, LINCS

Independent Lens on PBS’s COVE

Interested in watching full-length episodes of Independent Lens and your other favorite PBS series online? Look no further—PBS recently launched its new video player: COVE (Comprehensive Online Video Ecosystem).

Like the iTunes’ interface, COVE allows users to flip through content horizontally across the screen in a series of stacked images.

The player also features a search engine that locates material by topic or program title; “most watched” and “most emailed” video links at the bottom of the screen; and buttons for sharing and e-mailing videos or buying copies on DVD.

Select full-length episodes of Independent Lens will be available the day after broadcast for seven days. Other program-related video––such as trailers and video extras––will also be available.

JOURNALS OF A WILY SCHOOL, which looks at the life of a young pickpocket in Kolkata, India, is currently available.

Visit COVE this Wednesday to watch POWER PATHS, which depicts the struggle Native American tribes and their allies face in producing solar and wind energy.

Watch Independent Lens and other PBS series on COVE >>

Tags: film resources, independent film, India, online video

Recently Funded by ITVS

ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs produced by independent producers primarily for public television and beyond.

We’re proud to announce the latest projects recently funded by ITVS. We look forward to working with each of the filmmakers to support their broadcast and continued effort to bring a diversity of programming to viewers.

Congratulations to all the filmmakers!

OPEN CALL

ADOPT ME, MICHAEL JORDAN
By Melanie Judd and Susan Motamed
Spanning four years in the life of one irrepressible girl, ADOPT ME, MICHAEL JORDAN offers an intimate look at the struggle to create an identity in the aftermath of adoption across race and culture.
A co-production of ITVS

IF A TREE FALLS
By Marshall Curry
A behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental organization that the FBI calls the “number one domestic terrorism threat” in America.
A co-production of ITVS

LIVES WORTH LIVING
By Eric Neudel
A story about one man’s struggle to survive after a spinal cord injury and the Disability Rights Movement.
A co-production of ITVS

MORE THAN A MONTH
By Shukree Hassan Tilghman
Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African American filmmaker, is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month.
A co-production of ITVS and the National Black Programming Consortium

THE OATH
By Laura Poitras
Filmed in Yemen, THE OATH is a family drama about Al Qaeda and Guantanamo Bay Prison.

THE PROMISE OF FREEDOM
By Beth Murphy
A modern-day Oskar Schindler story about Kirk Johnson, a 26-year-old American aid worker, fighting to save thousands of Iraqis whose lives are in danger because they worked for the United States to help rebuild Iraq.
A co-production of ITVS

SEEDS
By Micha X. Peled
A look at the debate surrounding biotechnology and the future of farming.
A co-production of ITVS

SUN KISSED
By Maya Stark and Adi Lavy
When a Navajo couple embarks on a journey to discover more about their children’s rare genetic disorder, they uncover a controversial genetic trail and bravely tackle deep-rooted cultural taboos.
A co-production of ITVS

TALES OF THE WARIA
By Kathy Huang
Three transgender individuals in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, search for love and acceptance with unexpected results.
A co-production of ITVS

LINCS

AS NUTAYUNEAN – We Still Live Here
By Anne Makepeace
The Wampanoag nation of southeastern Massachusetts revives their native tongue, a language that was silenced for more than 100 years.
A co-production of ITVS in association with WGBY

WHAT A GHOST FORETELLS: The Making of the Opera
By Monica Lam, David Petersen and Fawn Ring
WHAT A GHOST FORETELLS follows the making of a contemporary opera written by Amy Tan with music by Stewart Wallace. The film charts a journey that begins in Tan’s personal stories and family secrets and evolves into a highly collaborative, visually stunning production that opens on the stage of the San Francisco Opera.
A co-production of ITVS, CAAM and KQED

BUILDING CHINA MODERN: I.M. Pei and the Transformation of an Ancient City
By Eugene Shirley
After 70 years in the U.S., renowned architect I.M. Pei returns to his ancestral home of Suzhou, China to build a modern museum in this ancient city.
A co-production of ITVS in association with South Carolina ETV

DEEP DOWN
By Sally Rubin and Jen Gilomen
Deep in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, Beverly May and Terry Ratliff find themselves at the center of a contentious community battle over a proposed mountaintop removal coal mine.
A co-production of ITVS in association with Kentucky Educational Television

THE IMMIGRATION PROJECT
By Marco Williams
An investigation into migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border and the efforts of the Mexican Consulate and the Medical Examiner to repatriate the remains back to Mexico.
A co-production of KUAT and ITVS

THE MUSIC’S GONNA GET YOU THROUGH
By Gabrielle Mullem
In New Orleans, a group of blind and visually-impaired teenagers from across the country gather to study with master musician Henry Butler at his creative music and jazz camp.
A co-production of ITVS in association with WLAE Educational Broadcasting Foundation, Inc.

THE WAY WE GET BY
By Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly
On call 24/7 for the past six years, three senior citizens have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine.
A co-production of ITVS in association with WGBH and Maine Public Broadcasting Network

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Tags: film resources, filmmakers, independent film

Ask Programming: Seven Criteria for Your Film Proposal

Each year, 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.

As you craft your own application for funding, these are important to keep in mind.

1. What is the overall quality of the project. Is the idea well conceived? Is the subject matter compelling? Does the approach make sense as a TV program?

2. What is the quality of the treatment. Is it well written? Is the storyline clearly delineated? How does it address the visuals, structure and style?

3. Is this project innovative? Does the subject matter present an untold story? In terms of format and presentation, how does the program take creative risks?

4. What is the quality of the work-in-progress video? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the production values, presentation of characters and visual style?

5. Does the proposal identify a target audience? Will this program serve the needs and interests of an under-represented audience? Will this program appeal to a national broadcast audience? Is it an appropriate program for public television?

6. How experienced and capable is the production team? Would the team be able to produce the program on time and for the amount of funding requested?

7. How does the filmmaker demonstrate credible access and rapport with the proposed subject(s) and story?

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

Tags: film resources, independent film