Ask Programming About LINCS Funding

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 am putting together an application for LINCS. What makes a strong Letter of Agreement?

A. The Letter of Agreement is more than a simple contract between the filmmaker and the public television station. ITVS reviewers read an applicant’s Letter of Agreement as a reflection of the strength of your partnership with the public television station. The terms of this partnership are unique and vary for each production. However, the depth of commitment can be demonstrated in how well you lay out and articulate the obligations of the public television station and the role of the public television representative as well as the obligations of the filmmakers. Similar to your development and articulation of your program treatment, the Letter of Agreement should be one of substance.

For more guidance on crafting a Letter of Agreement >>

Tags: film funding, filmmaking, producers

Our New Website: What’s in it for ITVS Filmmakers

If you’ve been funded by ITVS, you’re already familiar with the resources we bring to bear in support of your project. The new ITVS.org takes it one step further, putting our reach and resources into your hands directly.

It’s all about leverage, and ITVS.org offers new ways to engage your audience. For the first time ever, you will be able to post your own screenings, making ITVS.org an extension of your current marketing efforts. (You should have received an email last week explaining how to post your screenings. Contact us if you need it resent.)

The new “Related Films” feature (at thew bottom of each film overview page) allows like-minded fans of other similar films to discover yours, and by linking your film’s page to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, we enable you to attract and engage these new fans, building a base you can convert when trying to fund your next project.

In addition, your film pages are also now a one-stop shop for all your promotional materials, turning ITVS.org into the perfect electronic press kit (EPK). Just point your adoring press to ITVS.org and you can be sure they receive all the info they need for that great review.

Got questions? Post them here in the comments and we’ll answer them.

Tags: documentary, film funding, filmmaker resources, filmmaking, independent films

Ask Programming: FUTURESTATES

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

Q: I recently discovered the FUTURESTATES website, and I’m really enjoying the films. How did ITVS come up with the idea for this project?

A: The long answer could fill a chapter in a book. But here’s the short version. ITVS has a long history of supporting independent narrative filmmakers, from TV Families in 1993, to the more recent Goodbye, Solo by Ramin Bahrani (airing nationally on Independent Lens on June 1st – check local listings). Back in the day, American Playhouse broadcast independent narrative films on PBS, but over the years it has become a lot harder for narratives to find a home on public television. Independent Lens remains one of the only national series to broadcast independent fiction films on PBS. Without guaranteed distribution on public television, how could ITVS continue to support narrative filmmakers in a way that made sense in the world of public media?

To help answer this question, ITVS convened two “Drama Summits” in 2007/2008, one in Los Angeles and another in New York. We brought together key stakeholders: writers, directors, and producers; academics; distributors; and media arts organizations. We learned a lot from this process, with discussions focusing on funding models, distribution obstacles, and new media opportunities. But one lesson stood out: Because of the broad scope of ITVS programming, narrative filmmakers found it difficult to know how to approach us with projects that fit our mission. They wanted clearer content guidelines. They wanted more direct cultivation and funding of narrative projects. It was clear we all needed a new way of working to create films that fit everyone’s needs, including the new generation of public media audiences.

At the same time, along with many other public media organizations, ITVS was exploring ways to help filmmakers take advantage of the rapidly expanding world of online distribution. Already, a few full-length films were streaming on AOL True Stories and Snag Films. So it was perfect timing when the Programming Department proposed an online series, inviting narrative filmmakers to create short films specifically for the web. Eighteen months later, we have season one of FUTURESTATES streaming online, with season two in development right now. By asking filmmakers to explore the direction of our society by projecting their stories into the near future, ITVS was able to fulfill two important goals at the same time — creating a home to showcase the work of narrative filmmakers, and creating a place online for a wide audience to engage with the ideas that public media does best.

Tags: film fundding, filmmaking, FUTURESTATES, producers

Anne Makepeace and Eugene Shirley Discuss the Making of I.M. Pei: Building China Modern

I.M. Pei: Building China Modern follows the renowned architect I.M. Pei as he returns to his ancestral home of Suzhou, China, to design a new museum. The film premieres tonight, Wednesday March 31 on American Masters on PBS (check local listings). Beyond the Box recently caught up with director Anne Makepeace and producer Eugene Shirley to give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at the making of the film.

Producer Eugene Shirley with I.M. Pei

Was there a certain visual theme that you were looking to obtain for this program?
Eugene Shirley: Yes, indeed – and this is one of the fundamentals about the project that was set out from the beginning and that everyone on the team knew: we were looking to document the interplay between tradition and modernity. It’s an idea we kept exploring and Pei kept articulating, but it’s also seen visually throughout the film. It’s pretty much everywhere.

You can see the quality of the image shifting from the beginning of production to the end of production. What were some of the decisions that were made in terms of the type of cameras and equipment you used on location?
ES: Where possible, George [Adams, director of photography] and Anne [Makepeace] would discuss camera needs and I would throw in my two cents. This is exactly how it worked when we shot in Paris, for example, and one of the reasons why we got those lovely shots of Pei at the Louvre, as well as of the architecture. When we filmed in China, however, we often did not have the long lead-time required for us to bring in our own equipment – which would have required advance notice of many weeks in order to secure the necessary visas. We were committed to accompanying Pei on every trip he made – and we stuck to that commitment – but it meant that we often had to move heaven and earth at the last minute.  And under these circumstances you can’t always get the equipment you want.

How did you begin to select the crew for this project?
ES: There certainly was a small U.S. crew but there was also a very significant team from China. Our partners were the China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC) and we were small by their standards. The CICC supported us with a team of executives, producers, interpreters, production managers, and drivers. The American team spun out of long-term relationships that both I, and my executive producer and sister, Anne Shirley, have had for many years. We tried to make sure there was a good working relationship between the American and Chinese teams – and then to keep those relationships steady for over a decade.

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Tags: China, Director, filmmaking, I.M. Pei, Producer, Production

Ask Programming: Recent Questions from Filmmakers

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

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).

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Tags: film resources, filmmaking, funding, LINCS, PBS

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.

Tags: film resources, filmmaking

NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens

“…A tale of friendship and survival that has become legend in Hollywood.”
- Los Angles Times

“[NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY is] about a friendship between men who shared certain unusual, difficult experiences, and how those experiences shaped their art.”
- The New York Times

They took Hollywood by storm––escaping the brutal Soviet oppression of the Hungarian Revolution and rising to fame with classic films like Easy Rider, Deliverance, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Deer Hunter. Cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond pioneered the “American New Wave,” defining innovative ways to tell stories. This is an intimate portrait of the 50-year journey of two giants of modern image making and their deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary.

NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: Laszlo & Vilmos premieres tonight, November 17, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

Tags: cinematographer, filmmaking, Hollywood, movies, Vilmos Zsigmond

Inside Indies: Ask Vilmos!

If you could ask acclaimed cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond a question, what would it be?

The beloved co-subject of NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: Laszo & Vilmos, Zsigmond is a legend for his fine camerawork, having shot films such as The Deer Hunter and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

For our Inside Indies feature, we’ll be talking to Vilmos and asking him questions from filmmakers and audiences worldwide. His answers will be posted on Inside Indies later this month.

Submit your question now >>

Tags: cinematographer, filmmaking, Vilmos Zsigmond