Tag Archives: producers

Live Chat on DDF Funding

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This year’s deadline for the Diversity Development Fund (DDF) falls on November 11. On Tuesday, November 1 at 1PM PT / 4PM ET, ITVS Programming Manager Karim Ahmad will be taking questions from interested applicants in a live chat on BTB.

The DDF provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding to independent producers of color to develop single documentary programs for public television. Projects should speak to the ITVS mission to serve underserved audiences with programs that take creative risks, explore complex issues, inspire dialogue and express points of view seldom seen on commercial or public television.
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New AIR Initiative Seeks Innovative Media Makers

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Localore — a new initiative from The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) — is recruiting innovative producers to lead public stations in ways beyond broadcast.


Calling all independent media makers (yes, we’re talking to you filmmakers!). Do you want to explore new ways of telling your story? Do you have an idea that takes advantage of both traditional and digital media? Then take a look at Localore, a new initiative from our friends at The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR), that’s designed to fuel public media’s capacity for innovative storytelling and journalism.

Through Localore, AIR will recruit talented radio, TV, film, and online producers to lead 10 public station-based projects, blending approaches to broadcast and digital platforms. This means mixing traditional media with mobile applications, online video, digital games, data visualization and maps — anything that will help to bring stories to the public in new ways beyond broadcast.

Interested producers are invited to submit proposals until November 10th at Localore.net.A second round of vetting in December will call on producers, matched with incubator stations, to submit final proposals.

Watch the station runway video (above) to see which public stations are interested in partnering with Independents. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your innovative project considered for this game-changing initiative.

ITVS Announces Funding for Eight International Productions through The Global Perspectives Project

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ITVS has contracted with eight international documentary projects from its 2011 International Call. The next International Call Deadline is December 9, 2011.

In the Shadow of the Sun by filmmakers Harry Freeland and Brian Hill are among the eight international projects slated to receive ITVS funding.

ITVS announced that it has contracted with eight international documentary projects from its 2011 International Call as part of the Global Perspective Project. This year’s selections provide extraordinary access and insight into the daily lives and struggles of people who live in Uruguay, Iran, China, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Myanmar, and India.

The productions were selected through a competitive application process, which resulted in 476 submissions from 118 countries representing 72 languages.

All eight documentary projects are slated for eventual broadcast, including primetime slots on the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, P.O.V., and the international series, Global Voices.

Check out the complete list of funded projects after the jump >>
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Deadline for ITVS International Call on Dec. 9, 2011

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ITVS International Call promotes the exchange of compelling documentary films between the United States and other nations, going beyond stereotypes and headline news.

ITVS International enables independent producers from outside the United States to create documentaries for U.S. television. Through International Call, global storytellers introduce U.S. audiences to their world, their neighbors, opening a window into unfamiliar lives, experiences and perspectives.

International Call provides production and/or post-production funds for single non-fiction television documentaries that bring international perspectives, ideas, stories and people to a U.S. audience. This initiative is for non-U.S. producers and filmmakers who live outside the U.S.

Please note: ITVS International Call 2012 will be an all digital submissions process.

For more information about guidelines, eligibility and how to submit, please visit www.itvs.org/funding/international

 

Get ITVS’s New A-to-Z Guide to Producing for Public Television

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Calling all independent producers: The latest edition of the ITVS Production Manual is now available for purchase at www.itvs.org.

What kind of music rights do I need to clear for my film? What is E&O insurance and how do I obtain it? What do I need to consider regarding financials and reporting to funders? How do I use social media to do outreach for my film?

Attention all independent producers: Get the answers to these and other useful questions in the latest edition of the ITVS Production Manual: An A-to-Z Guide to Producing for Public Television, now available for purchase at www.itvs.org.

Learn about the process of getting your film to broadcast and beyond with sections on insurance and financial considerations, new media rights and clearances, public broadcasting distribution, publicity, social media, community engagement, and much more.

The 2011 edition of the manual is the culmination of years of industry experience — offering a collection of practical information contributed by ITVS staff and independent producers, as well as distributors and colleagues from media organizations and the public television field.
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Notes from Orientation: Producers Learn the Ropes at Camp ITVS

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From orientation, producers talk shop with ITVS Production Manager Cheryl Hirasa

ITVS’s Open Call provides finishing funds for single nonfiction public television programs on any subject and from any viewpoint. Last week, ITVS hosted nearly a dozen filmmakers who were recently awarded Open Call funding. Among the troops was Andy Schocken, producer and director of photography, of The World in a Room. Here he wraps up ITVS’s crash course in producing for public television.

Somewhere between our discussion of Canadian retransmission royalties and the percentage-of-completion method of contract accounting, it hits me that I’m not at film school anymore. Looking around the room at a remarkable group of filmmakers whose work I’ve long admired, I accept that there’s a time and place for six-hour Frederick Wiseman marathons and roadtrips up Highway 1 with nothing but a Bolex and a dream. I’m here at ITVS orientation to hone my skills as a producer for public television, and this is right where I want to be.
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The BAVC Producers Institute Extends Storytelling Into the Digital Realm

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Wendy Levy, director of the BAVC Producers Institute

Filmmakers, do you know your alternate reality from your augmented reality? If not, you may want to get a glimpse into the future of documentary film by checking out what’s going on at The Bay Area Video Coalition’s Producers Institute for New Media Technologies.

The Producers Institute is a 10-day residency for independent producers who, in collaboration with teams of strategists, technologists, and NGO partners, develop and prototype multi-platform projects related to their documentary projects. Now in its fourth year, the Producers Institute has gained recognition as an incubator for cutting-edge content and thought leadership in public and social interest media. That’s why we’re especially excited that four producers are participating this year with projects related to their ITVS-funded films: Pamela Yates, Granito (Open Call, 2009); Roland Leguiri-Laura, To Be Heard (Open Call, 2008); Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen, The Revolutionary Optimists (Open Call, 2009); and Jehan Harney, Dream of America (Diversity Development Fund, 2008).

This year, ITVS staffers were lucky enough to attend some of the events and activities, including the day of final presentations. By then, producers’ eyes were bleary from a full week of non-stop brainstorming, whiteboarding, designing, wire-framing, and developing their prototypes. Despite the frenetic schedule, the producers presented some impressive work that ranged from the aforementioned alternate reality and augmented reality game prototypes, to geo-targeted mapping projects, to mobile social applications, and much more. Videos of the final presentations should be posted soon, but to learn about the specific project proposals, you can click here. To get a re-cap of the week from the archived Twitter feed and to see more pics, click here.

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Ask Programming About LINCS Funding

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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 >>

Ask Programming: FUTURESTATES

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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.