2017 Narrative Film Grant | createlouisiana

2017 #CREATELOUISIANA NARRATIVE FILM GRANT

#CreateLouisiana is excited to announce a new grant opportunity designed to support Louisiana's community of fiction filmmakers. In collaboration with founding partner Deep South Studios, along with support from new film industry sponsor ARRI Rental, #CreateLouisiana has launched its first narrative feature grant.

#CreateLouisiana will offer a $35,000 grant package to one narrative feature director-producer team. The team will receive a $10,000 cash grant, with support from Deep South Studios, along with a $25,000 camera rental package from ARRI Rental.*

*Equipment selection based on availability, rental requires all standard account requirements are met, including deposit, insurance, and freight charges.

Applications are now open for the Documentary Film Grant. The final deadline is OCTOBER 23, 2017, by 5:00 PM CST.

Applications for this opportunity are currently closed. For a full list of FAQs for this opportunity, click HERE.

Read on to learn more about about the opportunity (eligibility, requirements, adjudication, FAQs, webinars, and more)!

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Must be a director and producer team with a cinematographer attached.
Co-directors are allowed but a separate producer must also be attached.
Must be a United States citizen or Permanent Resident.
The director, producer, and cinematographer must currently reside in the state of Louisiana and have lived in Louisiana for a minimum of 12 months prior to submitting the application. You cannot apply if you are attending school full-time outside the state of Louisiana. Proof of residency required. (two of the following: Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana voter registration card or a utility bill in your name with your Louisiana address.)
Staff, board members, and interns of #CL, LEH, and NOFS may not apply.
The director, producer, and cinematographer must all be available to participate in a pitch session before the grants committee the week of November 27 (exact date TBD).
Must agree to grant #CreateLouisiana, Deep South Studios, and ARRI Rental the right to stream, screen and distribute the completed film (non-commercial use/promotional purposes only).
To be eligible, you may not have received a grant from #CreateLouisiana in the last two years.

THE PROJECT

Must be a feature-length narrative film (over 40 minutes)
All projects must be stand-alone single works of fiction. TV or web series are not eligible.
If not based on an original idea and sourced from existing intellectual property, the team must have secured the rights to produce a motion picture. If story rights are required, team must have secured said rights. If applicable, documentation must be provided (in the form of a fully executed agreement) that the material has been optioned and/or full story rights secured.
Must showcase Louisiana talent in front of and behind the camera
Project must be submitted at the script stage or be in pre-production. Project may not apply for distribution funds.
Must be completed by December 31, 2018.
Must be shot in and provide all services in Louisiana.
Must be shot digitally and mastered and delivered on HD.
Must provide credits to #CreateLouisiana, Deep South Studios, and ARRI Rental.
If awarded a #CreateLouisiana grant, the recipient is required to carry out a project that is consistent with the submitted proposal.
All grant funds are to be used solely for the purpose of supporting the project. Spending must be consistent with the budget submitted to #CL.

ADJUDICATION PROCESS

The #CreateLouisiana Narrative Film Grant will be adjudicated in two stages:

STAGE ONE

A jury of representatives of the grantmaking organizations will review all applications. The jury will consider the following when reviewing all submissions:

originality and quality of the script
experience and quality of the applicant director/producer/cinematographer team
quality of cinematography reel
clearly articulated director’s vision and feasibility of said vision
realistic budget and financing plan
letter of recommendation provided for the director and producer
experience of the team/key creatives assembled to support the project
use of Louisiana talent in the project
overall strength and viability of the project
distribution and social strategy for the film
demonstration of how the project aligns with team’s short-term and long-term professional and artistic objectives
completion of the full application with all necessary documentation provided incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible

A shortlist of up to 5 applicants will be selected to move forward to Stage Two.

STAGE TWO

The short-listed applicants will be invited to pitch their projects and be interviewed before the grant committee. The private pitch/interview session will take place the week of November 27, 2017 (exact date TBD).

One applicant team will be selected by the jury panel and announced via press release following the selection. The submitted bios and logline will be used in the press release and in all formal announcements. The director, producer, and cinematographer must be present for the pitch session.

TIMELINE

Application Available: August 1, 2017

Application Deadline: October 23, 2017 at 5 PM CST

Short-list announced: Week of November 13, 2017

Interview/Pitch Meeting: November 30, 2017

Award announced: TBD 2017

GRANT WEBINARS

#CreateLouisiana will be conducting a series of webinars to review this opportunity and answer questions from potential applicants.

August 14: 2:00 PM Register here

August 19: 10:30 AM Register here

August 23: 6:00 PM Register here

September 14: 2:00 PM Register here

APPLICATION DEADLINE

The deadline for applications is October 23, 2017, by 5:00PM CST. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. There is no application fee. Applications must be submitted through #CreateLouisiana’s online grants platform at createlouisiana.com.

CHECKLIST

The following documentation is required (uploads should be in PDF format ONLY):

a completed application form
one résumé (not to exceed two pages) for the applicant director (include film school or industry training and a full list of previous production credits – indicate any that are student films)
one résumé (not to exceed two pages) for the producer(s) with a full list of previous production credits
one résumé (not to exceed two pages) for the cinematographer with a full list of previous production credits
one letter of reference for the director from an established industry professional
one letter of reference for the producer from an established industry professional
director's bio
producer's bio
cinematographer's bio
a logline (< 25 words)
a synopsis of the project (< 400 words)
a script, in standard format, not to exceed 120 pages
a detailed director’s vision. Can include notes on structure, story, subjects, camera style, lighting, music, lookbook, locations photos, visual references (< 5 pages)
a proposed detailed production budget. Use of EP Movie Magic or Excel is preferred, or a comparable template with detailed line items. Must include all deferrals and in-kind contributions.
if applicable, fully executed agreements demonstrating that any existing IP has been optioned and/or story rights secured.
a proposed financing plan for the project (1 page)
a director’s reel (< 5 minutes)
a cinematographer’s work sample reel (< 5 minutes)
a list of key creatives. This can include cast and key crew (DP, editor) (1 page)
a proposed distribution, marketing and social media strategy. This should address intended audience and festival strategy, plan for marketing the film and use of social media to raise awareness. (1 page)
a project timeline including production, post-production, delivery and distribution. (1 page)
scanned copy of each applicants (director/producer/cinematographer) Louisiana residency support documentation

Complete applications must be received by Monday, October 23, 2017 by 5:00PM CST. All application materials must be uploaded as PDFs.

LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

QUESTIONS?

Please refer to the frequently asked questions section of the application. With any other questions please contact #CreateLouisiana at info@createlouisiana.com