FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

• McKnight Fellowships:

    • Screenwriting

    • Filmmaking

• Fresh Filmmakers Grant

• MNTV

• Non-IFP Grants & Fellowships

FRESH FILMMAKER GUIDELINES AND APPLICATION FORM Click Here

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2010 GRANT GUIDELINES

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, September 13, 2010

Download the guidelines
Download the application cover sheet

What is the Fresh Filmmakers Production Grant?

This grant is for emerging narrative filmmakers. The grant will facilitate the production of one short narrative film (ten minutes or less) directed by a filmmaker who has been making films for no more than five years.

Fresh Filmmakers is sponsored by IFP Minnesota, in partnership with ETS Pictures and the Twin Cities-based production community. The grant is intended to honor the memory of Dennis O'Rourke, who was a friend to the regional production community and owner of Cine Sound 2 for over thirty years.

What does the grant winner receive?

The winner will receive mentorship, a $1000 stipend, and logistical support (camera, lights, edit facilities, etc.) necessary to direct and produce a short narrative film. Production mentors will work in tandem with the grant recipient to manage the project. See HOW IT WORKS below for the details.

Am I eligible to apply?

• You must have no more than five years of experience in directing your own films.
• The proposed film cannot be a student project or a work for hire.

• You cannot be a full-time student at the time of the application deadline and cannot attend school full time during the 12-month project cycle.
• Part-time students are eligible.
• You must be a member of IFP Minnesota.  Membership information is at http://www.ifpmn.org/membership.html.
• You must be a current resident of Minnesota or western Wisconsin (St. Croix, Pepin, Pierce, Eau Claire, Dunn, Chippewa, Buffalo, or Trempeleau counties).

How do I apply?

Send us your Application Cover Sheet (which you download from the IFP website), a 7-page screenplay, your resume, director’s statement, estimated budget, production plan, proof of MN / WI residence, and a sample of films or videos that you have directed. See the HOW TO APPLY section for details.

HOW IT WORKS.

• Veteran producers Matt Ehling and J. Michael Tabor will oversee the production of the film.
• The grant recipient will direct the film from the screenplay s/he submitted. The screenplay must be no more than seven pages long.
• Professional vendor-based services and mentorships will be provided through project partnerships.
• The project must be completed within one year of the date of receiving the award.
• The completed work will be screened for the community of partners, cast, crew, and others involved in the project.
• Please note that the grant will not cover all the costs of making the film.

Production and post-production will be subject to the following limitations:

• Production will be limited to one weekend (Friday – Sunday). Preference may be given to screenplays that aren’t weather-dependent.
• Post-production days will also be limited, depending on vendor resources.
• Equipment choices and dollar limits on donated equipment will be provided to the winner by the participating equipment vendors.
• The grant recipient will have to pay for expendable items (gels, gaff tape, location costs, etc.); project mentors will work with the filmmaker to contain these costs.
• Production must take place in Minnesota or western Wisconsin.
• The grant recipient will be responsible for any insurance coverage beyond IFP’s insurance policy, including the deductible. Details on IFP’s coverage will be provided to winner. Workers Compensation for union actors is the responsibility of the grant recipient.
• The grant recipient will be the sole owner of the completed film.

HOW TO APPLY

PART I: WRITTEN MATERIALS

YOU MUST SUBMIT THE WRITTEN MATERIALS AS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS to grants@ifpmn.org. Do not submit these on paper.

Please put the words “Fresh Filmmakers” and the title of your screenplay in the subject line of the email. So the subject line will look like this:

Fresh Filmmakers – “Zombies On Parade”
(or whatever the name of your screenplay is)

• Application Cover Sheet

Download the form here, type in the information, and submit it as an EMAIL ATTACHMENT (not paper) to grants@ifpmn.org.

• Screenplay (7 pages maximum)

Use standard screenplay format and spacing. Submit your screenplay as a PDF file. 

• Send the screenplay PDF as an email attachment to grants@ifpmn.org. 
• Please note that if you wrote the screenplay as a student assignment, or submitted it for college credit, it is NOT eligible.

• One-Page Resume

• Director's Statement (one page)
• Describe how you came to filmmaking and how you've trained as a filmmaker. It doesn't matter whether you went to film school or are self-taught.
• Describe what you want audiences to take from your film.

• Estimated budget for producing the screenplay
• Although many items will be provided in-kind by the participating vendors, your budget should include the actual costs of all items (camera, lights, etc.).
• Please be aware that this grant does not cover all expenses.

• Production plan

Remember that the film must be completed within one year from the date the grant is awarded. Please provide a month-by-month schedule of how your production will take place.

PART II: DOCUMENTATION

YOU CAN SCAN AND EMAIL THESE TWO ITEMS (#s 7 and 8), OR MAIL THEM.

• Photocopy of MN or WI driver’s license or state-issued picture ID (for proof of residence). If you applied last year and haven’t changed residence, you don’t need to send another one.

• If you are not the writer of the screenplay, provide a copy of the option agreement or other proof of agreement with the screenwriter.

PART III: DVD OR URL OF YOUR FILM/VIDEO WORK

• Film/Video Sample DVD(s) (10 minutes maximum). It can be complete works or a clip reel. Label the DVD(s) with your name and the titles and lengths of the works.

• If you are submitting your video reel as a URL, include the link on your application cover sheet. You do not need to submit a DVD if your work is available online.

• If you are submitting a DVD, mail or bring it to

IFP Minnesota – FRESH FILMMAKERS
2446 University Avenue West, Suite 100
St. Paul, MN 55114

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR WRITTEN MATERIALS AS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS EVEN IF YOU’RE MAILING A DVD.

*****   APPLICATION DEADLINE   *****
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

For questions about the grant or the application process, contact

Lu Lippold
Director of Funding Programs at IFP MN. 
Phone: 651-644-1912 x 106. Email: llippold@ifpmn.org. 

The Fresh Filmmakers Production Grant is brought to you by:

Participating vendors have included:

Sarah Jean Kruchowski won the award on the strength of her screenplay, JERRY SHNYDLER AND THE HAPPINESS WELL, and her excellent demo reel.

Sarah Jean has worked on a lot of local films in art direction, set decoration, and production design. We believe she will do our community proud in directing this short film.

Here's what she says about the film she'll be directing: "I wrote JERRY SHNYDLER AND THE HAPPINESS WELL as a modern fairytale about the day-to-day struggle to be happy. It is easy to get wrapped up in the big stuff, big dreams and aspirations, and even easier to let the small stuff weigh you down. If life’s trials and tribulations are grinding you down while you’re reaching for the moon it’s hard to think you’ll ever be happy. In JERRY SHNYDLER AND THE HAPPINESS WELL, Jerry learns to find happiness in the small things that make every day worth living. That hot cup of coffee on a crisp autumn day or your favorite song on the radio, the little things that add up to a life well lived. I want the audience to take that journey with Jerry and explore their small happiness. What small thing would make you happy today?"