Category Archives: Festivals and Awards

The new 10 commandments of low budget filmmaking

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Elliot Grove and the Raindance Film Festival have issued ten new commandments of low (no) budget filmmaking.

They are:

  1. Thou shalt have a fantastic screenplay.
  2. Thou shalt understand keywords and SEO tools.
  3. Thou shalt secure some development finance.
  4. Thou shalt spend proper time in pre-production.
  5. Thou shalt understand the shoot and exploit it to maximum advantage.
  6. Thou shalt not fix it in Post-Production.
  7. Thou shalt clear all music in your film.
  8. Thou shalt prepare professional publicity and marketing materials.
  9. Thou shalt use film festivals to launch your film.
  10. Thou shalt create a distribution strategy.

See the annotated version.

My take: I can get behind all of these except number nine. Seems to me that’s really part of number 10. Not having much, if any success, at film festivals, I’m not convinced. I guess what I really need is a paid-for-performance film festival agent. Any suggestions?

NSI updates short film funding list

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Kellie Ann Benz of the National Screen Institute has updated their list of funding sources for short films in Canada.

“In our third year of updating this funding list, we note an extraordinary amount of Canadian films getting made and programmed into festivals around the world. This is thrilling.”

She lists national and provincial sources of money, marketing, training and cash prizes for shorts and their makers.

See the list here.

My take: join your local media co-op, learn everything you can and make your first short for coffee money, because you can. Then graduate to these programs so you can step up your game and actually pay your collaborators.

Hot Docs named Academy Award Qualifying Festival

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With Hot Docs unspooling later this month in Toronto, I want to emphasize it’s now an Academy Award® qualifying festival.

From the media release:

“Hot Docs is thrilled to announced that it has been chosen as an Academy Award® qualifying festival for short documentaries (documentaries no longer than 40 minutes). Recipients of Hot Docs’ Best Short Documentary award will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the Annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.”

I admit I have a soft spot for Hot Docs. Not only do I love good docs, I’m very happy they’ve taken over the Bloor Cinema; I used to manage the place in the mid-eighties for Tom and Jerry.

My take: Another great reason to support documentary films in Canada.

How to get your short to Cannes

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Telefilm Canada is currently accepting submissions for Not Short on Talent.

Not Short on Talent will showcase Canadian short films in the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival.

See the Eligibility, Submission Guidelines and Selection Process. The deadline is March 1, 2013.

“The selection of shorts will be done by Danny Lennon, a well-known programmer on the festival circuit and founder of Prends ça court!, who will look for quality and diversity, as well as an appropriate regional balance. Priority will be given to films that have never been presented in public (world premieres).”

My take: Go for it! Danny Lennon is extremely well regarded and Cannes is Cannes!

Short Circuit Deadline Extended to Friday, February 22, 2013

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CineVic has extended the deadline for submissions to the Second Annual Short Circuit Short Film Festival to Friday, February 22, 2013.

Short Circuit will unspool in Victoria, British Columbia in the beautiful VIC Theatre on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20.

“Filmmakers from British Columbia, the Yukon, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon are invited to submit narrative, experimental, or documentary short films (under 20 minutes) that have been completed after January 1, 2011 to the second annual Short Circuit Festival. Submissions must be sent as DVD screeners or password protected online sites. If accepted, presentation copies must be sent to Short Circuit as HDCam, 16mm, 8mm, or a ProRes 422 file. Filmmakers may also pay their fees using Paypal sending $15 to director@cinevic.ca“

My take: What are you waiting for? If you’re a Pacific Northwest filmmaker, submit your work ASAP!

Disclaimer: I sit on the CineVic Board of Directors and the Short Circuit Jury.

Support Canadian Film? Wanna make $7,500?

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The Canadian Film Centre has announced the latest incarnation of The REEL Challenge Contest:  Celebrating the Movie and Television Industry at Work: Behind the Scenes.

Make a sixty second (or less) short or PSA, upload it and get a chance to win.

Up for grabs are two prizes of $7500 each, in the categories of the most innovative and dynamic animation or comedy.

The deadline is February 15, 2013.

My take: If you have a killer concept, go for it! I predict less than 100 entries in each category, so your odds are good! Remember, there will be less animations than comedies.

Best Canadian Film is Now Worth $100K

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Congratulations to Sarah Polley for winning the Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2012 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.

The award comes with $100,000, making it by my estimation Canada’s riches post-release prize.

The TFCA is a group of about 40 film writers. The award used to be $15,000 but Rogers Communications has recently upped the ante.

Polley won with Stories We Tell, a personal documentary, and also won in 2006 with her debut feature Away From Her.

My take: all the more reason to make excellent movies in Canada. $100K is not bad profit for any Canadian film. Second and third place get $5,000 as well.

More details here.

IMAA and Canada Council Call for Filmmakers Deadline: November 23, 2012

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The Independent Media Arts Alliance and the Canada Council are looking for filmmakers to produce seven two minute films.

The films will honour the 2013 recipients of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

“All information regarding this project is confidential, including the names and residences of the GGAVMA recipients until the announcement date of March 12. Successful commissioned artists will be told the name of the recipient he or she will be working with to produce the video. This year’s recipients are located in Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Halifax (area), Toronto (area), Ottawa (area) and Georgian Bay (area).”

Your reward? $5,000.00, plus unlimited warm and fuzzies.

For full deets, see On Screen Manitoba.

Telefilm Not Short on Talent Deadline: November 1, 2012

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Telefilm Canada is accepting submission of short films for the next Not Short on Talent programme, which will unspool at Clermont-Ferrand in February 2013.

The program of shorts will be curated by Danny Lennon, film festival programmer and founder of Prends ça court!, who will strive for an appropriate regional balance, so as to encourage films from all regions of the country. Priority will be given to films that have never been presented in public (world premieres).

The deadline is Thursday, November 1, 2012.