2023 MediaMaker Fellowship

2023 MediaMaker Fellowship
You must become a BAVC member at any level by the application deadline - 11:55 PM PT on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. You can choose to pay at the $10, $40, $120, or $240 level according to your needs and means. Applicants who do not have an active BAVC membership by the deadline, and have not reached out to have the membership requirement waived due to financial hardship, will be disqualified. All memberships are good for one year from the purchase date. With your membership you will be eligible for additional programs, services, and benefits. Sign up for BAVC membership here.

Please email filmmakerservices@bavc.org if you are having issues with this application or otherwise require assistance.

3. Fellowship Participation
The BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship requires a significant commitment of time and energy over the course of 9 months. In order to do everything possible to make participation feasible for all fellows we are asking for details about your schedule so that we can plan accordingly should you be selected.
Please describe any project deadlines you anticipate between April 2023 and February 2024 (e.g. immovable filming dates, rough cut due, etc.)*
Please Explain*
Do you foresee any potential conflicts with attending Fellowship convenings over the following dates (these dates are still tentative and include one day for travel at the beginning and end):
• Wednesday, April 12 – Sunday, April 16, 2023 [in San Francisco and Oakland]
• Sunday, June 25 – Wednesday, June 29, 2023 [virtual]
• Wednesday, September 13 – Monday, September 18, 2023 [Camden International Film Festival in Maine]
• Thursday, November 2 – Tuesday, November 7, 2023 [New Orleans Film Festival in Louisiana]
• Sunday, December 3 – Thursday, December 6, 2023; OR mid-January 2024 TBD [in San Francisco and Oakland]

4. Project Description
Project Title*
Title or Working Title of your project.
Logline (up to 50 words) – Please provide a brief summary of the project that captures the most important elements - setting, participants*, central conflict, or concerns.*

*Participants is used throughout this document, but depending on the specifics of your project you may want to refer to your participants as characters/contributors/subjects/protagonists etc.0/50
Topic Summary (up to 500 words) – Explain the relevant cultural, historical, political, or social context for the film. Detail the topics, issues, themes, challenges, stakes, or questions that your project will cover.*

0/500
Story or Concept Summary (up to 1000 words) - Give an overview of your story, introducing the main participants and potential plot points. Describe the anticipated story and narrative trajectory or potential character arcs for your film. If your project is non-narrative or not character-driven, what is your project’s concept, and how is it constructed? Give an overview of the subject matter and your primary questions and ideas to be explored. Please be clear about the elements of your film that remain unknown or unclear and highlight the questions that may steer the direction of your film.*

0/1000
Artistic Approach (up to 500 words) - Describe your creative vision for the finished project. What are the visual and audio elements that will bring your film to life? Explain your intended use of artistic devices or any particular creative approach that informs the storytelling (e.g., animations, re-creations, transitions)*

0/500
Connection and Access (up to 250 words) - What is your connection and access to the story (i.e., participants, community, location, archives etc.)? Why are you the best filmmaker(s) to tell this story?*

0/250
Accountability (up to 250 words) - If relevant, describe your relationship with the participants or community being filmed? What are your processes of accountability, including consent, transparency, feedback, and any other steps being taken to ensure the participants or communities that are featured in your film have agency in the filmmaking process, from pre-production through distribution?*

0/250
Power and Positionality (up to 250 words) What is your power and positionality in relation to the story and/or those featured in it? What unique lens, perspective, insights, or bias do you bring to the story – i.e., your values, interests, underlying assumptions, worldview, or motivations?*

0/250
Creative Control (up to 50 words) Who has creative control and, if applicable, ownership of the project?*

0/50
Community Care and Safety (up to 500 words) - What are the guiding values or ethics of your filmmaking practice of care? If relevant, please reflect on any known safety and security concerns throughout the lifecycle of your project — from development through distribution. Tell us how you plan to or have been mitigating any negative impacts or harm (emotional, physical, material, digital, etc.) on the film’s participants, communities, and the filmmaking team.*

0/500
Filmmaker(s) Statement(s) (up to 500 words per statement) to be completed by Director(s) and/or Producer(s) Explain who you are as a filmmaker, and if applicable, how this project is expanding or evolving your creative practice. What does success look like for you as an artist? What are the creative, professional, or holistic barriers and challenges you are facing?*

0/500
Project Stage and Timeline (up to 500 words) - Explain the current status of the project. Outline the projected production timeline from the project’s current state to the anticipated completion date. Your timeline should detail major project activities, production schedules, and anticipated post-production and release dates. If you have applied to this fellowship previously, please share how your project has progressed. *

0/500
COVID-19 Considerations (up to 300 words) - Detail how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted you and your project. Explain how you plan on moving the project forward with COVID-19 specific limitations and safety practices in place.*

0/300
Audience Consideration (up to 200 words) - Describe the audience you’d like your film to reach and why. How do you plan to reach your target audience?*

0/200
Accessibility (up to 500 words) - What are your plans to make your film accessible during production for D/deaf, blind/low vision, disabled, and neurodiverse crew and/or film participants, and also to make your film accessible to D/deaf, blind/low vision, disabled, and neurodiverse audiences? Please ensure that these accessibility costs (captions, audio descriptions, transcripts) are reflected in the submitted budget.*

0/500
Intended Impact (up to 500 words) - Articulate your vision for the influence or impact you hope the film will have on the participants, community, and/or broader society — be these social, cultural, political or otherwise. What is your impact strategy and goals, if you have determined them? If not, what steps are you taking to develop an impact campaign (i.e., how are you building partnerships with organizations or others leading or influencing change around the issues in the film)? Whose interests will your film serve and who will benefit and how — in both its production and distribution phases?*

0/500
Distribution and Marketing (up to 500 words) - Describe the intended distribution of your film. Specify any plans for festival, theatrical, and/or community screenings, as well as your plans for securing broadcast and/or distribution. How do you envision the relationship between the finished film and the participants and/or community being filmed, if relevant? Who will benefit from the film’s release and how?*

0/499

5. Key Creative Personnel
Key Creative Personnel (approximately 200 words/bio) - Provide brief biographies for the director(s), and if attached, the producer(s), cinematographer, and/or editor. For each key creative team member, include information about relevant expertise and the individual’s role in the project. Bullet-list names and titles of any confirmed advisors who are attached. *

0/1000

6. Financial Information
Fundraising Strategy (up to 200 words) - Describe the overall fundraising strategy for the film.*

0/200
Funding to Date (up to 200 words) - Include all sources and amounts raised to date. Clearly distinguish between potential sources of funding and secured amounts. List the status of other sources of funding currently under consideration, whether to be applied for or pending.*

0/200
Funding to Date Example:

Foundation A $1000 Secured
Private Investment A $1000 Secured
Foundation B $1000 Applied
Broadcast License A $1000 In Negotiation
Crowdfunding $1000 In Process (Campaign end date MM/DD/YY) Comprehensive Line-Item
Expense Budget – Please provide a breakdown of your project's projected expenses, from development through release, in U.S. dollars, including a budget total. Provide budget notes for any areas that may be viewed as out of the ordinary or require further explanation.
Comprehensive Line Item Expense Budget - Please provide a .pdf file (named "LastName_FirstName_ExpenseBudget.pdf") which breaks down your project's projected expenses, from development through release, in U.S. dollars, including a budget total. Provide budget notes for any areas that may be viewed as out of the ordinary or which requires further explanation.*

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You can find reliable budget advice, resources, and templates in this Revised Introduction to Documentary Budgeting (scroll all the way to the bottom for templates.

7. Work Sample

Links and passwords should be valid for at least six months from the date of your submission.
Current Sample

Please submit a sample between 10 and 15 minutes. Samples longer than 15 minutes that do not provide timecode watching instructions will only be viewed until the 15 minute mark to preserve our reviewers time. The sample should demonstrate your access to characters, visual treatment, and the developing tone and style. We encourage applicants to submit a complete scene that provides the viewer insight into the team’s ability to communicate their intention.
Work Sample URL*
Links should be valid for at least six months from the date of your submission. Do not include any other text or spaces, just the the full URL starting with https://
Additional Login Information*
Please provide a valid password to view your sample.
Sample Description

What should reviewers be looking for in your sample? Explain what is present and absent in the sample, and how it will differ as a finished film. Describe how it is representative of the intended story, style, subject, or other aspect of the project. We encourage applicants not to spend extra resources creating a sample for each individual fund. If your current sample is outside of the suggested length requirements, please provide reviewers with the time codes of the portion of the sample that best reflects your intended style and approach (e.g., 3:15-12:15).
Sample Description (up to 200 words)*

0/200
Director's Prior Work (up to 200 words) – We encourage applicants to include a link to a website, CV, and/or previous work (any length or genre) by the director. Discuss the relevance of the work to the current project. If the current project is a departure from the previous work, how will this film differ? *

0/200
Resume *

Please share a .pdf file of a current resume or CV (named "LastName_FirstName_CV.pdf") that includes information about your past creative work. Upload a fileAccepted formats: .pdf
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8. BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship Specific Questions
Collaborative Contribution (up to 500 words) – The richness of the MediaMaker Fellowship stems from the contributions its participants make to the cohort. What can you contribute to this community? Why are you looking to participate in a collaborative experience like this? Drawing on your professional and personal experience and creative point-of-view, please describe the unique qualities you bring to the table.*

0/500
Fellowship Goals (up to 500 words) – One of the key criteria that the committee considers when making its selections is the candidate's capacity for growth during the Fellowship. What do you hope to learn or gain through your year as a Fellow, and how do your foresee the experience contributing to your professional and creative development? Why is this the right time for you (and your project) to participate in an intensive fellowship like this?*

0/500
Professional References – Please provide: Full Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Relationship to you/your project for TWO PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES. We will not contact your references unless you are a finalist and we are preparing to offer you a spot in the program. *
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2023 MediaMaker Fellowship

1. Applicant Information

Identity

2. Eligibility Agreement

3. Fellowship Participation

4. Project Description

5. Key Creative Personnel

6. Financial Information

7. Work Sample

8. BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship Specific Questions