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WELCOME

Hello SYFN!

Well, its Festival season in the region - the Bradford Animation festival, Leeds IFF and Doc/Fest in Sheffield currently dominating headlines! We hope that you're making it to some of these...you can find some info about a few of these events below (or you've seen info on recent bulletins).

Don't forget to keep taking advantage of our SYFN Showroom Specials - check out what it is in November in our SYFN NEWS section below: 'Burn After Reading'.

Hope that you enjoy this week's bulletin - there's a bunch of new 'Work' posts, and a few new comps too. Thanks to those of you who voted for me for producer in the Movie Mogul Fund competition (www.moviemogulfund.com) - so if you have not yet, please visit the site and do! Voting continues til the end of November.

Thanks folks - speak to you soon.

Rob

BULLETIN CONTENTS:

SYFN NEWS AND EVENTS

1. SYFN SHOWROOM SPECIAL - NOVEMBER - BURN AFTER READING

OTHER NEWS

2. FILMMAKERS HOUSE TO RENT

3.CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE AT SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST 2008

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

4. MEDIA JUNCTION | THE BUSINESS OF FREELANCE

5. HATCH - A FORUM FOR NEW WORK

6. GET THE LOWDOWN ON DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

7. SCRIPT WRITING - THREE ACT STRUCTURE WORKSHOP

8. MEDIA JUNCTION | HOW TO SELL YOURSELF AT A MEDIA PARTY

WORK - PAID OR UNPAID

9. URGENT CASTING

10. VACANCY: SHEFFIELD FUTURES SENIOR YOUTH WORKER

11. SOUND DESIGNER WANTED FOR FEATURE FILM (YORKSHIRE/ NORTH WEST)

12. YORKSHIRE PRODUCTION COMPANY SEEKS COLLABORATION

COMPETITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES AND CALLS FOR ENTRY -

13. STUDENT SHORT FILM COMPETITION

14. SHORT FILM COMPLETION FUND DEADLINE EXTENDED

15. THE END OF THE PIER IFF - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

16. SKILLSET FILM TRAINEE NETWORK

17. ONLINE CHALLENGE FROM THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

18. CHANNEL 4 AND VW TEAM UP TO WIN A 5K CAMERA

SYFN NEWS

SYFN SHOWROOM SPECIAL - NOVEMBER

'BURN AFTER READING'

Yes that's right folks - with this handy little advert you can check out the Coen Brothers' latest comedy - this ain't No Country - Burn After Reading, for concessionary rates. It stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, good ol' Frances McDormand and even John Malkovitch. The film runs at the Showroom from Friday 14th November, til the 20th.

Terms remain the same as usual: all SYFN members will receive concessionary rate tickets on production of a membership card or printout of this email, with no exceptions.

Information about the film:

Burn After Reading (cert)

From Friday 14th November

Dir Joel & Ethan Coen l 2008 l USA l 1 hr 36 mins

After their Oscar winning comeback with No Country For Old Men, the Coen brothers take off their serious hats, and return with a cleverly crafted black comedy with an all star cast. Lifelong Coen collaborator (and wife of Joel) Frances McDormand plays Linda, a gym employee who's unhappy with almost every aspect of her body: expensive surgery's the only answer! When her confidante and colleague Chad (Brad Pitt) finds a hard copy of what he thinks is an incriminating CIA memoir in the gym, suddenly the money to go under the knife doesn't seem too hard to come by! John Malkovitch is CIA analyst Osbourne Cox who is desperate to get his expose back.

Enjoy!!!!

OTHER NEWS

FILMMAKERS HOUSE TO RENT

8 Bard Street, Sheffield S2 5PD
Two double bedroom end town house £240 PCM
Located close to the City Centre on this quiet cul-de-sac
Gas central heating and double glazing
Entrance hallway with storage cupboard
Lounge with stripped wooden flooring and patio doors to the garden
Newly fitted kitchen diner
Master bedroom and double bedroom two over looking the city
Newly fitted bathroom with suite having shower over the bath
Large rear garden and off road parking space. Partly furnished.
No smokers.

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE AT SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST 2008
Sheffield Doc/Fest has confirmed its place as the premier documentary festivals in the UK. This year's festival saw a record number of 1,545 film submissions, of which 154 were selected: the largest amount of films screened in the festival's 15 year history.

A total of 1,300 delegates travelled to the festival from over 23 countries to attend the festival. There was a total of 140 buyers and 250 speakers this year, held together by over 150 staff members and volunteers.

The festival's successful MeetMarket, which brings together buyers and filmmakers, had 385 submissions - three times as many as last year. The deals made during the week will generate millions of pounds for the industry, and many more filmmakers will get the funding they need to turn their idea into reality.

As well as bringing the documentary community together to celebrate the industry, the festival also recognises particularly successful films with the Audience Award and pitch competitions.

The Audience Award is given to the documentary with the most audience votes for best film. This year's winner is The Fallen , directed by Morgan Matthews, and the runner up is Man on Wire , directed by James Marsh.

The Fallen is a powerful and poignant film in which the families and friends of servicemen who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq talk openly about their loved ones and their grief. Spanning seven years of war, this film gives a rare insight into the personal impact and legacy of this loss. The documentary is to be broadcast on BBC2, Saturday 15 November at 9:05pm.
Winning Director Morgan Matthews comments: “I've been coming to Doc/Fest for years and always look forward to seeing some brilliant and inspiring films. To be included in the programme this year was great, but to win the Audience Award is a complete surprise. I can only put this down to the brave contributions made by the families who participated in The Fallen . It was fitting that the screening took place on Remembrance Sunday and thank you to all who came to see it.”

Doc/Fest's Film Programmer Hussain Currimbhoy says: “This epic film uses an unusual three-hour long format, which is such a vindication for those who think audiences don't like longer form documentaries. We are very pleased for the filmmakers in winning such a coveted award”.

During the Channel 4 Pitch, six new Directors pitched to a panel of Television Executives, including Channel 4 Commissioning Editors whom scrutinized the finalists' CVs and pitching skills. This year's winner is Susannah Price, who will make a 24 minute film with a £50,000 budget for Channel 4's documentary new talent strand, First Cut.

The Wallflower Press Award is a new award for Doc/Fest 2008, honouring the best student documentary in the programme. The first prize is awarded to Cyanosis , directed by Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami from Tehran Art University, and a special mention goes to 12 Notes Down directed by Andreas Koefoed from the Danish Film School.

Winner Rokhsareh comments: “Cyanosis is the first documentary I have made with such a low budget. Audiences have applauded my film but I never imagined people in other countries would see my film, or that it would even win an award! There are many artists around the world who do not get the chance to show their work. I'd like to applaud artists who love their work and hope that this award encourages them to keep going.”
The Wellcome Trust and Sheffield Doc/Fest joined forces to bring a new Pitch to this year's festival: the Wellcome Trust Broadcast Development Awards Pitch, part of Science Saturday. Filmmakers pitched their science idea to win a £10,000 grant. The winners are Kate Vines from Renegade Pictures with Supersurgeons on a Knife's edge , and Lisa Fairbank from Lambent Productions with Brighton to Lusaka .

The Crossover Pitch finalists first developed their innovative cross-platform ideas with experts in Doc/Fest's Crossover Lab. They then pitched their projects to digitally-minded Commissioners for a chance to win £5,000 to develop the idea. The winner is Lunchtime Loveboat by Andy Bell from Mint Digital and Jim Sayer from Maverick Television.

Andy Bell responds: " Lunchtime Loveboat combines a dating website and a reality TV show to create something totally new. It is a very exciting concept that could only have come out of the unique collaborative environment which is Crossover Labs. We are delighted to have won the prize. It will help us develop the idea further and give us the time to talk to the commercial partners who will make this idea a reality."

The NFB Cross Media Challenge is presented by The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Doc/Fest. Finalists submitted ideas for interactive, socially engaging content with applications for mobile and broadband, for a chance to win a £5,000 co-production development deal with the NFB. The 2008 challenge was based around an environmental theme and the winner is Footprints by Mark McKeown from Oil Productions.

Now in its fifteenth year, Sheffield Doc/Fest 2008 was held between Wednesday November 5 and Sunday November 9. For the third year running Doc/Fest was CO2-free.

The winners of the Grierson:Sheffield Awards were:

Grierson:Sheffield Green Award – The Age of Stupid , Franny Armstrong

Grierson:Sheffield Innovation Award – Seven Sins of England , Joe Bullman

Grierson:Sheffield Youth Jury Award – Order of Myths , Margaret Brown

www.sheffdocfest.com

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

MEDIA JUNCTION | THE BUSINESS OF FREELANCE

SUNDAY 8TH FEBRUARY - 4PM - 7PM - DERBY VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED

The aim of the session is to develop personal priority and time management skills and to cost and negotiate improved rates.

Who should attend?
Creative industry freelancers who wish to understand managing their finances a bit more, how to negotiate a fair rate for their services, developing their personal time management and priorities in a more effective way.

Interested?
Find out more about these Media Junction events in the attached documents:

How do I get involved in EM Media's Talent Network?
If you're interested in participating in these and forthcoming Talent Network Media Junction sessions you need to initially register on the source, EM Media's interactive online database of locations, crew and facilities. There's a simple online registration form to complete and you'll also need to upload the latest version of your CV.

Once your registration is approved your listing will appear on the source, this includes your contact details, recent production credits and downloadable resume. Your listing will be accessible and fully searchable by users of the source, typical users include personnel from feature film production, short film production, TV, advertising and commercial photography.

There is no fee for a basic listing on the source however there is the option to pay a £30 annual subscription fee for the enhanced service, this gives you the following additional benefits: Free entry to Media Junction events.
Notification of forthcoming productions via SMS text message including production office details (where appropriate).Exclusive 'source sunday' membership card offering benefits including concession rate tickets at regional cinemas. Monthly 'CrewNews' via email.

You can find out more about the source and register online at EM Media's website - www.em-media.org.uk

EM Media's Talent Network Media Junction sessions will be charged at £7.50 per event for people with a basic listing on the source.

EM Media's Talent Network is funded via the Skillset Film Skills Fund as part of 'A Bigger Future', the UK film skills strategy. The Skillset Film Skills Fund
is supported by the National Lottery through the UK Film Council and the film industry through the Skills Investment Fund.

HATCH - A FORUM FOR NEW WORK

A collaboration between Fabric, the arts development organisation for Bradford, and Bradford Playhouse, "Hatch" is an ongoing series of showcase events, featuring work from filmmakers, DJs, musicians, comedians, performers, poets, dancers and artists working in installation or time-based artforms, as an opportunity to workshop new work and showcase work already completed. Each event will be exciting and unique as it's all up to what work is submitted.Hatch launches 20th November at 7:30 PM in Bradford.

Contact Details for More information:

Email: a.juvan@bradfordcollege.ac.ukBradford Playhouse
4 Chapel Street
Bradford BD1 5DL

GET THE LOWDOWN ON DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

WEDNESDAY 19TH NOVEMBER

The event is part of EM Media's Talent Network season of Producer Forum events.

Distributing Content Online features some fantastic speakers and
will cover the following:
What we can learn from music distribution models and how these can be adopted by other media sectors.
The range of new options for releasing a film and the reasons for choosing them.
How to make interactive projects pay.Plus there's our Ask The Experts service...
This service offers the opportunity to ask questions and add to the debate. Just email your question in advance of the event to Talent Network Questions. Cut-off point for questions is Monday 17 November.

Here's our line up of fantastic speakers for Distributing Content Online...

Jason Burrows, Together Agency (Chairing the proceedings)
The Together Agency, a UK Top 50 integrated agency with offices in London and Stansted, works across all media and with clients as varied as Weetabix and the BBC.

Michel Peters, Content Republic
In New York during the summer of 2006 a seasoned music industry executive
and a film producer compare notes. They realise the film industry is about to go through the same turmoil the music industry has just experienced;
making the transition from physical to digital distribution. Michel Peters is the music industry turned film and visual content distributor and Content Republic is the company that grew out of that New York conversation.

Lisa Trnovksi, 2am Films & David Shear, Revolver Entertainment 2am
Films produced the low budget horror feature Mum and Dad with investment from the European Regional Development Fund through EM Media; it is distributed by Revolver Entertainment, who have caused further horror throughout the industry by pursuing digital distribution right from the start.

Suzanne Alizart, EM Media
Suzanne role in developing and furthering industry relationships and partnerships with a range of regional and national organisations and stakeholders has given her a strong overview of developments and issues in digital content distribution. She'll share this knowledge during the debate.

Joel Kemp, Outso
Outso design, create and implement 3D real-time interactive environments.
The company specialise in the development of virtual worlds, online games and 3D social environments, it's also a First Party Developer for Sony PS3, heading up the development of Sony Home, but is also developing its own concepts, creating innovative (and revenue earning) interactive products on-line.

Date: Wednesday 19 November.
Venue: The Walk Cafe, 12 Bridlesmith Walk, Nottingham NG1 2GR.
Getting there: Parking is available at the nearby
Fletcher Gate car park and the venue is close to the Nottingham mainline station, Lace Market tram stop and major bus routes.
Time: 6pm until 9pm.

Find out more, register on the Forum and book your place at EM Media's website:
http://www.em-media.org.uk/pages/news/article?A9611CCC-EF28-42D6-85A6-93BBC856AF2A

SCRIPTWRITING - THREE ACT STRUCTURE WORKSHOP

Credit Crunch Special - a whole day's workshop: Three Act Structure for only £10 (£25 non-members).

Saturday 22nd November 10am-6pm Congreve Room, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Script Yorkshire trustees, we are able to offer Script Yorkshire members a whole dayÕs intensive workshop on three-act play structure for ONLY £10 (£25 non-members). Whether you write for stage, radio, film or TV, understanding three-act structure is a basic part of the professional writer's toolkit, infinitely adaptable to any dramatic situation.

The workshop will be led by SY Trustee Gary Brown, supported by fellow trustees Michael Stewart and Ben Jancovich, all of whom have volunteered to donate their time. This is why we can offer this fantastic workshop, led by vastly experienced theatre and playwriting professionals, at such an incredibly low price. (Click here to read more about the achievements of Script Yorkshire trustees.)

Participants will be invited to bring the first 15 pages (double-spaced) of a script along with them to work on.

* Because of the intensive nature of the workshop we are able to offer only 18 places in total - three groups of six people. So book early to secure your place.

*Please bring along six photocopies of your 15 pages so that the group can read and discuss.
Places are limited, book your place now by emailing: members@scriptyorkshire.co.uk

MEDIA JUNCTION | HOW TO SELL YOURSELF AT A MEDIA PARTY!

Sunday 7 December - The Walk Cafe, Nottingham - 4pm - 7pm

The aim of the session is to explore best practice on promoting yourself and to develop networking skills

Who should attend?
Creative industry freelancers who wish to develop their self promoting and networking skills and need to understand more about the role and support available from the industry trade union BECTU.

WORK- PAID OR UNPAID

URGENT CASTING

I'm looking for 10 Actresses to portray the girls from Girls Aloud. Five of them must be between 6-8 years old
and five of them over 60 to represent the girls as kids
and grannies. This is for the ITV Girls Aloud Christmas Special. Any relevant actresses, please e-mail c.v and headshots
to me at pa2addyruttercasting@hotmail.com

Regards
Pepper Rutter

VACANCY: SHEFFIELD FUTURES SENIOR YOUTH WORKER

Sheffield Futures is an exciting and innovative charity which provides a wide range of services to people of all ages. It is
one of the largest providers of
Connexions services in the country and has a national reputation for quality of service delivery.
Senior Youth Worker (a) 0.5 FTE
Scale £23287 - £25323 Qualified £19841 - £22630 Unqualified
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Youth Worker within a city wide Arts and Media Project (AMP). The worker will have a broad range of digital
and multi media arts skills such as computer based design, video, music production. This position will involve working closely with young people, assessing their
needs, listening, supporting and advocating on their behalf while also liaising with a wide range of agencies and services to ensure the identified needs of young
people are being met and that young people are engaged in decision making.
Also to plan, organise and deliver a social education programme that reflects the identified young people's needs to promote and encourage participation,
responsibility and independence.
Key responsibilities include planning, managing and developing provision for young people and communities across Sheffield. Senior Youth Workers are also required
to manage and develop the work of youth workers, voluntary staff and other front line delivery staff.
The successful candidate must have experience in a similar capacity. Ideally you must have knowledge and experience of publicity and promotion and you must have a
flexible approach in developing creative art projects that inspire and respond to young peoples needs. An NVQ 4 in youth and community work or equivalent
professional standard recognised by JNC as a level 4 qualification is also a requirement.
Informal enquiries: Sue Mia and Sue Hale 2012803 AMP Arts and Media Project
Closing date: Friday 14th November 2008, Interviews Thursday 11th December.
Application forms and further information are available from HR Department, Star House, 43 Division Street, Sheffield S1 4SL Tel: 0114 201 2843 (24 hours).
Email jobs@sheffieldfutures.org.uk

SOUND DESIGNER WANTED FOR FEATURE FILM (YORKSHIRE/ NORTH WEST)

Synopsis: Robert, a Medium frustrated by scraping a living with simple party tricks, is hired by George to find the truth behind the brutal deaths of his wife & children.
George is convinced their house is possessed by an ancient evil, but as the dead return to tell their stories, Robert discovers a horror far more real than any ghost story...

'Tied in Blood' is a supernatural thriller revolving around the mysterious deaths of three members of a family. Credits, pictures and trailers for the film can be
found at the links below:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1027755/
http://www.matherpix.co.uk/#/tiedinblood/4525040611
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/787884/tied_in_blood_full_trailer/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/721376/tied_in_blood_teaser_trailer_1/

We're currently looking for creative and hard working Sound Designer who wishes to gain experience on a feature film project.
This film, which is now at its final editing stage, really offers a lot of scope in terms of the sound design. Unfortunately,
due to the low-budget everyone is working as a volunteer so we are only able to offer expenses, a copy of the DVD and tickets to the premiere.
There is also a deferred fee, which will be payable if the film reaches its sales targets.

If you're interested, please email me at
macabrepictures*at*yahoo.co.uk

Many Thanks,
Matthew

YORKSHIRE PRODUCTION COMPANY SEEKS COLLABORATION

Eye Films is an independent film company based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

We are looking for collaborative projects with exciting directors and producers in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and
can offer your production both budget and production management experience, as well as top quality equipment and access to a
network of industry professionals.

We want to be part of dynamic, creative and exciting film projects that are enjoyable to work on and can really make an impact
and can offer at least a 10% discount on any production management service we offer to Shooters.

If you're a director or producer looking for someone to organise your film, get you the equipment and professionals you need a
nd generally make your life a whole lot easier give us a call on 0844 257 2301, or email us at info@eyefilms.co.uk

COMPETITIONS, OPPORTUNITES AND CALLS FOR ENTRY

STUDENT SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Your chance to win VIP tickets to the Leeds Festival 2009, as part of propeller tv's search for the best UK student short film. Following the huge success of
propeller tv's first ever short film festival, 'ShortFest', we are now launching a brand new competition to find the best student short film in the UK.

To get involved all you've got to do is send in your student short (no longer than 10 mins) to Studentfest, propeller tv, C/O Screen Yorkshire, Leeds, LS2 7EY, UK
before 31st December, 2008, along with a propeller tv submission form which you can download from;

http://www.propellertv.co.uk/Contributetofilmfirst.aspx.

All entries to 'Studentfest' will be broadcast on propeller tv (subject to terms and conditions). The winning films will also be shown at Leeds Festival,
Reading Festival and Latitude Festival in 2009.
Judging the films will be Joe Bateman, Head of the Rushes short film festival, Laurence Boyce, Head of the Hull International short film festival and
Elliot Grove, Director of Raindance.

Amongst the prizes on offer are a VIP Reading festival tickets, Avid software and much more.

1st prize: 1 pair of VIP tickets for Reading Festival 2009, 1 pair of VIP tickets for Leeds Festival 2009 and one pair of VIP tickets for Latitude Festival 2009
2nd prize: Avid Media Composer software, which is worth £1,550
3rd prize: Script formatting software (courtesy of Moviescope magazine)
4th prize: Wallflower press magazine subscriptions - subscriptions to our magazine Electric Sheep

Runners up: free membership to Digiguide, Odeon and Cineworld cinema tickets and t-shirts courtesy of Digital Cinema Media (formerly Carlton Screen Advertising)

Carole Dove, Managing Director enthused, "It's with great excitement that we are launching our very first student short film competition. There are some fantastic
prizes on offer and to have such highly regarded judges on board is an added bonus. " She went on to say, "It will be great to see the entries broadcast on propeller tv."

Joe Bateman, one of the judges of Studentfest commented, 'This is a great opportunity to get your work showcased to a massive TV audience. I'm looking forward to viewing the entries.'

For more information: contact john@propellertv.co.uk

SHORT FILM COMPLETION FUND DEADLINE EXTENDED

The UK Film Council's Short Film Completion Fund provides finance and support for short films that show outstanding potential but lack the funds to finish.
The total annual fund available to the short film Completion Fund 2008/09 is £70,000. There will be two invitations for applications during 2008/09, and up to 14 films
may be offered funding.

The Completion Fund has supported more than 50 films over the past six years enabling entrepreneurial and enterprising filmmakers to complete their projects and
providing them with a platform to kick-start the exhibition of their film. Completion Fund films have achieved outstanding success gathering over 150 international awards.

Full guidelines, forms and more information can be found at http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/shortfilms

Or

http://www.mayavisionint.com

Deadline extended: 5pm, 5th January 2009

If you don't have a rough cut by then, don't worry as the Completion Fund has expanded to 2 calls per year allowing up to 14 short films to be completed under the
scheme each year. The next call, 2009/II, is scheduled to open in February 2009, but full details to follow in due course.

For further information please contact: Tamsin Ranger at Maya Vision International Ltd, 3rd Floor, 6 Kinghorn St, London EC1A 7HW tel: 0207 796 4842 or
email: completionfund@mayavisionint.com

THE END OF THE PIER IFF – CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The End of the Pier Festival takes place Friday, April 24, 2009 - Saturday, May 2, 2009 at various venues across the South Coast of the UK. The festival, now in its sixth year, is primarily a short film competition for independent, low-budget, and new young film makers.

For further details go to: http://www.eotpfilmfestival.co.uk

Deadline: 1st March 2009

SKILLSET FILM TRAINEE NETWORK

Skillset has just launched the new Skillset Film Trainee Network to help fresh new talent break into the industry. Skillset will match new talent in the film industry with relevant paid work placements in the film industry in either production, post-production, sales, distribution, exhibition or animation. You must have less than 12 months professional experience in the industry, and have either:

- successfully completed a Skillset-funded New Entrants training scheme in the past 12 months
- graduated from one of the Skillset Screen Academies in the past 12 months or have completed at least 50% of your course
- have two references from industry professionals supporting your application

To find out more about the scheme and apply, please visit the Skillset website here: http://www.skillset.org/film/funding/trainee_network

Deadline: 12pm 28th February 2009

ONLINE CHALLENGE FROM THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Online challenge: make a YouTube film of my text
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/oct/23/ravenhill-youtube-competition

I've written a piece called Old School People. Your task, if you choose to accept it, is to respond to it in a five-minute film. The winner's prize is a once in a lifetime chance to work for a major broadcaster with Channel 4 executive Stuart Cosgrove as your mentor. Deadline - 19th December, 2008.

CHANNEL 4 AND VW TEAM UP FOR A COMPETITION TO WIN A 5K CAMERA

We've teamed up with Volkswagen Passat, the sponsors of 4Docs and Documentaries on Channel 4 to bring you a new competition.
Volkswagen Passat wants to strengthen their commitment and support of documentary makers by funding a great prize of a CAMERA and accompanying equipment of up the value of £5000.
SO HOW DO I WIN THIS FANTASTIC PRIZE?
Channel 4 are looking for the best and brightest documentary filmmakers to pitch us a documentary idea based around the theme 'Beautifully Engineered'. Instead of a written pitch, we are asking filmmakers to make a short film of up to 3 minutes. We would like you to be as creative and innovative as possible - We don't want you to explain your film to camera, rather treat this short film as a taster for your longer proposition. It could be a brilliant character study of your main protagonist, a quick cut compilation of scenes that gives us an idea of the narrative spine of your longer film, or a mood board which suggests the tone of your documentary.
TIPS FOR PITCHING
Remember to consider the following in your film pitch. Title - what is your longer film going to be called?
Characters - don't try and fill your short film of up to 3 minutes with too many contributors - remember to use this time to whet our appetites and make up want to watch a longer version, so you should try and cut a coherent story.
Cinematography - what do you want your longer film to look like? Your short film should suggest the mood and tone of the longer film that your pitching - make use of still photos/ animation and special effect to convey the tone of your film. Storytelling - Remember that we want to know from your short film what your longer film might be - don't be afraid to fill in the blanks by using captionsÉ! Don't be afraid to be original and break the mould! Grab our attention by giving us an insight into you as a filmmaker - show us why your vision is unique!
HOW DO I ENTER?
Send email us a link to where we can view your film on an external video website (You Tube etc). The panel will select the best films to be uploads onto the Fourdocs website.
Entries need to be with us by 6pm on 28th of November 2008.
To Enter, email a link to your entry to fourdocs@channel4.com and put the phrase 'beautifully engineered' in the subject line along with further information specified on http://www.channel4.com/documentaries/microsites/V/vwdocs/competition.html.

Important note - please DO NOT attempt to send mail to this mailing list. if you would like to get a message to the SYFN mailing list, whether it be an announcement, a call for submissions, a crew call or a project update, please email it to rob@syfn.org

We need your FEEDBACK!

Your feedback is ABSOLUTELY vital to the successful development of the network and the funding applications that we make. Have a say about how your industry works! We would be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to fill out our short feedback questionnaire at http://www.syfn.org/feedback/index-ques.htm

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