How to Apply for Grants:
By and large there are two objectives when applying
for grants to support your creative productions. These are:
convincing the grant agency that your project is worthwhile;
and convincing them that you match their target constituency
for support. Obviously you have to identify grants which are
relevant for your projects, and for which you have a chance.
Once you have identified your targets, READ all of their materials,
including mission statements and grant forms, CAREFULLY. You
need to identify their criteria for selection. Note Buzz words,
jargon and, also, disqualifying properties. Make a list of what
you need to submit; of the criteria for eligibility and the
criteria for selection. Your goal is to present yourself as
the perfect applicant based on THEIR criteria. You need to convince
them that you qualify as their target constituency for support,
and that your project is outstanding, or, at the very least,
worthy.
Each agency will have its own laundry list of required materials
for evaluation. Most lists will include the following items,
so you can get these ready as you are gearing up in pre-production.
A full budget, a synopsis or Treatment, a script (or at the
very least, a detailed synopsis or step outline), list of principal
participants (crew & cast), resumes of principal participants,
examples of previous work of principal participants, statement
regarding the value of the project, a production time line and
an amount requested.
Panels have a tough job. The first cut is usually based on competence.
Any project that can be disqualified as incompetent (on any
grounds what so ever) will go into the trash. This includes
incomplete applications, late applications and illegible or
disorganized ones. Once the incompetent applications have been
deleted, then it is harder to eliminate candidates. So often
the next strategy is to look for the outstanding applications.
While it is hard to say what talent is, everyone thinks that
they can spot it. Probably each panelist will have their own
personal criteria, so it may not be worth trying to second guess.
Besides turning in a powerful application, you can also nudge
your work toward the spotlight by making it distinctive. Something
about it needs to stand out. Something about it needs to be
memorable. If it is too weird, it may be disqualified, so be
careful. Put some polish on your application so that it will
shine. The easiest way to do this is to have a striking and
powerful treatment. Since you're going to write one anyway,
why not make it stellar?
BUDGET
The Budget should be detailed without being hard to understand.
You should have an expense and an income budget, and they should
be equal to one another. You are not expecting to make money
making the film, although, obviously every one hopes to make
money when the film is distributed. This later objective probably
does not apply to student work.
EXPENSE BUDGET:
The Expense Budget should list all of the expenses that you
must incur to produce the film. Start with the Fast Budget Form
to figure the unavoidable expenses like film stock and developing.
If there are additional unavoidable expenses like props that
you can't borrow or that will be destroyed while shooting the
film, add these in. Full budgets include Shipping; Expendables;
Salaries for crew and cast; Catering/ meals (Craft Services);
Equipment rental; Transportation; Office costs (copying, telephone,
office space); Wardrobe; Properties; Special Effects, Publicity
costs and many more items. Be realistic, and don't nickel and
dime-- round your numbers off and don't include minor or inexpensive
things. Also, don't box yourself into a budget that is just
too small for your production: if you claim you can make a feature
for ten thousand dollars, no one is going to believe you, or
fund you.
INCOME BUDGET:
The Income Budget is an itemized list of all the income you
have secured (like the x number of dollars you each are putting
into your project) and also projected revenues or in-kind donations.
Projected Revenues would include the amount of your grant request(s).
In-kind income is the VALUE of donated equipment, materials
and services. If, for example, you are given four-hundred feet
of film by a film stock manufacturer, you can include its list
price value as "income." The total income on this
budget should be the same as the total cost of the production
on the Expense Budget. In other words, you are demonstrating
that you can actually afford to make the film, and you won't
have outstanding debts (at least in theory) when it is completed.
Note Production Time Line below! Submit a budget for the correct
phase of production.
SYNOPSIS OR TREATMENT
The synopsis or treatment should be brief. It must start with
a good hook and then read like a page turner. Do not give the
reader an opportunity to stop reading-- once they get to the
end of the first line they just have to finish the treatment
to find out what happens. Treatments for features are usually
under two pages in length; short films should require considerably
less verbiage. Treatments usually do not include camera directions
(angles, cutting, kinds of shots, dollies etc.), dialogue or
directorial ideas. They tell the story. A synopsis is sometimes
longer and includes more detail. Entice, don't exhaust. The
reader wants a very quick general sense of what it's all about.
SCRIPT (OR AT THE VERY LEAST, A DETAILED SYNOPSIS OR
STEP OUTLINE)
The script should be in standard screenplay format, single sided
and easy to read. If a (finished) script is not available, then
submit a detailed synopsis or step outline.
A detailed synopsis should give the full story in as concise
a form as possible, but it should also give the reader a full
sense of the drama, the characters, and the conflict. It should
be in the order and shape of the final product, but in prose
rather than in dialogue. You can include thumb nail sketches
of the principal characters.
A step outline is a scene by scene outline with (little or)
no dialogue that is the intermediate form between the treatment
(or synopsis) and the script. If your treatment is well written,
you can easily expand/ elaborate it into a synopsis. If your
synopsis is well written, virtually each sentence will become
a scene, and a list of the scenes is the basis of your step
outline, and ultimately of your script. Expand each sentence
into a synopsis of the scene it will become, keeping it in prose,
not dialogue. The step outline once completed is the basis of
the screenplay. Simply translate the prose into dialogue and
description, and viola-- there you have it.
LIST OF PRINCIPAL PARTICIPANTS (CREW & CAST)
A list of the primary jobs and positions and who is filling
them.
RESUMES OF PRINCIPAL PARTICIPANTS
The Resumes of the principals should highlight relevant experience.
Hobbies and past times are not what these are about. The resumes
should inspire confidence in the grant panelists.
EXAMPLES OF PREVIOUS WORK OF PRINCIPAL PARTICIPANTS
Put together a reel (on video if possible) of the best work
of each principal. Sometimes representative snippets are best.
Panels do not usually have time to screen piles of material.
Put the most important and impressive excerpts first on the
reel. The panelists may not make it past the first minute or
two of support materials. You can always put full works after
the excerpts. Label the tape with names, and the order of contents.
Also supply a printed list of what is on the reel and who did
it.
STATEMENT REGARDING THE VALUE OF THE PROJECT
Usually you need to justify your project, as the panel may not
want to guess its importance. The panel is probably interested
in why you think this is a worthwhile project and deserves funding.
Don't be conceited or puff up the material. Be specific and
honest about why it is a good project. This is also an excellent
place to explain how the new project relates to the examples
of previous work. The panel may be thankful for your self-assessment
vis-a-vis the submitted samples, and you can certainly tell
them what you are proud of (and not) in the samples. Remember
to check on what the grant givers want: couch your goals for
the project in terms that make the grant apply to what you are
doing.
PRODUCTION TIME LINE
Briefly map out the production schedule so that the panel knows
when you will start and finish. Be specific about pre-production,
production and post, or which ever phase of production applies
to your grant request. Make sure that you are applying for the
proper category.
AMOUNT REQUESTED
Do you apply for the full amount available from the agency or
a lesser amount. This is hard to answer. Be realistic. Based
on your budget, what would inspire the most confidence in a
panel? Remember that many panels will have to decide between
funding a few projects with large amounts, or spreading the
wealth amongst many applicants. Often agencies do not want to
be the sole funder of a project. There is that-- 'so and so
is already funding it, so it must have merit' mentality: panels
may be more willing to fund something that already has committed
support (from yourselves, or from other funders). This is where
your income budget becomes important.
THE LIST
Review the list of what you need to submit; of the criteria
for eligibility and the criteria for selection. Verify that
your application is complete.
