Mosaic Films Call For Pitches – Deadline Monday 11th October, 2010

Mosaic Films have teamed up with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and BBC Storyville to support three short films (6-10 mins) that explore themes around poverty in the UK. Six established documentary makers can pitch their ideas to a panel at Sheffield Doc/Fest and the successful documentaries will be produced by Mosaic Films and premiere at Doc/Fest in June 2011.

If you have an idea you’d like to pitch, visit Mosaic Films for more information and details of how to apply.

Deadline: Monday 11th October, 2010 (Photo by Editor B CC BY 2.0)

Wellcome Trust Pitch at Doc/Fest Call for Entries – Deadline Monday 4th October, 2010

The Wellcome Trust invites programme makers to enter the Broadcast Development Award Pitch for the opportunity to win £10K. They are looking for documentary ideas with biological or medical themes on a variety of platforms: cinema, radio, gaming, TV and multiplatform. Shortlisted producers will pitch their projects at Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Visit wellcome.ac.uk/broadcast download an application form.

Deadline: Monday 4th October, 2010 (Photo by laureskew CC BY 2.0)

Current TV Pitch at Doc/Fest Call for Entries – Deadline Friday 1st October, 2010

The Current TV Series Pitch offers emerging production companies/producers the chance to win £2.5K of development funding. Current TV will shortlist four proposals that will be pitched as part of DFG Day at Sheffield Doc/Fest (Thursday 4th November, 2010). They are looking for proposals for documentary series of 3-6 episodes that can be made for a budget of £33K per hour. Shortlisted producers will get seven minutes to pitch and show a taster tape to a panel of industry executives. The winning series proposal is slated for transmission in 2011.

Deadline for entries: Friday 1st October, 2010

For full the full brief go to: http://sheffdocfest.com/view/pitchcurrent

Download the application form at: http://current.com/currenttvseriespitch (Photo by luca.sartoni CC BY SA 2.0)

First Cut Pitch at Doc/Fest – Call For Entries: Deadline Friday 24th September

Channel 4 strand First Cut has teamed up with Sheffield Doc/Fest once again to give you the opportunity to pitch to win a £50K budget and the chance to direct a First Cut documentary. If you are an experienced assistant producer or film school graduate with TV production experience but have yet to make your primetime directorial debut, this is your chance. Five finalists will be chosen to pitch their idea to a panel of TV executives at Doc/Fest 3-7th November, 2010.

For more information and an application form visit www.4producers.co.uk

Deadline: Friday 24th September, 2010. (Photo by PictFactory CC BY 2.0)

How to Pitch Seminar at BECTU Freelancers’ Fair 11th June, 2010

It’s that time of year again. The BECTU Freelancers’ Fair is being held on Friday 11th June in central London. The event is free for members and just £10 for non-members. There are five seminars to help you progress your career and make your programme ideas reality:

1. File-based acquisition and post-production (morning session repeated in the afternoon), presented by the Televisual Roadshow;
2. 50 Ways to Get Funding Before You Die! Chaired by Steve Hewlett from Radio 4′s The Media Show with Christo Hird (End of the Line) and Chris Atkins (Starsuckers);
3. How to Pitch with author of Greenlit: Developing Factual/Reality TV Ideas from Concept to Pitch (and tvmole) Nicola Lees;
4. Ethical Film-making Explored: a session linked to the BECTU/DV Talent Short Film Competition. Watch the screenings and join the debate.

Click through for more details.

MIPDoc Co-production Challenge Call for Entries – Deadline Tuesday 2nd March, 2010

The annual MIPDoc Co-Production Challenge is calling for entries from factual producers with pitches for programme ideas for TV, Internet, mobile or games platforms. Pitches will be delivered in front of a live audience at MIPDoc 2010 and judged by a panel. The winner gets a one-on-one with one of the judging panel, coverage by Realscreen magazine, along with one year’s free subscription to Realscreen, and free entry to MIPDocs 2011. Previous winners include The Locker Room.

Deadline: Tuesday 2nd March 2010

(Photo by Olivier Bareau CC BY-SA 2.0)

Content 360 Challenge Call for Pitches – Deadline Monday 15th February, 2010

The Content 360 Challenge at MIPTV is looking for pitches for Coca Cola branded content that will appeal to teenagers. Ideas can be for mobile apps, games, web series or TV shows, and finalists will pitch to Coca Cola execs at MIPTV, Cannes on 13-14th April 2010. Entry is free and the deadline for entries is 15th February, 2010.

There are also five further categories:

* “Engaging with children through the use of Connected TV” (Korea Communications Commission)
* “Next Generation Online Video Experience” (National Film Board of Canada)
* “Creating short video combining user-generated and EU online archives content” (European Commission)
* “Next Generation Audience Engagement”
* “New Advertising formats” (TF1)

For more information visit: Content360
(Photo by P/\UL CC BY-SA 2.0)

Media That Matters Call for Entry – Deadline 22nd January, 2010

Media That Matters 10 is a showcase for “short films with big messages”. They are calling for entries for their tenth “local, global and online” film festival. Entries must be for short films (under 12 minutes) with a message about media literacy, human rights, LGBTQ & sexual identity, youth activism and international issues, and should be a call to action for the cause. Younger producers (under 21 years of age) are encouraged.

Your film must be cleared for non exclusive home video, educational, online, broadcast and theatrical distribution.

For more information and a submission form visit Media That Matters.

Deadline: Friday 22nd January, 2010
(Photo by BuenosAiresPhotographer.com CC BY-SA 2.0)

So You Think You Can Pitch – Deadline 8th January, 2010

Realscreen Summit’s So You Think You Can Pitch is your opportunity to pitch your TV project to a panel of executives, including: Amy Introcaso-Davis, SVP, Original Programming and Development, Oxygen Media, Rob Sharenow, SVP, Non-Fiction & Alternative Programming, A&E, Nicole DeFusco, Vice President, Original Programming & Development, Sundance Channel and Gary Lico, President & CEO, CABLEready. Andy Cohen, SVP Original Programming & Development at Bravo hosts the session.

Five producers will pitch in front of a live audience on 2nd February at the Realscreen conference in Washington DC. The best pitch wins a year’s subscription to CableU, an iPod Nano and a free pass to Realscreen in 2011.

Find out more at Reelscreen.com.

(Photo by the1secondfilm CC BY-SA 2.0)

Call for Submissions: Bridging the Gap Short Documentary Competition – Deadline 1st December, 2009

Bridging the Gap are looking for proposals for short documentary films (9-minutes) with big screen ambitions on the theme of Surprise! Twelve proposals will be selected to go through an intense hothouse development process in a series of workshops in Edinburgh, Scotland. After pitching to a panel of industry experts, up to seven proposals will win up to £8K cash and £8K ‘in kind’ budget along with six months of mentoring support during production. The finished films will be distributed to cinemas and festivals in 2010/2011.

Click through to visit the Bridging the Gap website for more information and an application form.

Deadline for application: 1st December 2009
(Photo by Noël Zia Lee CC BY)