Applications
You’re asking people to submit three projects. Should I indicate which one we would most like to make?
No
How can I find a team member?
A good place to start is our ESCALATOR facebook page.
Do you have any examples or know of places to look for good examples of one pagers?
Searching online for “one page synopsis screenplay” results in quite a few hits. Please note we want the entire story including the ending – don’t cut it off at a cliffhanger partway through!
On the Escalator application form it says to include 1 page resumes of all key personnel. Should I include CV's for all key members of my crew?
No, we only need CVs for the team applying.
Do I have to submit three concepts?
Yes.
What is the process if we already have a full script?
Apply with a good one-pager.
Do we need to apply with a producer?
Not for your first application (to the bootcamp). But if you are selected for the bootcamp, you will need a producer on board when you submit your full application afterwards. The NZFC can help you find a producer at this stage.
If I’m a Producer is it a good idea to team up with 3 writer/directors and put a slate of projects in?
Probably not a good idea. Although NZFC will select the 12 teams for boot-camp, we won’t be selecting which of your 3 projects you’ll develop and eventually apply to the Industry Green-light Panel with. That will be you and your teams job on the boot-camp. If you have 3 directors on your team vying for ‘pole position’ it might get more than a little tricky. This is why the application information focuses on teams generating new ideas as a group.
No, we will make selection based on the team and strength of the slate of projects. Applicants will ultimately choose which of the 3 they wish to go forward with after they have received feedback on each of them at Bootcamp.
Does it help to have interest from a distributor in place when I apply?
No, it is not one of our criteria
Are you confident Escalator allows sufficient time for script development, budgeting, pre-production, etc? Or does the scheme better suit people who've already done a lot of legwork?
We are aware that filmmakers who already have unproduced scripts may be at an advantage but we are also aware that many of these scripts will have been written with bigger budgets in mind.
We think there is real value in letting people make their first film without the more rigorous demands that would be placed on them with bigger budgets and market imperatives.
The final selection of four teams will be announced in late September/early October and from then each team has 6 months before they have to commence shooting, i.e. April 2011. During that final 6 months they can ask advice from NZFC development staff if they want to and they can use some of their mentor money for a script consultant.
What does the NZFC anticipate will be the career path of these teams (up to 12 over the three years of the scheme) post-Escalator?
We are intending for Escalator to be a potential step up for everyone involved – hence the insistence on applications from teams. There will always be competition for NZFC funds, no matter how much we have, and widening the pool of key creatives with experience in features can only benefit the industry as a whole.
As with the shorts and any non-NZFC funded feature at the moment – if one of the Escalator features is selected for an A-list festival or secures a commercial release – then NZFC will be there to support it.
Is 3 years planned length for the scheme, or might be it be curtailed or extended depending on how it goes?
The extra funding tagged to Escalator will last for 3 years. If successful then we would of course consider its extension. Note though that the key criterion for success is not monetary – it will be in terms of escalating teams as feature film makers.
Can I submit three ideas with different directors attached?
Yes but it isn’t ideal because a maximum of three people can attend bootcamp, of whom one must be the producer.
Can I be on more than one team (when applying to bootcamp)?
Yes. But if two projects you are on are selected, you will need to choose which one you attend bootcamp with.