Next Indiana Campfires: White River Watershed. Film Project. Call announced: February 1, 2018. Deadline: March 23, 2018.
CALL FOR FILMMAKERS Next Indiana Campfires: White River Watershed Film Project Call announced: February 1, 2018 Deadline: March 23, 2018 OVERVIEW Indiana Humanities seeks applications for the creation of high-quality short films (5-12 minutes) that invite Hoosiers to consider the White River as a connector of urban, rural and suburban Hoosiers. We are interested in bringing new films to life that explore the idea of interconnectedness (i.e., ecological, social, cultural) through contemporary approaches that expose our similarities and differences in relation to the waterway. Our goal is to sponsor the creation of educational yet stimulating films that invite Hoosiers to think, read and talk about stewardship of the White River watershed and how it influences our identity. We plan to use these films throughout 2019 and 2020 in two primary ways: 1) Shared on our website and social media for audiences to view and learn on their own; 2) Shared at screenings we sponsor that include a community conversation with a wide range of perspectives and based on discussion guides we create. Thanks to grant funding from Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through a partnership with Pulitzer Prizes we plan to award up to three proposals that support a range of diverse views and viewpoints. One of these awards is earmarked for a full-time journalist or member of the media. Applicants can be independent filmmakers, members of a team, amateurs or veterans. Completed films, instructional films, films made for a client, and sponsored films are not eligible.
PROJECT BACKGROUND The White River Watershed Film Project is a continuation of Indiana Humanities’ award-winning Next Indiana Campfires program, which pairs nature and literature to ignite conversations about Indiana’s future, especially as it relates to stewardship and place. In 2018, our Next Indiana Campfires program will focus on the White River watershed. While we continue to organize and lead literary treks through Indiana’s wild places in the years ahead, we are excited to expand Next Indiana Campfires through the use of film to spark learning and discussion about Hoosiers’ relationship to nature. Our film project is connected to the larger Partnership for the White River, a five-year focused initiative of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. We are also inspired by the creative, humanistic use of film by our colleagues at Oregon Humanities, through the This Land project. The White River Watershed Film Project will also dovetail with the launch of our next thematic initiative, which will explore urban-suburban-rural dynamics in Indiana, in 2019-2020. That’s one of the reasons we’re
particularly interested in proposals that draw comparisons between ecological interconnectedness and other ways Hoosiers relate to each other across geographic, social, cultural and political boundaries in the White River Watershed. These films will be one component of a two-year program encouraging Hoosiers to think about our similarities and differences.
FILM THEMES AND MESSAGES We’re looking for stories that hook us and surprise us—5- to 12-minute films that are worth talking about with our friends and neighbors. We want creative filmmakers who are up for a challenge and are passionate about using film as a medium to generate conversation and action. We expect all information presented in the films to be factually accurate, of course (we can help connect you to experts as needed). We are especially open to “essayistic” approaches, meaning that films reflect a personal point of view and individual creator’s sensibility, and/or that films take an idea and explore its variances and complexity. We’re interested in proposals that address one or more of the following themes: •
Connectedness: The White River traverses north and south; urban, rural and suburban; agricultural, residential and industrial; and so many other kinds of boundaries. The varied ways Hoosiers use the land surrounding the river affects the health of the river and the communities along it. Ecology is the study of how organisms relate to each other and their environment; ecology is a good metaphor for thinking about human relationships too.
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Difference: Hoosiers relate to the White River in a variety of ways. There are competing claims— recreational, commercial, environmental, etc.—on how the river and the land around it should be used. Not everyone agrees on what steps should be taken to care for the river. Though united by a common geographic feature, the lives of people who live in the watershed can be very different.
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Identity and Place: Many elements influence our sense of who we are, including landscape and environment. We form identities as individuals but also collectively as members of neighborhood, local and statewide communities. Generations of Hoosier writers, artists and creators have expressed their relationship to the natural world and helped to define a sense of character and place in Indiana. How has the White River influenced who we are as Hoosiers or how we see ourselves?
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Values: At the end of the day, how we do (or don’t) care for the White River is a question of our values and beliefs. Many factors shape our moral framework, which in turn guides our personal actions and policy choices. It’s important to create space for Hoosiers to consider multiple points of view and discuss openly and respectfully even when we disagree.
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Action: Hoosiers take steps in their everyday lives to clean up and care for the White River. An inspiring network of volunteers and professionals have dedicated their lives to improving water quality, ecological health and access to the White River. Decision-makers and influencers have a special role to play in the future of the White River. Sometimes we need examples and models that inspire us, as well as help us to think through the different possibilities before us.
FILMMAKER’S RESPONSIBILITIES
Indiana Humanities seeks applications that reflect the entire scope of work from development and preproduction to production and post-production. Additional funds will not be granted if applicants were to fail to finish the film within the budget outlined below. When submitting a proposal please keep in mind the deliverable expectations and timeline.
TIMELINE Indiana Humanities envisions the project unfolding in these phases: • Memorandum of Understanding (including a detailed list of deliverables) signed by May 1, 2018 • Design and storyboard completed by June 1, 2018 • Film completion by October 1, 2018.
OWNERSHIP/COPYRIGHT Indiana Humanities will retain any ownership or copyright of the materials and will retain the degree of editorial control necessary to ensure an editorially sound production consistent with our expectations. However, filmmaker(s) will be allowed usage for portfolio and other professional needs and be encouraged to share with networks, on social media, etc.
FILM PRODUCTION BUDGET Each awarded filmmaker will receive $5,000, and up to $1,200 for incidentals (travel, rentals, vendor or subcontractor fees) associated with the film production.
TO APPLY Individual filmmakers or video production companies should submit a proposal to Kristen Fuhs Wells (
[email protected]) by March 23, 2018. The proposal should include the following: • Background and resume of filmmaker/production company. • Links to work published online for review. • Personal statement of interest. • Description of how you will approach the project, including story ideas and/or creative approach. • Timeline showing how you will complete work by October 1, 2018 date. • Proposed budget and justification. • List of project team and their roles, including any vendors or subcontractors and how they will be involved. • A list of at least two references.
