Northwest Vision and Media, create the bigger picture
155 DD applicants
155 FILMMAKING TEAMS BID FOR SUCCESS
A TOTAL of 155 teams from across the Northwest have entered
the prestigious Digital Departures micro-budget filmmaking
competition, which will see three feature-length films being made
in the region within the next 18 months.
The deadline for submission was on Friday May 11 – with the North West Vision offices deluged with a rush of applications as the 1pm deadline approached.
“We are delighted with the response, and the interest shown in the initiative,” says Chris Moll, Head of Funds for North West Vision, the strategic film, TV and digital media development agency for the Northwest.
North West Vision, together with its partners the Liverpool Culture Company, the UK Film Council and the BBC, invited writers, producers and directors from across the Northwest to get involved in the ground-breaking Digital Departures project, with each film guaranteed a cash budget of £250,000,
“The process has now begun to log each application, then an industry panel will meet to carefully consider every single idea. From the 155 applications received, we will produce a shortlist of 25 filmmaking teams, each of whom will be interviewed and their feature film ideas assessed,” explains Chris.
The shortlist of 25 will then be narrowed down to 12 projects. After further development, a final six filmmaking teams will be announced.
Guided throughout by experienced industry professionals, each of the three Digital Departures films will have a cash budget of £250,000, to be fully financed by the partners.
They will be developed, shot and post-produced in Liverpool and
will premiere in the city in the autumn of 2008, as part of the
city’s Capital of Culture celebrations. The films will then
be distributed nationally and internationally across a variety of
digital platforms including the UK’s rapidly-expanding
Digital Screen Network. The BBC is taking UK broadcast TV
rights.
