CHANNEL 4 SHEFFIELD PITCH
Six new directors will compete in front of a panel of television executives, including Channel 4 commissioning editors, to win the chance to make a 24 minute film for Channel 4's documentary new talent strand, First Cut.
What's the theme?
2007's year's theme is TRUTH. Applicants can interpret this theme in any way they wish, in order to demonstrate to the panel their directorial flair. Please note this film on TRUTH is in fact fictitious - i.e for the purposes of the competition only. The winner will not be required to make a film on this subject for the strand.
What's the prize?
The prize is a chance to make a 24-minute film for Channel 4's new documentary new talent strand, First Cut. The winner will receive a 10-week freelance placement at a production company to make the film, on a budget of £45,000, which includes a £5,000 director's bursary. Even if you don't win the grand prize, you get brutally frank feedback from the panel, an invaluable and rare experience that should help you hone any future ideas.
What is the process?
Please complete the questionnaire form and email it to sheffieldpitch@channel4.co.uk by 3rd October 2007. No late applications will be accepted.
Finalists will be notified by 8th October 2007. If you are selected as a finalist, you will be given further details of what the pitch will involve, and will be asked to make a 3 minute trailer of your idea for the pitching session.
Who is eligible?
This year's pitch is open to experienced APs and up-and-coming directors who have not yet received a Director credit on a network primetime documentary film. You must be UK-based, and be able to take up a freelance placement with a production company of Channel 4's choice.
Applicants for the Channel 4 Sheffield Pitch must be available to attend the festival on Friday 9th November. If you cannot make this commitment you are not eligible for entering the pitch competition.
Then what?
The winner of Channel 4's Sheffield Pitch in 2006 was Haryun Kim who took away £30,000 to make her film and a mentorship of Channel 4 Docs during the process. Her documentary English Wonderland is about a living, working village in Korea, which teaches courses in "Englishness" and where speaking Korean is punishable by a stint in an on-site jail...
Sarah Mulvey, Channel 4's commissioning editor for documentary and chair of the pitch commented: "We chose English Wonderland because we felt it tapped into a timely subject - relations between Korea and the West - while finding, with the English Village, an accessible and humorous entry-point."
More information is available at the Sheffield Pitch microsite.
