September 3, 2024 deadline
General Expert Panel comments
Comments made by the panel during the assessment of applications are outlined below. Please note that these comments provide a summary of the panel's assessment and do not necessarily relate to every application submitted to this deadline. The panel does not provide individual comments.
Project description
- At the beginning of the project description, state in one sentence what you are planning to do, e.g., “I am requesting $16,500 for production and post-production for a 30-minute documentary.”
- Take time to think through your project and explain clearly in the project description what you want funded, how you plan to proceed, and why. Show you have thought through each phase of your project by including a detailed plan.
- The panel appreciated a personal connection to the story proposed, but also looked to how that story could relate to a larger audience or community.
- If you are applying for funds to attend a film festival, but are not yet confirmed, include a second or third option for the funds requested.
- Be realistic with your timeline and what is feasible to achieve. Consider dividing your project into phases like pre-production, production, and post-production.
- Ask a colleague to proofread all your documents to catch typos and inconsistent formatting.
- The panel was often tempted to fund projects from emerging artists, but the panel felt filmmakers would first benefit from a mentor or experienced producer added to the team. Emerging artists are encouraged to include such mentors in future projects and to volunteer on film sets to gain experience.
- Applicants with more commercial projects should seek other funding options than the AFA (e.g., Alberta Made Production Grant).
- Applicants with scripts that do not conform to traditional lengths are encouraged to hire a script/story editor to help finalize the script and ensure it is feasible with the budget and qualifies as a short or feature for potential screening at festivals.
Budget
- Provide specific details on expenses, breaking down costs as pre-production, production, and post-production. The more detail you provide in your budget, the easier it is for the panel to understand the scope of your project.
- All costs listed in the budget should be reflected in the detailed project description, e.g., the project description and budget should support and complement each other. Activities and items defined in the project description should have matching line items in the budget and vice versa.
- Use the comment boxes in the GATE Front Office expense and revenue forms to add notes and more detail on costs.
- Whenever possible include quotes for services and contractors to support your budget.
- Do not include overtime in the budget.
- Define units in your budget, e.g. days, weeks, months.
Support material
- The panel appreciated it when applicants label their documents, as per the examples below:
- 01_ApplicantName_AFANumber or Date_DocumentName (Project Description ex)
- 02_ApplicantName_AFANumber or Date_DocumentName (Support Materials ex) and so on. - For a film and video grant, it is vital applicants submit some visual support material such as a demo reel or trailer. If you are applying for post-production, make sure you submit a downloadable link to a sample of the footage that has been shot.
- It is appreciated if applicants do not upload zip files since these can be difficult to download.
- Please upload PDFs only and not Word documents.
- The panel appreciated reading letters of support from mentors, support organizations, or collaborators.