Great news for digital media producers! The CMF Experimental Stream deadline has been extended from June 21 to July 5, 2010, at the request of its stakeholders - http://tinyurl.com/37uypao.
The extra lead time appears to be very welcome because the recoupment policy for this stream will only be announced this week, and somehow, many producers are still trying to wrap their heads around the new guidelines. Frankly, I don't blame them. I've been chatting with a group of digital media producers over the past few weeks and at metabridge.ca in Kelowna last week, and while I thought most have been just apathetic towards investigating CMF funding - as it doesn't fit kindly into their independant business model - I'm slowly beginning to realise that there's more to it...
With $27 mil available in funding for the Experimental Stream alone (they unfortunately never did get around to changing that misnomer), $13 mil on Development and $324mil on the production of "Convergent" projects, it's hard to ignore the opportunities available. So is it just awareness that is lacking or are producers just wary to dip their toes in at the first round, so that the the administrators can iron out the kinks in the new set up before attempting to apply? My guess is that its a case of both contributing to the lethargy. Does there need to be more clarity and awareness? I think yes - on the part of both funders and producers alike. But who's responsibility is that? Hopefully, Banff will be a place where some of the kinks are straightened out and confusion clarified.
A website developer I know was flummoxed when he was asked during an Experimental application interview what his "Distribution Channel" was for his online project and was driven to further confusion, when "www" was not regarded as an acceptable response. Are we just trying to insert square pegs into round holes? Have we moved from the traditional paradigms or are we merely regressing? Will this experiment succeed? I truly hope so. It would be a major shame for the digital media industry if this window of opportunity closes, just because no one was really paying attention.
So if you're not part of the elite admiring the snow capped Rockies and are the humble digital media creator still hacking at his keyboard to complete your application for the Experimental Stream, or are just finding it problemsome understanding the ROI or navigating the application process, please do drop me a comment below with your thoughts.
Let me know how you think we can navigate this transition better. I'm reaching out to get feedback to feed into an industry initiative to help producers come closer to understanding the business of convergence and hopefully access available CMF funding. It may be just one step towards providing an open platform to allow digital media developers to connect with their traditional media counterparts - but its much better than apathy.
Showing posts with label experimental. Show all posts
Showing posts with label experimental. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Pondering the Pentimento
"It looks like something that you can eat", Howard Donaldson of Disney remarked when I handed him my business card at GDC Canada.
It was the not the first time that I have encountered that reaction to my company name "Pentimento". The word sounds like the more familiar "Pimento" - a sweet cherry pepper not unlike a capsicum. In fact, the term "Pentimento" is an art term, derived from the Italian meaning 'repentance', and the plural pentimenti are the changes in composition which a painter makes while producing an oil painting. Today, the term is often used in the context of discovering masterpieces beneath paintings that have been painted one over another.
Which brings me to the reason that I have chosen it as the name for my media consultancy, Pentimento Productions. For I am undeniably attracted to, and choose to involve myself in projects that are more often than not multi-layered and enjoy a degree of depth. Over the years, I have learnt that the more thought and time devoted to the shaping of a production, event or organization, the more lasting the value & experience for both producers and participants. As one of my collegues noticed, I am a typical "early thrasher", with many a 'pentimenti' done at the planning stages of my projects, so that in the final stages, the final execution is clear and precise, yet continues to exhibit a strong and lasting foundation.
This year, I will be helping the dedicated Vancouver Film and Television Forum 2010 http://www.viff.org/forum/ team add another layer to their traditional film and television conference programming. We are discussing ways to add a strong digital media component to speak to, and assist participating producers who wish to understand the recent Canada Media Fund guidelines better and to develop a better handle on producing projects for the newly introduced Convergent and Experimental Streams. In developing this strand, I hope we will be able to attract not only the traditional television/film producer to this annual conference, but also the interactive producers keen to partner with their more conventional media counterparts.
Drop me a line if you wish to give your input....and help us create another layer, another dimension to this continually evolving industry. We're not opposed to multi-pentimenti, if that's what is required to create a masterpiece.
It was the not the first time that I have encountered that reaction to my company name "Pentimento". The word sounds like the more familiar "Pimento" - a sweet cherry pepper not unlike a capsicum. In fact, the term "Pentimento" is an art term, derived from the Italian meaning 'repentance', and the plural pentimenti are the changes in composition which a painter makes while producing an oil painting. Today, the term is often used in the context of discovering masterpieces beneath paintings that have been painted one over another.
Which brings me to the reason that I have chosen it as the name for my media consultancy, Pentimento Productions. For I am undeniably attracted to, and choose to involve myself in projects that are more often than not multi-layered and enjoy a degree of depth. Over the years, I have learnt that the more thought and time devoted to the shaping of a production, event or organization, the more lasting the value & experience for both producers and participants. As one of my collegues noticed, I am a typical "early thrasher", with many a 'pentimenti' done at the planning stages of my projects, so that in the final stages, the final execution is clear and precise, yet continues to exhibit a strong and lasting foundation.
This year, I will be helping the dedicated Vancouver Film and Television Forum 2010 http://www.viff.org/forum/ team add another layer to their traditional film and television conference programming. We are discussing ways to add a strong digital media component to speak to, and assist participating producers who wish to understand the recent Canada Media Fund guidelines better and to develop a better handle on producing projects for the newly introduced Convergent and Experimental Streams. In developing this strand, I hope we will be able to attract not only the traditional television/film producer to this annual conference, but also the interactive producers keen to partner with their more conventional media counterparts.
Drop me a line if you wish to give your input....and help us create another layer, another dimension to this continually evolving industry. We're not opposed to multi-pentimenti, if that's what is required to create a masterpiece.
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