I recently wrote a short script--40 pages-- called The Road to Georgia, for a grant competition. The prize is 50 Gs to shoot the film. I'll admit the process was arduous.
The application process included not only submitting the screenplay, logline, and synopsis, but the director's vision, social media/marketing plan, distribution plan, key people involved in the project and their experience, two letters of recommendation for the team, which included me, as writer and director, and my husband, as producer, and any additional material. We also included a link to a prior short film we produced, The Shylock's Daughter, and a link to the trailer made just for the contest. And then there was the budget, which required calls to get prices for insurance, including worker's comp, tech people, grip, equipment, not to mention how much of the budget to pay cast and crew. The production needed a tentative caterer, a costumer, hair and makeup, an accountant, and a food truck.The film is a romantic comedy and involves Baba Yaga, a character from Russian folklore. We have taken a few liberties and made her a fortune teller. Because it's a comedy, and depictions of Baba Yaga show her to look curiously similar to my hubby, he is playing her in the film.
If we don't win the grant, we are going to look for other funding, but it would be nice to win.
Here is the link to the trailer: https://vimeo.com/139158287
My favorite part about the process so far was shooting the trailer and getting a group of actors to workshop the scenes so I could see what worked and what didn't. It is so valuable to listen to the characters interacting as opposed to just reading the lines myself. I may see if the troupe will read dialogue from Chocolate City Justice, the third of the Crescent City Mystery series, while I'm still working on it.
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