It has always been important to us to make ourselves as accessible as possible to filmmakers around the world. We know that filmmakers often feel in a place of uncertainty due to so many changes in our field, and so we wanted to make ourselves available again, to provide free support to filmmakers where possible.
We also recognize that access is too often out of reach to many and that it’s essential to completing one’s project and developing professionally. Underrepresented filmmakers especially deserve the opportunity of access and we prioritize filmmakers from those communities.
Field of Vision broadly defines “underrepresented”, and we hope to support the field in order to create opportunities for people that may not have access otherwise, across a wide spectrum. We consider socio-economic status, community access, location and regionality, race, sexual identity and all other barriers to entry, and will also take into consideration where those differ globally. We strongly encourage D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse inclusion in all our programs.
Our mentorship and consultation service started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Field of Vision first offered virtual "office hours" for the documentary community, providing over 200 meetings to filmmakers around the world partially in response to the ever-changing landscape of our industry that was exacerbated by the pandemic.
To date, we have taken over 300 meetings globally and have since re-launched this mentorship and consultation program twice to offer a broader range of support, allowing us to collaborate with other organizations and institutions within the documentary and filmmaking community to widen the scope of our free service.
For this next round, we are again collaborating with our dear friends at Firelight Media and FWD-DOC: Documentary Filmmakers With Disabilities and will also expand our reach with our new collaborative partners here in New York: DCTV, Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, Staten Island Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, BRIC: Arts Media, and Youth FX.
The areas which we are able to offer consultation on are:
- Professional Development- Career guidance and mentorship for overall professional development.
- Technical Assistance- Technical problem solving and solutions for production and post production.
- Pitch Training- Guidance around how to approach, craft and conduct pitching. Both for formal pitches and in meetings with funders and potential partners.
- Project Support & Story Development- Guidance and feedback on treatments, approaches, stage and next steps of projects in development and production. How to develop your story at any stage of the filmmaking process. Please note - we aren’t taking pitches as part of this service, and cannot review materials before the calls. So this service is for questions within the meetings.
- Press Strategy- Tips and suggestions on how to approach working with a publicist or conducting your own press strategy.
- Distribution Strategy- How to approach finding and working with a distributor, educational and self-distribution strategies.
- Accessibility Training and Support- How to ensure your film and its release are accessible. Ways to ensure the film can be accessed by the widest range of audiences possible.
HOW TO SIGN UP
If you would like to have a virtual meeting about any of the above, please follow this link to sign up for the waitlist. We will review and assess for a potential meeting:
https://airtable.com/app2csBirgxOY6cqG/shriPWytw3lbXifLz
(We will also be adapting to demand and/or increasing availability if needed.)
If you need assistance filling out the form, please email kristen@fieldofvision.org.
This program is open to filmmakers globally, and priority will be given to those from underrepresented communities.
Please note: We aren’t able to review work/treatments/cuts ahead of or after the meetings. These are also not pitch meetings for potential funding. If you would like to send us a project to review for potential funding, please visit the link here: https://fieldofvision.org/submit.
Field of Vision's Consultation and Mentorship Services were made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
