Village Gamer

Praxis Centre for Screenwriters and Agentic Communications are inviting you to participate in the second iteration of the “Melting Silos” initiative in partnership with Telefilm, the National Film Board and BC Film.

The goal of the Melting Silos Program is to connect local television/filmmaking and digital media talent in a way that educates both parties and facilitates the development of cross-platform project materials to be pitch ready for funding.

Melting Silos is seeking a small group of accomplished media content producers who would like to produce narrative based work with technical and creative support from a group of professionals in their opposing “silo”.

Filmmakers need not have new media skills, but a curiosity and desire to dive into this world with a creative idea. Digital Media Developers need not have story writing/telling expertise but possess a strong understanding of the interactive medium and have production proficiency.

Melting Silos is inviting you to submit a proposal via their online application in order to be considered for development. Deadline for application is October 15th, 2010

You can either apply with a concept and if selected have us match you with a suitable partner, or if you have an established relationship with a partner company please indicate on the application form.

Here are some key points of the Melting Silos Program:

* What sets Melting Silos apart from other workshops is the attention each project receives. It is not simply a high level feedback session. Your project is one of a very few that is being focused on during an intensive, intimate, collaborative mind-hive of creative and technical professionals dedicated to crafting better interactive experiences for their audiences. The subject matter experts are sought and recruited specifically for what they can bring to the projects being incubated using our agile programming methodology. This is only possible by leveraging the extensive networks of all three Melting Silos producers. Networks built out and maintained from our longevity of focus in the transmedia/cross-platform space

* Melting Silos is a total of 4 1/2 days of workshop time spread over 3 months. We adopt a slowburn process that is meant to go deeper than your typical workshop or master class setting

* You must have a narrative-based project you feel could benefit from transmedia delivery. It can be an extension of an existing or proposed film; a game with narrative content; a stand-alone dramatic, fictional or experimental piece using live action, animation, text, stills, etc. We are looking for ideas that are meaningful and creatively exciting, whether they are commercial, socially committed, wildly experimental or all three.

* The end product of The Melting Silos program will provide selected content producers with a fully developed pitch package ready for Canada Media Fund Production Assistance, Bell New Media Fund Production Assistance, National Film Board and/or private equity financing.

* This funding will not cover significant shooting costs. We encourage you to use material that has already been shot or can be shot with a very small crew and/or an iPhone.

* You will have ownership of your own project, but the partner you are matched with will have first right of refusal (for the period of one year) to produce their end of the media components of the project should it move beyond the development stage.

* We see Melting Silos as a great opportunity for filmmakers to bring their creative skills into a new medium with the support of the interactive community, and vice versa, building lasting community ties and fostering a collaborative relationship building environment for innovative trans-media content production.