How to Get a MOFILM Production Grant

By MOFILM

One of the questions we’re asked most frequently is, ‘How can I improve my chance of getting a grant?’. There are a few things you can do, such as check out these previous post on MOFILM Production Grants, you can also check out the MOFILM FAQ and you should also read on as we’ve made an important change to the application form that will help you, and us!

MOFILM is now asking you to include an example of your work, or showreel, on the grant application form. For those of you new to MOFILM, it means the account team can get a good idea of your styles, skills and strengths, directly from the application form. For the MOFILM veterans, it means you can point us at relevant work that you might have down outside of MOFILM contests. For both newbie and longstanding community members, this is a perfect opportunity to show us what you’re made of!

Speaking of granting, I did a little digging within the team and pulled together a list of ways YOU can improve your chances of being awarded a production grant. In addition to the standard assessments that you would expect, such as is the pitch is on brief, on brand and relevant, as well as the creativity of the concept. Here are a few other things to keep in mind to improve your chances of being awarded a production grant.

• Make sure you read the brief… the entire brief! Sometimes we get pitches from folks who have obviously not paid attention to many key elements and that definitely works against you.

• Include visual elements or reference videos! You can go as far as to put together a full treatment, but this is not necessary. What we are looking for is something that demonstrates you have a real vision for your film. Video references and/or mood boards are a great way to demonstrate what you are working to accomplish.

• Details! The more detail you provide, the more we get a sense of your vision. Casting preferences, a working script, details surround an important interaction (instead of “then something funny happens” ) show us that you have put thought into your pitch.

• Production quality and storytelling in your reel. Show us that the end product will be Hall of Fame worthy by exhibiting all the work you have done and are proud of.

• Deadlines. We try and award the grants within a week or two of the application deadline passing. If the deadline was only a few days ago, the account manager might well see your treatment. But if you apply a week or more after grant deadline, it’s very likely they will not even have time to read it.

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Account Manager, Ashley Lane shares sage wisdom on the subject,  “The best advise I can give is pretend the person reading your request has never seen anything you have done and doesn’t know much about film. Now sell your idea and you as a creator so I feel you deserve the grants I have to give.”

Ryan Deluchi Account Director based in London who heads up Chevrolet says, “For me there are two key things I’m looking for – how on-brief the idea is, and how you’re going to bring it to life. For the former, make sure your idea is clearly and coherently articulated, and double check-it against the brief once you’ve written it. For the latter, make sure you send links to visual references and links to more of your work.”

If you have any questions that aren’t covered in this post, please leave them in the comments and we will respond!