Looking for help funding your latest short film? Nikon, RED, and Vimeo have come together to offer a new opportunity for emerging filmmakers.
As someone who makes films for a living, it often feels like how I really make a living is by fundraising. Having an adequate budget can make the difference between your dream becoming a reality or your dream being deferred. At some point in almost everyone’s career, short films serve as important calling cards to announce to the industry at large what you can do. But getting funding for a film that, let’s face it, is highly unlikely to yield a financial return can be a tough sell. There are a myriad of film grants and funding opportunities available, but there’s no guarantee. And unless you happen to have a network of wealthy friends and family with charitable inclinations, the search for capital can be tough.
So, it is always a pleasure when a new source of opportunity comes onto the scene. The newly merged Nikon and RED have partnered with streaming platform Vimeo to create the first-ever Vimeo Short Film Grant, presented by Nikon and RED. The grant will provide five filmmakers with $30,000 each in production funding to create a short film, as well as pair them with industry mentors to help them execute their projects. The funding, naturally, must be used for production costs. In addition to the funding and mentorship, Nikon and RED will provide access to RED’s Z Cinema line of cameras, such as the Komodo X and V-Raptor X, as well as Nikon’s mirrorless line, including the Z9, Z8, and Z6III. Winners will also receive a Vimeo Standard subscription, distribution support, and an in-person screening of their film in both Los Angeles and New York.
To see the eligibility requirements, as well as the list of esteemed jury members, visit https://vimeo.com/shortfilmgrant.
Submissions open March 10.
