HERE Film Festival Commission – Support
Talkies Community Cinema working in partnership with Short Sighted Cinema can provide a range of support for the production of your short films, explained under each of the headings below.
Successful applications will go through a short-listing stage before the final pitches are agreed, during which we will offer you some guidance to the local area to help hone your ideas.
Mentoring
The Talkies short film commission is supported by the mentorship of industry professionals and award-winning filmmakers. Successful applicants will be assigned a mentor for their project, who will provide a variety of feedback and advice depending on the project. This usually focuses on script rewrites, structure and shot lists, before the shoot begins.
Examples of mentors are:
- Marc Issacs, director, writer and documentary maker
- Ian Barnes, TV director and Oscar nominated short film maker
- Christine Lalla, director and writer
- Bruce Goodison, director and writer
- Gem Carmella, comedy script writer
- Jason Sutton, writer TV and film, including shorts
Location, Location, Location
During the initial application stage, we do not expect you to have a fully formed idea of locations, however we do expect you to show an active interest in the locality (Palmers Green is an ethnically diverse, middle-class suburban area which boasts large green parks). Successful applicants of the first stage will be offered a short tour of the area by one of the Talkies team, of locations and areas we feel might suit your film.
We have previously commissioned films that make use of local venues such as the Ruth Winston Centre (Smear, The Problemless Anonymous) , Local houses (For Our Cockroaches, Cleared, Magic Trick), specific locations (Platform 1, Ballade of the New River) public realm (Cul-de-Sac, Sunday Worship, Clanker Man, Another Man) etc…
Local Assistance
Talkies Community Cinema has a large audience in Palmers Green and the surrounding areas, with many enthusiastic helpers, extras and local guides.
We can organise extras for your film, as well as local bases for cast & crew, offered by members of the Talkies audience. We will also assign a local production assistant to offer additional support for any issues which may benefit from an insider’s knowledge!
Technical Support
We expect most technical issues to be resolved by the commissioned team, but we may be able to offer advice at the early editing stage in the role of a proxy audience. We also may be able to call on the support of previous film makers and on the extensive experience of Gem at Short Sighted Cinema.
Exhibition & Promotion
Each film we commission must premiere at a Talkies screening, where we exhibit your film on Talkies’ large screen, to an audience of about 150.