Hothouse 5: Call for Submissions - Deadline Approaching!

Deadline: Friday July 18, 2008
Program Dates: September 2 – November 21, 2008

“The Time I Changed My Mind”

Tell it in a 1-minute animation film over 3 months at the NFB Montreal Animation Studio.

The National Film Board of Canada seeks submissions from emerging filmmakers (young and not-so-young), and artists intrigued by animation art, for the fifth round of Hothouse, a 12-week paid apprenticeship in full-on, all-inclusive, real-world animation filmmaking.

Hothouse is about re-imagining ways of making animation, ways that are faster, more flexible, and which embrace the many possibilities in the animation process while maintaining creative and technical excellence. We’re looking for six new talents who are willing and able to jump head-first into this intensive experience.

SUBMISSION CRITERIA:

Submissions must be received by 5pm (Montreal time) on July 18, 2008, and must be sent via email or post. The six successful candidates will be notified by phone or email on July 25, 2008.

Your submission must include:

1. A one-page statement outlining the idea and motivation behind it, aesthetic approach, technical notes and motivation for participating in Hothouse.

2. Two or three design samples

3. One-page résumé

4. One example of a previous film (animation or otherwise) no more than 5 minutes in length, or an excerpt from a previous film, no more than 5 minutes. Please send only 1 film/excerpt. Media must be submitted using www.youtube.com. See instructions here. Do not send hard copies. If you don’t have a finished film don’t worry, you can still apply but make sure you show off what you can do in your writing and design samples.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

We look for strength of idea, technical capability to realize the idea, conviction of vision, creative maturity, originality and willingness to embrace the Hothouse challenge.

ELIGIBILITY:

Submissions are accepted from across Canada. You must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.

• Have some experience in animation, filmmaking or a related field.

• Have sufficient know-how and confidence in their chosen technique to begin working right away.

• Be relatively new to auteur animation filmmaking.

• Be prepared to live in Montreal and work at the NFB Animation Studio for the entire twelve-week period.

*TIPS*:

1. Do not propose an idea specifically because you think the NFB might like it. We don’t like that and will roll our eyes at you.

2. Propose the film you want to make (if 1 and 2 happen to be the same, that’s ok too).

3. Pay attention to clarity of idea and intent in your proposal. If you’re unsure about something, admit it, and explain why and what you intend to do about it.

4. The theme is a test of your creativity and ingenuity; don’t be afraid to play with it, both in content and in form.

5. Check out the films and behind-the-scenes videos from past Hothouse editions for a better idea about the projects and process.

6. Make sure to read the Rules & Regulations for a better understanding of what we expect from you and what you can expect from us.

Send submissions to:
National Film Board of Canada
Animation Studio (P-16)
attn: Hothouse 5
3155 Côte-de-Liesse Road
St-Laurent, Quebec, H4N 2N4

For more information contact Maral Mohammadian at hothouse@nfb.ca or 514-283-2510