Filmmakers

Calling the Shots are looking for young people with brilliant ideas to produce a series of short films for Arts Council England and for potential inclusion in Random Acts, the arts series broadcast on Channel 4. The closing date for this round of applications is at 12pm midday on October 20th 2017 and can submit at any time from now, via the Calling The Shots website.

If you’re aged 16-24 and currently live or study in the South West, you are eligible to apply and have a chance to become one of 72 successful young people whose ideas will go into production over the next three years.

You do not have to have any filmmaking experience or be a filmmaker – you just need to have a great idea and a clear creative vision. Your idea can be based on absolutely anything – it could be a spoken word piece, an artwork, a music video, a dance, or a wild animation… You could be an artist, a dancer, a writer or a poet – there are no limits or definitions as to who we want to apply. We want you to confront, surprise and challenge us with your short film idea. Completed films will need to be between 90 seconds and three minutes long, so bear this in mind when applying.

All successful applicants will be partnered with an industry mentor who will guide them through the filmmaking process and provide the equipment, training and crew that they need to create a broadcast-quality short film. It’s an amazing opportunity to get experience and insight into the industry and to make new connections.

We are one of the 4 organisations in the UK that are designated network centres to house this opportunity. Others are ICA (London), Tyneside Cinema (North), Screen South (South East) and the Rural Media Company (Midlands). Log onto the Arts Council England website to find out which network centre is accepting applications in your area

Before applying, we recommend that you take a look at existing Random Acts films and think about ways in which you can be bold and creative in the short film format.

The application process simply asks that you share your idea with us: send a plan for your film and let us in on your influences and experiences.

Please express interest here and we'll send you an application form.

If you have any further questions about the application process, please message Fawn Mead (go to https://cahootify.com/fawn-mead and click on the "Message" link top right).