Hot Shots Plus – A career starting opportunity expands
Screen Australia’s Hot Shots Short Film Fund has been reimagined as a proof of concept program and retitled Hot Shots Plus.
Trespass
The refreshed program now has two stages. It will provide production funding for a narrative, short-form proof of concept; and development funding to advance it to a low-budget, longer form project. The eligibility criteria have also been broadened to include public release on a social media platform and/or a festival screening credit.
The short-form project can take the shape of a short film, series pilot, or other proof of concept across all platforms (film, TV, online and virtual reality), and can be up to 30 minutes in length.
“We have revamped this program in recognition that today there are multiple pathways to an artistically satisfying and sustainable career, other than making a short film” said Nerida Moore, Senior Manager of Development at Screen Australia. “Hot Shots Plus is deliberately platform-agnostic, and provides emerging practitioners with the opportunity to develop a longer-form idea whilst concurrently realising an accompanying proof of concept. We don’t want Hot Shots Plus to be the end result; we want it to be the beginning of a career.”
The available production funding for proof of concept projects are:
- Up to $70,000 for live action production
- Up to $100,000 for animation production
- Up to $40,000 for post-production
In addition to production funds, up to $50,000 in development funding will be available for the longer-form narrative project. A pool of $500,000 in production funding is available, and up to an additional $250,000 in development funding is available. In total, up to $750,000 is available through Hot Shots Plus.
The original Hot Shots Short Film program has funded 28 shorts since it began in 2013. Alumni include Corrie Chen’s 2014 short Reg Makes Contact which was nominated for Best Short at the 2015 AACTAs and won Best Cinematography at Flickerfest 2015. Chen was recently announced as a director on ABC Me comedy Mustangs FC and has two projects in development – online series Homecoming Queens, and feature film Strangers through Gender Matters: Brilliant Stories. In 2015 Mirrah Foulkes wrote and directed Trespass, produced by Alex White, which was selected for Toronto International Film Festival in 2016. The same project is now in development as a feature film titled Runaway through Gender Matters: Brilliant Stories, with Jan Chapman and Jane Campion on board as executive producers.
Applications are now open for Hot Shots Plus, and close Thursday 20 April.
In keeping with Screen Australia’s broader strategic objectives, inclusive teams and projects that capture and reflect the diversity of Australian society will be prioritised.
For more detailed information about program and how to apply, view the program guidelines
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