1. single channel (looped for installation)
2. multi-channel (looped for installation)
3. screen dance short – under 10mins (single screening)
4. mid-length screen dance – 10-60mins (single screening)
5. dance documentary (single screening)
6. online and/or mobile environments

*Entries must fall within the following definition: the work must contain within its main concerns dance and/or dynamic expressions of movement created specifically for the screen, be it human movement, the dance-like movement of inanimate objects, dance effects achieved through filming or post-production, or abstract motion studies. NOTE: Recordings of live dance performance will not be considered (unless as part of dance documentary).

*Only works created after 1 January 2010 will be considered.

Closing date for submissions: 29 February 2012, AEDT 17:00 hrs

For more information and to submit online application form go to: http://reeldance.org.au/reeldance-2012-submission-form

ReelDance is an internationally recognized arts organisation supporting innovative collaborative practice across dance, film and new media art. We provide a forum for dance screen culture, developing and defining this artistic field of practice in Australia and New Zealand, and promoting local work both nationally and internationally.

ReelDance curates, presents and consults on programs of single and multi-screen works for exhibitions, broadcast and festivals. Other activities include professional development for those working in the field of dance screen through workshops and forums, creating distribution opportunities for Australian dance filmmakers. Also, ReelDance has established the Moving Image Collection, a significant archive of Australian and New Zealand dance screen works.

FRAMEWORKS accepts submissions of original works of choreography for the camera, less than 20 minutes in length and made within the last 7 years. Videos of staged work and documentary films are fabulous but won’t be reviewed in this series. On average, 30-75 films are submitted for each screening, and 4-7 are selected. Submission is and always will be free.

Deadline for the Winter 2012 Series is January 31st. Please note this is the received by deadline.

For more information and application forms go to: http://www.frameworksdance.org/

The festival seeks video dance works less than 15 minutes in length for its official selection, which will be the featured event of the festival. Documentaries and live performance recordings are not accepted.

Submission guidelines and instructions can be found here.

SEND TO: info@videodansebourgogne.com

The SUBMSSION DEADLINE is January 8, 2012.

Dance Camera West announces its 11th Annual Festival with Dance Media: An Active Spectrum.  The event will bring together artists, innovators, educators, and others in the entertainment industry to discuss the increasingly active spectrum of dance media on screen.

Dance Camera West is now accepting submissions for its festival to be held in Los Angeles at the end of June.  Entries must be on DVD. Festival screening formats will vary depending on venue and will be communicated via email upon acceptance to the festival.  To be considered for the festival, the following are required:

• DVD submissions and entry fees must be postmarked by January 30th, 2012.
• Entries must never have screened or broadcast in Los Angeles. University or showcase showings allowed; local cable broadcast allowed.
• Upon acceptance into the festival, your film cannot be withdrawn.

Entry Fee:
$50 fee; $40 Members before December 15, 2011
$60 fee; $50 Members after December 15, 2011
$25 fee, Students

Early Deadline: December 15, 2011
Final Deadline: January 31, 2012 (postmarked)

For more information,visit dancecamerawest.org
Contact festival@dancecamerawest.org with additional questions.

Jody Oberfelder

So you’ve just finished a dance film, and you think it’s pretty good. You raised funds and invested in talent, crew and high (for you) production values. The final cut has just been completed and you are ready to show it to the world. But how? For most dance filmmakers, the first step in their distribution plan is to have their film shown in festivals. While some festivals offer cash prizes, the primary benefit of having your film shown in festivals isn’t to earn money but to gain recognition and acclaim from the festival communities that could lead to future opportunities for you.

Besides the 100+ dance film festivals around the world there are tens of thousands of other film festivals that you could submit your dance film to. The options are overwhelming, and no one has the time or resources to submit to them all, so it’s important to develop a strategy and take it step by step.

The first step in creating your film festival strategy is to ANALYZE yourself, your goals and your work. Jason B. Kohl, a filmmaker and blogger, encapsulates this process in a short set of basic questions that he always asks himself:

1. Who Am I?
2. Where do I want to work?
3. What kind of career do I want (what kind filmmaker am I)?
4. What do I expect to get out of festivals?
5. What kind of film do I have?
6. How good is it?
7. How much money do I have?
8. When am I applying?

By going through these questions you will develop a clear picture of what you have and where your film has the best shot of being selected and furthering your career.

Marta Renzi on set

The second step is to make a PLAN. The main aspects of your plan are your budget and time frame. Most US festivals have entry fees averaging $30/short. These fees can add up quickly. Dance filmmaker, Marta Renzi says, “My goal is to get my work seen, with a minimum of expense. The good thing about dance/film festivals, especially it seems in Latin America where my work is often shown, is that there’s no entry fee. My rule for submissions to festivals through Withoutabox is that the fee has to be under $40.”

The time frame can be as simple as a calendar with the festival deadlines marked in, or as elaborate as an excel spread sheet where you track the deadlines, responses, and all correspondence you have had with each festival. One way to save money and boost the odds for your film is to submit early. Many festivals offer discounted early bird entry fees as an incentive. This helps them out because the selection committee will have plenty of time to review your film, and it helps reduce the risk that your film will be lost, or given short shrift by being at the bottom of the pile during crunch time.

The third step is to RESEARCH festivals and narrow down your list. Jody Oberfelder, a dance filmmaker and choreographer says, “Besides the major dance on camera festivals, I’ve joined Withoutabox.  This can be overwhelming because there are a gazillion independent [film] festivals. I use my instincts weeding though and try to find more out of the box festivals that might enjoy non-narrative experimental film.” Marta Renzi suggests, “Ask your significant other to look at your work before deciding which piece to submit to which festival.  My husband can tell by a glance at a festival website which of my pieces is most likely to be received well. Anyway, his track record is pretty good so far.” Especially for dance filmmakers, it is a good idea to think about other niches your film could fit into, such as by genre, subject, location, and demographics. Don’t be afraid to look far afield as well. Sometimes fans of your work come from unexpected places. Simon Fildes, a dance filmmaker and co-founder of Goat Media in Scotland, says “More surprising is how little attention we get in our own country compared to internationally. We made trips to China and Australia recently and did loads of press. In the UK we are lucky to get a screening at a dance film festival.”

The Truth by Simon Fildes and Katrina MacPherson

In addition to Withoutabox, most of the major dance film festivals are listed on the Dance Films Association’s website, and many of the calls for entry are posted regularly here on Move the Frame.

Once you have narrowed down your list, and made a calendar, there are some special considerations to make when you pack up your film for submission. First and foremost, CHECK YOUR DVD. Make sure it works in several players before you send it off. Also make sure it is PROPERLY LABELED with your name, the title and your email and telephone #. It is best to put it in a slim case with a label on the spine and the front as well as on the disc itself. You want to ensure that it won’t be lost in the stacks (as frequently happens). It’s also important that you have all your RIGHTS in order. If the music rights aren’t verifiable, your work could be immediately disqualified. It is also helpful to have good high res stills available, and an active and up-dated website for the festival staff to go to for more information about your work. A press kit is often not necessary, but a good website makes you look credible and helps the festival in their marketing efforts.

FINAL TIPS

Simon Fildes cited brevity as one of Goat Media’s winning strategies for festival selection, “We are always pleased to win an award if that happens, but we have a 16 year track record in this field so most people at dance film festivals seem happy to take our work if its not too long ie keep it under 15 minutes.”

Jody Oberfelder says that persistence and perseverance will pay off: “Keep applying, You never know how your aesthetic reaches people. Don’t let one panel discourage you. There are audiences out there for what you do.”

Marta Renzi appreciates the connections and relationships she has built through festival participation: “It tickles me to be programmed at the same festival for several years running. The second time I was screened at Sans Souci in Boulder, I actually visited and appreciated who they are, what they show. Now, after the 5th year of being programmed, it feels like a relationship.”

Some other good articles for tips and festival advice:

http://jasonbkohl.com/archives/2011/short-film-festival-strategy/

http://www.fauxfilm.com/tips/Submission_Tips.pdf

http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/film-festivals/film-festival-tips-advice.html

National Conference
Pavilion Dance, Bournemouth (UK)
8-10 September, 2011

Digital Futures in Dance is an opportunity for artists, promoters, producers, venues, academics and creative and digital companies to come together to discuss future possibilities for dance and technology. With an increasing growth in interdisciplinary practice, Digital Futures in Dance investigates how new digital technologies create new conditions for choreographing and presenting dance. The conference is structured around three interrelated themes explored through presentations, workshops, performances and installations:

The Expanded Stage: Stage, screen and bodies – What will be the stages for dance in the future?

New Body Intelligence: Body data as raw material – How will new intelligence of the body influence choreography in the future?

Social Interaction: Mobile and interactive technology devices – How will increased interactivity influence the creation and reception of dance in the future?

The programme will feature international artists and researchers across the dance, technology and media spectrums including Jonah Bokaer, Billie Cowie, Marlon Barrios-Solano, Harriet Macauley | Pair Dance, Johannes Birringer, Renana Raz, Mark Coniglio, and Marina Tsartsara.

See the full programme here.

SUBMISSIONS 2012

Our submissions call is now open for the third-annual festival, tentatively scheduled for March 15-18th, 2012.

We are looking for dance films made specifically for the camera, often referred to as “screendance.” These are stand-alone pieces independent from the stage that can range from traditional narratives to experimental collages, and may include the use of animation or other technologies. This year, we are also adding a dance documentary category to our programming, and encourage entries with a creative approach to capturing the choreographic process.

Submission Deadlines and Fees:

Early Deadline: October 1st, 2011 Fee:$25

Final Deadline: November 15th, 2011 Fee:$35

Go to our website for details on how to submit.

Dance on Camera Festival 2012, co-produced by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, will present 10 programs January 27-31, 2012 with 4 shows daily, at the Walter Reade Theatre, Lincoln Center Plaza, New York.

We accept videos of all lengths. We welcome screen adaptations of stage choreographies, narratives, documentaries, abstract and experimental shorts. Performances videos are also considered. Please consider our curatorial question – would we rather see this dance live? Does the video represent a strong marriage of two arts, dance and film?

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Complete Entry Form

WATERWHEEL, a new online platform exploring ‘water’ as a topic and metaphor, will be launched on 22 August, in Brisbane (Australia) AND will take place live online on the TAP at 6.30pm – find your time here.

The TAP is an online, real-time venue and forum, workshop and stage for live networked performance and presentation. Here you can create and collaborate, rehearse and remix, present and exchange, participate and communicate—privately as a crew or publicly with an audience. The Tap provides tools for live networking and real-time media mixing.

Here is more info on how to use WATERWHEEL and view a guided tour of the TAP.

The 12th International Festival VideoDanzaBA (to be held from September 4th to 12th, 2010) is looking for submissions in the following categories:

I. Videodance (max. 20 minutes)
II. Documentaries on Dance (max. 30 minutes)

Deadline: Submissions must be registered online and postmarked by June 15th, 2010.