Deaffest

We have some exciting news! Philip Bloom will be sitting on the judging panel for the Ben Steiner Film Bursary this year!

Philip Bloom is a film-maker who has worked as a cinematographer for LucasFilm, Sky and BBC. He will bring invaluable knowledge and experience with him to the judging panel as they make the decision about who will win the Ben Steiner Bursary!

Profile: Philip Bloom

Philip Bloom is a highly regarded filmmaker and teacher. He travels the world making films, like Lucasfilm’s Red Tails and the Raindance award winning documentary How to start a revolution. When he is not making films he is teaching low budget filmmaking students all over the globe.

He learnt his craft during 17 years covering news, since then he has worked for pretty much every major broadcaster out there. He also runs a hugely successful website PhilipBloom.net that gets well over a million views a month.

 

The application deadline for the Ben Steiner Bursary is now Tuesday 24 January 2012.

The Ben Steiner Bursary is an exciting opportunity for an aspiring Deaf or hard of hearing film-maker. The winner will receive a budget of £5000 for a film project. It is targeted at people over 21 who already have some experience in media or film making and are hoping to further develop their skills.

Up to 12 applicants will be short listed. They will attend a film making workshop conducted in BSL by John Maidens, a Deaf film maker and BBC director. The workshop will cover a range of topics including script writing, film production, budget management, scheduling, legal issues, marketing and pitching. After the completion of the workshop applicants will have time to prepare and film a pitch for their entry for the bursary.

The winning pitch will be selected by a judge panel and announced on Saturday 26 May 2012 at Deaffest. The winner will then be able to use the Bursary to begin filming their project, with their finished production being screened at the 2013 Deaffest.

Examples of the films made by previous winners using the Ben Steiner Bursary can be viewed by following the below links:

Trailer for Dead Money, Bim Ajadi (2009 winner)

Trailer for Luke Starr, Stephen Collin (2010 winner)

Download the Ben Steiner Bursary application form and the eligibilty criteria here.

Last month we held an interview and Q&A on twitter with Stephen Collins, the 2010 winner of the Ben Steiner Bursary, and here it is in full! Follow Deaffest on twitter.

Deaffest: In 4 mins, we are going to hear from the man himself, Stephen Collins. Again, if you’re thinking of applying or anything to ask, tweet him!

Deaffest: For those who don’t know Stephen – here is is blog. Nice picture of him too. thefootprintsofstephen.tumblr.com

Deaffest: Great! Firstly, how are you getting on with your Movember?!

Stephen: Movember is going great. Have raised £220 so far for The Prostate Cancer Charity. It’s all groovy and itching.

Deaffest: Excellent, let’s get down to business. What was your experience of filmmaking before you applied for the Ben Steiner Bursary?

Stephen: I would say that I had very little experience before the Ben Steiner. I learnt how filming work and the process. Did lot of assisting work for others. But never with the budget and bigger responsibility that I had with The Ben Steiner. Continue reading →