The Emerging Talent Lab is an exclusive partnership between LMU SFTV and Village Roadshow Entertainment Group to offer a 3-month Lab. The Emerging Talent Lab is a program designed to give select graduating students and recent alumni of LMU’s Film & Television program a bridge to the film, TV, and digital media industry, and to help them move their specific projects forward in a concrete and significant way.
Participants in the Emerging Talent Lab will work closely with Village Roadshow creative executives to create short films, television pilots, or proof-of-concepts for larger narrative work (i.e. a scene from an existing narrative feature). Participants will also have regular group meetings at Village Roadshow to receive mentorship and guidance on their projects (approximately 4 times over the course of the program).
WHO SHOULD APPLY
2019 graduates and alumni no more than 5 years removed from their date of graduation.
The ideal candidate is ambitious, curious, and eager to enter the industry with concrete evidence of their vision and ability in hand. We will specifically target: professional or student writers who are looking to direct for the first time; short film/music video/commercial directors looking to develop their first feature; and documentary filmmakers seeking to transition towards narrative.
Preference will be given to directors, producers, and screenwriters with specific film, television or new media projects already in development. Projects may be submitted by one applicant or a team of two (max). Applicants may only submit ONE project for consideration.
All applicants MUST be 21 years or older, be eligible to work in the U.S. and not require any Visa support or assistance.
Applicants will be judged primarily by:
- Their ability to communicate through creative materials and pitches
- Their anticipated commitment to the Lab as evidenced by their professional performance
- Their readiness to complete a finished creative project as detailed in application materials
The Lab will run from May through August 2019.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Each project in the Emerging Talent Lab will receive a grant of $10,000 to create a single short film, feature film segment, television pilot or new media project. Village Roadshow executives will supervise the pre-production, production and post process, providing guidance and feedback at every step along the way.
Additionally, participants will have regular group evening meetings at the Village Roadshow offices in Century City, CA to receive mentorship and guidance on their specific projects (approximately 3-4 times over the course of the program). All meetings will be mandatory.
APPLICATION PROCESS
All eligible applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of select members of SFTV faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as Village Roadshow staff members. Select applicants may be invited to participate in an additional phone or in-person interview.
The final Emerging Talent Lab group will be selected and notified of their status the week of May 6th, 2019.
TIMELINE (Dates Subject to Change)
Monday, March 25th, 2019 Applications open
Monday, April 15th, 2019 – Completed applications due by 5PM (There will be NO exceptions to this deadline. Late Applications will be disqualified immediately)
Week of May 6th, 2019 – All applicants will be notified of their final status.
Wednesday May 15th, 2019 – Lab Kick-off retreat at Playa Vista Campus. Attendance is REQUIRED for all accepted Lab participants.
For further questions, please contact Matt Mills (matthew.mills@lmu.edu)
