Staff Report
Published July 10, 2009

The S.C. Film Commission announced today that up to $200,000 may be made available to filmmakers who partner with the media arts department at the University of South Carolina or the film, radio and television department of Trident Technical College.

Each partnership will be eligible to receive up to $100,000 to create a short film through the S.C. Production Fund.

“The goal of the production fund is to instill collaboration between filmmakers and our institutes of higher education that have film production programs resulting in the professional development of our students and professionals alike,” said Jeff Monks, South Carolina’s film commissioner. “The final projects should be capable of competing in film festivals around the country.”

The fund was created as part of the S.C. Motion Picture Incentive Act to further develop the motion picture industry within South Carolina.

“We encourage all filmmakers to enter this competition,” Monks said. “This is a real opportunity to demonstrate the skills and talents resident within our state.”

A public meeting to discuss the S.C. Production Fund and the application process will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 at the University of South Carolina.

“The production fund application process has been streamlined this year and will incorporate the skills of feature film industry professionals throughout the process to ensure participants better understand the working environment of a feature film,” said Tom Clark, the production fund’s manager. “This will better organize the production, further develop individual skills, and continue to develop a job-ready work force that is ready to capture the high-paying jobs that this industry creates.”

Sept. 18 is the deadline for the first round of applications, which includes a script and a project overview.