Photo of Dr. Roy Grundmann

Joseph A. Lalli & Lauren Shuler Donner
Student Filmmaker Prizes

In memory of Joseph A. Lalli, a philanthropist and patron of the arts, and in honor of Lauren Shuler Donner, noted film producer and BU alumna, two $5,000 grants will be awarded towards the production of two of the finalists in the 2006 and 2005 Fleder-Rosenberg Short Screenplay Contest. The object of these production grants is to foster collaboration between some of the department's most talented screenwriters and filmmakers.

The finalists in the 2006 and 2005 Fleder-Rosenberg Short Screenplay Contest are available for viewing below. Students may also view printed copies of the scripts in COM's Film and Television office.

To be considered for this award, students must be enrolled as graduate or undergraduate students at BU and must anticipate being eligible to enroll in one of the following courses as of the Spring 2008 semester:

  • Production 3
  • Thesis Project

Applicants should be prospective producers and/or directors. Producer/director teams are encouraged to apply. Entrants do not need to apply separately for the two awards: all eligible entries will be considered for both awards.

Application & Review

Step One: Each entrant- whether a team or an individual- should submit a single proposal. This proposal should consist of a creative statement limited to three pages explaining-

  • which script they would like to film and why;
  • what their vision is for taking the project from script to screen;
  • who they anticipate working with them, and in what capacity;
  • what previous experience they and their crew bring to the project.

NOTE: BEWARE OF THE LENGTH OF SOME OF THE FINALIST SCRIPTS

The Fleder-Rosenberg finalist scripts were chosen prior to these production grants being established and therefore may not conform to the requirements of the Department's production courses. Prospective Production 3 students should only pitch scripts that will have a running time of 15 minutes or less once produced. Graduate students who are pitching scripts that will serve as the basis for their theses should be prepared to show that these projects will run 28 minutes or less once produced.

Proposals should be dropped off at the Film and Television office no later than October 19, 2007.

Step Two: After the proposals have been reviewed, a list of finalists will be issued. At this stage, finalists will be asked to present brief oral presentations to a committee of Film & Television faculty members. These pitches should outline-

  • the director's interpretation of one of the scripts
  • a stylistic approach to the material
  • a summary of the anticipated scope, schedule and budget of the production

At the end of the pitch sessions, the faculty committee will select two director/producer teams to produce two of the finalist scripts. We anticipate the pitch sessions taking place in early November and selection of the winning projects by Thanksgiving.

Step Three: The winning projects will be produced under the aegis of Production III or Thesis Prep during the Spring 2008 term.

Funding and course credit will be subject to the student's progress in the class and the execution and the completion of the film. As with any other films produced for these courses, the completed productions would be eligible for submission to the Redstone Film Festival.

Only one application per student or student-team will be allowed to compete for the prize.

Further Information

Questions regarding these awards should be directed to Randy Steinberg at rsteinbe@bu.edu.