Visit Austin.com to celebrate Austin, Texas! Austin.com is the web portal for everything entertaining happening in Austin, Texas.

Austin Film Society grants...and how to get one.

Everyone knows the familiar adage "there is no such thing as a free lunch." But it turns out, if you are a talented up and coming filmmaker or video artist here in Texas, getting free money to produce your project is a distinct possibility. Since 1996 the Austin Film Society has awarded $750,000 in cash and $80,000 in goods and services to 243 film and video projects through the Texas Filmmamkers Production Fund. Although the 2008 grant cycle is now closed, you still have plenty of time to get your application in for the 2009 grants.

The idea for the fund is to award Texas filmmakers and video artists for their independent work. That means that the person submitting the application must also hold the copyright for the project; commercial or work-for-hire projects will not qualify. It also means that applicants must have been residents of Texas for the prior calendar year, so just shooting the project here is not enough to gain a grant. The fund will grant money to projects for the production, post production, or distribution. So you need not apply if you are seeking funding for the development or pre-production of a project.

Awards are provided to artists whose work shows promise, skill, and creativity. Every August, an independent panel of highly esteemed professionals from the national film community convene in Austin to review applications and administer awards. Award announcements are posted on the Austin Film Societywebsite at the conclusion of the panel session, and grant disbursements are made in early September. To help assist applicants through the submission process, the Austin Film Society holds workshops in April and May in a number of cities in Texas. These are great opportunities to help you to navigate the various areas and eligibility requirements for a grant award.

Past grant awards range in denominations from $5,000 to $20,000. Filmmaking is quite an expensive sport, so picking up any free money to help get your project completed or distributed certainly cannot hurt. However, applying for the grant is the easy part. Last year, less than 10% of the projects submitted took home any cash, so be sure to button up your project and your application.

Steve Muccini is president of SpotEdge Media, a video production company that produces TV commercials and films. He is a film editor, cameraman, actor, and writer in Austin, Texas. You can view his profile and  contact Steve here.