FVU:LAB is delivered in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University and provides opportunities for four emerging moving image artists to work with cutting edge technologies at NTU’s new Design and Digital Arts building. This can be either for a specific outcome, ie to help them to realise a new work, or artists can apply for R&D time to see if a specific technology is appropriate to incorporate into their practice or to realise a particular idea. Selected applicants will receive a £500 bursary (in addition to expenses), and mentoring from FVU’s Director, Angelica Sule. The opportunity does not have specific exhibition outcome requirements as it is intended to support experimentation and skills development, but there is the potential for resulting work to be presented to audiences at NTU and/or on FVU’s website and digital channels should all parties wish to do so.
 

What will awarded artists receive?
 

• Up to 5 days access to the technology facilities at Nottingham Trent University’s new Design and Digital Arts building, supported by an FVU team member and NTU technicians or teaching staff and students. These days can be scheduled in one block or split up and utilised over a longer period.

• £500 bursary

• Two x one to one mentoring sessions with FVU Director, Angelica Sule

• Potential for work to be presented to audiences within NTU and/or on FVU’s website and digital channels

• Travel, accommodation and per diems for days spent at NTU.

Who is the opportunity for?
 

• Visual artists who work with moving image.

• The opportunity is for ‘emerging’ artists, but we take a very broad view of this term, and recognise that you may still be emerging when you have already been practising art for more than a decade.

• You may apply as an individual or with collaborators, if you have a collaborative practice.

• You need to be UK based to apply.

• There are no educational requirements or age limits to apply.

• You may apply if you have received funding from FVU before, but we are less likely to offer this opportunity to artists who have already received upwards of £10K of support from FVU in the past. 

What technologies can I apply to work with?
 

You need to apply to work with one or more of the technologies that are accessible at NTU, summarised below:

• Motion capture and facial capture including XSens suits and Mkiv Cameras: NTU has a dedicated space for marker-less motion capture, using full body suits and head mounted cameras to accurately capture position, expression and movement data and apply it to 3D models.
   
• Virtual production studio featuring ARRI cameras, UNREAL Engine, advanced lighting systems and industry standard render nodes: NTU’s Virtual Production studio features a 9x4m wide LED video wall, which can be used to seamlessly film a subject in front of either pre-recorded 2D images or real-time 3D visuals, with accurate camera tracking and Hollywood-level realism.
   
• Foley studio and control room: NTU has an industry-standard Foley recording suite, used to capture sound effects for moving image. This can be with props or in ’traps’ filled with a variety of surfaces and materials, to record footsteps and other sounds. This has a separate recording space and sound-proofed control room, with a mixing desk, a Mac Studio and professional monitoring speakers.
   
• Green Screen Studio: This is a studio dedicated to traditional green-screen chroma key work, with an 'infinity curve’ wall and a professional level lighting rig designed to create a seamless and evenly-lit surface across the floor and walls, ready for easy background removal in post-production.
   
• Immersive technologies including interactive projection mapping, modular layouts and mixed reality workflows: NTU also has spaces available to 'projection map' images across multiple walls and surfaces, as well as technologies such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality to enhance the immersive experience in such environments.

How to apply

You can apply using the application form HERE.

Applications will be made via a Google form. If you have any barriers to submitting an application please get in touch with us via email: admin@fvu.co.uk.

The required items for the application are:

• Name, preferred pronouns, email address, telephone number.

• Up to five minutes worth of video footage of your past work/s via Vimeo or Youtube. If password protected, password must be: fvu. You can submit a single clip or provide a reel of clips. You may submit a five-minute section of a longer work, but please specify the timecode for the selectors to view. If no timecode is given we will watch the first five minutes of the work.

• Detail what equipment you would like to use (no more than 30 words).

• A proposal or description of what you would like to do with the requested equipment and why i.e. how will this support the development of your practice and/or a specific idea or work in development/production. (no more than 400 words).

• A 50 word summary of the proposal.

• If you are hoping to use this opportunity to help you deliver a specific outcome to a specific deadline, please state what this deadline is, and why this deadline is in place.

• Website link: optional (we do not commit to viewing all websites).

• A short artist bio telling us about your past artistic experience and artistic practice, and please include your key career moments (no more than 300 words).

Selection Process

There is no deadline for applications. We will consider applications as they are received, and will aim to provide you with a response within two months of receipt. This may need to be extended depending on the volume of applications received within a given period. 

Please note that we have available budget to support up to four artists for this opportunity. Applications will be reviewed in order of receipt. Once four artists have been selected, then we will close for applications. 

Names will be redacted from applications before they are assessed. 

Applications will be reviewed by members of the FVU team based on the selection criteria outlined below. When an application is selected by FVU, it will be forwarded to NTU to ensure that the team there feels confident in their ability to support the ambition of what the artist wishes to do. Assuming that the selected application can be supported by NTU, then we will get in touch to let you know that your application has been successful, and to schedule when you will visit NTU and meet with members of FVU’s team for preparatory discussions, etc.

Selection Criteria
 

We will be basing decisions on:

• Whether we can see clear benefit for the artist, in the acquisition of new skills that will be useful to their ongoing practice, or in enabling an artist to test their ideas, or in enabling an artist to realise a new work

• The quality of the artist’s current practice, based on the examples of work submitted

• The quality of the artist’s proposed research / ideas / work

• Feasibility – whether what you are proposing can be achieved within five days with the technical facilities available

Access support to make an application
 

We are committed to making our opportunities accessible and easy to apply to and to make the process as user-friendly as we can. This is part of our ongoing work to welcome and encourage applicants facing barriers to apply. 

If you would prefer to submit your application as an audio or video recording you can do so. The online application portal provides the opportunity for you to submit links to audio or video files containing your 400-word proposal and 300-word artist bio. These audio or video recordings would be in addition to the 5 minutes of past moving image work that we ask everyone to submit. We will still ask you to complete contact details, a 50-word summary of your proposal and to state any deadlines for undertaking the work, in written form, to assist the processing of your application. No assessment of the production quality of the audio or video recordings submitted as an alternative to these written sections will be made.

If you would like to talk through making an application in advance of applying, you can email us at admin@fvu.co.uk, to ask a question over email or make an appointment to speak to a member of the team over the phone or via video call (as you prefer).  Please note that the advice we give on making an application is on the eligibility and suitability of your proposal and will have no bearing on its assessment. You do not need to have spoken to an FVU member of staff before making an application.    

We can contribute up to £200 towards a fee for an Access Support Worker to help you make an application, for those who identify as having a disability. To access these funds we ask that you have a short preliminary conversation with with a member of our team, to ensure that what you are proposing, is within the criteria and realistic within the scope of this opportunity. This conversation will not affect the subsequent assessment of your application. Please contact admin@fvu.co.uk to arrange a time to discuss your application. This conversation can take place by phone, on Zoom or over email, depending on your preference.

Equal Opportunities
 

Film and Video Umbrella is committed to promoting equality of opportunity in all of its activities, so that everyone who comes into contact with the organisation feels that they are valued and respected, regardless of their background. 

We encourage applications from artists that have backgrounds / identities that have been historically underrepresented in the visual arts in the UK, including but not limited to disabled artists and those with long term health conditions, neurodivergent artists, artists from low income / socioeconomic backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ artists, artists from the Global Majority, and artists living outside of London.

Your identity will not affect the assessment of your application. Applications will be assessed solely on the basis of the assessment criteria outlined above. 

Privacy 
 

The personal data you give us when submitting your application will be used to process your application for this opportunity by Film and Video Umbrella and will be shared with parties at Nottingham Trent University where relevant. We will only contact you in connection to this application. Your personal data will be kept by Film and Video Umbrella for up to 10 years and will only be used internally for research, evaluation, reporting and marketing analysis for artist opportunities. It will not be passed on to anyone else. If you want to be removed from our database, you can email susanna@fvu.co.uk. You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office should you wish to complain about how your information has been handled.

FAQS

Are there any costs involved in applying?

No. This opportunity is free to apply to.

What should I include in my five-minute showreel?

We suggest submitting a clip (or selection of clips on a single reel) of your past work that best represents your practice and/or your proposal, so that the selectors can easily gain an understanding of your existing skill within the medium. It could be one complete work, a clip, or reel of clips showcasing different works you have made, so long as together they don’t exceed five minutes. You may submit a five-minute section of a longer work, but please specify the timecode for the selectors to view. If no timecode is given we will watch the first five minutes of the work.

If you have not previously made moving-image work before, you can submit reference material for the proposed work that is not of your own making, but please make us aware that you have done so.

What is the £500 bursary to be used for?

You can use the £500 bursary for whatever you want. It might contribute to research or towards the work that you are proposing to undertake, in the form of performers, materials, equipment, software, sets, props, costume etc. Or you can use it for personal items. You do not need to disclose how you would like to use these funds.

Can I use the opportunity to help to realise a work that is already funded and/or in production?

Yes. We are happy for you to use this opportunity to help you realise a new work, that may or may not already have confirmed support from elsewhere. We are also happy to support open ended experimentation, research and development with no exhibitable outcomes at the end. 

Can I apply to work with more than one of the facilities / technical equipment at NTU?

Yes. You may apply to use more than one of the technical facilities or pieces of technical equipment available at NTU, but in order for the time with that equipment to really have an impact on your work or artistic development, we’d recommend not requesting to use more than two of the key facilities, as this would be unlikely to allow for enough time for you to really be able to get to grips with and/or experiment with that equipment. 

Can I apply if I am a filmmaker/director?

This opportunity is specifically for visual artists who use film and moving image as a medium. We recognise the distinction between artist and filmmaker can be hard to define and that the two things often crossover. In general, we would expect that artists usually show their work in contemporary art spaces and occasionally film festivals, rather than predominantly in cinemas.

QUESTIONS AROUND ACCESSIBILITY AND SUPPORT
 

If I am disabled and/or have specific access requirements, what support can be offered if my application is successful?
 

We welcome applications from disabled artists, artists who identify as neurodivergent and/or have access requirements.

If you already regularly use funds from the Department of Work and Pensions to support your Access to Work, please let us know this once you have been selected. If you do not already have this in place, then we maintain an Access Reserve to facilitate our work with artists with disabilities. 

All awarded artists are requested to submit an ‘Access Rider’ to outline your specific access needs. This is useful at the beginning of the commissioning/production process, in providing us with information about what your needs are so that structures can be put in place to ensure that you have equal access to work, as well as simply helping us to understand and to facilitate how you work best. 

QUESTIONS ABOUT ELIGIBILITY
 

Can artist duos or groups apply? 

Yes, but unfortunately the bursary will not increase as a result.

Can I submit more than one application?

Only one application will be accepted per individual artist or collaborative group. You may submit an application as an individual artist, as well as a different application as a member of a collaborative group, providing that the two practices and proposals are distinctly different.

If I have applied to FVU opportunities in the past, can I apply again?

Yes. We encourage applications from those who have made applications to us before. Just because you might not have been successful once does not mean that we are not interested in your work. We often work with artists who have applied to our calls for entries previously.

QUESTIONS ABOUT TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH THE APPLICATION PORTAL

What happens if I experience a technical issue with the application portal?

We troubleshoot the application portal thoroughly. Nevertheless, from time to time people do report technical difficulties. We recommend drafting your application offline. Answers can then be pasted into the online form. If you experience a technical issue with the portal, please report it to admin@fvu.co.uk asap.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS AFTER SUBMISSION

Will I get feedback on my application?

Regretfully, due to the high volume of applications that we receive to our calls for entries we are unable to provide individual feedback to applicants. 

QUESTIONS FOR IF YOU ARE SELECTED

If I am selected when will I be able to undertake the work?

This will be agreed in discussion between you – the artist, FVU and NTU. As NTU are allowing successful applicants to this scheme access to their facilities free of charge, students at NTU will always take priority for the use of the facilities there. Therefore, our artists’ access to NTU facilities will need to be scheduled around student activities. We will do our best to schedule your access on a timeframe that makes sense for you and the work that you are proposing. If you are hoping to use the opportunity to help you to realise a work that has a specific deadline already in place, then please state this deadline clearly in your application so that we can better understand if we will be able to help you meet this deadline or not. 

We will be aiming to complete the scheme within approximately one year, with selected artists accessing facilities at various points that are mutually convenient through that year. 

If I am selected will I need to undertake the work all at once, or can I spread my five days of access to NTU facilities out over several months?

You may find it useful to either access NTU facilities in one five day block, or to spread your five days of access out over several months. FVU and NTU will accommodate your needs, as best we can (around NTU student access).

What will NTU student involvement be?

In exchange for use of NTU’s facilities, NTU students may observe and/or support you while you are working with NTU equipment. Small numbers of students may therefore be assigned to you while you are at NTU, appropriate to the nature and needs of your proposal, in order to facilitate their own professional development, providing them real-world experience of working with or understanding of professional arts practices.