The Lhs x fear horror incubator
With more new filmmakers around now than ever before, access to the traditional short film financing routes such as grants and crowdfunding has become massively oversubscribed, which has seen the success rates of these applications and campaigns dwindle.
That’s why we at The London Horror Society have been committed to exploring and developing new ways for grassroots filmmakers to gain access to funding for their projects. And we are delighted to be able to announce our partnership with the much-loved blockchain horror game developer FEAR, on a brand-new funding initiative: The FEAR Horror Incubator.
The FEAR Incubator will be investing up to $50,000 (approximately £41,000) in a slate of UK-produced short horror films, with filmmakers being invited to apply for up to $10,000 (approximately £8,000) of funding for each.
The underlying aim of the Incubator is to unearth the next generation of UK genre filmmaking talent, and as such, we want to ensure that any promising short concepts are given the opportunity to be converted into commercially viable feature films. To help make this possible, a selection of the funded short films will also be granted the opportunity to work alongside FEAR and The London Horror Society to turn their original concept into a full feature, by crowdfunding on the FEAR platform via the sale of NFTs.
How To Apply For Funding
Please now, the first wave applications are now CLOSED, and we will alert LHS members if and when we are able to reopen for a second round.
If you’d like to apply for funding, here is what you will need to submit:
- The finished screenplay for the short project.
- A budget document detailing the proposed line-by-line expenditure. This can be in Excel or Google Sheets format.
- Your proposed production schedule.
- An investment pack and/or ‘look book’.
what we are looking for
- The originality of the underlying concept and screenplay
- Applicant’s current portfolio of short and/or feature films that they and/or key team members have contributed towards creatively. (Applicant must clearly demonstrate how they played a significant role in the creation of any project listed)
- The overall viability of the proposed production schedule for delivery of the short (and subsequent feature thereafter)
- Demonstration of ability to produce quality work under a tight budget
live Q&A
On Tuesday 13th December we hosted a live discussion and Q&A with the founder of The London Horror Society, Chris Nials, and the founders of FEAR, Jonathan and Patrick Carey.
During the hour-long event we answered a wide range of questions, and if you missed it, don’t worry! We’ve made the whole discussion available for you to watch at your leisure.
lHS Pro Members
Members of The London Horror Society’s premium membership service LHS Pro will be able to receive help and support from the LHS Pro team with the application process.
All members will have access to a dedicated channel in the private LHS Pro Discord server, where they can pose questions and queries in real time.
If you’re not currently a member of LHS Pro, you can join now for £4.99 a month.
(Please Note: becoming an LHS Pro member will not in any way guarantee investment)
FAQs
The Submission process
No – Only one project can be submitted by an applicant.
While we cannot provide specific advice on each individual application, members of the London Horror Society’s LHS Pro service will get access to a private Discord server where you can speak directly to the team, and get your questions answered.
While you do not need an exact plan as to how your short film will convert to a feature (or any completed screenplay/budget document/production schedule etc), the investment panel may look more favourably on projects with a clear scope for conversion. So the more information you can provide us, the better!
Yes – you can apply for any post-production or finishing funds that are required to complete your project. However please do note that your project will still be subject to the standard investment terms and conditions even if it is part funded.
The investment panel is made up of representatives of FEAR, its parent company Netcreeper Media, and The London Horror Society.
The deadline for applications to be submitted for the first round of investment is 11pm on Monday, 23rd January 2023.
Production Of Your Short Film
No. The filmmaker/applicant is responsible for the production of the short film, with the London Horror Society team being available on an advisory basis if required.
The investment panel is made up of representatives of FEAR, its parent company Netcreeper Media, and The London Horror Society.
The investment drawdown timeline will be agreed upon by the filmmaker/applicant and the investment panel during the latter stages of the submission process.
The final delivery date will be agreed upon by the filmmaker/applicant and the investment panel during the latter stages of the submission process.
No. It is only if your short film is chosen to be developed into a feature that NFTs will need to be incorporated.
your finished short film
Once your short film is finished and is ready to go live, it will be made exclusively available to watch for free on the FEAR Horror Hub where it will be available for the world to see!
Yes absolutely – we can also work with you on selecting the best festival options for your film if required. The full details will be discussed with each filmmaker/producer during the latter stages of the application process.
We hope that at some point in the future The FEAR Horror Hub will open up to advertisers. Once this is confirmed, and If your short film is placed on the FEAR Horror Hub, it will be eligible to earn advertising revenue. Any accrued revenue will then be allocated as follows:
- 45% of advertisement revenue will go to the Filmmaker/Producer
- 45% of advertisement revenue will go to FEAR
- 10% of advertisement revenue will go to The London Horror Society
future feature film projects and the use of NFTs
Sadly not! We will evaluate which of the funded short films are responding well with our audience, and make a decision from that as to which will go on to be developed further.
The feature will be primarily funded by the sale of NFTs, which will be handled by the FEAR team. The NFTs on offer will have been pre-agreed by all parties, so all of the Filmmaker, FEAR and The LHS will be on the same page as to what is needed.
The NFTs will be available to purchase via FEAR’s new platform, which is specifically built to make this process very easy. Think of it like buying a perk or reward from a traditional crowdfunding campaign!
Absolutely! Just like with the short films, the core production of the feature will be carried out by the original filmmaker/applicant. However, you will have the full backing of the London Horror Society’s production team to guide you through the process in any way you require (if needed).
An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is essentially a unique digital asset that is created using the same type of programming used for cryptocurrencies. NFTs’ unique data makes it easy to verify and validate their ownership and the transfer of tokens between owners. So far, they have perhaps been most significantly used in the creation of digital artwork and content, but the full scope of their use is very broad.
In the context of the FEAR Horror Incubator, NFTs will be created and sold to raise money for any of the short projects selected to be developed into a feature film. Think of them like the standard rewards/perks that you’d see on a standard crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter or IndieGogo.
- NFTs that control additional or bonus scenes from the film
- NFTs that give fans access to directors cut footage extending the film further
- NFTs that give fans access to additional narratives per character
- NFTs that give fans access to exclusive characters that are not featured in the standard edition of the film
No. Only the bonus NFT features will be exclusively available on the FEAR Horror Hub. The film itself will be eligible for traditional distribution including festival, cinematic, physical and streaming.
IP Ownership
- 45% of IP profits will go to the Filmmaker/Producer
- 45% of IP profits will go to FEAR
- 10% of IP profits will go to The London Horror Society
No. Neither FEAR nor any of its partners or subsidiaries will lay claim to any IP of any project submitted, that it does not invest in.
