Program Summary

The Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media (COFTM) launched the Film Exposure Program in rural Colorado for the 22-23 school year. This initiative collaborates with high schools, local public libraries, and film professionals to provide high school students an in-depth educational exposure program in narrative filmmaking.

This program is eight sessions, each lasting 2.5-3 hours, where a professional filmmaker works with high school teachers to cover scriptwriting, production, filming, and editing. Around 40 students per semester participate in creating a collaborative short film. The teachers receive practical training from the film professionals, while the students gain hands-on experience in narrative project creation. The students are provided learning materials such as diagrams, handouts, and online resources.

Additionally, the program offers technical instruction using professional film equipment, including DSLR cameras, sound equipment, lighting gear, and support gear. COFTM secured funding to provide all four high school sites with a professional camera and gear package for ongoing educational use after the program.

Overview

Type: Grant & Programing
For: Educators at Colorado high schools
Amount: Varies
Application Deadline: Rolling
OEDIT division: Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media

Eligibility

To apply for this program, you need to be an educator at a Colorado high school. In order to successfully operate the program, high school educators will need to secure a local nonprofit partner to manage fiscal awards and the procurement of the gear package. This partner can be any accredited nonprofit organization such as a local library, or district foundation. If an educator does not have local film or media professionals in their community to serve as mentors, COFTM will help to secure a local film or media professional to act in this role.

How to Apply

Applications are typically submitted by an educator prior to the start of the semester. We recommend you start the application process at least six months before the start of the semester.
Follow these steps to apply.

Educators should contact the program manager to discuss the project and if grant funds are available.
The program manager will schedule a meeting to facilitate the remaining steps.