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Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina Film Commission and Trident Technical College have announced the return of their WIDE ANGLE Project, a film and television production lab for underrepresented content creators in South Carolina.

Originally founded with producer Effie Brown in 2018, WIDE ANGLE is a film and television development lab for underrepresented South Carolina filmmakers, part of the state’s industry and workforce development programs. It fosters in-state product development, maximizes entrepreneurial and professional opportunities for participants, and creates connections between production professionals from all backgrounds. Applications are due October 4.

“This is a targeted way to promote and foster the elements that are key to a strong in-state film industry,” said Matt Storm, Director of the South Carolina Film Commission. “Developing a diversified talent and product pool with a greater variety of unique perspectives only expands our creative capacity and potential.”

Up to 12 film, television, and documentary projects will be developed during a seven-month period, with the goal of having each project shovel-ready by the completion of the lab. Filmmaker participants will also leave with an understanding of how the international production industry works and how to best position themselves in it.

Participants will be divided into teams, with experienced industry mentors assigned to each team. Mentors will help each participant in their team develop their script, treatment, deck, business strategies, and overall project through one-on-one sessions, small groups, peer review, and other methods.

The program will culminate in a Pitch Conference in May 2025, where selected projects will pitch their projects to a panel of industry executives and the South Carolina film and business community.

The WIDE ANGLE Project was last held in 2020/21. Past participants include: Greenville-based writer and director Destiny Macon, who went on to be named a 2022 finalist in the American Black Film Festival’s annual HBO® Short Film Award; KJ Kearney, the Charleston-based content creator and community organizer behind the Black Food Fridays Instagram, which won the 2024 James Beard Award for Social Media; and Jason Gourdine, entrepreneur/filmmaker in Moncks Corner currently working on his first studio project, HAANT, a Southern Gothic, Gullah Revenge Thriller.

“This is an untapped industry for the South Carolina business community,” said Glenn Seale, Dean of Film Media and Visual Arts at Trident Technical College. “The Pitch Conference will be an opportunity for that network to see how these start-ups work, with manufacturing jobs, creative and management jobs, and in-state vendors all a part of that.”

Gillian Rose, Executive Producer for European TV company Soho Moon and a former NBCUniversal Executive, has joined WIDE ANGLE as a consultant. "Building out this type of developmental infrastructure is an exciting process,” said Rose. “I am so impressed by what the team has accomplished so far and am pleased to be part of this great initiative."

Deadlines and details:

• Applications for the 2024-25 lab are due October 4 (11:59 PM ET). The application and program information can be found here.
• Selected projects will be notified by October 31.
• Applicants must be current residents of South Carolina, 18 years old or older, and have a film, television, or documentary project in development. Judging criteria, terms and conditions, and other information is available at indiegrants.org/wide-angle.

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The South Carolina Film Commission works to strengthen and grow the economic impact of the Palmetto State’s film industry. A division of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, the Film Commission oversees the state’s cash rebate for production companies, promotes South Carolina as an ideal destination for film projects, connects all elements of the industry for hassle-free filming, and supports extensive training opportunities to build and develop the state’s film talent and workforce. Learn more at scprt.com/film-commission.