veteran filmmaker fellowship
about us / our mission
VFF OFFERS FREE BEGINNER PROGRAMS IN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SCREENWRITING AND FILMMAKING TO VETERANS, ACTIVE DUTY, RESERVISTS, NATIONAL GUARD (AND THEIR SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS).
The VETERAN FILMMAKER FELLOWSHIP (VFF) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by veterans
to provide a therapeutic and creative outlet to the military community, their spouses and dependents,
to open pathways to tv and film industry careers for veterans, and to
educate, inspire, and empower the military community
to share their unique stories and perspectives
through the collaborative arts of screenwriting and film.
Our Program
The next VFF Program, scheduled to begin in February 2023, is hosted both in person at New York University’s Department of Dramatic Writing, and remotely to interested veterans nationwide.
This free program provides a series of lectures and discussions on filmmaking and screenwriting. These weekly lectures cover both the fundamentals of screenwriting and a survey of the
collaborative roles of filmmaking.
The VFF Program provides a supportive environment under which VFF participants can begin to formulate and outline a
feature-length screenplay of their own.
VFF participants also gain a fundamental understanding of the various collaborative functions necessary to bring a script to screen, and the career paths available to veterans in the film and tv industries.
Future versions of the program progress to a completed feature-length script and, eventually, to a hands-on filmmaking course where participants write, direct, produce, and edit short films of their own.
Curriculum
*** The VFF Program is a cursory, introductory, program not intended for participants who have already received a formal or informal introduction
to the fundamentals of filmmaking or screenwriting.
The VFF Program Curriculum will consist of:
-- A fundamental education in the art and craft of screenwriting,
from ideation and premise, to plot structure, character development,
scene development, dialogue, etc.
-- A survey of the essential and collaborative roles of filmmaking, including, but not limited to, writing, development, pre-production,
directing, cinematography, line producing, sound,
set design, editing, and post-production.
Eligibility
VFF Program Participants must ...
-- be Active Duty, Reservists, National Guard, or Honorably Discharged Veterans (or their Spouse or Dependent) of the United States Armed Forces.
-- be at least 18 years of age ...
-- have an interest in screenwriting or filmmaking ...
-- have no formal experience or education in screenwriting or filmmaking ...
-- be able to participate in all program meetings and fulfill all program requirements ...
-- be open to constructive criticism and respectful to all other participants, lecturers and mentors.
IF YOU ARE AN ELIGIBLE SERVICE MEMBER, VETERAN,
SPOUSE or DEPENDENT, AND ARE INTERESTED IN
PARTICIPATING IN THE VFF PROGRAM,
PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION VIA EMAIL AT INFO@VETSFILM.ORG
Testimonials
I was nervous pursuing anything regarding screenwriting or filmmaking because I didn’t have any skillset, background, or experience in film ... but it turned out to be an amazing experience ... the VFF program made the learning process
fun and easy and I’m so very glad I took the leap of faith to pursue
this hidden passion. Janet E., U.S.N.G.
I'm grateful to the Veteran Filmmaker Fellowship, not just for the education in screenwriting and storytelling, but more so for the motivation, inspiration, and encouragement to pursue my passion for film long after
the VFF program was over. Zach M., U.S.M.C.
I always wanted to write a screenplay. But the process always seemed
too daunting. The VFF program broke it all down in a way that made it all feel possible. And it was. I would recommend this program to anyone that's ever had an idea for a film but thought it would be too hard to get it done. D.J., U.S. Army