CVM Call for New Visual Music Work
(extended to November 30, 2024)

For twenty years, Center for Visual Music (CVM), a nonprofit film archive, has been dedicated to visual music, experimental animation and abstract media. CVM has preserved a significant body of at-risk Visual Music films by Oskar Fischinger, Jordan Belson, Mary Ellen Bute, Charles Dockum, Jules Engel, James Whitney and others.

As part of our anniversary celebrations, CVM is looking for submissions of a new short visual music work. A short film, a new work not released or screened elsewhere (including film festivals). The new film should be original; we are not looking for work that reuses or incorporates footage, shots or images from existing Visual Music films, or is a direct imitation. The chosen film will be shown for 2 months on CVM's website and social media, and at a later date, shown in some theatres as part of CVM's traveling programs (digital exhibition).

This call is made to give attention to the Visual Music work celebrated by Center for Visual Music in relation to image and movement, abstraction and music, not only from historical creators like Oskar Fischinger, but also continuing with contemporary artists. The new film should be original. Length should be 8 minutes or under. We are seeking short abstract visual music work (please do not submit documentaries or feature films, for instance). Please note, we are unable to showcase the film on social media, Vimeo or YouTube if the music is not cleared. A jury will choose works to be included in this celebration. We are looking forward to seeing your new Visual Music work!

Jurors:

-Jean-Michel Bouhours, curator/film historian, former Head of Cinema Department at Center Pompidou, Paris
-yann beauvais, curator/film historian/artist, Founder of Light Cone distribution, Paris
-Cindy Keefer, curator/archivist, Director of Center for Visual Music, Los Angeles

To submit a work, please submit a link ONLY to a password protected site to view online, to CVM at this address:
CVMnewwork (at) gmail dot com

Please do not email any files or attachments. ONE submission per filmmaker, please. New deadline is November 30, 2024.

For the final chosen work, we will need in the future a ProRes, mpg4 or h.264 file (no DCP). DO NOT SEND THESE YET. The chosen work will become part of the CVM collection after the celebration event, upon your agreement. Filmmaker will retain their copyright and assign CVM a license to screen and distribute within their programs, for a specified period.

Please include in your email:

Name, contact info, title of film, length, and year completed. Please confirm it has not yet been released or shown publicly. Please do not submit works already shown at festivals or elsewhere, or is currently posted on your youtube or vimeo social media channels.
What is the soundtrack, by whom, and is the music cleared?
Are all of the images original? Is there anything included created by others, or from public domain footage?
If you have a description or synopsis, please include in the body of the email. DO NOT ATTACH long CVs or documents. Please put all info in the body of the email.
If selected, will you agree to give CVM a license to exhibit and distribute this film as described above?

Submit to CVMnewwork (at) gmail dot com

THANK YOU!

About CVM

CVM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit archive devoted to visual music, experimental animation and abstract media. CVM's archives house the world's largest collection of Visual Music resources. The collections include film/video/digital media and related papers, books, monographs, artwork, animation process materials, documentation, photography, equipment and artifacts. CVM owns the films and papers of Oskar Fischinger, plus many animation drawings, and the original research collection of animation historian William Moritz. Film preservation is a core part of CVM's mission. CVM's films, programs, and presentations are regularly featured at museum exhibitions, cinematheques, universities, archives and symposia worldwide. Please visit our site for extensive online resources, plus research sites for artists including Fischinger, Mary Ellen Bute, Jordan Belson, Charles Dockum and others.

www.centerforvisualmusic.org

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