Digital Lab Africa Calls for Multimedia Projects from Sub-Saharan Africa

The Call for projects from Digital Lab Africa is open to anyone, professional or not, from the sector of multimedia content creation: artists, producers, developers,, start-ups, SMEs, collectives, students or entrepreneurs, based in sub-Saharan Africa or a national of a country in this region.It targets developing projects, in need of partners and financial support, innovative projects from the perspective of form, narration, content and technologies utilised. The objective of Digital Lab Africa is to offer a springboard to the creators of tomorrow’s multimedia productions. The platform will allow creative multimedia projects to come to light with the support of French reference partners like ARTE, Okio-Studio, CCCP or Believe Digital. African talent in action combined with French touch at its best, that’s the objective of Digital Lab Africa!

The call for projects by Digital Lab Africa focuses on four categories of multimedia productions:

-Web creation/transmedia

-Virtual Reality

-Video Game (Serious Game)

-Digital Music
The candidates should submit their project at the latest by 31 August 2016.

The projects will then be evaluated by the DLA selection committee based on criteria of artistic/technical quality, technological/creative innovation and feasibility/economic potential. The selected projects (maximum 3 projects per category) will be announced on 30 September 2016.

From 2 to 4 November 2016 at the DISCOP Africa event in Johannesburg, the benchmark of audio-visual content in Africa, the presenters of selected projects will participate in a pitch competition. The pitches (short presentation of each project including Q&A) will take place in front of a jury consisting of French and local partners of DLA and before industry professionals at DISCOP searching for new innovative content. The accreditations at DISCOP Africa Johannesburg will be covered by the organisers (maximum 2 per project). Transport and accommodation are the responsibility of the participants.

In terms of the pitch sessions, the Digital Lab Africa will announce the winning project for each of the 4 categories. The winners will take away:

-a cash prize to the value of 3,000 euro

-an incubation ticket for Digital Lab Africa to accompany the development phase of their project between January and October 2017

The DLA incubation ticket comprises:

-sponsorship and support in the development of projects by the French reference partners for each of the categories (studios, producers, broadcasters, distributors)
-a period of residence in France within the partner organisation and/or a digital cluster
-participation at multimedia reference events in France
SUBMIT A PROJECT

The Digital Lab Africa platform focuses on 4 categories of multimedia production and creation:
WEB CREATION/TRANSMEDIA

The Web creation and Transmedia categories are dedicated to new ways of creating audio-visual material. They target the new generation of producers and relate to content that combines several media, and are intended to be viewed mainly online on smartphone, tablet and computer.

Web creation: this category targets all audio-visual material produced to be viewed online (first digital content) in a non-linear way. The category is open to innovative concepts and to any type of content: fiction, documentary, animation, reality shows, news, sport, entertainment, talk shows, debates, TV formats and magazine programmes (food, environment, lifestyle, culture, comedy, educational…).

Projects that aim to attract an audience, engage with it and retain it, and that can be formatted into episodes or thematic channels will be considered first. One-time broadcast/TV special are excluded from the web creation category.

Transmedia : all production/content which combines the use of various media (TV, Internet, mobile phones, radio, video games, social networks etc.) to offer a transmedia narrative experience, that may include some elements of interactivity and audience engagement. The project can consist of either creating a transmedia universe of an original television or cinema production, irrespective of the genre (documentary, series, animation), or a transmedia project developed directly for online consumption.

Examples: a web documentary or a web series including an interactive and participative element (involvement of the public via an app, a chat, social medias, video game…)

VIRTUAL REALITY

The virtual reality category is open to anyone producing content which offers an immersive experience to the public, on any type of support (computer, tablet, smartphone, virtual reality headset), using virtual reality technologies, 360° video, and 3D interactions. Examples: journalism report, fiction or documentary movie, musical clip, museum visit, video game…

VIDEO GAME (Serious Game)

The video game category is open to all prototypes/concepts of Serious Game, learning games, edutainment games, simulation games, games which inform, engage and advertise for mobile application or full screen (computer, smartphone, TV, tablet…)

Examples: a News game on a current topic, a game which promotes a cause (health, education, environment…), an advertising game to promote a film or event, an educational game to learn a language…

DIGITAL MUSIC

The digital music category is open to all projects which offer an innovative and enriching user experience using multimedia tools, solutions and content, based on one or several African artists, musical genres or African territories (e.g. Senegal rap or Congolese rumba). The project should be aimed at video or digital music platforms on the Internet or mobile telephone. Example: creating an app offering a multimedia world and an interactive community around an artist.

Get all the details on how to Enter your project

 

ABOUT DIGITAL LAB AFRICA

The objective of Digital Lab Africa is to provide a springboard for African innovation and creativity in multimedia. It is initiated by the French Embassy and the French Institute of South Africa in partnership with DISCOP Africa, TRACE and French company leaders in the field.
It will focus on 4 expanding and innovative sectors of multimedia content: web creation/Transmedia/, virtual reality, video game (serious game) and digital music.
Digital Lab Africa will be one of the novelties and highlights of DISCOP Africa Johannesburg 2016. As well as the Digital Lab Africa pitch competition, the workshops and presentations on multimedia will give rhythm to the 3 day Lab programme in a dedicated space within DISCOPRO.
The Digital Lab Africa space will present the best African and French production in the multimedia world, with multi-screens and a virtual reality corner.
The winning projects of the pitch competition (1 per category) will be announced at the close of the 3 day programme. The winners will receive a cash prize of 3000 euro and, more importantly, they will benefit from an incubation phase to develop their project in 2017.
The objective of Digital Lab Africa is to reach the end of the incubation period with finalised multimedia content for each of the 4 categories, combining the best of African creativity and French know-how.