Play Now Act Now
Short Film Entry Guidelines 2010
1. Aims
Short Films are the heritage of the Festival and are seen as both an individual art form, and a springboard for young people to share their talents, ideas and stories. The Short Film competition encourages above all else creativity and originality in both presentation and content and provides an artistic environment for an open cinematic discussion.
2. Eligibility of films
1. Short films can be of any genre: drama, documentary, experimental, animation, horror, sci-fi, comedy etc can be submitted for consideration. Filmmakers are invited to use whatever video recording devices are available from HD cameras, mobile phones, digital still cameras and these will be accepted and judged upon the merits and technological constraints of that genre.
2. Films must be entirely produced by NSW residents aged 16-25.
3. The content of all films must relate to the thematic ‘Signature Item’ of the Festival, as outlined below.
4. Films should also address the ‘Monthly Theme’ the entry is being made for as outlined below.
5. Films must not exceed a running time of 2 minutes (including credits).
6. Films must include the words Play Now Act Now at the end or the festival sting, which can be downloaded here (right click and save to desktop), or logo, which can be downloaded here.
7. Films must have been produced in the 18 months preceding the festival.
8. Films must be uploaded to VIMEO (www.vimeo.com) and the url submitted via the Play Now Act Now entry form.
9. Filmmakers should render out 2 versions of their films, one in low resolution to uploaded to Vimeo (no bigger than 100mb for optimum performance) and one high resolution Quicktime (.mov) copy for the end of competition DVD.
10. Films must not have been screened in the public forum. This includes in cinemas, shown on television or placed on the Internet.
11. Films must be accompanied by appropriate documentation as outlined below.
12. Entries must conform to a MA15+ classification (see OLFC website for specifics)
2. Submission
Short films must be uploaded to VIMEO for submission. If you do not have a Vimeo account one is easy to set up at www.vimeo.com and is absolutely free. If you cannot set up a Vimeo account, please contact the festival director to organise an alternative arrangement.
Once your short film is uploaded on Vimeo please fill in the Play Now Act Now Entry Form, and submit along with a preferred still image from your film as a jpeg, no less 800×600 pixels at 72dpi. Participants are also invited into include a Avatar to go alongside their entry.
3. Selection
Films submit via the Play Now Act Now will be vetted to ensure that content meets the eligibility requirements of Play Now Act Now by the Festival Director. Once cleared the films will be embedded on the short film competition page for online voting to commence.
4. Signature Item
Play Now Act Now’s signature item is that all entries must in some way make reference to drug and alcohol; it is a thematic bend through which you must approach your Short Film, Digital Design, or Microfiction. We want to hear your story, how you think drugs and alcohol fit into both youth culture and the greater Australian culture.
Play Now Act Now realises that many young people are exposed to alcohol and drugs in some way in their lives, we want you to engage with the issue that arise from that experience. That doesn’t mean taking the moral high ground or replicating government public service announcements, nor do we want to see entries simply about the act of drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
We believe the best stories are ones that approach our signature item with originality and offer something constructive to the debate surrounding the culture of alcohol and drugs. You decide how and the extent to which you integrate alcohol and drugs into your work, so long as they feature some reference that’s fine by us.
Remember, Play Now Act Now is more interested in what you have to say, not what you think we want to hear. So be creative, honest and find new and interesting ways to incorporate the signature theme into your work.
5. Monthly Themes
Play Now Act Now will run online between April and September 2010 and will comprise five calendar months of LIVE COMPETITION in each of the three categories. Each month will have a unique theme, which will be announced as we call for entries. How you interpret the theme is entirely up to you, but your entry will be judged on successfully and creatively you approach it. Our deadlines for entry can be found below, make sure you check to find out what the current monthly theme is:
MAY COMPETITION
Deadline: 29 April 2010
Theme: UNSOCIAL NETWORKING
JUNE COMPETITION
Deadline: 26 May 2010
Theme: HERO TO ZERO
JULY COMPETITION
Deadline: 25 June 2010 EXTEND TO 9.00AM 29 JUNE
Theme: CRIME STORY
AUGUST COMPETITION
Deadline: 27 July 2010
Theme: OUT OF IT
SEPTEMBER COMPETITION
Deadline: 29 August 2010
Theme: THIS LIFE
6. Documentation
For each Short Film entry, the Festival must receive the following documentation: completed entry form, a synopsis of the film (max 25 words), several film still photos, a brief (max 25 words) biography of the filmmaker/s and a complete list of the cast and crew. Participants under the age of 18 will be asked to obtain a parental consent form to submit separately.
7. Online Voting
Online voting takes place only at the Play Now Act Now website and will be tabulated using the Bayesian average method. Voting will commence at 09.00 on the 1st of the month of competition and end at 23.59 on the last day of the month. The highest recorded mean will determine the People’s Choice Winner in the month of competition. Only one vote per entry is allowed, however voters may vote on as many entries as they like.
8. Official Selection
Every month Play Now Act Now judges will select one entry from each category to proceed to the grand final by official selection in addition to the People’s Choice Winner. Judges at this stage will be comprised of the Play Now Act Now Festival Director, one member of the Metro Screen Executive and a representative of NSW Health. Judges discussions remain confidential, even after the competition has ended and their decisions are final.
9. Awards
As outlined above every month two prizes will be awarded in Short Film category:
• People’s Choice Award
• Official Selection
Recipients each receive $100 and proceed to the grand final.
10. Grand final
The grand final will take place at the Play Now Act Now showcase even in October. Ten finalists, 2 from each month of competition, will be represented. Prizes will be awarded as follows:
• 1st place winner: $2,000
• 2nd place winner: $750
• 3rd place winner: $250
• Overall People’s Choice Short Film Winner: $1,000
The Overall People’s Choice Short Film Winner is also eligible to be awarded either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place by the Play Now Act Now panel of judges.
Grand final judges will be comprised of a panel of industry members consisting of two young filmmakers and at least one other member. The grand final jury will be announced in October. No person who has participated in the production or promotion of any film in the Festival may serve on the Jury.
For all further questions please contact the Festival Director:
C/O- Metro Screen Sydney,
Paddington Town Hall,
Cnr Oxford + Oatley Street
Paddington, NSW, 2021
(p) 02·93561818
(e) info@pnan.com.au
