This may not be everyone’s favorite section, but it’s one we know all filmmaker’s will look at.

Of course every competition needs to have rules, it’s what levels the playing field, creates the frame work and puts a deadline on the time frame.  However, we have tried to keep them simple, and allow you to focus on more important things like creativity and perfecting your craft of filmmaking.

First, assemble your team, whether it’s family, friends or complete strangers, grab your camera and decide what type of film you want to make. At registration you get to choose 50% of your genre. If you like Comedy, then make a Comedy, you like Horror, then go with that and now you can start writing immediately!

At the Wednesday night kick-off you will receive a character, a color and the other randomly drawn genre — changing your story from, for example, pure Comedy to Comedy-Suspense or your Horror to Horror-Musical. Can you pre-write your film before this kick-off? Yes by all means, it’s your film but that’s alot of pre-writing to cover all the possible math-ups.

Once that happens, you may begin your first 50 hours for pre-production. This is the time to write, cast and lock-down your locations. Like in real filmmaking now is the time to get all of your paperwork and waiver forms (crew/talent, location, media) filled out and ready to turn in. If we’re pre-written, can we go straight into production? By all means you are able to start shooting, we want you to make the best possible picture you can.

On Friday, you check back in at 8:00pm at the kick-off point to receive another element, turn in your paperwork and thus start the next 50 hours of production and post work. Finally, you’ll turn in your film in by the end time of 11:00pm on Sunday.

The following week your film will premier at a local theater in your community whether it was late or on time, as long as you turn one in!  Those of you that turned it in by the required time will be eligible for National exposure by becoming a part of the tour and turned over to the judges for a possibility of winning 50% of the Box Office proceeds during those premieres.

See, pretty simple, just focus on your story, don’t just copy the latest Hollywood trend, we want to see your own creativity.

Oh, and I almost forgot — the question is always asked, who owns the rights to your film?  Unlike, other competitions that take part of the ownership away from filmmakers, claiming the rights as their own, we want to congratulate you on a job well done, and only require that you attach our name and logo to the credits.  If your film is chosen to be part of the National tour, you’ll receive 1% part of that cities Box Office as a stipend for it’s use in the tour. Money and Exposure! What more could you ask for?

Nevertheless, you retain all the rights, responsibilities, and provisions of ownership.

Any DVDs, or sales of your picture on our part will get you some type of monetary payment, because… heh, you are the guys that did all the work, we just ignited your creativity.

Documents

(1) Cast/Crew Waiver
(2) Locations
(3) Media

Genres

(1) Horror
(2) SciFi
(3) Period Piece
(4) Comedy
(5) Drama
(6) Action
(7) Tearjerker
(8) Tragedy
(9) Adventure
(10) Epic
(11) Love Story
(12) Western
(13) Music Video/Musical
(14) Mockumentary/Documentary
(15) Suspense
(16) Family
(17) Inspirational
(18) Underdog

Prizes

(1) Half net box office
(2) Local cities prize donations