4/9: ORIENTATION – we reveal this year’s Theme Quote, match filmmakers and collaborators, and send all you Week 1 filmmakers on your merry way!

4/10-4/16: WEEK 1 – Week 1 filmmakers and their collaborators write, shoot, and edit their movies. Films due before 12:00 AM 4/17.

4/17-4/23: WEEK 2 – Same song, second verse! Films due before 12:00 AM 4/24.

5/4: THE SCREENING – Everybody packs the house at the Harmony Gold Theater in Hollywood. We screen the best films, hold a panel with our illustrious industry judges, hand out prizes, and then throw a cocktail reception. Why a cocktail reception? Because you earned it, you handsome devils.

 

RULES

(linked table of contents)

1. The Basics

2. Collaboration Point System

3. 2013 Changes

4. Official Rules

 

1. THE BASICS

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2. COLLABORATION POINT SYSTEM

The winner of our Key Collaborator Award is determined by a contribution point system that rewards each entrant for collaborating on another filmmaker’s project. Each day spent collaborating with another filmmaker will earn you one point. In order to be eligible for points, the filmmaker you helped must verify your contribution and award you either a half day or a full day using a form which will be made available at the start of the challenge. If you collaborate on a project that ends up winning either the Jury or Audience selection, your points earned on that project will be doubled in reward. In the unlikely event of a tie, the prize will be divided evenly among the tie holders.

 

 

3. 2013 CHANGES

 

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4. OFFICIAL RULES

I. Schedule of filmmaking – OVERVIEW

1. The Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge (CFC) will take place over two weeks, each running from Wednesday to Wednesday. The two weeks will proceed according to the calendar above, to include two weeks of collaborative filmmaking, in which each filmmaker will spend one week producing his/her film and one week collaborating on another participant’s film.
2. Participants may enter either as FILMMAKERS or as COLLABORATORS.
3. The CFC will randomly select half of all filmmaker participants to be WEEK ONE FILMMAKERS and the other half to be WEEK TWO FILMMAKERS. Therefore each filmmaker participant will spend one week making his/her own film and another week as a designated collaborator on another participant’s film.
4. In the first week, those filmmaker participants not selected for filmmaking will be assigned as collaborators to WEEK ONE FILMMAKERS, creating teams of at least two.
5. In the second week, the former collaborators become the WEEK TWO FILMMAKERS, and the former filmmakers will be redistributed as collaborators, thereby creating different teams of at least two. In other words, the teams from week one will not continue into the second week.
6. Those participants who enter as collaborators will be assigned to one film per week of their stated availabilities.
7. All filmmakers and collaborators may freely collaborate on as many other films as they wish, so long as doing so does not interfere with their assigned responsibilities.
8. Submission: Each filmmaker must submit his/her fully finished film prior to the end of the week to which he/she was assigned. Late entries will be disqualified.

II. Rules of Filmmaking

a. General

1. Beyond each filmmaker entrant’s own filmmaking, he/she is required to collaborate with one other filmmaker (to be designated by CFC). During this week of collaboration, the entrant must satisfactorily contribute to the efforts of his/her assigned filmmaker. Failure to collaborate will result in disqualification.
2. In the event that a filmmaker entrant cannot perform his/her collaborative responsibilities, CFC will assign collaborator entrants to unassisted filmmakers first.

b. Production

1. All writing, production and post-production must take place within the week assigned to the filmmaker.
2. All cast and crew must be volunteers.
3. All costs associated with production are the sole responsibility of the filmmakers.
4. Films must be between 3-5 minutes in length, not including opening and end credits (outlined in “Post-Production” below).
5. Each filmmaker must secure releases for talent, crew, music and locations (and any other applicable releases), which must be turned in to CFC with the finished film/video.
6. All submissions must be the original work of the entrant; must not infringe third-party’s rights; must be suitable for publication (i.e., may not be obscene or indecent); must not contain obscene or pornographic material; may not contain defamatory statements about any person, company, organization or entity; may not invade privacy or other rights of any person, company or entity; may not in any other way violate applicable laws and regulations; and may not contain any copyrighted elements (other than as owned by the entrant).

c. Post Production

1. All post-production must take place within the week assigned to the filmmaker, including but not limited to editing, effects, sound design, rendering, and outputting.

III. Submission

i. Each entrant must submit two DVD copies of his/her finished film to CFC at the end of their assigned week, as well as a digital copy (either .mov or .avi).

ii. Filmmakers are prohibited from distributing their film in any way before the premiere screenings, including any type of internet use. Entrants are permitted to release a trailer not to exceed 30 seconds in total run time.

iii. Prior to the start of the film, there must be 3 seconds of black screen, followed by a 5-second card with the following information:

-       [Name of filmmaker] presents

-       a Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge project

iv. This will be followed by 2 seconds of black screen before the film begins. This total of 10 seconds for the opening credits will NOT count toward the total run time of the film.

v. The end credits must be no longer than 60 seconds and must be placed only at the end of the film. They must include the words: “This film was created for the 2013 Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge.” These 60 seconds will NOT count toward the total run time of the film.

vi. The CFC administrators will review all submissions made prior to the deadline and approve 60-90 minutes worth of submitted material for screening at their sole discretion.

vii. Each film screened at the festival will be carefully reviewed by the jury before its selection is made.

viii. The 2013 Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge end credit MUST remain in all future version of the film, regardless of distribution purposes.

ix. CFC claims no rights of ownership over any submitted films.

x. CFC may distribute submitted films online for promotional purposes only. Requests to withdraw films from online distribution (e.g., to satisfy the requirements of another festival) will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

 

JUDGING

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PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE – Jury Selection

-$5000 cash: $4000 for the lead filmmaker and $1000 for the collaborator

-Free registration next year for filmmaker and collaborator

-A seat on next year’s jury panel for the filmmaker

Audience Selection

-$1500 cash: $1200 for the lead filmmaker and $300 for the collaborator

-Free registration next year for the filmmaker

Key Collaborator Award

-$1500 cash to the person with the highest collaboration point total

Other prizes TBA. Last year we gave away prizes from Alan Gordon Enterprises, iStockphoto, Showbiz Software, createasphere, and Number 52 Records, and plan to go even bigger this year!