The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Trident Technical College and the South Carolina Film Commission is holding a short film contest for high school students in South Carolina. Film entries are to be :30 seconds to 2:00 minutes in length.

The communication goal is to inspire and inform people in South Carolina about the physical and mental benefits of spending time outdoors in a natural setting. Tell a story about the great outdoors!

Deadline for entries is Friday, March 22, 2013. Winners will be announced in May 2013. The Top-Ten films will be screened at the Charleston International Film Festival April 24-28, 2013. Those Top-Ten young filmmakers will be invited to participate in a Q & A session with the audience following the screening of their films. Winning selections may be broadcast locally or statewide as Public Service Announcements.

QUESTIONS? Email: brad@indiegrants.org

 

STAY INFORMED ABOUT THE CONTEST!

Visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SCYoungFilmmakers

To provide young filmmakers an online place to compare notes, ask questions or discuss challenges with us as well as each other, we've created a Facebook page named: “South Carolina Young Filmmakers” with sample films, how-to videos and other resources. We'll also post reminders about contest guidelines and due dates.

2013 CONTEST TIMELINE

• MARCH 22, 2013: Deadline for completion of films. Films must be uploaded to SchoolTube by midnight.
• APRIL 29 - MAY 12, 2013: Judging of and public voting on films.
• MAY 24, 2013: Announcement of winners.
• JUNE 2013: Disbursement of prizes and trophies.

PRIZES

1st PLACE: $500 cash

2nd PLACE: $300 cash

3rd PLACE: $200 cash

Only one prize is allowed per filmmaker or team. The Top-Ten films will be screened at the Charleston International Film Festival April 24-28, 2013 and each of the Top-Ten filmmakers will receive VIP passes to attend.

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to high school students (grades 9-12) who reside in South Carolina. They may be students of public or private schools or home-schooled. Entries can be submitted by either individuals or groups.

CONTEST GUIDELINES

1. Each entrant must be a high school student (grades 9-12) currently living in South Carolina.
2. Each individual (including group members) may enter only once. Group entrants may not belong to more than one group.
3. Films must be :30 seconds - 2:00 minutes in length.
4. The title of the film and the names of the creator(s) must be listed in the credits. If the entry is part of a class project school’s name must be included.
5. Include the tag "Young Filmmaker" when uploading to SchoolTube at http://www.schooltube.com/channel/scyoungfilmmakers/

THE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE

Challenge: Tell a story about the great outdoors! The South Carolina State Parks system is one of our state's greatest resources. The parks are not only beautiful, but are a place to enjoy and appreciate nature. Your challenge is to make a short film that shows why visiting a State Park is a great idea. Show the viewer why the physical activity, fresh air, wildlife -- and so forth -- found in the parks are so important to good physical and mental health. Create a film with a story that artistically expresses this.

As you go about crafting your piece, the State Parks' website contains information about all the parks and what they have to offer: www.southcarolinaparks.com. Try to develop a creative story to communicate what you think is important. In order for a short film to succeed, the audience needs to be engaged by the story that's unfolding before their eyes. Create your own storyline to accomplish this. Here are a few examples of storylines: 1.) “Institutional indoor air is turning high-school students into bleary-eyed space zombies.  What’s the only thing that can save them?  Beautiful, fresh South Carolina State Park air.” 2.) “South Carolinians wake up one morning to find that all electronic devices have disappeared.  What happens next surprises everybody.” 3.) “A South Carolina community becomes overwhelmed by couch-potato-itis, where its members forget how to do any physical activity -- play sports, games, even walk!  It's up to one young woman/man, learned in the way of the ancient physical arts, to remind them.”

SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS:

1. All entries must have at least one 3-second shot of South Carolina State Park signage in their film. This can be anything with the S.C. State Park logo or a State Park name.

2. All entries must shoot at least one scene at a South Carolina State Park. There are 47 State Parks from which to choose. All participants in the Young Filmmakers Contest will be granted free entry into any State Park. Visit www.southcarolinaparks.com and click on "Park Finder" to see a listing of all parks and their locations.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Upload your film to SchoolTube no later than midnight March 22, 2013 at http://www.schooltube.com/channel/scyoungfilmmakers/

2. Complete the official registration form by clicking here: REGISTRATION FORM. You must include your uploaded film's SchoolTube link on this form.

3. You may also print out and e-mail your completed Registration Form to youngfilmmakers@indiegrants.org

JUDGING CRITERIA

Films will be judged on the following:

• Creativity of concept
• Overall quality and production value
• Strength of story
• Effective addressing of the Communication Challenge (as outlined above)

SELECTION PROCESS

Films will be judged by 1.) a panel of judges and 2.) public voting on YouTube.

PERMISSION FOR SCPRT USE

All entry materials will become the property of the SCPRT. The winners’ and finalists’ entries, names and likenesses may be used to promote the State Parks and future contests. These promotions may include television or radio public service announcements (PSAs), streaming video on a website or other dissemination via the Internet.