nofilmschool » contests

Make a Dead Can Dance Music Video for a Chance to Win £3,000/$4,700 (and Additional Prizes)

Justin Minich — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:31:02 +0000

Dead Can Dance has been making their particular kind of mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful music ever since I was but a tot. After disbanding for about 7 years, they reunited in 2005 for a world tour, and last year they released their first studio album in 16 years, Anastasis. Now the band is teaming up with Genero and reaching out to filmmakers everywhere to create a music video for the opening track of the album – Children of the Sun -- and compete for a chance to win £3,000 ($4,740). (more…)

Make a Short Film in Northwest Louisiana for a Chance to Win $50,000

Justin Minich — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:00:48 +0000

Last year, 86 teams competed in the first annual Louisiana Film Prize, and one lucky team walked away with $50,000. Now, the 2013 iteration of the LAFP has just kicked off, and once again they’re offering a cool $50,000 for the best short film shot in the northwestern section of the Bayou State, as well as $500 prizes for each of the 20 finalists. Here’s the details on the competition’s rules and how to enter: (more…)

Win 130 Royalty Free Songs During December Just by Tweeting

Justin Minich — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:00:00 +0000

If you’ve been enjoying Luke Neumann’s weekly music freebies and the daily free music he released this past July, here’s a chance to add even more free tunes to your collection. This time the sonic goodness is coming from Josh Molen of The Tune Peddler. Each week in December he will be giving away his entire library of 130 pieces of royalty free music to a lucky winner. All it takes to enter is the click of a tweet button. Here are the details on entering, as well as streaming samples of some additional free Christmas music Molen is releasing: (more…)

Win $1,000 from the Alamo Drafthouse by Making a No Talking, No Texting PSA

Joe Marine — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 02:14:03 +0000

Some of you have had problems with it, some of you haven’t, and some of you might even do it, but Alamo Drafthouse has a strict policy against it. What am I referring to? Talking and texting during movies of course. The Alamo is a specialty theater that serves real food and beer during the film, and they take their no talking or texting policy very seriously. There have been some great PSAs that have played in the theater and online that reiterate this policy, and now the Alamo Drafthouse is asking you to create your own PSA, with a chance to win $1,000. Check out the video below for an introduction. (more…)

Win a $10,000 Film Grant in 'The Cabin in the Woods' Spoof Horror Film Competition

Justin Minich — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:17:08 +0000

It’s that time of year when people are thinking up costume ideas, picking out pumpkins for carving, making party plans, and if you’re a filmmaker with a penchant for horror, you’re probably also thinking about making a film. And really there’s no better time to do it. Vimeo and Lionsgate are putting on The Cabin in the Woods Spoof Horror Film Competition which is offering a $10,000 Grand Prize to the best satirical or comedic horror short. (more…)

Planet5D Short Film Challenge: Enter a Film Under 30 Minutes for a Chance to Win over $2,000 in Prizes

Joe Marine — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:48:33 +0000

Short film contests are often very restrictive in terms of their rules and the material you can submit. But what if you could enter any film you’ve ever made, regardless of genre, under 30 minutes? That’s exactly what Mitch over at planet5D is doing with the planet5D Short Film Challenge. The rules are as simple as they sound, and the rewards total over $2,000, including a Redrock DSLR shoulder rig. Here is Mitch introducing the challenge: (more…)

Valve's Source Filmmaker Animation Software Featured in its Own Oscars, the 'Saxxy Awards'

Benjamin Dewhurst — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:30:02 +0000

Back in July we covered the release of Source Filmmaker, a powerful animation program that Valve uses internally to create movies and cutscenes for games like Team Fortress 2, Counter Strike, and Left 4 Dead 2. Originally released as a closed beta, the software has since been opened to the public and has been in the hands of digital filmmakers for a little over a month. To continue growing the user base of the tool, Valve has announced that Source Filmmaker videos will be able to compete in the 2nd Annual Saxxy Awards — a program run by Valve that is their own version of the Academy Awards (if Oscar wore a cowboy hat). If you’re wondering what Source Filmmaker is capable of, check out the video embedded below. (more…)

Driven Creativity Competition USA: Offering a Grand Prize of $5,000 and an 8TB Thunderbolt Hard Drive

Justin Minich — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:02:49 +0000

Hard drive company G-Technology is holding their annual contest for professional and amateur filmmakers (as well as photographers and musicians): The Driven Creativity Competition USA. Filmmakers can submit in the Short Film, Animation, and GoPro Active categories and will be competing for some great prizes, including a grand prize of $5,000 towards your next creative project and an 8TB G|RAID Thunderbolt hard drive. (more…)

Couch Fest: A Film Festival Happening in Living Rooms Around the World with a Top Prize of $500

Justin Minich — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:00:16 +0000

In 2008, Seattle filmmaker Craig Downing had an idea: Take a film festival out of theaters and put it into the more intimate, communal venue of peoples’ living rooms. What resulted was the self-described “awkwardly awesome” Couch Fest. Now in its fifth year, Couch Fest has grown from a Seattle-based festival to one that happens in homes and idiosyncratic venues world-wide, spanning North America, South America, Europe, and even as far as Oman. This year the Golden Couch award for best short is $500, and there are other goodies on offer as well: (more…)

Create an Original Sigur Rós Video for a Chance to Win $5,000

Joe Marine — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:43:32 +0000

Some of you may have already seen the video that was posted over the weekend (which starred Shia LaBeouf), but if you haven’t, it’s quite a heartbreaking trip. Sigur Rós, whose members hail from Iceland, has been asking specific filmmakers to make videos for their new album Valtari. The project, called the Mystery Film Experiment, has made the biggest news with the Alma Har’el directed experimental video, but there have been a few others released so far — with more being released throughout the summer and fall. Since the band is a bit outside the mainstream when it comes to much of their work, it’s no surprise that they are encouraging filmmakers from any and all backgrounds to make a video for a chance to win $5,000 and be a featured video in the Mystery Film Experiment. (more…)

Need a Jib? Nice Industries is Giving Away an Aviator Travel Jib, Tripod, and Backpack

Joe Marine — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 02:00:42 +0000

The Aviator Travel Jib is one of the lighter jibs in existence, and if you haven’t checked it out, we’ve already talked about their successful Kickstarter campaign. Zeke Kamm, the inventor of the Travel Jib, is running a contest right until July 9th where he will be giving away an Aviator Travel Jib Mag Alloy Kit, 3 Legged Thing tripod, and a thinkTank Airport Commuter camera backpack. Below are the details. (more…)

Power to the Pixel's Pixel Market Now Open for Submissions, £6,000 Prize Up for Grabs

Ryan Koo — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:36:16 +0000

I had a project selected for Power to the Pixel a few years ago and the event, which takes in London in October, was a great and educational experience. If you’re got a project that seeks to push the boundaries of a what a traditional film is — call it transmedia or interactive or cross-media — I definitely recommend checking out the submission details, which are below. Deadline is July 20 and it’s open to entries from all over the world; if selected, you pitch your project at the Pixel Pitch during the BFI London Film Festival, and the winner takes home a £6,000 ARTE Pixel Pitch Prize. There are also a few new prizes this year. (more…)

48 Hour Guerilla Film Challenge Starts in a Week -- Here's an Interview and Discount

Ryan Koo — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:29:57 +0000

The 2012 Guerilla Film Challenge (formerly the 48GFC) starts in a little more than a week — May 18, 2012, to be exact — and challenges indie filmmakers to write, direct, shoot, and edit a topical short film in 48 hours. There’s a $5,000 grand prize and other goodies, and I’ve got a discount code for you below. I’m also one of the judges this year, along with Mitch from planet5D, and we just recorded a podcast with Nick and Clint (the duo behind the contest), wherein we talk about, what else, filmmaking: (more…)

Here's a Discount for the 2012 Guerilla Film Challenge (48 Hours to Make a Short Film)

Ryan Koo — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:51:52 +0000

The 2012 Guerilla Film Challenge (formerly the 48GFC) will take place the weekend of May 18, 2012, and challenges indie filmmakers to write, direct, shoot, and edit a topical short film in 48 hours. Nick and Clint (the duo behind the contest) are great guys and I look forward to judging the contest this year along with Mitch from planet5D (and others). Here’s the launch trailer and details on the contest — which has a $5,000 grand prize — as well as a discount code for any NoFilmSchoolers who might be interested in entering: (more…)

Deadline for 2012 Vimeo Festival + Awards Less Than Week Away, $25K Grant Up for Grabs

E.M. Taboada — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:09:46 +0000

The 2012 Vimeo Festival + Awards submission deadline is February 20th, 2012. Judging from previous years, it looks like it has been a great event, and this year is shaping up to be another interesting outing. Not only are the prizes enticing ($5k grant per category, $25k grant for the grand prize winner), but they have a great line-up of judges – folks like Philip Bloom, Steve James and Edgar Wright. If you’re looking to get pumped up as you prep your submission (which can be any original work that has premiered online after July 31, 2010, or hasn’t premiered at all), check out the 2010 “Best Video” winner and other goodies from past editions: (more…)

6,000 Scripts and 600 Test Movies Later, How's Amazon Studios Doing?

Ryan Koo — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:51:15 +0000

A year ago I asked, “Is Amazon Studios the Future of Film or is it a Bastardization of Crowdsourcing?” If you haven’t heard of it, Amazon Studios is a kind-of-strange crowdsourced movie studio, wherein Amazon.com is asking not only for script submissions but also test movies (which most often take the form of animatics) as part of their ongoing contest. To me the whole enterprise is offputting, as I tend to like movies that are sui generis as opposed to movies that are voted into existence because of a popularity contest, but hey — the film business is in need of new ideas and no one else is doing it quite like this. So, what’s happened over the last year? (more…)

To Start a Film Career, How Important are Contests? Two Interviews with Competition Veterans

Guest Author — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:34:45 +0000

When I was 19 I was awarded grand prize in an online video contest put on by a now-defunct site named FirstEye. My music video entry (shot on a Sony VX1000, before HD, 24P, DSLRs, and After Effects made this video look primitive) won me a professional Sony video camera, which I used to shoot several successive projects — before selling it and buying a newer camera (which I’ve since done several times). Winning that contest gave me more confidence to keep pursuing film as a bona fide career, and every project I’ve shot since has been with that camera or its successors — including The West Side. In my own experience, contests offer a great opportunity to jump start a career. With this in mind, the following is a guest post by David Hinds, from video hosting platform Vzaar. They recently announced this year’s video festival winners. (more…)

Win $10,000 of Filmmaking Equipment in ikan's 2011 Video Contest (Deadline: Sept 6)

Ryan Koo — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:22:17 +0000

Film/video equipment manufacturer ikan is running a short film competition in which they’ll be giving out $17,000 worth of equipment to winners. The contest is open for any entries 3.5 minutes or less that haven’t already been published elsewhere, and asks that viewers follow the theme “Where is the Missing Piece?” $10k of equipment goes to first place, $5k to second, and $2k to third (to go along with the exposure winners receive). Oh, and I’m one of the judges. Deadline is September 6th, 2011; here are the details. (more…)

Possible Futures Film Contest Offers Cash and a Trip to the Amazon Jungle for Films that 'Make a Difference'

Ryan Koo — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:53:14 +0000

The Possible Futures Film Contest is now open for submissions of 1-5 minute shorts. I like the sound of this contest, as submitted films should “envision a new, positive, possible future for the world. One that is environmentally sustainable, socially just, peaceful and spiritually fulfilling.” The contest is put on by The Pachamama Alliance, located in the Ecuadorian Amazon (where, coincidentally, I shot a short doc several years ago). Here’s a video about the positive-themed contest, which runs until June 21st: (more…)

Enter the 48 Hour Guerilla Film Competition for a Shot at $5k

Ryan Koo — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:48:47 +0000

Founded in 2005, this year’s 48 Hour Guerilla Film Competition will take place May 13-15. From the moment the challenge is announced, competitors have 48 hours to write, direct, shoot, and edit a short film. Every entrant is screened and the winner walks away with $5k; of course, the money is only part of the appeal, as the experience of making the film is the primary goal. Add it to your calendar if you’re interested: (more…)