“Fear & Trembling!” Halloween Contest

John Carpenter launched the Halloween franchise in 1978. Now he tells us that he’s going to produce a new film in the series. But why let John have all the fun? MobileMovieMaking.com invites you to entertain us with your original Halloween movie. Here’s a sample.

The challenge:

Use your smartphone, tablet, drone, GoPro—or all of the above—to shoot a short Halloween video.

It can be in any genre such as a horror flick, a vBlog (why you love—or hate— Halloween), a music video, a documentary, or even a how-to-do-it piece (“The best way to celebrate Halloween or “How to fly a broom”). Anything goes, which we think has become a major Halloween theme.

The video must run five minutes or less. Minimum length: 15 seconds.

Deadline: October 31.

There’s no entry fee. All entrants will receive a copy of MovieMaking Illustrated: The Comicbook Filmbook. It uses classic Marvel comic panels to talk about movie storytelling.

The winning entry will receive a copy of the soon-to-be-published Mobile Movie Making Made Easy + $100 worth of gear. More prizes may be added at the Magazine’s discretion.

You’ll find the online entry form HERE. But we suggest you first read the Contest Rules below.

If you have any difficulty entering, or if you have questions, write a comment in the space below or email us at info@mobilemoviemaking.com

 Contest Rules:

1. EQUIPMENT: Your entry must be shot on a smartphone, tablet, drone camera, or GoPro—or a combination of mobile devices. You may edit the video using a computer or any other device.
2. RUN TIME: Your movie must run no more than 5 minutes including title and credits. Minimum run time is 15 seconds.
3. APPROPRIATE CONTENT: The video may not denigrate any racial, ethnic, gender, or religious group. In our team’s opinion the video must be rated no higher than PG13 (no nudity and no profane language of the sort bleeped on network TV shows).
4. ORIGINALITY: At least 90% of the visuals must be taken by you or your team. You may use up to 10% stock footage, for example, clips obtained from a stock footage company.
5. COPYRIGHT: You must have written permission for any copyrighted music or other protected material. You should also have written permission from any individuals who can be identified in the video with the exception of people seen briefly in crowd scenes. You will not be required to submit the written permissions at the time of entering your video, but you agree to send us copies of the permissions if we request them.
6. HOSTING YOUR VIDEO: Prior to submitting your entry, you must upload your video to Vimeo.com or YouTube.com and set it to “public” with permission for us to use the link that you will insert into the submission form. We prefer that you upload to Vimeo.com because posting there avoids commercials.
7. JUDGING: The staff of MobileMovieMaking.com staff will choose the winners. The criteria will be originality and technical excellence.
8. ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to people of all ages and in all locations except for inhabitants of places that prohibit this kind of competition or places in which U.S. companies are prohibited from doing business. Our team, advisors, and employees of sponsors cannot compete for prizes in this contest. If you are not old enough to make a contract (typically under 18 years of age in the U.S.), email the name of your guardian and the name of your video to info@mobilemoviemaking.com.
9. PRIZES: The top prize winner will receive $100 worth of gear such as olloclip lenses and GorillaPods. All entries will receive a copy of MovieMaking Illustrated.

People’s Choice Award: The video that gets the most comments–posted on that entry’s page–will receive $100 in gear and books. Each comment must say something specific about the video, indicating that it comes from a person and not a robot. Popular voting will end on November 30, 2016. In case of ties, prizes will be shared.

10. OWNERSHIP:  You retain all rights to your video but grant MobileMovieMaking.com permission to display your video on our site and on our social media sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel). You also permit us to reference your video in MobileMovieMaking.com press releases and promotions.
11.  SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Your entry must be uploaded by the end of October 31, 2016, Pacific Coast Time, USA. Winners will be announced within 30 days after the deadline.