Movies have enriched our appreciation of the holidays. There have been dramas (“It’s a Wonderful Life”); horror pictures (the “Halloween” series), romances (“Holiday”), comedies (“Home Alone”), musicals (“White Christmas”), and fantasies (“Groundhog Day”).

CONTEST CHALLENGE

Now it’s your turn.Using a smartphone or other mobile device, shoot a movie (10 minutes or shorter) about any established holiday (or special day sponsored by a bonafide organization). If it’s listed on Brownielocks.com (a really fun site, by the way), we’ll accept it.

The movie can be any genre including drama, comedy, sci fi, documentary, music video, or even instructional (“How to Celebrate…”) NOTE: This is not about vacations but about special days. The movie could show someone traveling, but it must focus on a special day such as New Years, Easter, Mardi Gras, or any other day that other people might celebrate. 

Top prize is $250. There is no entry fee. The deadline is Groundhog Day (February 2, 2018). You’ll find all the rules below. The quick online entry form is HERE.

If you have any questions, write info@mobilemoviemaking.com

Contest Rules:

EQUIPMENT: Your entry must be shot using a smartphone, a tablet, a drone, or a GoPro—or a combination of mobile devices. You may edit the video using a computer or any other machine.

RUN TIME: Your movie can run no more than 10 minutes including title and credits.

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).

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, old photos or clips obtained from a stock footage company.

COPYRIGHT: You must have written permission for any copyrighted music or other protected materials. 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.

HOSTING YOUR VIDEO: Prior to submitting your entry, you must upload your video to Vimeo.com or YouTube.com and set it to “public.” You will then insert the link into our submission form. There is NO submission fee. This is a free-to-enter contest.

JUDGING: The MobileMovieMaking.com staff will serve as the jury. The criteria used by the judges are: originality of the concept, technical quality (is the sound clear and the camera work solid?), and creativity (surprising dialogue if any, unusual locations, use of props, etc.).

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 by law 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.), include the name of your guardian in the entry form.

PRIZES:

* Jury prizes: The best film as determined by our jury will earn its director $250. Up to 10 runners-up will receive a book about moviemaking.

* People’s Choice Award: The video that gets the most comments on its entry page will receive $100. Each comment must say something specific about the video. Comments limited to words like “Wow!” won’t count. The People’s Choice Award voting will end on February 28, 2018.

* In case of ties, prizes will be shared. An entrant may win only one prize.

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 write about your video in MobileMovieMaking.com press releases and promotions.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Your entry must be received on our site by the end of February 2, 2018, Pacific Coast Time, USA. We reserve the right to extend the deadline by one month. All winners will be announced on or before March 31, 2018.