2011 Filmmaking Rules

The Goal: Write, shoot and edit a short film in a weekend. With teamwork and complete focus you can make a cohesive and entertaining movie in a exceptionally short time frame.

The following rules apply to each participating group/production team:

1. Times: The 2011 National Film Challenge will occur between Friday, October 21, 2011 at 7 p.m. and Monday, October 24, 2011. (Local time)

2. The participating group must complete its film/video work in time to ship via FedEx or Priority Mail, with the mailing date documented, on Monday, October 24. Shipping Documents or labels must be store generated. No home/office created shipping documents or labels will be accepted. Only works that meet the deadline will be eligible for awards. Films postmarked after October 24, are not eligible.

3. The Film Challenge is open to filmmakers from all nations across the world.

4. Film Challenge entrants are accepted on a first come, first served basis. The Film Challenge organizers reserve the right to limit the total number of teams to 300.

5. During the official Challenge period, all creativity will take place, including but not limited to:

* Writing the script
* Rehearsing
* Costume/Set Design
* Shooting
* Editing
* Sound Design
* Rendering
* Outputting to tape or other media

6. The only work to begin prior to the "Official Film Challenge Time Period" is:

* Organizing Crew
* Organizing Cast
* Securing Equipment
* Scouting/Securing Locations

(See also Rule 7 and Rule 19.)

7. All footage must be shot within the Challenge period of the project.

* No stock footage or footage shot or created at another time may be used.
* Animation and special effects are permitted, but must be created during the Challenge time period.
* Still photographs are permitted, provided that the team has the rights to them. The photos do not need to be created during the Challenge time period.

8. Each participating group must provide the Film Challenge organizers with two e-mail addresses. At registration, a username and password will be emailed to the team leader. On Friday, October 21, at 7 p.m. local time, the team leader will log into a secure site to receive two randomly generated genres (from which you must choose one to produce), as well as a list of required elements-a character, prop and a line of dialogue-that must appear in the film. To qualify as an official "Film Challenge Film," each group's film must be in the genre it receives and must contain all required elements within the official time limit and prior to the credits. The required Character and Prop must be seen on-screen. The required Line of Dialogue must be used verbatim. It may be spoken, sung and/or written. It may be in any language, though if it is unclear that it is the Line, there must be a translation.

9. All cast and crew must be volunteers.

10. The finished film must be a minimum of 4 minutes in duration, and a maximum of 7 minutes in duration-not including credits. See Rule 11.

11. Credits at the end of each film are limited to a maximum of 60 seconds. The 60 seconds is considered additional to the length of the film, as stated in Rule 10. (That is, a film may be 7 minutes long, with an additional 60 seconds of credits, for a total running time of 8 minutes.)

12. Any type of video or film camera may be used, however, a maximum of only three cameras may be used to shoot footage for use in your film. Cameras used for a purpose other than recording video footage (for example, as props, editing decks, sound recorders, or to record solely behind-the-scenes footage) are allowed in addition to this three camera limit.

13. Sound recordings and Sound Effects: Sound recorders are allowed in addition to the three camera limit above. As with music, pre-recorded sound effects are allowed, but you must have rights to use them.

14. Films must be submitted on one of the following media:

*PREFERRED: a data DVD or USB Flash Drive with a self-contained Quicktime file with no proprietary codecs. (You must read this page before giving us a Quicktime file!)
Codecs for SD: DV-NTSC, Apple Pro Res, H.264 with a data rate of at least 16Mbps, or Motion JPEG-A
*Standard Def miniDV
*DVD

We recommend that each team submit two copies of the final film. If the Entry cannot be viewed on Challenge equipment, it may be disqualified.

15. Before the finished film begins, the tape should have:

*5 seconds of black
* A title card with: team name, date, city, title, and genre
* A title card with:
"This film made for the 2011 Film Challenge. www.filmchallenge.org"
* 2 seconds of black
* Your film

16. All films received by the deadline will be judged, presuming they are eligible according to the stated. To ensure the best screening of your film, please follow the instructions below:

*4:3 films will be pillar-boxed for online screening.
* Sound levels should be relatively even throughout the film. (If your film has uneven sound or sound that peaks, it may be modified to protect the playback equipment.)
*HD submissions must follow the above guidelines. (Rule 14)

17. The producer/team leader for each group must submit a complete and signed paper copy of the Team Leader's Agreement.

18. Each team must secure talent, crew, music releases and location releases, which must be turned in to the challenge organizers with the finished film/video. (The release forms can be found on the special Film Challenge team area.) The film/video will not be judged or screened before the Film Challenge Organizers receive the signed releases.

19. To be eligible for the Challenge, Entries 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 and/or KDHX). Entries containing prohibited or inappropriate content as determined by KDHX, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate will be disqualified. KDHX reserves the right to make the final determination as to which Entries are eligible.

20. Participating groups are encouraged to work with a local composer and/or musicians to write and record music for the films. It is permissible for a participating group to use pre-recorded music; however the participating group must have the rights to any music used in its film and must provide a release for all music used.

21. The Entrant must submit a Certification Statement with his/her completed Entry, certifying adherence to all Official Rules.

22. To be certified as an "Official Film Challenge Film," each participating group's film/video production must follow all rules herein. The Film Challenge Organizers reserve the right to screen only certified "Official Film Challenge Films."

23. No Entries (media or documents) will be returned.

24. KDHX and Challenge Parties may, in their sole discretion, disqualify Entries deemed to be inappropriate or otherwise non-compliant.

25. All certified "Film Challenge Films" are eligible for judging. A panel of independent judges will select fifteen National Film Challenge Finalists from which one Grand Prize winner will be selected.

26. The Film Challenge Organizers may add to or amend these rules at any time prior to the beginning of the Challenge time period.