50 HOUR FILM COMPETITION - FAQ
The Lost Episode Festival Toronto (LEFT) is once again hosting the 50 Hour Film Competition - a sleep deprived filmmaking marathon weekend in which you and your team have an unforgettable time writing, directing, shooting, and editing a complete short film in just 50 hours.
This July, on Friday the 10th at 7pm (YOUR local time), every registered team is emailed a character, a line of dialogue, and a prop, that MUST be included in their film. This year every team will be given the genre SCI-FI. Then teams have only 50 hours (or less) to complete and submit their film, online or in person.
ALL films, even the late ones, will be shown on the big screen at the (fully licensed) Carlton Cinema. The films that were on time however will be graded by our panel of judges and the winners will receive CASH, PRIZES, and of course FAME! Even if our judges don't select your film, you still have one last chance to win the AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD (including $500 in CASH!), even if it means inviting everyone you know to the screening and bribing them to vote for you.
WHAT MAKES THIS FILM CHALLENGE DIFFERENT FROM THE REST?
Aside from our rules, this challenge is part of a film festival, so it will be screening at the Carlton Cinema, one of the largest and most popular theatres in Toronto. The Carlton is also licensed, so you can have a beer with your friends and family and really enjoy everyone's work. Best of all, the entry fee for the competition is less than half of what you normally pay to participate in a film competition. Our competition starts at the super cheap early-bird entry fee of only $65, the price goes up as of July 1st however (late fee is $99) so register now! Please note there are a very limited number of teams in the competition, signup is on a first come first serve basis.
WHAT DO I NEED TO COMPETE?
All you need is a camera and a few friends (your team) willing to spend an insanely great weekend with you making a film.
DO I NEED TO BE A CANADIAN RESIDENT?
No. You do not have to be a Canadian resident, and you don't have to be here in Toronto (though we'd love it if you were), you can submit your film online instead of in person. Our competition is open to the entire planet (we're also open to any space aliens who can get here). Some restrictions apply, see rules.
DO I NEED TO HAVE FILMMAKING EXPERIENCE?
Heck no! Anyone can make a film. ALL skill levels are welcome. Be sure to check out our TIPS & TRICKS! Filmmaking competitions don't have to be about making a hollywood blockbuster or a grande piece of art, they are about learning to make films and having a good time. Make something that YOU like, and in all likelihood someone else will enjoy it on some level as well.
HOW DO I PUT TOGETHER A TEAM?
That's easy! Ask your friends and family. Post on your Facebook or Twitter that you are looking for friends to compete with, or post on our Facebook group and let everyone know you have a position available on your team or that you are looking to join a team (be sure to mention anything you're good at).
WHAT CAN I WIN?
Last year we lined up over $16,000 worth of prizes (see a list of some of them below), and we hope to top that this year!
That's not all! We're still adding as many sponsors as we can find, to get our filmmakers a ton of great prizes. Once we've locked down all of our sponsors and we know how many teams will be competing, we can finalize our prize packs.
WHEN IS IT?
The 2015 competition starts this July on Friday the 10th at 7pm (YOUR local time) and ends 50 hours later on Sunday July 12th at 9pm.
HOW MUCH IS IT?
The early-bird entry fee is only $65 (until July 1st), late fee is $99 (after July 1st). In case you're bad at math, that means a 6 person team only contributes $10 a head. That's cheap!
WHAT ARE THE FILMS ABOUT?
Anything you want, as long as the secret elements we'll be providing (character, dialogue, and prop) are all included. This genre for this year is SCI-FI, and that includes straight sci-fi, scary sci-fi, funny sci-fi, and anything in-between. Sci-fi doesn't have to mean spaceships and robots however, it can be anything dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations.
CAN ACTRA UNION MEMBERS PARTICIPATE?
YES! We have an agreement with ACTRA Toronto to allow their members to participate in this years event. That means you can use Union Actors, Background Performers, Stunt People & non-union talent if you like.
CAN A TEAM SUBMIT MULTIPLE ENTRIES?
If you think you have time, though you probably won't. It would be best to really polish one entry than to send in multiple weak ones. If you are doing a commercial, you might have time to do two 30 second spots. Plan your time wisely!
IS THERE A MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM TEAM SIZE?
No.
IS THERE A MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM FILM LENGTH?
No minimum. If you are trying to wow an audience, shorter is better. Aim for 5 minutes. Shoot a lot, and edit it down to whatever you think is the perfect length. You're in charge. Try not to exceed the maximum length of 7 minutes.
CAN I DO ANY WORK ON THE FILM BEFORE THE COMPETITION STARTS?
No! That would be cheating. You can however: assemble a team including actors and crew, get all the equipment you will need, practice with the equipment so there will be no surprises, and scout some locations. All of that is fair. DO NOT work on props, costumes, writing or anything else creative before the competition officially starts. Play fair!
HOW DO I GET THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS?
The required elements (prop, line, character) will be posted on our twitter
@50HourFilm and
@LostEpisodeFest after they have been emailed to all teams July 10th at 7PM (YOUR LOCAL TIME) sharp. As a backup to email,
follow us on twitter to see the announcement there as well.
- PROP: MUST appear on screen. You can show the object, a photo of it, a drawing of it, etc.
- LINE: MUST be spoken EXACTLY as provided, or appear clearly written on screen.
- CHARACTER: An on screen character MUST have this name, male or female is up to you. The name must be said aloud or appear on a name tag, business card, etc.
WHAT ARE THE TECHNICAL SPECS FOR EXPORTING MY FILE?
NTSC (not PAL). 720 HD (suggested, or above). Any file type (mov, mp4, avi, mkv, etc) that will play in VLC or QuickTime Player is accepted. Uncompressed codec is best, but up to you. 5 minutes in length (suggested).
TITLE CARDS (Required)
Your film MUST start with a 2 second title card that states: "Made for the 50 HOUR FILM Competition 2015. @50HourFilm - lostepisodefest.com/50hour", followed by 2 seconds of black, a title card stating "Team Name, Film Name, City/Country, Date", your film, 2 seconds of black, and then MUST end with a 2 second title card that states "Made for the 50 HOUR FILM Competition 2015. @50HourFilm - lostepisodefest.com/50hour".
DO WE HAVE TO SUBMIT PAPERWORK WITH OUR FILM?
Yes. All of the following needs to be printed and signed. We
NEED the originals, not digital copies. Grab a stamp and physically mail them to us asap
AFTER the competition ends at: LEFT - 14 Midurn Avenue, Toronto ON M4C 2C9 Canada.
Download paperwork here:
lostepisodefest.com/2015/50hfc-paperwork/50hfc-checklist.pdf
lostepisodefest.com/2015/50hfc-paperwork/50hfc-agreement.pdf
lostepisodefest.com/2015/50hfc-paperwork/50hfc-roster.pdf
lostepisodefest.com/2015/50hfc-paperwork/50hfc-actra.pdf
WHERE DO I DROP OFF/SEND OUR FINISHED FILM?
Submission is ONLINE ONLY. There is NO local drop off this year due to construction and traffic issues caused by the PanAm games. Your film MUST have started uploading via the free online service
http://free.mailbigfile.com to info@lostepisodefest.com
BEFORE 9pm on Sunday July 12th. Email us once you've started. It does not matter if it takes a long time to finish uploading, we will simply check the time stamp against your email to know when it started uploading. If you wish to use an alternative (dropbox, ftp, etc.) you may, but email us the link to the file
IMMEDIATELY. All submissions
MUST begin before 9pm.
I'M SOLD! HOW DO I ENTER THE COMPETITION?
Simple. Read the
rules and
contact us if you have any questions or are unclear about anything. Then
REGISTER below for 3 simple steps to get your team started.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Please
CONTACT US, and we'll get back to you ASAP.