WD Project: Sci-Fi Film Challenge (Australia) 2013 is a Competition run by Screen My Shorts Inc in collaboration of WD (S.E.Asia Ltd). We invite entrants of all ages, cultures and ability to submit original creative digital content and win a share of the AUD 10,000 (L$2.28 Million) cash and prizes (with at least AUD 1,500 / L$230,000 reserved for Machinima), and have their works exposed on the international stage.
The Machinima portion of this event
is being run in association with the University of Western Australia.
Science Fiction is the overall
genre, and all who register will be allocated specific themes including Blue-
‘everyday life’, Green-‘the environment’, Black – 'speed & technology' and
Red - ‘networks/connections’. Those who register are asked to nominate 2 of the themes, and the organisers will allocate one of the 2 nominated themes to entrants on the
1st of November 2013. The entrant will be given full freedom to explore and interpret the theme allocated (you may be as creative as possible in your interpretation)
The closing date for all entries
will be the 13th of December 2013, however we urge registrations to be submitted before the 15th of November of November by emailing the required details to jay.jay@uwa.edu.au or through the website: http://wdthepowerofchoice.com/projectscifi/
The overall competition is open to both conventional film and machinima. Machinima entries are in the running for the overall prizes, however special prizes are also set aside for Machinima entries only. There is a fee to enter conventional films, however the University of Western Australia will be sponsoring machinima entries, and as such the fee is waived for all machinima entries.
ESSENTIALS
1. Entry length to be between 3 to 10 minutes
2. If entering a promo - maximum length to be 30 seconds
3. All entries are to be made
specifically for the ‘WD Project SciFi’ Competition
4. Register before the 15th of November & nominate 2 of the listed themes (the 'Films' section of the detailed rules give examples of how the themes could be interpreted)
5. AUD 10,000 in Prizes available with at least AUD 1,500 reserved for machinima
6. Main website for challenge is http://wdthepowerofchoice.com/projectscifi/
7. 2 Additional special prizes will be awarded to machinima that feature the UWA 'Centum' created by West Australian Artist, Len Zuks and brought into Second Life by FreeWee Ling. The Centum can be found HERE. You do not have to film the Centum in situ and may take a copy of it and film it in any location you choose.
*This is not a continuation of the UWA MachinimUWA series, but a new collaboration with WD (S.E. Asia Ltd), hence the more detailed rules, etc as below. Should this venture be successful, it would mean a lot more funding being available for Machinima as well as more publicity available through conventional media.
HOW TO REGISTER
1. Send an email (or a NC inworld) with the following details to jay.jay@uwa.edu.au:
* Second Life Name * Team Name (If Applicable)
* Email Address
* City & Country
* 2 Nominated Themes in Order of Preference (Blue, Green, Red or Black
2. Or via the website http://wdthepowerofchoice.com/projectscifi/
* You only need to include the details listed above, and not all the info requested on the website, as the personal details required on the website is applicable to entrants who are unable to provide a Second Life identity DETAILED RULES, ELIGIBILITY, ETC
2. An Entry must, be Your own work, not be copied, not
contain any third party materials and/or content that You do not have
permission to use and not infringe on any copyrights. By submitting an Entry, Entrant agrees to the Official
Rules, and further agrees to indemnify and hold Us, Project Parties and their
respective affiliates, officers, directors, agents, co-branders or other
partners, and any of their employees (collectively, the "Competition
Indemnitees"), harmless from any and all claims, damages, expenses, costs
(including reasonable attorneys' fees) and liabilities (including settlements),
brought or asserted by any third party against any of the Competition
Indemnitees due to or arising out of the Entrant's Entry materials in this
Competition, or the Entrant's conduct during and in connection with this
Competition, including but not limited to trademark, copyright, or other
intellectual property rights, right of publicity, right of privacy or
defamation. Entrant agrees to release, indemnify and hold harmless Us and the
Competition Parties from any and all claims that any advertising, presentation,
web content or any other material subsequently produced, presented, and/or
prepared by or on behalf of Us or the Competition Parties infringes on the rights
of Entrant's work as contained in any Entry. Entries
must not be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or
regulations. The Film is to be rated PG, at most. If We have reason to believe
Your entry is not Your own work or otherwise breaches this clause 2, then We
may not consider it.
3. SMS and WD reserves in its sole discretion the right to not accept or disqualify any Entries that it does not believe are suitable for Project-SciFi (Australia).
4. We reserve the right to amend the Rules and Guidelines at any time.
5. Dates - The Competition:
- Register as soon as possible. Those registering before 1st Nov will receive their theme after 7pm on the 1st of November (those registering after will receive their theme as soon as possible after registration
- Friday 1st November 2013 from 7.00 pm - Entrants receive their themes
- Finishes, Saturday 30th November 2013 at 12.00 midnight - Entries are to be uploaded to Youtube (private setting) with an emailed link sent to projectscifi@screenmyshorts.com by this time. Entries received after the Closing Date will not be considered.
6. You are responsible for the cost (if any) of
sending Your Entry to us.
7. If You have any questions about the Competition,
please e-mail us at Project SciFi (Australia) projectscifi@screenmyshorts.com
(or jay.jay@uwa.edu.au) with Project SciFi (Australia):
Competition Question' in the subject line.
8. If You are submitting Your Film as a team, there
needs to be a Team Leader designated who is responsible for completing the
entry form online.
9. Entrants under 18 must have a parent or legal
guardian must act as Team Leader and register via the online form.
10. By entering this Competition and taking part in
the activities forming the prize/s, You agree to take part in or co-operate
with a reasonable amount of publicity or other promotional activity on behalf
of Us and agree that We may publish Your name/s and home town and any
photograph/s, Film/s and/or recording made by Us or on Our behalf and featuring
You and/or member/s of Your team.
11. The Competition is not open to employees, directors, management, agents, licensees, retailers, suppliers and contractors of SMS, WD, Project SciFi (Australia), or any person directly or indirectly involved in the organisation or running of the Competition or their family members.
12. We reserve the right to verify the eligibility of
Entrants at Our discretion.
13. You and your Entry - confirm and agree that:
●
You are eligible to enter the
Competition● All Entry Form details are true and correct
● Your Entry does not include any nudity or profanities, and does not otherwise defame, misrepresent, contain disparaging remarks or other content that could adversely affect the name, reputation or goodwill of SMS and WD, their Partners or anyone else
● Your Entry does not contain pornographic or sexually explicit or hateful content that promotes violence or harm, or any other offensive, obscene or inappropriate content (SMS and WD determines what is inappropriate)
● Your Entry does not include threats and does not intimidate, harass or bully anyone
● All performers in your Entry have given their written consent to the use of their performances in the Entry
● You have obtained written consents from all contributors of copyright material used in Your Entry to their material being edited, altered and reproduced by You and anyone You permit to do this (including SMS and WD), to the extent permitted by applicable law
● We retain the right to use Your Entry as we see fit without any obligation to any Third Party, their charges, other limitations or agreements.
Submissiom
1. By registering, You unconditionally indemnify Us and designated partners/parties and associates/representatives and hold harmless from any and all claims, damages or liabilities arising from or relating to such Entrant's participation in the Competition and must pay Us on demand the amount of all losses, liabilities, expenses and taxes that We may suffer (including the cost of settlement and any legal expenses on a full indemnity basis) because any of your representations or warranties are incorrect, You breach the Rules of Entry, or because of a claim or proceeding by another person against Us caused or contributed by You.
2. Register online…. Visit www.project-scifi.com.
You will receive confirmation of your application with an invoice for the entry
fee.
3. Payment - We only accept payments through PayPal.
Cost to enter is AU$35.00 (includes GST). Students 18 years and under only pay
AU$15.00 (includes GST). There will be no refund for withdrawal.
Note
- The Machinima Award entries are supported by the University of Western
Australia (UWA), therefore the fee is waived
4. All entries are to be uploaded to Youtube (private
setting) with an emailed link sent to projectscifi@screenmyshorts.com
or jay.jay@uwa.edu.au by this time.
5. Submission
●
Save your film using the file name
‘Project SciFi 2013 ENTRY NAME’. Film format to be 16 x 9 aspect ratio with a
frame size of 1280 x 720● Upload the video to your own YouTube channel using the following instructions: In the ‘TITLE’ area, use the same name as above i.e. ‘Project SciFi 2013 ENTRY NAME’
● In the ‘DESCRIPTION’ area, please include the following info after your film description: ‘For more info on the Project SciFi 2013, please visit -www.project-scifi.com’
● In the ‘TAGS’ area, please include the following: Project SciFi 2013
6. The Entrant should not distribute their film in any
way before the premiere screening. This includes uploading the film to any
website.
7. No Entries (media or documents) will be returned.
8. LIMITATIONS
OF LIABILITY AND RELEASE: No liability or responsibility is assumed by Us or
Competition Parties resulting from any user's participation in or attempt to
participate in the Competition or ability or inability to upload or download
any information in connection with participating in the Competition. No
responsibility or liability is assumed by Us or Competition Parties for
technical problems or technical malfunction arising in connection with any of
the following occurrences which may affect the operation of the Competition:
hardware or software errors; faulty computer, telephone, cable, satellite,
network, electronic, wireless or Internet connectivity or other online
communication problems; errors or limitations of any Internet service
providers, servers, hosts or providers; garbled, jumbled or faulty data
transmissions; failure of any e-mail transmissions to be sent or received; lost,
late, delayed or intercepted e-mail transmissions; inaccessibility of the Web
Site in whole or in part for any reason; traffic congestion on the Internet or
the Web Site; unauthorized human or non-human intervention of the operation of
the Competition, including without limitation, unauthorized tampering, hacking,
theft, virus, bugs, worms; or destruction of any aspect of the Competition, or
loss, miscount, misdirection, inaccessibility or unavailability of an email
account used in connection with the Competition. We and Competition Parties are
not responsible for any typographical errors in the announcement of prizes or
these Official Rules, or any inaccurate or incorrect data contained on the Web
Site. Use of Web Site is at user's own risk. We and the Competition Parties are
not responsible for any personal injury or property damage or losses of any
kind which may be sustained to user's or any other person's computer equipment
resulting from participation in the Competition, use of the Web Site or the
download of any information from the Web Site. By participating in the Competition,
Entrant agrees to release, indemnify and hold Us and Competition Parties
harmless from any and all claims, damages or liabilities arising from or
relating to such Entrant's participation in the Competition.
Films
1. Filmmakers Entries - they may
enter one or both films types● Filmmakers' entry is to be 3 to 10 minutes in length
● Promo entry is to be a 30 seconds in length
Note - We also offer the choice for Entrants to make a 30 second promotion, as well as their 3 to 10 minutes short film, doubling the possibility of winning a prize and exposure.
Machinima Entry
●
Machinimographers' entry is to be 3
to 10 minutes in length
2. Films should be inspired by, or be relevant to, the
central genre of 'Science Fiction' and must align to the theme allocated to the
filmmaker as outlined in clause 3.
3.The Films should include the following Film
Elements:
a)
The themed colourb) The themed genre
Films should be aligned to the theme allocated to the filmmaker:
1. Blue – Themes from Everyday life
· Sci-Romance – Love between Aliens, Robots and more!
· Soft Science Fiction – Science and technology take a back-seat to character-driven plots. In soft SF, the how is much less important than the why. (Also known as SCI-Drama)
· Sci-Comedy - Science fiction that is humorous in nature. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a good example of SciFi Comedy.
· Alternative Reality – The story that takes place in an altered or changed reality, but usually recognizable.
2. Green – Themes
about the Environment
· Save the Environment – A theme focuses on
saving the dying planet ecosystem· Apocalyptic / Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi - Stories about the extinction or near extinction of humankind either by forces of nature or by our own means. Post- focuses on telling the tale of the survivors of an apocalypse.
· Zombie / Disease – A theme focuses on the effect of a disease in the future.
· Monsters & Mutants – Following either mystery/horror/thriller genres regarding monsters/mutants made from science, environmental disaster or from space.
3. Black – Themes about Speed & Technology
· Cyberpunk - Science fiction depicting the downside to technology and a bleak world, typically containing a dark atmosphere.
· Spy-Fy - Science fiction about futuristic spies and espionage, and the effects of technological advancement on their professions.
· Super Hero – Stories related to super heroes who get their powers from technology or because they are from another world. Focuses on characters like Iron Man, Green Lantern/Hornet, Men in Black
· Robots / AI - Fiction in which the science of Artificial Intelligence and robotics is a central theme, typically relating to work of Isaac Asimov and the ideas advanced in his Robot stories.)
4. Red – Themes about Networks/Connections
Time Travel - A person or group of people travel either into the past or future.
· First Contact / Alien - This sub genre imagines the various scenarios in which humanity makes contact with other civilizations.
· ESP Sci-Fi
· Cyber-Crime – Crime themed Sci-Fi (especially using the internet or hacking)
4. Films must comply with the Competition Rules and
the Competition Guidelines. Films will not be accepted if they include any
excessive abusive, violent, offensive, bullying, harmful, insulting or
inappropriate material and must not contain strong language or full nudity.
5. You agree to have Your Film shown on the Screening
Website and commented on by users. The Film may also be displayed on other
social networking sites and Project SciFi (Australia) exhibition platforms
without limitation.
6. Entrants declare that they have obtained all
required permissions and clearances with regards to music, sound and/or images
and any other creative work presented in the Film.
Releases
1. Given the costly and time-consuming nature of
clearing commercial music, We recommend Entrants use original and/or library,
non-commercial, royalty free music in their Films, providing in all cases that
any music has been cleared for use in this way by the Music Release Form.
Participating groups are encouraged to work with a local composer and/or
musicians to write and record music for the films. As with music, pre-recorded
sound effects are allowed, but You must
have rights to use them.
2. Entrants should ensure that all clearances in the
Film allow for its use in all known media and internet platforms, throughout
the universe in perpetuity to avoid clearance issues. All external media,
locations, materials and actors featured in the film must be cleared using the
appropriate Release forms.
3. Films should not contain any visuals or verbal
references to any commercial brands, including large brand names on T-shirts,
caps and other items of clothing, that may affect WD’s brand exposure within
the competition. If You are unsure about any conflicts, please contact Project
SciFi (Australia) organizing committee immediately to confirm your issue.
4. A collection of Project SciFi (Australia) Films and/or Promos will be chosen to screen at various WD promotional events or stands throughout 2013 and 2014. By taking part in the Project SciFi(Australia) Film Competition, You are agreeing for Your Film to be publically screened by Us as we require/desire.
Judging
1. After the Competition closing date, the Films will
then be processed by a judging panel, which may include representatives from
the Film industry, associated and diverse professionals and Sponsors - the
'Judging Panel'. to create a shortlist ('Shortlist') from all Entries received.
Note: All judges are chosen for their experience and
professionalism, from a varied range of industries and disciplines. Their
decisions are final. All judging is done with complete confidentiality. No
discussion between judges is entered into, under any circumstance . The
shortlisted entries for The Machinima Award will be determined by a panel set
up by UWA and passed on to the Judging Panel.
2. The Shortlist will then be reviewed by the Judging
Panel who will vote on which of the shortlisted Films should receive
nominations for the national awards ('Finalists').
3.The Finalists will be judged by the Judging Panel to establish the Awards recipients (‘Winners’). Details will be on the Website when available.
4.
Entries will be judged by a process
in which qualified panels of judges will evaluate the eligible entries based on
the following judging criteria:
- Artistic Merit (e.g.
Story, Creativity, Entertainment Value) (45%)- Technical Merit (30%)
- Adherence to the Assignment (25%)
In the event of a
tie, the tie will be broken based on the highest score in the first Judging
Criteria, continuing thereafter to each Judging Criteria in order, as needed to
break the tie.
5. The decisions of the Judging Panel are final and no
correspondence will be entered into.
6. Nominees for awards (Finalists) will be informed in
good time before the National Awards Ceremony once the final nominations have
been confirmed by the Judging Panel. Finalists may be required to provide
follow-up documentation to show that all relevant clearances are in place
before being officially nominated.
7. Finalists may be required to take part in
reasonable publicity activities after the announcement of their award/s on
behalf of Us.
8. Winners of awards agree to be filmed, photographed
or recorded and grant Us, free of charge, the right to publish the winning Film
in part or in its entirety, footage, photographs or audio online and in all
media as required for the purposes of promoting the Competition and We may
edit, adapt, translate or remove the Film at any time.
9. All nominated and winning Films will be kept by Us
and made available to (amongst others) private showings to industry
professionals, production companies, agents, distributors and exhibitors, and
may feature in public screenings in all known media and internet platforms
anywhere in the universe at any time.
10. Details of the winners can be obtained by sending
a request by email to projectscifi@screenmyshorts.com
and will be posted on Our Website.
Prizes
1. Film awards at the final event (the 'Awards Ceremony') will be offered for Best Film and Runners Up in all categories. Other awards may also be given at the discretion of Us or the Judging Panel.
2. Prizes will be offered within 28 days of winners
being notified of winning an award; if a prize offer is not accepted within a
further 28 days it may be withdrawn.
3. Prizes will be listed on Our Website and below and are
subject to change. We may add or withdraw prizes at any time during the
Competition. In the event of unforeseen circumstances or circumstances outside
our control, We may offer an alternative prize of equal value.
4. Prizes cannot be exchanged or transferred by You and
cannot be redeemed by You for cash or any other prizes. You must pay all other
costs associated with the prize and not specifically included in the prize.
Award Prize Cash Prize Other
Best Film AUD $3,000 2 pieces x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
1 piece
of 1TB WD Se Datacenter Hard Drive
1st Runner Up AUD $1,000 1 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
2nd Runner Up AUD $500 1 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
3rd Runner Up AUD $300
Best Director AUD $200 1 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
1
piece of 1TB WD Se Datacenter Hard Drive
Best Cinematographer AUD $200 1 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
Best Writing AUD $200
Best Editing AUD $200
Best Actor AUD $250
Best Female Actor AUD $250
Best Promo AUD $1,500 2 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
1 piece of 1TB WD Se Datacenter Hard Drive
Runner Up Promo AUD $750 1 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
3rd Runner Up AUD $250
Best Machinima Film AUD $750 1 piece x 1TB WD Red NAS Hard Drive
1
piece of 1TB WD Se Datacenter Hard Drive
Runner Up AUD $300
2nd Runner Up AUD$ 150
4th Runner Up AUD$ 100
5th Runner Up AUD$ 100
User
Generated Content (UGC) Terms and Conditions
1. You will retain legal ownership in Your Competition
Entry but that You grant to Us and its successors a non-exclusive, worldwide,
sub-licensable, royalty-free and perpetual license to use Your Competition
entry (in all media/internet platforms now and later known) and any other
material and/or information submitted with Your entry or otherwise provided by
You including Your name, age and town or city of residence for the sole purpose
of identifying You as the author of Your Competition entry (together 'Your
UGC').
.
