Stevenson MAP Film Festival 2014 Call for Entries Stevenson MAP (Mustang Activities and Programming), the university s premier organizer of student-related events, presents the 2014 MAP Film Festival, on Friday, April. 4 at 7pm, in the School of Design Studio on the Owings Mills North Campus. Open to all current Stevenson University students, this festival showcases the film and video work of the entire community. Industry judges will be in attendance on the night of the festival, and Visa Gift Card prizes will be given to the top three films chosen by the judges, as well as the People s Choice Award selected by the audience. See below for Rules & Regulations. IMPORTANT DATES: Monday, Jan. 27, 2014: 1st call for submissions Monday, Feb. 24, 2014: 2nd call for submissions Monday, Mar. 3, 2014: Final call for submissions Monday, Mar. 17, 2014: Submission Deadline Noon, School of Design SD 129, OMN Campus Monday, Mar. 24, 2014: Festival Program Announced Friday, Apr. 4, 2014: MAP Film Festival 2014! ELIGIBILITY REGULATIONS: Completion Date: Films must have been completed within the past 2 years. Submission Deadline & Format: All films must be submitted no later than Noon on Monday, March 17, to Professor Dina Fiasconaro, Department of Film & Video (dfiasconaro@stevenson.edu, School of Design, SD 129, Owings Mills North). No films may exceed 15 minutes in length (including credits). There is no minimum length. All films must be submitted to Dina Fiasconaro (see above for contact info) either in person, or via Dropbox, as an uncompressed, self-contained QuickTime.mov file. Please do not submit a video DVD. If you have any questions about how to create and submit a QuickTime file of your movie, please contact Dina Fiasconaro before the submission date. You may only submit one film that you have personally directed. There is no limit, however, to the number of other submitted films you were involved with as a crew member. You may submit films with copyrighted music, but only for the purposes of this specific film festival. You are not allowed to post, distribute or submit your project anywhere else unless you have the music rights. Stevenson University Affiliation: The official Director of the film must be a current Stevenson University student. Neither the actors nor the crew need have any affiliation with the school. REQUIRED SUBMISSION MATERIALS: A completed entry form, available at either the Student Activities office, the Film/Video
Department website (www.sufilmvideo.com) or attached below A QuickTime.mov file of your film (as per the instructions above) JUDGING CRITERIA FOR PROGRAM: Story: Is the film well written and constructed, dramatically? Does the story hold our interest? Do we care about your characters and the situation they are in? Does it evoke an emotional response? All styles and genres are welcome, provided it sticks within the PG-13 ratings guide (see below). Technical Prowess: While this festival is for all students of the Stevenson community, we are still looking for skill with camera, editing and sound. If we cannot see the image clearly because of exposure or focus issues; if the music overpowers the dialogue; if the dialogue is recorded so poorly it is impossible to understand; if you ve made confusing or incoherent editing choices - all of these issues will detract from the score we give your film in this category. You may shoot the film on any format; film or video, on any type of camera, and edit in any software editing program. Artistry: In addition to how well you write and utilize your technology, we will also be looking at how uniquely you see the world through the lens, utilize sound and other elements, and cut the film together. Entertainment Value: Finally if it s a comedy, did it make us laugh? If it s a thriller, were we scared? If it s a complex family drama, did we cry? This category allows for the pure entertainment factor of your film to earn you some points. Each category above is weighted equally. Each member of the screening panel will give your film a score from 1-10 (1 is lowest, 10 is highest), in each category, and then all four scores will be totaled for a permanent, overall score. Once all submitted films have been scored, the screening judges will select the top films from all of those viewed, based solely on these scores. AWARDS: Given by Judges: 1 st Place: $300 Visa Gift Card 2 nd Place: $200 Visa Gift Card 3 rd Place: $100 Visa Gift Card Voted by Audience: People s Choice: $100 Visa Gift Card 2
MPAA RATINGS SYSTEM: Submitted films must be rated no higher than PG-13 G A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a certificate of approval, nor does it signify a children s motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture. PG A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture. PG-13 A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG- 13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a twothirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous. R An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures. NC-17 An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean obscene or pornographic in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children. [ratings descriptions taken from the home page of the Motion Pictures Association of America, http://www.mpaa.org/] 3
Stevenson MAP Film Festival 2014 Entry Form Name: Phone: E-mail: Title of Film Total Film Length Movie Crew, with Stevenson University Year of Graduation: Director Writer Director of Photography / Camera Operator Editor List any other important positions, including actors, with Stevenson Year of Graduation, if relevant: 4