APRIL 2008 USC S CINEMATIC SPRINGFEST RULES & REGULATIONS Office of Festivals and Distribution Carson Television Center, Room G132 (213) 740-4432 Sandrine Cassidy Cassidy@cinema.usc.edu Bonnie Chi Bonniechi@cinema.usc.edu Allison Melanson Allisonm@cinema.usc.edu DEADLINE for April 2008: November 28, 2007-0 -
TABLE OF CONTENTS A) A NEW BEGINNING...P. 2 B) FINAL WORD ON USC S CINEMATIC SPRINGFEST.......... P. 2 a) A New Beginning b) Final Word C) CALENDAR.......... P. 3 D) REGULATIONS.. P. 3 a) Eligibility b) Production Book & Signatures c) Archives Print d) Business office e) Signature Pages Submitting to our office 1) DVDs 2) CD Disk files 3) Photographs 4) Digibeta for DVD E) MEETINGS.... P. 6 F) APPENDIX 1.. P. 10 a. Signature Pages c. Rights Summary Worksheet b. Clearance Pages d. Music Cue Sheet G) APPENDIX 2.. P. 15 a) Format of Disk h. Pronunciation Guide b) Program Information i. Dialogue List c) DVD Information j. Music Cue Sheet d) Crew Information k. Full Credit list e) Photo (production/director) l. USC Credit list f) Director s Bio m. Press Kit g) Synopsis H) Rights Summary Example - 1 -
USC s Cinematic Springfest Rules & Regulations for April 2008 A) A New Beginning: DEADLINE: November 28, 2007 We are changing First Look this year and as you may have noticed we are changing the name. We will continue to have only one festival a year in the springtime, however, our Norris Screenings will show all the films over 2 days during the weekend and our DGA screening will be an awards ceremony. Please be patient, as we are finalizing details every week. You may ask us questions. We will try our best to answer them. Before you start the process of applying, make sure that your film does not have any presentation, film by or a so-so production credits anywhere or on any press materials, including DVDs or postcards. If it does, you need to remove it. B) FINAL WORD ON USC S CINEMATIC SPRINGFEST LARRY S WORDS OF ADVICE: Let us first say congratulations on finishing your project and thank you for your interest in participating in USC s Cinematic Springfest! The next 20 pages will layout the requirements and explain what is expected of you in order to be a USC s Cinematic Springfest participant. The completion of this packet and submission of your material is not the end of your commitment; it is the beginning. We strongly suggest you read through the guidelines, get a full understanding of what is expected of you and then decide whether or not this is the right time for you to participate. There are mandatory meetings, edit sessions and festival duties that occur before, during and after USC s Cinematic Springfest. If you work full time, perhaps the time required to participate will be too much to juggle. Part of taking responsibility for your film and the festival is taking an active role in your future endeavors. Taking advantage of the opportunity in front of you is how you will achieve this. This means working on unfinished screenplays or any unfinished material of any kind (directing reels finding a book you d like to adapt) and completing everything in time for the festival. In order to promote yourself properly you will need every tool in the shed meaning every piece of material (screenplays or demo reel) should be finished by your screening night. Our office has run this festival for over 10 years now and we cannot impress upon you how important and critical it is that you are ready for these screenings. It is extremely disheartening to see a filmmaker work so hard and finally get so much attention only to have nothing to present to those who are asking him the infamous question What else do you - 2 -
have? You have to take advantage of this heat. The night of your screening you will need to answer to this --all important-- question. If not, it is just a waste. It is therefore important for writers, directors, writer/director/producers to be prepared to take advantage of your screening and the reactions you get. You obviously want to further their interest in you. This is very important this is your career. This is your future. If you do not have the time to commit to this entire 6-month process, the timing may not be right for you and you should hold off on participating. C) FESTIVAL CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 21 st (Friday) Guidelines out 28 th (Friday) Begin accepting films NOVEMBER 28 th (Wednesday) Final Deadline for films JANUARY 8 th (Tuesday) First Meeting (LUC 201 5:30pm 8:00pm) 8 th (Tuesday) First Program & DVD Film page Edit Session at meeting 9 th (Wednesday) In-Office Make-up Edit Session 24 th (Thursday) Second Meeting (LUC 201 5:30pm 8:00pm) 24 th (Thursday) Final Program Edit Session at meeting 25 th (Friday) In-Office Make-up Edit Session MARCH 12 th (Wednesday) Collect Prints 29 th - 30 th (Sat/Sun) Norris Screenings APRIL 3 rd (Thursday) DGA Awards Ceremony 4th (Friday) DGA Animation D) REGULATIONS 1. Eligibility We are accepting films on a first come first serve basis and will accept films up to a total of 480 minutes. We will take a total of 3 films in a waiting list in case any of the films accepted need to be pulled. Only films made for the following classes are eligible to submit to the festival: 480, 481, 457, 479/486, 546, 581, 587, 582, 586, 587, 599, 484, 592, 800-3 -
Special projects are approved for production through a CNTV class. Such as the HDTV projects, public service announcements, Coca-Cola finalist projects, etc are also eligible. Each class has their own film running time limits and therefore the running time of the films cannot exceed 30 minutes. A new policy: The copyright of the film should be 2006 or 2007 (this is not going to be enforced in our 2008 festival but will be enforced in all the following festivals, see FAQ) 2. Production Book and Signatures Before you start submitting your film, please follow these steps (please use Appendix 1 for the signatures) Production Office: Give the Production book to Joe Wallenstein for clearance and signature. There may be a backlog, so give it to Joe early. If you have a 592, Kathy Fogg will sign off on your book. If you have a 582, you are exempt from this step After Joe has signed off on your book, give it to Archives. Archives: You also need to clear your film through Archives (in the Norris Basement). Production and Archives look at different things in the production book. Give Sheila Holenda or Valarie Schwan your Production Book and a screener. Their number: 213-740-1567. Archives will also check in your film elements i.e. 35mm print or digibeta. Archives needs to log in two (2) copies of your film. If you are screening on FILM: A Film Print AND a Beta Submaster in Archives If you are screening on VIDEO: A Digibeta Master AND a Beta Submaster in Archives If you are screening on HD CAM: An HD CAM AND a Beta Submaster in Archives Please have LABELS on the SPINE of your tapes. Business Office: Get a signature from the business office to show that there are no outstanding accounts on your film (582 and Coca-Cola Projects exempt). Signature Page These pages need to be completely signed. If you have questions about the different departments, just ask Allison or Sandrine (213-740-4432) - 4 -
Please Note: Thesis Films are completed when the thesis committee has signed off. Check your thesis guidelines if you are unsure of what is required. For 480s & 546s, the producer s signature is needed. Without the producer s signature, your film will not be allowed into festival. If you have a problem with acquiring this signature, please see Brenda Goodman. 3. Submitting your film to our office Open Call for Submissions: September 19, 2007 Close Call for Submissions: November 28, 2007 We are open for submissions: 9:30am 4:30pm M - F We are closed between 1:00pm - 2:00pm Applying to USC s Cinematic Springfest takes at least 15 minutes, plan accordingly. Do not show up 5 minutes before we close, this is not enough time to check your application. Please bring the following materials along with your application: TEN (10) DVDs We need these dubs of your film for PR & festival purposes. LABEL on the SPINE of your tapes and DVDs. You need on the DVD covers, the phrase For Promotional Use Only. Not for resale. A label on the plastic wrap will not work. CD CONTAINING 13 FILES Bring in a BLANK CD to the office when you sign in, this is in case you need to make changes to your files. Please check the Appendix for additional details on the films. a. Program Information h. Pronunciation Guide b. DVD Information i. Dialogue List c. Crew Information j. Music Cue Sheet d. Production photo k. Full Credit list e. Photo of director l. USC Credit list f. Director s Bio m. Press Kit g. Synopsis PRODUCTION STILLS (both as an electronic file and hard copy) For the disk files, we need production photos. Please give us a variety (3-5 different) high quality JPEGs or TIFFs. Our designer will pick which photo goes in the program. We also need Five printed photos of one photograph, these will be used for PR and the program. We prefer the photo to be black and white or a color still from a frame of the film. - 5 -
i) LABEL the back of each photograph with your name, phone number and the title of your film. ii) Any size photo, 8 1/2 by 11 and under is acceptable. However, the size of the photo in the program will be cropped to approximately 4 x 1 ratio. This means short and skinny. iii) A good photo for the program is an in-focus, hi-contrast shot. Although very dark photos do not work as well. iv) This same photo will also be on the disk as production photo DIRECTOR S PHOTO We need an electronic version of the director s headshot. DIGIBETA FOR DVD We will produce a DVD compilation with all the films entered in the festival. This compilation will be mailed a few days after the festival to our mailing of Agents, Managers, Producers, Festivals and Distributors. The Mastering of the films will be made from the DigiBeta you provide with your application. The sound will be sourced from the Digibeta as well. For 582 projects, please enclose with your USC s Cinematic Springfest application an authorization letter from the Copyright holder of the short film, enabling USC to include the film. at the USC s Cinematic Springfest April 2008 compilation DVD for Promotional Use Only and stating that the copyright holder has cleared all the necessary rights to be part of this project. E) MEETINGS & EDIT SESSIONS The following meetings have already been scheduled. You, or someone from your crew, must be present at the following scheduled meeting times. 1) First Orientation Meeting, & 1st Edit Session TUESDAY, January 8, 2008 5:30 pm in LUC 201 MANDATORY FOR EVERYONE For this meeting please bring: Your Name, Address, Phone & Cell numbers, E-mail, Film Title, Production Number and Emergency Contact person and their phone number (a film contact not personal, i.e. producer) After the meeting, we will have 2 Edit Sessions Program & DVD. This is the first time you look at the Program and may make changes i.e. logline, film festivals, crew numbers/spellings. For the Edit Sessions you will need to bring: Your crew lists (correct spellings), festival lists, crew contact numbers or email addresses and log-line FAXING THE PROGRAM OR DVD FILM PAGE IS NOT AN OPTION. - 6 -
2) In-Office Make-up Edit Sessions Wednesday, January 9, 2008 CTV G-132 (Festival s Office) During the day between 9:30am -12:00pm & 2:00pm 3:30pm This is a make-up Edit Session in the Festival s office. If you were unable to complete the Edit Session from Tuesday, you can come back to the office and look at the Program or DVD film page. 3) Second Meeting & 2nd Edit Session Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:30 pm in LUC 201 MANDATORY FOR EVERYONE In this second general meeting, we will discuss in detail what each group of volunteers will be doing. We will also handout the USC s Cinematic Springfest Nightly Duties. After the meeting, we will again have 2 Edit Sessions Program & DVD. This is the last time you look at the Program and may make changes i.e. logline, film festivals, crew numbers/spellings. For the Edit Sessions you will need to bring: Your crew lists (correct spellings), festival lists, crew/cast contact numbers or email addresses and log-line FAXING THE PROGRAM OR DVD FILM PAGE IS NOT AN OPTION. 4) In-Office Make-up Edit Sessions Friday, January 25, 2008 CTV G-132 (Festival s Office) During the day between 9:30am -12:00pm & 2:00pm 3:30pm This is a make-up Edit Session in the Festival s office. If you were unable to complete the Edit Session from Thursday, you can come back to the office and edit everything there. Good Luck - 7 -
FAQs & IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. Can I give my print to Archives on a core? No, all prints MUST be on reels no cores. Archives will not accept if on a core. 2. Can my beta for Archives be 3/4? No. 3. Do I have to label the spine of the DVD even if it is skinny? Yes, do the best you can. 4. When will the digibeta that I give you for the DVD be available for me to pick up? We will give them back to you the week after the festival. 5. Is the digibeta for the DVD, the same one that I give to Archives? No. The tapes that you give to Archives, stay at Archives. The digibeta for the DVD will be sent to an authoring company and will not be available until after the festival. 6. Check and recheck the digibeta for the DVD, for the best-quality possible with a professional Telecine. 7. During the Festival can I just attend my own screening? There will be check-in times for each screenings as there will be duties before/during/after the screenings for all the participating filmmakers. 8. Can I submit even if I am missing a signature or a digibeta or something else? Unfortunately, we cannot accept incomplete applications. There are too many pieces that maybe forgotten or overlooked, when the application is incomplete. There are no exceptions. However, feel free to ask questions once you ve completely read this packet. 9. I cannot attend the meetings or edit sessions, does that disqualify me? We need everyone to attend the meetings and edit sessions. If you have an unforeseen circumstance, please send a replacement who will know your film. There are handouts and lots of information that you will want to know about during these meetings and your proxy will have to relay what went on to you as well as give you any handout. 10. If I miss the meetings or edit sessions, can I have my program pages or DVD pages faxed to me? No. 11. Your submission deadline is November 28, 2007. If I submit in late November, what are my chances of getting in? We have closed USC s Cinematic Springfest early numerous times because we fill up earlier than our last submission date. Be aware that we ve had long waitlists in the past because filmmakers chose to submit during the last week. Once we fill our minutes, we will close. We also cannot accept any incomplete applications. 12. Will USC notify our cast and/or crew of the screening times of the films? We have had numerous complaints that crew did not know of their festival screening. It is the director s responsibility (or the contact person s) to notify the crew i.e. producer, writer, cinematographer, - 8 -
editor, sound, etc. and cast when USC s Cinematic Springfest is happening and when your film is screening. 13. Who determines the running order? Our office will determine the running order for the festival. We reserve the right to make changes to the program, but the running order is nonnegotiable. 14. Are we going to receive any of the compilation DVDs? Yes, you will receive 10 DVDs that are to be distributed to your crew. 15. I would like to put my film on my personal website, can I do that? Films belonging to the university CANNOT be on the internet unless the film has been placed on a website by this office. If your film is currently streaming on a website, please contact Sandrine immediately. 16. If I have an older copyright (i.e. 2003) will I still be eligible to apply for the festival? For this year you can submit a film with an older copyright, however next year we will only accept films from the last 2 years. - 9 -
APPENDIX 1 USC S CINEMATIC SPRINGFEST SIGNATURE PAGE (print clearly) Please give ALLISON or SANDRINE in Carson Television Building Room G-132 these forms. If this isn t completely filled out, we will not accept your application. Please do not use USC emails. Title Production Number General Information Director Phone Number E-mail (not USC) Writer Phone Number E-mail (not USC) Producer Phone Number E-mail (not USC) Producer Phone Number E-mail (not USC) Producer Phone Number E-mail (not USC) Film & Sound Information Running Time (incl. Credits) 35mm Format 35mm Sound - Check all that apply: 1.33:1 Classic Stereo Optical 1.66:1 LtRt (Left Total, Right Total) 1.85:1 Widescreen Dolby SR (Dolby noise reduction on Stereo LTRT) 2.39:1 Cinemascope Dolby SR-D (Dolby noise reduction on Stereo LTRT from a digital source) 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS Other 16mm Format 16mm Sound - Check all that apply: 1.33:1 Classic Mono Optical Other DTS - 10 -
Film & Sound Information cont. Video Formats: Screening Format Sound Format Beta SP 1.33:1 Stereo DigiBeta 1.78:1 LTRT HD Cam Circle for each Channel what type of sound Ch. 1 - Lt or Lo Ch. 2 - Rt or Ro Ch. 3 - Lt or Lo Ch. 4 - Rt or Ro Lt/Rt = Matrix or Prologic Dolby Encoded Audio Lo/Ro = Left only/right only stereo Beta Information for DVD: Digibeta (preferred) or Beta SP If there are questions regarding your sound format ask Rich Hyland 213-740-3978 Title of Film: Archives Projects on film must have a film print AND a Beta copy in Archives Projects on video need Master and Submaster copy in Archives (One Digibeta is highly recommended) Archives cannot sign off without two copies of your film. Don t forget, if your film is on video, we cannot have two Digibetas. Film Project Print in Archives AND Beta Copy in Archives Video Project Beta Master in Archives AND Beta Submaster in Archives Production Book in Archives Signature of Archives representative Print Name of Archives representative Production Office Production Book is cleared. All rights have been acquired in all media in perpetuity. Production Book is Clear Signature of Joe Wallenstein - 11 -
Business Office No outstanding accounts to settle related to this project (not required for 582 or Coca-Cola Projects). Correct Incorrect Signature of Business Office 480s & 546s For these projects the producer s signature is necessary. If you do not have this, you will not be accepted into USC s Cinematic Springfest. If the producer cannot be found, contact Brenda Goodman (x03320.) Signature of Producer Signature of Producer Mentor Only your mentor can sign off. No exceptions. 546 projects need the signature of one of the professors. Mentor Print Name Mentor Signature 582 Mentor Coordinator Sign-Off Only your Mentor & 582 Coordinator can sign off. No exceptions. I have screened the 582 project being submitted for inclusion in USC s Cinematic Springfest. I hereby certify the credits conform with the published USC s Cinematic Springfest Guidelines (i.e., there are no film by credits.) 582 Mentor Print Name 582 Mentor Signature 582 Coordinator Print Name 582 Coordinator Signature I have read this entire packet and understand that many of my responsibilities (attending meetings and edit sessions for the program and invitation, as well as many other meeting as will need to be fulfilled over the next two semesters. Either myself or a representative from my film will attend these responsibilities. Print Name of Filmmaker Signature of Filmmaker - 12 -
For Festival Office Use Only Date Office Use Accepted By ITEMS THAT MUST BE TURNED IN TO COMPLETE APPLICATION DVD dubs (10) Yes No CD Disk Yes No Published Music Yes No 5 Photos Yes No Music Cue Sheet Yes No DVD release (582 only) Yes No DVD Beta DigiBeta SP Polaroid Photo Yes No CLEARANCES PAGE Music Attach a Music Cue Sheet Please check all applicable: Original (Attach releases from Composer and musicians) Library Music (USC Music Library, please specify Library & Track #) Published (Only if you were Grandfathered ) If you checked Published or Library Music, list all credited music and check licenses obtained for each one. All licenses must be for commercial usage NOT festival and non-profit use only. Attach a separate sheet if you require more space. (i)_ [ ]Synchronization License _ [ ] Performance License _ [ ] Master Use License _ (ii) _ [ ]Synchronization License _ [ ] Performance License _ [ ] Master Use License (iii) [ ] Synchronization License _ [ ] Performance License _ [ ] Master Use License If you are unclear about any of the licenses mentioned above, see Joe Wallenstein. - 13 -