Press release
2014 MY STORY MY CONTENT SHORT FILM COMPETITION – IT’S ON!
CREATE A 60-SECOND FILM AND WIN ONE OF THREE $1000 CASH PRIZES PLUS DVD PACKS, MOVIE TICKETS AND MORE!
Following the success of the inaugural My Story My Content Short Film Competition in 2013, IP Awareness and Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) are proud to announce the return of the competition this year.
The 2013 competition attracted hundreds of innovative, ambitious and creative submissions from students all over Australia.
• Cash and prizes worth thousands of dollars were awarded.
• The winning entries were screened on community channel Aurora TV.
• The finalists were recognised at the ATOM Awards in Melbourne.
• More than 2000 votes were received for the Audience Choice awards.
ATOM Chairperson Roger Dunscombe said:"My Story My Content is an excellent opportunity for the future generation of filmmakers from schools and tertiary institutions across Australia and New Zealand to make short films that will raise awareness and help foster a vibrant screen industry. The winners will be announced at the ATOM Awards ceremonies and will receive $1000 each in cash. Finalists will also win fantastic prizes!"
IP Awareness Executive Director Lori Flekser says: "Last year’s entries confirmed that movies make a difference to our lives. Students told us how movies make us laugh and cry; and how they move and motivate us. They can show us slices of life, look into other worlds or allow us to escape our own reality. Most of us agree that life in general would not be the same without movies!
"That is why this year we challenge students to show us how piracy makes a difference to the movie industry. Accessing movies without paying for them impacts on the box office profits of movies (and television shows), affecting the ability of filmmakers to fund future projects and threatening the livelihoods of the hundreds of artists, technicians and specialists that it takes to make a film."
To enter My Story My Content, students must create a 60-second short film and submit it into to one of the following three categories:
• Primary Schools/Students
• Secondary Schools/Students
• Tertiary Students (or Equivalent)
The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Movies … Make a Difference’. In tackling this theme, students can explore how movies make a difference, or more general ideas about making a difference with reference to movies or the film/television industry.
Senior secondary and tertiary students may choose to look at the difference that piracy makes to the film industry.
The new-look 2014 My Story My Content website includes the competition rules, online entry system, additional information for teachers, plus all twenty-five finalists’ films from 2013.
COMPETITION OUTLINE
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• Entry is free, and is open to all students in Australia and New Zealand.
• All films must be made specifically for this competition.
• All entries must be submitted online at mystorymycontent.com, including uploading of the short film and at least three still images from the film.
• Entrants may submit multiple entries, as long as each entry differs significantly from any others submitted by that entrant.
• Entries close at 5pm AEST, Friday 8 August 2014.
• An expert panel of educators and film and television industry professionals will judge the entries. This year’s guest judges will be announced later in the year. Last year’s judges included Nat Geo Wild presenter Ben Britton, Nova radio network host ‘Smallzy’ and At the Movies co-host Margaret Pomeranz.
• Finalists will be contacted via email and announced on Thursday 18 September, at which point our Audience Choice competition will commence.
• The Primary and Secondary winners will be announced at the 2014 IP Awareness ATOM Awards Student Awards Evening, which will take place in Melbourne this October. The Tertiary category winners will be announced at the 2014 IP Awareness ATOM Awards Tertiary & Industry Awards Night, to be held in Melbourne this November.
For detailed information on all the competition rules,
guidelines, and terms and conditions,
please visit mystorymycontent.com.
COPYRIGHT
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Entrants must secure any necessary copyright clearances and music rights. Some wonderful entries were disqualified last year because they used licensed music, movie footage or trademarked characters without permission. For further information and free copyright resources, visit mystorymycontent.com/rules/#copyright.
CLASSROOM/TEACHING RESOURCE
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IP Awareness is developing an online teaching resource to complement My Story My Content. The resource will assist primary-level Humanities & secondary-level English & ICT teachers and teacher librarians to:
• meet curriculum requirements regarding the use of technology;
• put National Curriculum cross-discipline objectives into practice;
• teach students about copyright and develop their understanding of social justice; and
• foster an understanding of the complex and collaborative process of filmmaking.
The resource will be available in March at www.nothingbeatstherealthing.info and mystorymycontent.com.
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To learn more about My Story My Content, or to enter,
please visit mystorymycontent.com.
Entries close at 5pm AEST, Friday 8 August 2014.
Good luck!
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About IP Awareness: IP Awareness promotes screen copyright by conducting research, creating consumer awareness campaigns and producing educational programs and resources for Australian secondary schools. Almost 50,000 Australians depend on the film and television industry for their livelihoods, including those in production, distribution, exhibition, DVD rental & retail, marketing, operations and office trades, as well as a multitude of service providers and suppliers.
www.ipawareness.com.au