ESSENTIAL DO’S AND “DON’Ts”
1. You may choose any subject and any genre for your video, except the advertisement which must promote/sell an aspect of Southland.
2. No videos that are judged “objectionable” will be considered for awards (see page 13).
3. No videos that have been entered in a previous Spirit on Screen Awards will be accepted.
4. Videos must be no more than 5 minutes INCLUDING titles. An advertisement must be 30 seconds duration excluding the titles.
5. Video entries must REACH the Venture Southland office by 5pm
Monday 19 September, 2005. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED.
6. ALL entry forms must be filled in and signed.
7. The judges’ decision is final.
8. You must show the source of ALL music used in your video and if copyrighted you must have written consent.
9. You may enter more than one video but each entry must be on a SEPARATE tape and separate entry forms are required.
10. You may also enter your video in the Open Section of the competition by contacting Venture Southland.
11. Entries must be submitted on a DVD format – mini DV, Dvcam or DVC pro25.
12. If you want your tape returned after the competition please enclose an addressed envelope with the correct postage.
13. Entry fees are non-refundable.
14. One entry fee means a video is eligible for several awards.
15. Free editing and filming workshops are available.
SPIRIT ON SCREEN TIMELINE
When to do what …
Immediately book into the Editing and Filming Workshops ( see pdf )
Entry Deadline 19 September
Nominees Announced 14 November
Awards Ceremony at Civic Theatre, includes screening of videos 22 November
Assessment Forms completed and returned to Venture Southland 2 December
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Guidelines
You may choose any subject for your video and any genre i.e. screen play, documentary, animation, music video. Videos that have been entered in previous Spirit on Screen competitions are NOT eligible; all other videos may be entered.
No videos that are “objectionable” will be considered. According to law, a video is rated objectionable if it “describes, depicts, expresses, or otherwise deals with matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty, or violence in such a manner that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good.” See the attached sheet entitled, ‘Meaning of “objectionable”.’
If you enter more than one video, you must fill out separate entry forms for each video.
You may also enter your video in the open competition. Please contact Venture Southland for an entry form, ph: (03) 2111 400.
Advertisements must be on selling some aspect of Southland, ie: an area, lifestyle, opportunities.
Important Dates
Deadline for submission of videos and entry form 19 September 2005
Awards Ceremony at the Civic Theatre, Invercargill 22 November 2005
Duration of Videos
Videos not exceeding 5 minutes including titles
Ads must be 30 seconds in duration excluding titles
Format
Only videos on mini DV format will be accepted. To translate your master from any other
format to mini DV, contact:
SONO SOUND
419 North Road, Invercargill
Phone 03 215 8102
SOUTHLAND TV
33 Don Street, Invercargill
Phone 03 214 6900
Help With Making Your Video
Help is available on the following websites:
www.tki.org.co.nz (search under video-making) www.atomiclearning.com/freeimovie.shtml
Another website offering freeware and shareware that you may find useful is
www.user-groups.net/shareware
Scroll down the page to the heading ‘Software News from Macworld Expo’ to find Garageband music software, Imovie , Final Cut Express plus many more. SIT and ICT provide help lines. Also, attached to this entry pack are a few pages of helpful tips.
Awards
Awards will be divided into:
Junior (Years 0 to 6)
Intermediate (Years 7 and 8)
Secondary (Years 9 to 12).
The organisers reserve the right to combine age categories depending on the entries received. Videos will be nominated for awards under the various categories listed below. An award may not be given for a category if there are insufficient entries for the category or the standard of entry is judged insufficient to merit an award.
There may be up to three nominations for each award. The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony at Invercargill’s Civic Theatre in true “Oscars” fashion.
All entries will receive a Southland New Zealand Spirit of a Nation certificate.
The best video overall will win a digital video camera.
The following awards will be given out for each of the three age group categories, with each winner receiving a trophy and cash prize as listed:
Video Category
Best Video $80
Best Original Idea $50
Best Filming and Editing $50
Best Performance $50
Merit Award Trophy
Best Advertisement $80
The Sticky TV Cup is awarded to the most entertaining video overall.
Schools may also enter videos in the open section which is for tertiary students and adults. A video entered in the two sections must have an entry form for each section plus the two entry fees.
For open section entry pack please ring Venture Southland – (03) 2111 400.
Entry Fees
Entry fees are NOT refundable.
Video $10.00
Advertisement $ 5.00
NO Late Entries Accepted
The process after close of entries is very complicated and includes judging, dubbing and editing of finals night clips. Therefore you MUST have your entry in by 5.00 pm on 19 September.
Plan to complete your work well before the deadline to allow time for unforeseen hold-ups.
Judging
Mary Phillips, the producer of Sticky TV, will judge all awards. She will follow the judging sheet included in the entry pack. The judge’s decision is final.
Awards Ceremony
The Awards Ceremony will be held in the late afternoon of Tuesday 22rd November, at the
Civic Theatre, Tay Street Invercargill. A more specific time will be given once the number of entries is known.
Included in your entry form we ask for the approximate number of seats you think you will require at the Awards ceremony. Non-alcoholic refreshment can be purchased at the venue.
For each award, a short clip of the nominated videos is shown and the judge’s decision read from a letter in true Hollywood style. Remember to allocate a spokesperson to say a few short words on receiving a trophy.
Television Coverage
Media coverage gives budding filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their talents nationwide. Southland Television is making a one-hour package, highlighting the best entries.
Sticky TV will play highlights of the best movie from the three age group categories.
MUSIC SOUND BEDS – LICENSING, ROYALTIES AND THE LAW
Before you choose music and special effects for your video, you must ensure that it is legal for you to do so. Just because you own a CD does NOT mean you can use music on that CD in your video. The use of all copyright music requires a licence.
When you apply for the licence (see Apra form below) you must state that your video will be screened at Movieland 5 and parts of the video that include the music may be played at the awards at the Ascot Park Hotel, on Southland Television and on Sticky TV. This means that you require a broadcast licence to the music and not commercial rights, which is for videos that will be sold.
It is unlikely that you will be given permission to use latest hits music without paying a royalty fee. CD’s that contain sound bed music, sound effects and jingles may also require a licence through Apra – check the small print on the CD and be sure you have free broadcast rights.
To avoid the complications and expense of licensing, see the following guide. Whether the music you use is under licence or not, you must state the source of all music in your video on the form provided.
ROYALTY FREE AND LICENCE FREE MUSIC OPTIONS
There is an amazing range of music available for download from the Internet but this does not necessarily mean you would be able to use it in your movie. Free Download does not mean free use! The composer/owner always holds the copyright and this needs to be checked and cleared before you proceed.
NOTE - Music obtained by using “free” file sharing programs will most likely be illegal.
Remember if you are letting children search for music on the Internet that some sites need to be previewed by an adult/teacher to check suitability.
Don’t forget that you will have local artists in your area who would be more than willing to get some free promotion by helping you with music tracks.
And more importantly - you can make your own sounds or music tracks with a little help from your computer - see below.
Royalty-Free CD’s for Purchase
There is royalty free music available on CD ROMs via the Internet – buy for a one off payment then use for free. Read the license agreements!
Most sites have a preview facility so you can try the music first – see the examples below.
Music you purchase is usually licensed to you, not owned by you, so you may use it but not pass it on, resell it or make it available for download
Examples -
www.musicloops.com look on the page for a link to the licensing agreement
www.soundrangers.com offers much the same as above.
www.royaltyfree.com again the same as above.
www.musicbakery.com/TabHome01a.htm as above and you can buy online and download.
Actual Free Music loops and sounds
There are many examples of actual free and public domain sounds available on the web, sometimes
it takes time to find them as they are often used as teasers/tasters to get you to a site that sells music/sounds. You need to follow the links carefully.
If you have a bit of time, and preferably access to a fast Internet collection, you can put together quite a range of sounds/music. Some examples are below.
Remember to follow the links and READ!
www.musicloops.com/Cart/
www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.html
Free Music Loops that go with Programmes
There are also sites with free music loops for use by themselves or with programs like Garage Band or Acid Music.
There is much available if you search the web but be aware that some sites may have material not suitable for children. You may also have to wade through advertisements.
Note that sometimes you will be offered a choice of music format (e.g. wav, mp3, aiff, ogg) and you may have to convert music files from one format to another so you can use them.
Examples -
www.bitshiftaudio.com/products/bbb/free_bee.html
www.looperman.com
www.breakbeatsonly.com/preview1.htm
www.platinumloops.com/free_loops.shtml
www.samplenet.co.uk/
www.samplearena.com/download.htm
Free Downloadable Sound Effects
Other sites have ‘free’ downloadable sound effects - check the usage rights! Most are ok for non-commercial use. Warning – there may be sounds or lines that are not suitable for younger listeners.
Example of sound effect site http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/
Internet Music Available With Artist’s Permission
There are many unsigned/independent musicians/groups who make their music available for free download on the Internet. This does not mean the music is royalty free but if you approach an artist they may be willing to let their music be used – in fact many may be keen for the publicity!
A huge range is available at http://music.download.com/ Click on ‘Music’ at the top.
The site http://www.freeplaymusic.com/ allows music for use in education and non-commercial use – limited to school grounds and classroom and therefore NOT applicable to this competition where videos play at Movieland 5, the Ascot Hotel and on television.
Making Your Own Music
If you are an aspiring music maker, musician, or know musicians who can compose, you can record music directly into a computer and import it into your movie track. This usually requires a small amount of specialized gear but with free software available, anyone can give it a go.
For example Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) – for both Mac and PC is a free audio recording and editing program. Garage Band for OSX (free for Schools) and Acid Express (free) for PC are both music-looping (see below) programs that allow looping and recording music.
To record music, the computer needs an audio input. These can be added via USB if your computer does not have the appropriate input. A small mixing desk is very useful when audio recording. Number one rule is – if the sound going in is poor than it can be difficult to make it better!
Use a quality microphone! (I don’t mean ‘really expensive’!)
Music Looping
This is using ready made loops of music (or musical snippets) to make your own original
sound track.
Garage Band for OSX comes with a bank of ready-made loops that even non-playing musicians can use to compose a music track. Super Dooper Music Looper for PC is a reasonably priced program that also comes with a bank of loops that allow non-playing musicians (anybody!) to produce a music track. And they are great fun!!
These two programs need nothing else but the program and the computer. You work on ‘screen’ with a mouse. Acid Express is free but you will need to download the music loops (for example www.platinumloops.com/free_loops.shtml).
Local Artists
There are many talented local artists and bands who produce great music often on CD and whose work is not registered with licensing agency Apra.
You require the artist’s permission to use their music and should approach them directly .A good contact for local musicians in the Southland area is Trevor Daley, president of the Southland Musicians Club, who can be contacted during the day on (03) 218 8179.
JUDGES CRITERIA FOR AWARDS
Best Video
Will be marked on the following:
- is it basically a good idea
- does the storyline follow through and is it easily understood
- has the script been thought through and written with care
- are the overall production values of a good standard, see notes on best filming and editing.
- is there creativity in executing the crafts of writing and directing
- is it visually interesting?
Best Original Idea
Will be marked on the following:
- is the story emotive e.g. funny, sad,
- is the story creative and fresh
- is the story simple
Best Filming and Editing
Will be marked on the following:
- has there been a good basic technical ability with the camera, i.e.: shots in focus, good lighting, steady camera?
- has there been a good use of basic camera shots with a variety of shot sizes and angles?
- is sound able to be heard clearly?
- is the story edited smoothly enhancing the storyline?
Best Performance
Will be marked on the following:
- do I believe the character and care about what happens to them?
- is it an emotive performance e.g. funny, sad.
Best Advertisement
Will be marked on the following:
- is the basic idea clever?
- does it make me feel happy, sad, wanting to buy the subject of the ad?
- is it technically sound?
MEANING OF “OBJECTIONABLE”
For the purposes of this Act, a publication is objectionable if it describes, depicts, expresses, or otherwise deals with matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty, or violence in such a manner that the availability of the publication is likely to be injurious to the public good.
A publication shall be deemed to be objectionable for the purposes of this Act if the publication promotes or supports, or tends to promote or support, ---
a. The exploitation of children, or young persons, or both, for sexual purposes; or
b. The use of violence or coercion to compel any person to participate in, or submit to, sexual conduct; or
c. Sexual conduct with or upon the body of a dead person; or
d. The use of urine or excrement in association with degrading or dehumanising conduct or sexual conduct; or
e. Bestiality; or
f. Acts of torture or the infliction of extreme violence or extreme cruelty.
In determining, for the purposes of this Act, whether or not any publication (other than a publication to which subsection (2) of this section applies) is objectionable or should be given a classification other than objectionable, particular weight shall be given to the extent and degree to which, and the manner in which, the publication---
a. Describes, depicts, or otherwise deals with---
i. Acts of torture, the infliction of serious physical harm, or acts of significant cruelty:
ii. Sexual violence or sexual coercion, or violence or coercion in association with sexual conduct:
iii. Other sexual or physical conduct of a degrading or dehumanising or demeaning nature:
iv. Sexual conduct with or by children, or young persons, or both:
v. Physical conduct in which sexual satisfaction is derived from inflicting or suffering cruelty or pain:
b. Exploits the nudity of children, or young persons, or both.
c. Degrades or dehumanises or demeans any person.
d. Promote or encourage criminal acts or acts of terrorism.
e. Represents (whether directly or by implication) that members of any particular class of the public are inherently inferior to other members of the public by reason of any characteristic of members of that class, being a characteristic that is a prohibited ground of discrimination specified in section 21 (1) of the Human Rights Act 1993.
In determining, for the purposes of this Act, whether or not any publication (other than a publication to which subsection (2) of this section applies) is objectionable or should be given a classification other than objectionable, the following matters shall also be considered:
f. The dominant effect of the publication as a whole.
g. The impact of the medium in which the publication is presented.
h. The character of the publication, including any merit, value, or importance that the publication has in relation to literary, artistic, social, cultural, educational, scientific, or other matters.
i. The persons, classes of persons, or age groups of the persons to whom the publication is intended or is likely to be made available.
j. The purpose for which the publication is intended to be used.
k. Any other relevant circumstances relating to the intended or likely use of the publication.
THE COMPLETE NOVICE’S GUIDE TO MAKING A MOVIE
So you want to make a short film? Well, you don’t need big budgets or expensive equipment. Even famous directors like Peter Jackson once made effective, cheap movies on some really limited equipment… and now they are sought after as historic pieces of cinematic art!
Planning / Pre-Production
The secret to making things as successful and stress-free as you possibly can is planning, planning and planning! Think of all the tasks you have to manage as you shoot your film, and try to have them organised well in advance. This includes things like equipment, cast, crew, and scheduling everything together. It also includes minor things, however, like first-aid on set, toilet facilities, letting everybody know where the set is located and ensuring that there are backup plans in case of weather difficulties.
Tip: A ‘call sheet’ is a great way to keep everyone informed. On a piece of paper, write down everybody’s contact details, the location of the set (and draw a small map), detailed information about parking, toilet & meal facilities, and what times everybody will be required.
Most importantly, include a contact number for the producer, so he or she can be reached easily.
Cameras
You don’t need a heavy, $30,000 camera to make a great film. The smallest and cheapest of cameras is enough to capture the image you want. The real secret to a great movie is in the direction of the actors, and the creativity & style of the cinematography (filming). There are some basic ‘limits,’ however, as to how small & cheap your camera should get. Try to aim for a digital video camera where possible, be it yours, or your uncle’s, or a neighbours. Analogue tapes (such as VHS, SVHS, VHS-C and Hi8) cannot record a picture as well as a digital tape can and this is important during the editing stage, where you might be copying your footage several times.
A digital tape format (Mini DV, or Digital 8) provides a high picture quality, and if you want you can easily capture the footage into a home computer for editing, through the ‘Firewire’ socket on the camera. Make sure you have enough tape stock for your movie, as it would be terrible to run out of tape on your biggest, most expensive shot! Also, keep a good system for labelling your tapes.
Digital tapes have the advantage of recording ‘time code’, which is great for when you get to the editing stage. During each second of video, the camera is recording 25 individual still frames. On the ‘time code track’ on the tape, a unique number is being written onto every frame. This makes it extremely easy to identify which ‘take’ was the best, or how long a scene is going to be. Time code is recorded in this format: HH:MM:SS.FF (Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Frames). For example, a frame of video might have the time code of 1:03:40.14, and can be located on the tape at 1 hour, 3 minutes, 40 seconds and 14 frames into it!
Camera Functions
Focus:
Professional cameraman manually adjust their focus as they are shooting, but you can get away with using your camera’s auto focus if you are filming a stationary or low-movement shot. If you are filming a lot of action, try this: Zoom in on something in the frame, and then zoom out, making sure you keep the subject in the centre. Then switch the camera to ‘manual focus’. Now the focus won’t change as you move and all objects that are generally as far away from the camera as your initial subject will be in focus.
Iris
Also called the ‘brightness’ of a frame, the Iris is a device, which controls how much light is let into the camera. It ‘opens’ and ‘closes’. Open it too far, and your picture is too bright (over-exposed). Close it too much, and your picture will become too dark (under-exposed).
If you have a colour viewfinder or television handy, you can check your iris as you shoot, and use the manual iris controls. However, your camera’s auto-iris might be able to correctly calculate how much exposure your shot requires.
Zoom
You should definitely refrain from zooming in & out during your movie, unless it is for a specific effect. Zooming cannot only look tacky (because of the basic zoom functions built into small cameras), but it can also distract from what is going on in the movie.
Good use of zoom:
A character is on a high cliff and turns around to see somebody walking on a wharf, far away from the camera. The camera quickly zooms in to the person he is looking at, to show the audience what he is seeing. This is good because it adds drama to the ‘suspicious character’ on the wharf!
Bad use of zoom:
A room full of students is awaiting their teacher. She walks in and the camera zooms up on to her face. Why is this a bad use of zoom? Because it would be much more ‘aesthetically pleasing’ to have one shot of the students in the class, and then another shot (this time, from a different angle and closer to the door) of the teacher walking in. Cutting, rather than zooming, can help to make your movie flow together.
White Balance
A camera is not smart enough to know how to adjust its colours to different surroundings, so you must tell it yourself! For instance, white fluorescent tubes (as in an office) produce a very blue/white kind of light, whereas outdoors the sun will give you a much more yellow/red kind of light. If you don’t set your camera up right, you may have your subjects looking very blue, or very brown!
To solve this, get a sheet of white, plain A4 paper, and reflect it towards where all the main light is coming from. Then zoom into the white paper so it fills the frame, and press the ‘white balance’ button (check your manual to find out how your camera does this). It will then correctly adjust the colours to match the light. If the light changes, for instance moving outdoors after having previously been indoors, white balance again! And if you have lots of different kinds of light (for instance, shooting in an office with a lot of large windows), think carefully about what is the ‘main’ source of light and white balance accordingly. Otherwise you should block out the other source of light (by closing some curtains, or turning off some indoor lights).
Recording:
Cameras can sometimes take a second to start recording after you press ‘record’, so make sure you press the button, and then wait a few seconds and then shout “Action!”.
After you are finished with the tape, take it out and flick across the ‘tape protect’ tab so it won’t get recorded over. Store it in its case if you are not using it and don’t let it sit in direct sunlight for a long period of time. Tape is fragile!
Tripods
You should always use a tripod, unless you are filming a specific hand-held sequence. Who wants to watch a dramatic, slow scene, which is full of wobbly camera shots! It can be distracting and it can make your film look bad. Tripods are reasonably inexpensive, but if you can’t find one, try to rest the camera on a flat, solid surface (such as a table or shelf) when you are shooting.
TIP: Put your tripod in a shopping trolley to make a simple ‘dolly’!
Editing
Editing is where you go through all your footage, take out all the bad takes and bits you don’t like, and assemble the shots in the order you want. (That’s right…you don’t have to film things in order!)
If you can, edit on a computer, whether it’s a deluxe Apple iMac, or just a simple home computer. Around the Internet you will find all kinds of nifty editing software. If you can’t edit on a computer, however, you can do some basic editing by plugging your camera into your VCR.
1. Play the tape from the camera and when it gets to the bit you want, press record on your VCR.
2. Then go back through the ‘master’ tape in the VCR and cue it up to the end of that shot.
3. Make sure it’s paused, and then press ‘record’… this is what’s called ‘record standby’.
4. Then play the tape in the camera again, and when it gets to your next shot, press ‘pause’ on your VCR (or ‘record’, depending on your VCR model).
5. And you’re off editing!
OTHER HANDY TIPS
• You may have some big ideas for huge explosions or dramatic car chases, but as you are writing your script, take a second to think of what you can actually achieve in real life.
Plan out each shot, especially ones with special effects. If you don’t think you can do it, change the script so you can use something else instead, or you may be quite disappointed on the day of filming.
• Sometimes you might want to review the tape in the camera that you have just filmed.
If you do, make sure you always re-cue it to about a second after the end of the shot
you just taped! Otherwise you might record over it and all your hard work is gone.
• Lighting is extremely important, especially indoors. Cameras will only see what you put in front of them, and they’re not as smart as the human eye. Make sure you use all the lights you can. Try to find some spare desk or floor lamps and use them too.
Technical Tips
Lighting
Cautions for the use of auto balance adjustment mode.
In the auto mode, the sensors built in the front of the S-VHS movie detect the colour temperature of the illumination of the scene and automatically adjust the white balance. In the following circumstances the auto-white may not provide exact white balance adjustment.
(a) When the illumination of the subject is different to the light that falls on the S-VHS movie.
(b) When either the S-VHS movie or the subject is in shade.
(c) When extremely bright light sources are used, such as mercury-vapour lamps, natrium lamps or some types of fluorescent lamps.
(d) When the illumination is not bright enough (if brightness on the sensor window is less than 15 lux).
(e) When the scene has a strong red-coloured illumination eg during sunrise and sunset.
(f) When intensive light hits only the red or blue light sensor in the window.
(g) When there is some other light source that is outside the sensing range of the white balance adjustment sensors eg snowy landscape, cloudy weather, incandescent light and candlelight.
(h) When there is some object placed in front of the sensor window that prevents light from reaching it.
(i) When shooting in the macro range, the Auto mode does not operate. Therefore, use the “INDOOR” and “OUTDOOR” position.
Also remember not to have too much lighting in one shot. It does take the camera a few seconds to adjust to varying shades of light. Therefore, if you are filming indoors does not focus in on sunlight streaming in through the window then suddenly switch to a person within the room? The latter will be hidden from view until the camera adjusts.
Three Second Rule
After you have completed shooting one particular sequence do not turn off the camera straight away; wait three seconds then turn off the camera. If you do not do this then you will find the scene you have just shot will be cut short.
Focusing
Here are some tips about focusing from the same source as above…
In the following shooting conditions, the auto-focus system will not be able to provide stable and exact focus adjustment. Set the Focus Selector to MANUAL in such cases and adjust the focus by turning the Focus Ring.
(a) When shooting a subject through dirty glass.
(b) When shooting subjects with shiny surfaces (the focusing frame zone may disappear).
(c) When shooting a subject with a part of it near and another part far from the S-VHS movie.
(d) When shooting oblique subject.
(e) When shooting a subject with distinct horizontal stripes.
(f) When shooting a flat subject such as a white wall.
(g) When no part of the subject is within the focusing zone frame.
(h) When shooting with the macro close-up function or with special lenses of filters.
(i) When shooting a fast moving subject.
(j) When shooting a dark subject (the focusing zone may go on and off).
