In an amazing case of irony, The Industry Trust for Intellectual Property Awareness is fighting copyright infringement by holding a fan film contest at www.youmakethemovies.co.uk.
The movie industry has long considered fan films to be huge copyright violations, but the Trust doesn’t, and is encouraging people to make short movie tribute films.
Best of all, the contest has a great prize: An 8-Day/7-Night trip for four to Universal Orlando Resort, with a stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and free air flights. The only catch? You have to live in the UK.
Yep, the Industry Trust for Intellectual Property Awareness is based in England, so the rest of the world is out of luck. The contest is open to UK residents 16 or over, only one entry per person is permitted, and the competition ends on May 28, 2009. Noel Clarke (actor, writer director and BAFTA’s Rising Star 2009), will judge the winning entry.
MORE INFO AND CONTEST-WINNING ADVICE AFTER THE JUMP!
Here’s the ITIPA’s advice for making your flick:
1. Think small, think cheap. Think budget blockbuster. Work with what you’ve got. Got some mates and a mobile phone? Then it’s lights, camera (phone)—action! Great and famous one liners, hear we come…
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2. The award for best original screen play goes to…. Let’s see something different! Take that great moment from film or TV and make it your own. Show us your personality—give it a twist, or a whole new ending! Remember to keep it under a minute.
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3. Make sure it’s not TOO good…! Don’t try to reproduce the film clip frame for frame, sound for sound—remember this is supposed to be all your own work. We’re all about protecting creativity, and everyone will know if you’ve just filmed it off your telly!
Oddly, even though they say keep it under a minute, their sample movies go on much longer. There’s nothing in the official rules that indicates a maximum length, but you might want to double-check.
Here’s the best part—if you don’t feel like making a movie, sign up with them anyway, as they’re giving away 25 top DVD titles every week until the end of the contest.
Fan Cinema Today gives this contest a big Thumbs Up. It’s great to see at least some portion of the movie industry recognizing that fan films are a hobby worth supporting.
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