9th Calgary Underground Film Festival

April 16-22, 2012
The Globe Cinema, Calgary

year

details

Deadline: March 19, 2012
Shooting: March 30-April 1, 2012
Entrance Fee: $60
March 30-April 1, 2012

DESCRIPTION

The 9th Calgary Underground Film Festival is once again challenging you to make a short film as part of our 6th annual CUFF 48-Hour Movie Making Challenge. The completed shorts will be screened as part of the annual film festival, which runs April 16-22, 2012. (Teams will be provided with six complimentary admissions to their screening). Register here now.

HOW IT WORKS:

You will randomly be given a GENRE, PROP and a LINE OF DIALOGUE to include in your film. All creativity: writing, shooting, editing and adding a musical soundtrack, must occur within the 48 hour window beginning Friday evening at 7pm and ending Sunday at 7pm. The official screening is limited to 24 teams, so if greater than 24 teams complete the challenge without breaking the rules, they will be pre-juried for a spot at the festival. The festival screening will have a live jury to determine the award-winning shorts.

Rules

1. Completed shorts MUST be placed in an envelope. Your envelope must be labeled clearly with your TEAM NAME & TITLE.

2. FINISHED FORMAT
**Finished shorts must be submitted one of THREE ways.

  • As a self-contained full DV resolution QuickTime file (.mov), with no proprietary codecs (please TEST your file/dvd)
  • Mini DV (not dvCam or Hd MiniDV) OR
  • Uploaded to our FTP site. Arrangements MUST be made in advance to do so. (upload must be completed by 7:00 PM – Must allow for enough time.) * If you do not know how to use an FTP site, learn in advance or do not use this method.

3. SLATE/INTRO CREDITS
The Tape must have 10 seconds of black followed by 10 second introduction credit reading: Team Name, Title, Genre, Prop & Line of Dialogue. No color bar.

4. ASPECT RATIO
If shot in a 16:9 ratio, your finished film must be presented as letter-boxed within the 4:3 ratio. The projector will not be switched to stretch the picture.

5. During the official competition period, all creativity will take place, including but not limited to: Writing the script, Rehearsing, Costume/Set Design, Shooting, Editing, Graphics & Visual Effects, Sound Design & Music. Nailing your genre is essential. Wikipedia it if necessary! Super helpful.

6. The only work to begin prior to the official competition period is:
Organizing Crew, Organizing Cast, Securing Equipment, Scouting/securing Locations

7. RUNNING TIME
The length of your short, including introduction and closing credits, can be anywhere between 2 - 5 minutes. Total combined credits can be no longer than 30 seconds. Do not feel like you need to use the full time allotted. Shorter can often work out better!

7. All cast & crew must be volunteers.

9. DROP OFF OF COMPLETED SHORT.
Final Copy to be dropped off at Tubby Dog, 1022 – 17 Avenue SW (Attention: CUFF) By 7:00 p.m. Sunday April 1.

10. LATE FILM ENTRIES.
Films received on Sunday after 7pm will be screened but are not eligible for any juried awards. To get your ineligible film screened you MUST hand something in by Sunday 10pm. Late entries will still be eligible for an audience award. Anything arriving after 10pm will be disqualified.

11. ABSOLUTELY NO ADVANCE SCREENINGS OR CHEATING.
Any team found to have cheated in some way, will be disqualified from any award and the screening. There is no exception to advance screenings of your film. Your short must only be premiered at the CUFF screening. This means NO cast and crew screening either. Please just tuck it away and save it for the event. Team leaders will be made responsible. It is way more fun this way if your film is a premier and the event is sold out. We promise.

12. Any type of video or film camera may be used. There is no limit to the number of cameras that can be used. 

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the CUFF 48-Hour Movie Making Challenge?
Shoot Weekend March 30-April 1, 2012.

 
When is the screening for the 48-Hour finalists?
During the 9th Calgary Underground Film Festival, which is April 16-22, 2012 @ The Globe Cinema (617-8 Ave. SW). Exact date will be confirmed, but tentatively April 22.
 
Can I hand in my short after the deadline?
Yes you can – however it WILL NOT be eligible for any juried awards only the audience award at the screening.
LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ONLY ACCEPTED UNTIL 10PM ON APRIL 1 and will be screened with everyone else at the festival - subject to space availability.
 
When do we find out if we've successfully entered?
Assume you are all good to go once you have filled out the registration form and made a payment.
 
What is the Entry Fee and what is it used for?
The entry fee is $60. This is to cover our basic costs of the event and also provides the prizes and cash for the winning teams.
Also, each team will receive 6-complimentary tickets to the screening and 6- drink tickets.
 
If I run out of time to transfer to Mini DV what options do I have for submitting?
We now accept your entry as a self-contained full DV resolution QuickTime file (.mov), with no proprietary codecs.
If you hand it in on standard DVD it adds an extra step for us, and often they do not work properly. We have eliminated this as an option.
Mini DV is the safest and easier format to submit on.
 
Can I hand in a rough of my short before Sun 7pm and then switch it for a final copy at the last second?
No you cannot.
This is a time challenge and we will judge what is submitted on time.
 
Can I put my short up on YOU TUBE or some other site?
Not before the screening.
After the scheduled screening you can do whatever you like with your short. Sorry for the short time delay between the shoot and the screening, but we need the time to get your films transferred to our exhibition format.
We want to have all our viewing experiences being a first for the audience, and Calgary. It makes for a larger audience overall and the viewing will be that much more exciting. If you do decide to host your short before the final you will be disqualified from the competition.
 
Can I compete if I don't live in Calgary?
Yes you can.
We can email you your elements to include in the film.
You'll also need to have your final version uploaded on an FTP site for us to download by 7 PM on the closing Sunday.
 
Who are these people known as the Judges?
The Judges are a range of industry professionals who are highly regarded in the film and TV industry. The judges for this year are TBA.
 
How do they Judge the films?
They look to see how well teams have stayed true to their genre and how they've integrated the random elements (prop & line of dialogue) into the finished film; As well as the writing, directing and acting.
The ultimate goal for each filmmaker is to make a short film that stands on its own outside of the competition but obeys all the rules of the challenge.
 
What are the awards?
There will be an audience award at the screening, plus anywhere from 2-4 jury awards. Only films handed in on time are eligible for any juried awards.
 
Can a team who wins a jury award also win an audience award?
Yes.
The audience favorites are usually a good indication of quality – usually. Sometimes the Judges and the audiences don't see eye to eye and sometimes they do. In the past teams have tried to rig the votes, but this never seems to work.
 
What is the duration of the films?
They must be a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes long, including credits.
 
Can I use any existing footage not shot in the weekend?
No stock footage or footage shot or created at another time may be used.
 
Can pre-recorded music be used?
This can only be used if it is purely incidental background material and not a focal point for your short. If you want the short used for more than this CUFF screening, and may be submitting it to other festivals, you may want to consider stricter rules on music and images.
 
Can I use animation?
Animation and special effects are permitted, but must be created during the 48 hour time period.
 
NOTE: YOUR REGISTRATION INFORMATION WILL STICK, AND THIS IS HOW WE CONTACT YOU. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE IT.