Sixty Second Films

Terry McGleish · January 16th, 2004, 04:14 PM

(Ken, if this post is a problem, feel free to delete it).

For those interested in an online short film competition, SixtySecondFilms.com is now accepting entries.

You can visit the website at: http://sixtysecondfilms.com

Thanks....

Ken Tanaka · January 16th, 2004, 04:19 PM

Looks like a very interesting competition to get the creative juices thawed in the winter! Thanks very much for this, Terry.

Terry McGleish · January 16th, 2004, 04:24 PM

Thanks Ken, hopefully we can get a few folks interested enough to brave the weather...... LOL

Ken Tanaka · January 16th, 2004, 04:58 PM

With respect to matters of disclosure I should add that Terry is one of the judges of the SixtySecondFilms competition.

Nicholi Brossia · January 16th, 2004, 11:45 PM

I think that is a great idea.
I don't mean to be a pest, but encoding for both Windows and Mac would probably be a bit more versatile. It looks like you're organizing this on a Windows machine which, fortunately, can easily export Quicktime's .mov as well as .wmv.
I have read that you will only be offering .wmv and apologize for discussing a point that you've most likely heard numerous times (the subject was touched in the FAQ's), but I think this is a great idea and feel that the more viewers can be reached, the better.

John Locke · January 17th, 2004, 09:36 AM

Need some creative inspiration? Try these ultra-condensed Movie-a-minute scripts. Good for a laugh. (The condensed scripts for "Vertical Limit," "Notting Hill," and "The films of David Lynch" are a hoot.)

Along the same lines as SixtySecondFilms, there's a UK site that had people submit comedies that were one minute or less. The winner of one group was a guy who rotates a globe on his desk, causing mayhem in the process. I've been trying to relocate this site for a long time. Does anyone know it? In addition to helping me find it, it would be good research material for anyone planning to enter the SixtySecondFilms online festival.

Terry McGleish · January 17th, 2004, 10:27 AM

I really appreciate all the feedback about the competition. We are trying to make this a really fun thing for everyone interested.

Nicholi, we are considering making it available in other formats other than .wmv, but are waiting to see what the overall response is.

Hopefully this can turn into an ongoing competition if it sparks enough interest and participation. We are talking with a few local sponsors about donations to use as prizes to give some incentive to the film makers.

Again, thanks for the feedback....

Terry

John Locke · January 17th, 2004, 10:42 AM

Terry,

Many Mac users won't be able to view .wmv files. That would cull out about half of the wranglers here at DVInfo.net.

I recommend Flash...that would solve all your platform/player/browser/connection speed problems in one fell swoop.

Nicholi Brossia · January 17th, 2004, 01:05 PM

More questions for Terry...

I understand, from reading the website, that all of the qualified submissions will be viewable on sixtysecondfilms.com to be judged/rated by the viewing audience before the final awards. Is this correct? And if so, how will the videos be showcased and ratings organized?
My concern with submitting would be that, if the videos have a viewable time window (lets say 2 weeks) then I will want to submit mine closer to the deadline when more people will be viewing and I can recieve a more reliable rating. On the other hand, if the video will be available from the premiere until the deadline, I will want to get it in as soon as possible in order to maximize viewers.
Will the awards be based on number of views and ratings, or a percentage? Either way, I'd like to get more viewers :).
I also noticed that an email address is required to enter, but free (yahoo, hotmail, etc.) email addresses aren't accepted. I'm sure this is for security purposes, but it might alienate quite a few potentials.

One more... You also mention, in the legal stuff, that I retain my full copyright and have to give sixtysecondsfilms.com royalty-free permission to use my video. I understand that completely, but wondered how else the videos will be used/showcased besides just on the site, especially if you planned on using it for profit.

It probably sounds like I'm being nit-picky, but that's not my intention at all. I think this is a wonderful idea. I'm just weary of submitting any of my work to anyone who isn't me, and just want to be confident in the whole process.

Thanks for answering so quickly.

Terry McGleish · January 17th, 2004, 04:23 PM

Nicholi, answers to your questions:

Starting February 1st, 2004, films selected for viewing will be posted to the website and can be rated by the viewers, and posting will continue through May 30, 2004. Films can be audience rated for a period of thirty (30) days or a minimum of 100 ratings, at which time the rating script will be removed from the viewing page. The film will remain on the website but can no longer be rated. The ratings are on a curved percentage scale. Audience ratings will determine the 25 top films to be judged for the overall competition.

Security is the reason for requiring a regular ISP email account. We have to open our FTP servers to film makers to upload their film, and can not risk the possibility of attack from someone with a non-traceable email account.

As far as the legal stuff..... Other than featuring the winning films on the website to help promote the site and hopefully the film maker, we have no intentions of using your films to profit us monetarily. The reference in the "terms" is basically to cover us if we use your film or film name to help promote the site. The "terms" also state that the "license" may be revoked by the film maker at any time for any reason. If you submit your film to the competition and are unhappy or unsure about how things are being done, just contact us and we will remove your film promptly.

Overall, the competition is geared to be fun and hopefully promote a few films and film makers along the way. I don't think you sound nit-picky and can understand your concerns.

Thanks again.....

Terry

Nicholi Brossia · January 17th, 2004, 06:15 PM

Thanks for replying so quickly. It sounds like you guys have really thought this though and are very organized. That's very reassuring. The only question I have left, at least for now ;), is... does the email account (the traceable one) have to be in my name or can it be a family member/friend's account? I'm not too concerned about it considering that I have 4 months to work something out, but I just figured I'd ask.

John Steele · January 19th, 2004, 07:19 AM

This one's for John Locke, John the website you're looking for with the short about the globe is http://www.depict.org/

It's in last years entries I think.

John.

Rob Lohman · January 19th, 2004, 07:29 AM

Nice, that competition is supported by Aardman! Wow!

John Locke · January 19th, 2004, 07:33 AM

I've been trying to refind that forever...thanks, John!

You guys check it out if you have time...it's in the 2002 winners short list and is titled "The End."

Christopher Lefchik · January 21st, 2004, 10:18 AM

FYI, Microsoft now has a Windows Media Player 9 available for Mac OS X. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...x/default.aspx
Of course this won't help those still running OS 9.

January 16th, 2004, 04:14 PM	#1
Terry McGleish New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 13	Sixty Second Films (Ken, if this post is a problem, feel free to delete it). For those interested in an online short film competition, SixtySecondFilms.com is now accepting entries. You can visit the website at: http://sixtysecondfilms.com Thanks....

January 16th, 2004, 04:19 PM	#2
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Looks like a very interesting competition to get the creative juices thawed in the winter! Thanks very much for this, Terry. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

January 16th, 2004, 04:58 PM	#4
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	With respect to matters of disclosure I should add that Terry is one of the judges of the SixtySecondFilms competition. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

January 16th, 2004, 11:45 PM	#5
Nicholi Brossia Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 389	I think that is a great idea. I don't mean to be a pest, but encoding for both Windows and Mac would probably be a bit more versatile. It looks like you're organizing this on a Windows machine which, fortunately, can easily export Quicktime's .mov as well as .wmv. I have read that you will only be offering .wmv and apologize for discussing a point that you've most likely heard numerous times (the subject was touched in the FAQ's), but I think this is a great idea and feel that the more viewers can be reached, the better. __________________ Nicholi Brossia

January 17th, 2004, 09:36 AM	#6
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	Need some creative inspiration? Try these ultra-condensed Movie-a-minute scripts. Good for a laugh. (The condensed scripts for "Vertical Limit," "Notting Hill," and "The films of David Lynch" are a hoot.) Along the same lines as SixtySecondFilms, there's a UK site that had people submit comedies that were one minute or less. The winner of one group was a guy who rotates a globe on his desk, causing mayhem in the process. I've been trying to relocate this site for a long time. Does anyone know it? In addition to helping me find it, it would be good research material for anyone planning to enter the SixtySecondFilms online festival. __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

January 16th, 2004, 04:24 PM	#3
Terry McGleish New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 13	Thanks Ken, hopefully we can get a few folks interested enough to brave the weather...... LOL

January 17th, 2004, 10:27 AM	#7
Terry McGleish New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 13	I really appreciate all the feedback about the competition. We are trying to make this a really fun thing for everyone interested. Nicholi, we are considering making it available in other formats other than .wmv, but are waiting to see what the overall response is. Hopefully this can turn into an ongoing competition if it sparks enough interest and participation. We are talking with a few local sponsors about donations to use as prizes to give some incentive to the film makers. Again, thanks for the feedback.... Terry

January 17th, 2004, 10:42 AM	#8
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	Terry, Many Mac users won't be able to view .wmv files. That would cull out about half of the wranglers here at DVInfo.net. I recommend Flash...that would solve all your platform/player/browser/connection speed problems in one fell swoop. __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

January 17th, 2004, 01:05 PM	#9
Nicholi Brossia Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 389	More questions for Terry... I understand, from reading the website, that all of the qualified submissions will be viewable on sixtysecondfilms.com to be judged/rated by the viewing audience before the final awards. Is this correct? And if so, how will the videos be showcased and ratings organized? My concern with submitting would be that, if the videos have a viewable time window (lets say 2 weeks) then I will want to submit mine closer to the deadline when more people will be viewing and I can recieve a more reliable rating. On the other hand, if the video will be available from the premiere until the deadline, I will want to get it in as soon as possible in order to maximize viewers. Will the awards be based on number of views and ratings, or a percentage? Either way, I'd like to get more viewers :). I also noticed that an email address is required to enter, but free (yahoo, hotmail, etc.) email addresses aren't accepted. I'm sure this is for security purposes, but it might alienate quite a few potentials. One more... You also mention, in the legal stuff, that I retain my full copyright and have to give sixtysecondsfilms.com royalty-free permission to use my video. I understand that completely, but wondered how else the videos will be used/showcased besides just on the site, especially if you planned on using it for profit. It probably sounds like I'm being nit-picky, but that's not my intention at all. I think this is a wonderful idea. I'm just weary of submitting any of my work to anyone who isn't me, and just want to be confident in the whole process. Thanks for answering so quickly. __________________ Nicholi Brossia

January 17th, 2004, 04:23 PM	#10
Terry McGleish New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 13	Nicholi, answers to your questions: Starting February 1st, 2004, films selected for viewing will be posted to the website and can be rated by the viewers, and posting will continue through May 30, 2004. Films can be audience rated for a period of thirty (30) days or a minimum of 100 ratings, at which time the rating script will be removed from the viewing page. The film will remain on the website but can no longer be rated. The ratings are on a curved percentage scale. Audience ratings will determine the 25 top films to be judged for the overall competition. Security is the reason for requiring a regular ISP email account. We have to open our FTP servers to film makers to upload their film, and can not risk the possibility of attack from someone with a non-traceable email account. As far as the legal stuff..... Other than featuring the winning films on the website to help promote the site and hopefully the film maker, we have no intentions of using your films to profit us monetarily. The reference in the "terms" is basically to cover us if we use your film or film name to help promote the site. The "terms" also state that the "license" may be revoked by the film maker at any time for any reason. If you submit your film to the competition and are unhappy or unsure about how things are being done, just contact us and we will remove your film promptly. Overall, the competition is geared to be fun and hopefully promote a few films and film makers along the way. I don't think you sound nit-picky and can understand your concerns. Thanks again..... Terry

January 17th, 2004, 06:15 PM	#11
Nicholi Brossia Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 389	Thanks for replying so quickly. It sounds like you guys have really thought this though and are very organized. That's very reassuring. The only question I have left, at least for now ;), is... does the email account (the traceable one) have to be in my name or can it be a family member/friend's account? I'm not too concerned about it considering that I have 4 months to work something out, but I just figured I'd ask. __________________ Nicholi Brossia

January 19th, 2004, 07:19 AM	#12
John Steele Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Scotland, UK Posts: 216	This one's for John Locke, John the website you're looking for with the short about the globe is http://www.depict.org/ It's in last years entries I think. John.

January 19th, 2004, 07:29 AM	#13
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Nice, that competition is supported by Aardman! Wow! __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

January 19th, 2004, 07:33 AM	#14
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	I've been trying to refind that forever...thanks, John! You guys check it out if you have time...it's in the 2002 winners short list and is titled "The End." __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

January 21st, 2004, 10:18 AM	#15
Christopher Lefchik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: US Posts: 1,152	FYI, Microsoft now has a Windows Media Player 9 available for Mac OS X. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...x/default.aspx Of course this won't help those still running OS 9.