Open Frame Scriptwriting Contest / Challenge Opens!

The 2013-14 edition of the Open Frame Scriptwriting contest opens on Thursday, October 3rd.

The contest is open to any currently enrolled Malone University student.  It's your opportunity to gather your notes from Annie Howell's scriptwriting workshop tips, sharpen your pencils and put that story that you've been dying to tell to paper.  You'll not only be stretching your writing 'chops' but the feedback on your scripts may prove valuable in framing and telling your unique story.

Each year talented Malone Alumni jury the scripts that are turned in -- which means that each script gets feedback from at least three judges including both numerical ratings and some narrative feedback.   You'll find, as an emerging writer, that getting serious feedback from good writers and readers is a rarity and a real privilege.  What better reason to start knocking out that script today.

Scripts may be in any genre. Fresh innovative stories told in a cinematic way are best. Scripts may

range from one minute to sixteen minutes (one minute = one page in screenplay format). Scripts must be submitted in standard screenplay format. Scripts MUST include a title page, but may NOT include the authors name. (we recommend celtx.com)

You should submit your script by email to Steven Pustay at his Malone email address (pustays@malone.edu).  All scripts must be delivered in PDF format. Again, with a title, but NO authorial name. Your submission email should include: Your name, phone number and script title.

Deadlines are good things! Nothing like the pressure of a deadline to provide that lift to the discipline of banging on those keys and getting it done!  All scripts must be emailed on or before Thursday, November 21st to be considered for the award.

Open Frame Winners, 2013

Best Sound Design - Tony Davis & Justin Lovett, Windmill

Best Editing -   Kaitie Fox, (v) to forgive
  
Best Screenplay - Kyle McClellan, The Guest

Best Original Score - Lauren Sevigny, (v) to forgive  

Best Community Contribution - TIE between -  Justin Lovett & Jeremy Kruis, Producers, Cinematographers & Editors, Windmill & 
Tyler Clark, cinematographer & editor for both Wooden Drawers & It’s a One Time Thing (It Just Happens...A Lot) 

Best Actor - Brook Pittinger, Windmill  
Best Actress -  Allie Sayre, It’s a One Time Thing (It Just Happens...A Lot)

Best Supporting Actress - Chloe Asselin, It’s a One Time Thing (It Just Happens...A Lot) 

Best Supporting Actor - Seth Yergin, It’s a One Time Thing (It Just Happens...A Lot) 

Special Jury Award: Best Camp Film - Peter Simionides, Neptunian Cyborgs Go To Paris: A Time Odyssey

Best Director - Kaitie Fox, (v) to forgive

Best Film -  Brook Pittinger & Tony Davis, Windmill

Audience Award - (v) to forgive 

Sundance Shorts on Youtube

Have you been watching this year's shorts from sundance?  It's a limited selection, but a nice window into some of the best creativity that's being picked up by festivals right now.  There's actually a number of great shorts from years past too.  Recommended Viewing!

Grants are Available for Student Filmmakers

If you're making a film for this year's festival -- and you're a student at Malone University -- your film is eligible for up to $300 in grant money. 

We encourage a diversity of projects -- fiction, documentary, music video, action, romantic comedy, drama and more. 

If you are interested in applying for this grant money, please contact Dr. Andrew Rudd.

Announcing the winner of the Open Frame Script Contest

This year's winner of the Open Frame script contest is:

THE GUEST 

by Kyle McClellan

hopefully we'll all watch THE GUEST on the screen of the Palace Theatre this coming April 20th.

Congratulations to Kyle and to all of the entrants of this year's script contest.  A HUGE thank you, too, to each of the alumni jurors.  Your time reading and responding to these scripts will be invaluable to these writers as they move into the production process.

Documentary Resources

ITVS -  http://www.itvs.org/

IDA’s Grant Resource Page -  http://www.documentary.org/community/resources/grants

IFP’s Grant Resource Page - http://www.ifp.org/resources/ifps-guide-to-granting-organizations/

the Ohio Arts Council - http://www.oac.state.oh.us/

OAC Funding for Artists - http://www.oac.state.oh.us/grantsprogs/guidelines/GrantProcessArtists.asp

the National Endowment for the Arts - http://www.nea.gov/resources/disciplines/media/resources.html

the National Endowment for the Humanities - http://www.neh.gov/grants

Sundance Documentary Fund - http://www.sundance.org/programs/sdf-faq/

RANDOM HELPFUL RESOURCES  ~ 

Indiewire - 8 Quick Tips On Doc Funding http://www.indiewire.com/article/ifp_how_to_fund_your_documentary#

the D-Word - http://www.d-word.com/

International Documentary Association Website - http://www.documentary.org/

Independent Film Project (ifp) http://www.ifp.org/

The Film Collaborative http://www.thefilmcollaborative.org

Documentary Films on Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/channels/documentaryfilm

Reelate - http://reelate.org

DOCUMENTARY DISTRIBUTORS ~ 

List at the Documentary Site:  http://www.documentarysite.com/?p=74

CROWD FUNDING ~

kickstarter  http://www.kickstarter.com/

Indiegogo http://www.indiegogo.com/?iggref=IGLY_NVHM

crowdrise  http://www.crowdrise.com/

Flattr https://flattr.com/

Kachingle http://www.kachingle.com/

Rockethub http://www.rockethub.com/

peerbackers http://peerbackers.com/

investedin  http://invested.in/

gofundme http://www.gofundme.com/

DOCUMENTARY DISTRIBUTORS ~

List at the Documentary Site:  http://www.documentarysite.com/?p=74

DOCUMENTARY BUDGET COMPONENTS ~

IDA’s Budget Line Item Overview (Bahar) - http://www.documentary.org/magazine/dont-fudge-your-budget-toeing-line-items

An Introduction to Budgeting (Bahar) - http://www.doculink.org/Downloads/IntroDocBudgetBahar.pdf

Realistic Budgeting for Documentaries (Brown) - http://www.tonylevelle.com/documents/28.html

Scriptwriting Contest

One of the first events of each Open Frame year is the Script Writing Contest.  This contest is open to any student currently enrolled at Malone University.   We *hope* that the scripts submitted will not just result in better writers and good feedback (which they do), but that they will also result in great short films!

Scripts may be in any genre. Fresh innovative stories told in a cinematic way are best. Scripts may range from one minute to sixteen minutes (one minute = one page in screenplay format). Scripts must be submitted in standard screenplay format. Scripts MUST include a title page, but may NOT include the authors name. (we recommend celtx.com)

You should submit your script by email to Andrew Rudd at his Malone email address and your script should be in PDF format. Again, with a title, but NO authorial name. In the email you attach your script to, you should list your name, phone number, and the script name.  

Each year talented Malone Alumni jury the scripts that are turned in -- which means that each script gets feedback from at least three judges including both numerical ratings and some narrative feedback.   You'll find, as an emerging writer, that getting serious feedback from good writers and readers is a rarity and a real privilege.  I encourage you to enter the contest just for this benefit alone. 

Scripts are due on September 17th, 2012 at 8:30 am. Contest winners will be announced on October 12th at 8pm on the Open Frame Blog.