Why have an "Open Frame"?

We hope that this contest is an opportunity for students to create films together that will provide visions of truth, opportunities for reflection, images of transformation and reconciliation.

Since making films is always collaborative -- the process of producing these films will invite students to create community with one another around this creative expression.

The film contest supplements Communication Arts Department curriculum by giving students an opportunity to enact skills taught in a broad range of courses and to develop qualities essential to personal and professional success.

Student films provide important portfolio material for students interested in careers in media production.

Creating films allows students an important opportunity to develop “voice” – the ability to tell a coherent story in an engaging way is a skill that will aid them in a broad range of contexts and careers.

We also hope that the audiences who watch these films will receive a new "frame" for seeing the world -- hopefully in a richer, fuller, better way.

This year's event will be held on Friday, April 23rd at 10 p.m. in the Johnson Center Chapel.

Submissions

Any student films are welcome for submission to the Open Frame. Student films must include at least two Malone College students in two of the following four positions: Producer, Director, Writer, Lead Actor.

We encourage all genres of: documentaries, journalistic expose, fictional narrative, stop action, animation, experimental, music videos, etc…
student produced films may be submitted by April 10th at 5 p.m..

films may be submitted on VHS-C or Hi-8 or on a hard disc drive in Quicktime Format.

films must be fifteen minutes or under to be considered.

films may only include actors who do not appear in any other film festival submissions.

filmmakers must obtain rights to any music used in their films.

accepted filmmakers must volunteer a minumum of four hours during the final week of the festival.

Films will be accepted based upon quality of form and content, and restricted based on the limited timeframe of the festival.

Awards

Each year films receive awards from a jury of faculty members, alumni and industry professionals. The awards include:

Best Cinematographer

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Sound

Best Original Score

Best Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Film

Best Alternative Film

Audience Award.

the Non -Malone Award

Recently...

Last year’s planning committee designed a Film Society in order to supplement the general void on campus of showing “important” and “classic” films from the canon and to combat a general filmic illiteracy on campus. Each semester The Film Society will show 3 – 5 films thematically paneled, rotating across every four years in order to increase student filmic literacy.

The production contest was renamed as the production “workshops” this year and has taken a more developmental approach to student filmmakers. The vast majority of filmmakers this year are novice filmmakers (at least at Malone) and so we're trying to channel our best efforts into supporting their success.

What is the Open Frame?

The Open Frame Student Film Contest is an annual event that takes place at Malone College in Canton, Ohio and is sponsored by the Communication Arts Major and Student Activities.

Over the past five years, students have screened 40 short films at the Open Frame student film contest. All of the films in the Open Frame are short films, varying in length from 2 minutes to 17 minutes. Each film was written, directed and produced by Malone students. Most of the films have also been scored, acted and edited by Malone students.

While most of the films have been written, directed and produced by Communication Arts Majors, almost 40 of the over 150 students who have been involved in making these films have been students from other majors all over campus.

Over 300 members of the Malone Community usually attend the event. The two-hour event (+ a half-hour awards ceremony) has been planned and publicized by groups of students each year.

Alumni have also played an important role in the film festival, each year 8 – 12 alumni from all across the country watch all the submissions to the festival and vote for award winners. Many of these alumni submit notes of encouragement and exhortation to our filmmakers.

This Year's Event

This year's Film Fest will be held on Saturday Night, April 21st at 10 p.m. in the Malone College Barn.