PROJECT FX is back — AND THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED!

PROJECT FX, the Count Basie Theatre’s Statewide Student Film Festival presented by Bank of America, is back for its fourth year of searching for New Jersey’s best and brightest student filmmakers. For the past three years 60 of the best filmmakers in the state competed in the annual PROJECT FX fest, which our industry judges and panelists agreed contained a ton of true, Hollywood talent. This year’s top 20 films will be screened at the Basie on Saturday, May 5, 2018.

Now it’s YOUR turn! Register below.

TIMELINE:

• Entry & Submission Period: Now – March 11, 2018 at 11:59pm Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 11:59pm
• April 2018: Top ten high school and college finalists announced + posted on the official ProjectFX Facebook page
• Saturday, May 5th, 2018: ProjectFX Festival at the Count Basie Theatre; screening of all finalist films, onsite voting, workshops and a Q&A panel with industry executives and awards ceremony.

PRIZES:

The Festival will award a first, second and third place prize. The prizes will be awarded to the top three High School films and the top three College films.

1. First Prize – Sony Digital Movie Camera, Internship Experience at Sony Pictures Classics in New York and $1K cash award. Plus, your film will be screened during the 2018 Asbury Park Music and Film Festival.
2. Second Prize – Cash award of $750
3. Third Prize – Cash award of $500

*If the film was put together by a team only the person named on the submission form will be awarded the prize.

(Full rules and regulations below.)

 

 

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Rules and Regulations

(1) Eligibility Requirements

• Films previously submitted to PROJECT FX are not eligible.
• Any film submitted must be made after January 1, 2016.
• Only full-time students enrolled in a high school, college or university located in the state of New Jersey may participate.
• Entrants must include proof of student status (copy of student ID, transcript, etc.) and a current resume.
• All students must be age 16-25.
• Entrants will be asked to identify legal ownership of the film.
• Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry.
• Only complete entries will be considered. Each entry must be accompanied by the appropriate entry fee. Entry fees are not refundable. Fees cover registration, notification that your entry has been received, and notification of results. These fees may be paid by credit/debit card only.
• Films must be submitted with a YouTube or Vimeo link. Please note: You may not use copyrighted music or video footage in your film. YouTube and Vimeo are becoming increasingly vigilant about this, and we cannot be responsible for films pulled down for copyright violations.
• Films must be provided as a .mp4 file via dropbox for download.
• All films must be a maximum of 10 minutes.
• All films must not contain any form of nudity.
• All entries must be received by 11:59PM ON SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018. DEADLINE EXTENDED to Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 11:59PM!

(2) Judging & Selection

• Submissions that do not meet the criteria on the Form Outline will be eliminated.
• All films will be vetted by a sub-committee of the Judging Panel.
• In April 2018, the top 20 films (10 high school and 10 collegiate) will be uploaded to the Project FX’s Facebook page. Filmmakers will be encouraged to have people like/share the link.
• Judging panel (made up of celebrities and film industry leaders) will view the top 20 films and assess.
• Judging will be based on a rubric that evaluates how a student utilizes the medium to get the point across in a creative manner.
• The judges will take into account the storyline, cinematography, technical aspects, sound, editing, and social media presence.
• The top 20 films will be screened at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ on May 5, 2018.

(3) Prizes
The Festival will award a first, second and third place prize. The prizes will be awarded to the top three High School films and the top three College films.

First Prize – Internship Experience at Sony Pictures Classics in New York, Sony Digital Movie Camera and $1,000 cash award. Plus, your film will be screened during the 2018 Asbury Park Music and Film Festival.
Second Prize – Cash award of $750
Third Prize – Cash award of $500

LEGAL

(1) You retain all ownership rights in your film. However, by submitting to the Project FX Film Festival, you hereby give the Count Basie Theatre and its panel of judges permission to view the film and format it for presentation and grant the same a nonexclusive right and license to use, modify, prepare derivative works of, reproduce, perform, distribute, transmit or otherwise display the film (including derivative works thereof) to the public, in all media formats and through all media channels including but not limited to film, video, television, Internet, and other electronic, broadcast and other media, now known or later developed, and to authorize others to do the same, provided the foregoing is in furtherance of the Festival’s non-profit, educational, or promotional purposes. The above licenses granted by you are perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free, non-terminable and irrevocable.

(2) In the event that Project FX Film Festival or the Count Basie Theatre posts the film on its website, you understand that the Festival cannot guarantee that the film, if posted, will not be forwarded, used, modified and/or further distributed by third parties. The Festival and those it may authorize shall not be responsible for unauthorized duplications, modifications, distributions or use of the Film by third parties on the Internet or otherwise.

(3) You agree that the Project FX Film Festival and the Count Basie Theatre and its designees shall have the right to use your name, likeness, and biography in connection with the Project FX Film Festival and in advertising, publicity and promotion related thereto.

(4) It is your responsibility to ensure that the necessary contracts or releases have been obtained from those individuals or entities whose, names, likenesses, trademarks, written materials, scripts, photographs, artworks, musical compositions, or similar materials or rights are used in connection with the film. Copies of such contracts or releases shall be provided to the Festival upon request. You agree that you will not submit your film unless you are the owner of all proprietary rights (such as copyrights, trademark rights, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, trade secret or other rights) in and to the film and all materials included in the film or unless you have written permissions from the rightful owners to use the film and all materials included in the film and to grant the licenses herein granted to the Festival to use the film and all materials included in the film.

(5) You represent and warrant that the film contains no libelous or unlawful material, contains no instructions that may cause harm or injury, and that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and to authorize the Festival to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to the Film and any and all material in the film, in the manner contemplated by this agreement. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Project FX Film Festival, the Count Basie Theatre, and its trustees, officers, directors, sublicensees, affiliates and all staff from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from: (a) your violation of this agreement, and (b) the violation of any third party rights, including but not limited to any copyrights, trademark rights, rights of privacy or publicity, trade secret or any other proprietary right, by your film. This obligation and the representations and warranties made by you in this agreement shall survive the expiration or termination of this agreement.

(6) The Project FX Film Festival and the Count Basie Theatre is under no obligation to exhibit or display any submission to the Festival. All decisions regarding the selection of films for the Festival and their subsequent display shall be at the discretion of the Festival organizers.