Teen Film Contest

a script. a camera. your imagination.

The Teen Film Contest (TFC) is a two-part monthly competition designed to motivate young, aspiring filmmakers to follow their dreams and make a film. The contest alternates every month between a screenwriting competition and a production competition. During the screenwriting portion of the competition, contestants submit a short script (approximately 5-10 pages in length) depending on that month’s specified genre (see below). At the end of the month, a winning screenplay will be selected and used as the foundation for the next month’s production competition, in which contestants will bring the winning script to screen.

Winners of the Teen Film Contest will be selected by the 64 Bit Films team, and prizes will be awarded to the winning screenplay (for the screenwriting portion) as well as an honorable mention. Prizes will also be awarded to the top three produced short films as well as an honorable mention for the production category.

If you ARE NOT interested in writing a script, but ARE interested in producing a script (or vice-versa) you are allowed to do so. There is nothing stopping you from competing in only one category as opposed to another, or both.

PLEASE NOTE: Contestants must prove that they’re under 18. We don’t want adults submitting material. The point of this competition is to get kids to make films on their own. Contestants must either scan or take a picture of some sort of ID – which can be sent to submissions@64bitfilms.com along with your script (or with a link to your uploaded project for the production category). If you do not have proof of age you will be immediately disqualified.

Screenplays must be sent in PDF format. We will not accept any other file types.

Congratulations to Rebecca and Brennan! Rebecca’s winning script can be downloaded here. This screenplay is the one to be used for this month’s production competition.

August 2010 Production Competition – Deadline September 30th!

This month’s prizes:

For this month’s production competition we’ve been blessed with some great sponsors for prize giveaways. The winners of the production competition will receive:

1st place:

  • Red Giant‘s Magic Bullet Looks
  • Wacom Intuos4 Tablet
  • A complete set of Celtx Art Packs and the Celtx Writer’s Pack, courtesy of the folks over at Celtx.
  • Filmmaking for Dummies, courtesy of Wiley publishing.
  • A 64 Bit Films t-shirt.
  • Possibly some stickers!

2nd place:

  • Red Giant‘s Magic Bullet Mojo
  • A 64 Bit Films t-shirt.
  • Possibly some stickers!

3rd place:

  • Red Giant‘s Magic Bullet Quick – Looks
  • A 64 Bit Films t-shirt.
  • Possibly some stickers!

Winner of the honorable mention prize will also receive a t-shirt.

In summary, we’re looking for:

  • An entertaining production that’s true to the original script. If you can’t secure a location at least be true to the characters!
  • Just because you don’t have a $10,000 camera setup doesn’t mean you can’t produce something great looking! Use the tools you have around you to make the best short film you possibly can!
  • There’s no such thing as a bad actor. Some are just harder to direct than others. Make sure the dialogue stays convincing!

By popular request we’ve made a quick video on casting basics.

open source video, online video platform, video solution

Some additional auditioning tips:

  • Try and find a quiet place to audition. Try to avoid auditioning in your own home. See if there’s any public space you can use to read and audition people at.
  • Schedule your actors’ audition times. Promptness counts for a lot – so be sure to note whether your actors are coming on time or if they’re arriving late.
  • Prepare “sides,” or small excerpts from your scripts for your actors to read.
  • Use a poker face! Never hint at your opinion – whether you think your actor is fantastic or awful.
  • Only give positive direction. (This is a good rule in general). Instead of saying “be less angry,” you can ask your actor to “be more calm.”
  • If you’ve picked an actor (which you should only do once everyone has read) talk to them and be clear about what days you plan on shooting and for how long. Don’t bring your actor on set if you’re not going to use them. Have a schedule ahead of time.
  • Videotape your auditions and have your actors slate before their reading. They should dictate their name and which part they’re reading for.