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48 Hour Film Challenge Rules

THE FULL RULES:

  1. The National SCI-FI-LONDON 48 Hour Film Challenge 2012 ("the Challenge") is administered by the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film ("SFL").
  2. The Challenge is open to all filmmakers and/or creative people and entrants must be at least eighteen (18) years of age or must have a parent or legal guardian sign a Participant's Agreement for them (please download that HERE).
  3. Anyone affiliated with SFL, or its sponsors, is welcome to participate in the Challenge but will not be eligible for judging.
  4. One member of the participating team must sign our Participant's Agreement for them to be eligible for the final competition. The signed form should be enclosed with the finished movie or uploaded with your online entry to your Ubuntu One account.
  5. Teams participating via SMS and UPLOAD TO UBUNTU ONE must also send a copy of their film on DVD (Pal DVD video) on the Monday, postmarked no later than 2pm. The DVDs should be clearly marked with your Team Name and posted to SCI-FI-LONDON C/o Apollo Piccadilly Circus Cinema, 19 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4LR
  6. By entering the Challenge, the Entrant agrees to abide by all provisions in these rules and accept the decisions of SFL and the judges as final and binding in all respects. SFL reserves the right to disqualify any Entrant who fails to comply with the Rules, at its sole discretion. So be nice to us :)
  7. Team registration will take place on www.sci-fi-london.com and must be done by April 12th 2012. All teams MUST have a team name, which SFL uses for identification (so pick a good and unique one. Teams can be as big or small as you want but we suggest a crew of at least five (which might include writer, director, camera/DoP, sound recorder, editor/effects, composer). The number of cast members is at the team's discretion.
  8. There is NO fee or charge for entering the Challenge and ALL costs for production and submission must be born by the Team.
  9. There is NO fee paid to the teams in any respect for the film entered neither in part or full use of the film.
  10. The Challenge is to write, shoot and edit a short film in 48 hours based on the criteria presented to the teams at the briefing or via SMS text service.
  11. Only one member of the team is required to attend the briefing where they will be given a title, line of dialogue, prop list and an optional 'science theme' (provided by The Guardian). The props and dialogue have to appear in the team's final movie. If the specified dialogue is said in a foreign or extraterrestrial language a translation, subtitle or babel fish must be supplied.  We do suggest you turn up with your full crew and cast but leave them hanging around in a coffee bar talking over the plan for the next 2 days!
  12. The 48 hours begins from when all teams have their brief (around Noon on April 14th) and all the creative work must take part in that time period. The only pre-production permissible is the organising of cast and crew (the Team), securing equipment and scouting for possible locations. Bear in mind that there are laws and regulations regarding filming in public locations and places that might be considered public. Make sure you have proper permissions in place. SFL takes no responsibility for infractions of local by-laws in this regard, which is detailed in the agreement to be signed by all participants.
  13. For the SMS and UPLOAD TO UBUNTU ONE participants, you will need to setup a UBUNTU ONE account (see setup intructions document for help) and upload your .MOV file in a folder clearly labelled with your Team_Name. You must then 'share' the folder with 'ubuntu@sci-fi-london.com' so we can see the film for judging.
  14. No stock footage or footage shot or created at another time should be used unless it is material from a source like NASA or Istockphoto.com. Animation and special effects are permitted, but must be created during the 48 hour time period. Still photographs are permitted, provided that the team has the rights to them. The photos do not necessarily need to be created during the 48 hour time period, unless the whole film is made up of stills, like La Jetée.
  15. Any music used should be original and, where possible, created specifically for the movie during the challenge. Pre-recorded music, including royalty-free and library music, must be accompanied by the relevant signed clearance, or proof you have the rights to use it. Music created with loops in programmes such as GarageBand or Soundtrack is acceptable. The same rules apply to sound effects. Remember, we want to broadcast and exhibit these films and music clearance is a costly business and will likely mean we will not include your film if there is any doubt in the permissions.
  16. We are indemnified from any action regarding a breach of copyright on the part of the participating teams.
  17. Overall content of the movie, beyond that specified at the Launch, is at the discretion of the participating teams. The organisers reserve the right to not screen any film that can be considered pornographic, or that depicts hardcore or graphic sex, or any material that would attract an 18 certificate.
  18. The finished film must be a minimum of three (3) minutes and a maximum of five(5) minutes in duration. Credits at the beginning and end of each film should total no more 30 seconds and make up part of the overall running time.
  19. The start of the film MUST have:
    • 5 seconds of black
    • Title card with: team name, title/prop/dialogue etc that you were given
    • 2 seconds of black
  20. The total running time starts from the opening credits should contain the words:

    "Made for the SCI-FI-LONDON 48 Hour Film Challenge 2012" and the title of the film.

    You can include the name of the team in the opening credits if you wish.

    NOTE: The above words do not count towards your running time.

  21. You MUST use the TITLE CARD graphic image with sponsor logos at the front of your film. The TITLE CARD will be available for download about a week before the challenge
  22. The movie can be shot on any media or in any format but the finished film has to be delivered in the one of the following formats:
    • Standard Definition PAL
    • 16:9 or 4:3 (we cannot guarantee that anamorphic movies will screen correctly)
    • and delivered on Standard DVD (PAL, region 0) only.
    • PLEASE CHECK YOUR MOVIE PLAYS ON MORE THAN ONE COMPUTER/DVD PLAYER - WE CANNOT JUDGE A FILM WE CANNOT WATCH!
  23. Each entry has to be accompanied by the signed Participant's Agreement form. Films that arrive after the cut-off time will not be eligible for the competition. The use of a time machine to extend the shooting period or deadline will, depending on the judges' discretion, disqualify the team.
  24. The judges' decision is final.
  25. by submitting your film SCI-FI-LONDON and its partners and supporters are granted a royalty free, NON-EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE rights to your submitted film (in whole or part), in perpetuity, to broadcast, distribute, screen and put on any medium including but not limited to DVD and the Internet. None of the submitted materials will be returned.
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