Summer Shorts 2007 sponsored by

Rules and Guidelines

FREE to enter. Open to ALL filmmakers, videomakers, and animators! Eligible entries will be exhibited online. All genres and multiple submissions welcome.

• All Entries Must Be 5 Minutes or Less.
• All Entries Must Be 85 Megabytes or Less.
• Films Over 5 Minutes & Over 85 Megabytes Will Not Be Accepted.

Deadline: September 30, 2007, 5:00 PM EST.
All accepted films will be showcased online!

Read through the following official rules to ensure your movie is eligibility before you start filling out the submission form online.

Be sure to read through this and the submission guidelines entirely  to ensure your film's eligibility and meet the requirements.

1. General
2. Eligibility
3. How to Enter
4. Film Requirements
5. Deadline
6. Judging
7. Winners announcement
8. Right to Use Your Work and Information About You
9. Terms of Agreement

1. General

All genres and multiple submissions welcome. All accepted films will be shown online and in future screening.

All entrants agree to comply fully with each provision in these Official Rules. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this  contest and any person who does not comply with these Official Rules, will be  ineligible for any prize(s).

Winners who live overseas are responsible for shipping fees, customs fees, and tax that may apply for prizes and awards being mailed outside of the US. Shipping, customs, and tax fees must be pre-paid before StudentFilmmakers.com can send out the items. StudentFilmmakers will not store any items longer than 30 days.

2. Eligibility

Contest is open to ALL filmmakers, video makers, and animators of all levels around the world. There is no entry fee.

You must own all rights to the film submitted, and you are  authorized to submit this film. * All films must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity. If  the film contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant  and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the entrant is  responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the film, any and all  releases and consents necessary to permit use and exploitation of the film by  Sponsor in the manner set forth in the Official Rules.
For more information about copyright law, go to www.copyright.gov/laws/

3. How to Enter:

Step 1. Read ALL the Rules & Guidelines.
Step 2. Fill out and submit the online form.
Step 3. Follow the instructions to submit your work via URL, FTP,  or mail-in data CD or DVD.

Please DO NOT send us authorized DVDs. MiniDV tape will NOT be accepted.

4. Film Requirements

All film genres accepted. Multiple submissions welcome.

Films/Videos must not exceed a maximum total running time of 5  minutes and must not be larger than 85 megabytes in digital movie file size.

We only accept Quick Time movie files (.mov) for web preview. Only the finalists will be notified to submit their uncompressed movie files. Please export your web streaming movie file in 480(w) by 360(h) pixels. Rescaling your video to fix 4:3 frame ratio by using letterboxed frame when you shot in wider pixel ratio. Click here for reference.

Additional files for other movie players are welcome but not  required. Make sure to export your movie file for fast start web streaming.

StudentFilmmakers.com uses most popular QuickTime HTTP streaming or QuickTime progressive download (a.k.a fast start).

Preparing a movie for Fast Start
With QuickTime Pro, you can set up a movie to start playing from a web server before the movie has completely downloaded to the user's hard disk. This is called a "Fast Start" movie. Set the Fast Start setting using the steps below just before you distribute your movie; making other changes and resaving may undo the Fast Start setting.

Converting a movie for Fast Start
>Open your movie in QuickTime Player.
>From the File menu, choose Export.
>From the Export pop-up menu, choose Movie to QuickTime Movie.
>Click Options and select any video and sound compression options appropriate for web delivery.
>Make sure the "Prepare for Internet Streaming" checkbox is selected and that Fast Start appears in the pop-up menu.
>Click OK, then click Save.

* In past contests, more than 40% of submissions could not deliver  the proper movie files for the web. Test your file to make sure you have the  best quality within 85 MB before submitting it to us.

Once the short film has been submitted, we do not accept  substitutions or new versions. Only if you win, you can substitute for a new cut before  we premiere the short at screening. Make sure your work meets all the criteria.  We do not edit your movie files for the judges.

We prefer films in English or to have English subtitles.

• Films must not make unauthorized use of copyrighted property from  any other film, song, or composition.
• Films must not exploit children or animals.
• Films must not contain any material which StudentFilmmakers.com in  its sole discretion deems patently offensive or having explicit and  gratuitous violence, nudity or sexual content.

5. Deadline

Online submission will be closed on September 30, 2007, 5:00 pm  Eastern Time.

* Don't wait for the last minute to submit your work. Heavy Demand  in the last week of the file transferring may result in delays. No entries will  be accepted after September 30, 2007, 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

6. Judging

Finalists and winners will be selected by StudentFilmmakers.com and  a panel of film industry experts.

Only the finalists will be notified to submit their uncompressed movie files by October 31, 2007. We will have all finalist entries in one DVD for judging. Each finalist entry will be viewed by the judges across  the U.S. and rated on a 10 (ten) point scale. The StudentFilmmakers committee  will also rate for general interest, creativity and production value.

7. Winners Announcement

Contest finalists' names will be available at StudentFilmmakers.com on or about November 1, 2007. The Winners will be announced on or about  December 1, 2007.

8. Right to Use Your Work and Information About You

You agree that any film you submit will be shown at StudentFilmmakers.com, sponsor websites and future screenings.

StudentFilmmakers.com may use your film on promotional media.

9.Terms of Agreement

Any and all filmmakers applying to the non-paying showcase at StudentFilmmakers.com are subject to the following terms. By submitting your application via our online form, you agree to these Terms of  Agreement. StudentFilmmakers.com declines all responsibility of any  infringement of these Terms and cannot be held liable for any damage or misinformation  related by these filmmakers. StudentFilmmakers.com will do its best to remove any inappropriate material as soon as possible.

You agree that any film you submit is not plagiarized, stolen, or  copied from anybody else.

You agree that any film you submit will be shown at StudentFilmmakers.com, sponsor websites and future screenings.

StudentFilmmakers.com may use your film on promotional media.

StudentFilmmakers.com reserves the right at any time without prior  notice to delete your film for any reason.

You agree to showcase your films that are user-friendly, non-erotic and sensible.

You will not use inappropriate language.

In the event that these Terms of Agreement are violated in any way,
StudentFilmmakers.com will remove the offending material.

If you enter in the contest and live outside the United States, you must pre-pay for all customs, taxes, and shipping to your country for your prizes. We will not be responsible for storage nor pay for customs, taxes, or shipping to your country.