Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Shortest Film Festival In December



If movies are your vice, then Tropfest Australia on 6th December is a must-see in Sydney. Entries for movie submissions are now closed so make a note to submit yours by October 2016 if you’re planning ahead to the next year.  Keep in mind that Tropfest’s focus is to encourage new and established film makers in generating emotion and traction for a captured audience. In their words, it’s not about showing films, it’s about making them. 
 
With over 100,000 attendees around various theaters and movies in the country, you can join in with hundreds of thousands who perch rears on seats at these venues, or at home through SBS 2. The TV viewers will also be able to watch the official finalists in the featured film categories. What’s unique about this annual event is that they focus on the TSI ‘Card,’ including the TSI in your film production, using sheer creativity, whether it’s a sim card, credit card or greeting card within your storyline script. Make a whole movie using this or include it in the background, such as a cameo. Sylvester Stallone comes to mind, where he was famous for making a cameo scene in every movie he produced or directed. Now you understand the gist, you can start thinking of ideas for your 2016 submission, especially since your film must be a maximum of seven minutes. It’s a lot more than creating a Vine but not as long as a typical short movie. Then again, they also partner with Vine so remember to #TropVine.


Filmmakers will be awarded prizes during the festival including a $10,000 cash prize, a trip to Los Angeles and meet Hollywood’s greatest industry executives and possibly winning a Nikon D800, worth a walloping $2,000. There are 2nd and 3rd place awards alongside Best Female and Male Actor - award donated by a slightly well known actress, Nicole Kidman. Maybe you’ve heard of her.

Other great partnerships and offerings during Tropfest include Getty Images sponsoring free access to over 300,000 clips and 30,000 movie tracks in their library. The festival has played all the great cards to the max, bringing in industry experts to encourage you to produce your 2016 movie and attend this year’s big screen extravaganza. On a side note, we have to mention that submissions to this year’s festival for film makers are only $45. So when you attend the movies, you’ll also be supporting great artists who haven’t needed to pay through the nose, or be extorted by the festival committee. That speaks volumes about how much they encourage new producers and upcoming directors.

From 11.00am – 11.00pm on the 6th December, remember to head to Centennial Park, Sydney for the free movie showings. There are other screenings being updated regularly so keep a note of their website, for these surplus venues or follow Tropfest on Twitter. Now take another look at that photo. Amazing, right?

Twenty minutes by car or one hour by train, you’ll be back at Cremorne Point, sipping wine overlooking the stunning Harbour skyline. Grab your smartphone and take your own six second movie of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as the sun goes down. You’ll then be a directing star, under the stars.

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