Tag: Independent Film Festival

It’s time to enter YOUR Star Trek fan film into the IndieBOOM! FILM FESTIVAL!

There are a lot of film festivals out there, but very few of them have a specific category where fan films only compete against other fan films.  That “levels the playing field”—at least a little bit—as a fair amount of independent films are made by people with more experience (and often more funding) than your typical fan film.

IndieBOOM! is one of those rare film festivals with a exclusive “fan film” category…along with many other categories (comedy, drama, documentary, animation, scifi/thriller, music video…you can view the entire list here). It’s a real film festival, entering its third year of presenting awards to both aspiring and accomplished independent filmmakers…including fan filmmakers!

Does your fan film qualify?

If your fan film runtime is less than 40 minutes (and the CBS fan film guidelines pretty much ensure that if your fan film is Star Trek-based), then yes…YOU qualify! In the first year of IndieBOOM!, a Star Wars fan film from Mexico won in the category. And last year, a Star Trek fan film, THE FEDERATION FILES: “Walking Bear, Running Wolf” took first place as best fan film against two Star Wars, one Blade, one Superman, and one Stranger Things fan film competitor finalists.

How does judging work?

A panel of judges chose the films that make it as finalists. Those, in turn, will be posted online and to IndieBOOM!‘s ROKU channel for viewing. The film that gets the most views on their website and ROKU app in each category receives “Winning Laurels” (first prize) in that category. Also, the panel of judges will choose their favorite selection among all finalists, which will receive the Jury Prize Laurels. And finally, the overall most-viewed film of the festival will receive Fan Favorite Laurels and a cash prize of $500!

All winning Selections will have the option of streaming on BKOD for a worldwide audience!

How much does it cost to enter?

The early-bird deadline has already passed (sorry), so the entry fee is now $45 per film. The regular deadline is September 10, but there’s also a late deadline of November 10 where the entry fee is still only $45. (Why doesn’t it go up? I have no idea, but that’s what’s published on the website.) And finally, for those real procrastinators, there’s an extended deadline of December 10, but the entry fee for that does go up to $55.

There is no restriction for what year the fan film was released or whether or not it has been on YouTube or Vimeo previously.  All are welcome.

So get your fan films entered. Just click on the link below:

https://www.indieboomff.com/enter-a-film-or-video.html

It’s time to enter YOUR fan film into a real FILM FESTIVAL!

There are a lot of film festivals out there, but very few of them have a category specifically for FAN FILMS where you only compete against other fan films.  That “levels the playing field”—at least a little bit—as a fair amount of independent films are made by people with more experience (and often more funding) than your typical fan film.

Last year, two film festivals stepped forward to offer categories exclusively for fan films to enter.  One was the Berlin Sci-fi Filmfest (open to English-language fan films).  That one was extra special for me personally, as the fan film I co-wrote and co-produced, Prelude to Ax’d-We-Are, actually won for best fan film!  (Somehow, we even beat out Prelude to Axanar, which we were parodying, along with a South African Blade Runner fan film with some great acting, and an all-in-French Star Wars fan film with awesome visual effects).

The other film festival with a specific “fan film” category is the the IndieBOOM! Festival, where the film that gets the most views on their website and ROKU app actually wins $500 in cash!  (Last year, among many independent films, the winner was a Star Wars fan film from Mexico!)  There is also a jury-selected film that gets a prize, and all entries with the most votes/views in their category will get a one year non-exclusive streaming contract with Brooklyn On Demand for a worldwide audience!

So get your fan films entered TODAY!

HOW TO ENTER

Click here to enter the Berlin Sci-fi Filmfest by August 1st (regular deadline) for $30.  Enter by September 10 for the late deadline fee of $40.  Maximum run-time: 60 minutes.  There is no restriction for what year the fan film was released or whether or not it was on YouTube.  All are welcome.

Click here to enter the IndieBOOM! Festival by August 10th for an early bird discount of $35.  Enter by September 10 for the normal $45 fee.  Maximum run-time: 40 minutes.  There is no restriction for what year the fan film was released or whether or not it was on YouTube.  All are welcome.

Good luck!!!

YOUR Star Trek fan film could WIN $500!

Hurry!  You’ve only got until November 3, 2017 to enter your Star Trek fan film for a chance to win $500!

(Of course, it’ll cost you $35 to enter on their website.  But hey, it’s worth a shot, right?)

Yesterday, I told you about how some independent film festivals are beginning to add a new category specifically for FAN FILMS.  The Berlin Sci-Fi Filmfest has already completed its entry period.  But there’s still a week and a half left to enter the New York-based IndieBOOM! film festival for a chance to win that $500 cash prize.

Created by the team at the award-winning Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, IndieBOOM! is for filmmakers and short-form content creators working everywhere, in all genre categories. There are no restrictions on completion date, as long as the films run no longer than 40 minutes.  So a Star Trek fan film that’s already been out for a few years is still eligible as long as it’s shorter than 40 minutes.

Here’s the description for their Fan Film category:

Are you a super-fan who has created an amazing “trailer” for the superhero (or super villain) film you wish existed, a lightsaber battle set in a galaxy far, far away… or a film that dares to trek where no-one has gone before? Or maybe you made a film about one ring that rules them all. Whatever your fandom, we want to see your fan film!

IndieBOOM!’s official selections will be chosen by a panel of industry professionals: critics, producers, writers, directors and actors.

It’s also an interactive festival. IndieBOOM will give entrants tools to help them promote their films to their networks and increase their fan-base. The most-viewed film in each category (Comedy, Sci-Fi, Documentary, Fan Film, etc.) wins an award.

“Ah, I know that trick!” I can hear you say.  Just get a bunch of friends to keep refreshing their browsers a few thousand times, and you’ll win.  Bah, humbug!”

Well, not this time.  IndieBOOM! will keep track of total views and also overall time viewed for each selection. (So just refreshing a web page over and over won’t help you win.)
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Their jury of industry professionals will acknowledge a single standout film with a special Jury Prize, regardless of the views/votes.  ​All winning selections will get a one year non-exclusive streaming contract on Brooklyn On Demand (which is carried on Roku to a worldwide audience and already has 16,000 subscribers).

And the selection (from all the categories together) with the most views overall wins the Fan Favorite Award—and a $500 cash prize!

So what are you waiting for?  (Well, assuming you’ve produced a fan film, that is!)  The submission deadline is November 3, 2017.

Click here to enter.

INDIE FILM FESTIVALS are starting to add a NEW category: FAN FILMS!

While studios like Paramount, CBS, Warner Brothers, Disney, Fox, and others try to figure out what to do about fan films, Independent Film Festivals already have a solution: CREATE SPECIAL CATEGORIES FOR THEM!

Up until recently, if you were a Star Trek fan film, your options were pretty limited when it came to entering your production into a film festival or contest.

For the last few years, the annual Treklanta convention has held the Independent Star Trek Film Awards (now called the “Bjos”). Obviously, entries are limited to only Star Trek fan films.

And then there are the independent film festivals that allow entrants from all genres and production backgrounds.  There’s a lot of these.  In fact, Prelude to Axanar won awards in 19 different film festivals, including the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, Creative Arts Film Festival, Widescreen Film & Music Video Festival, Nevada Film Festival, IndieFEST Film Awards, and California International Shorts Festival.

Star Trek Continues has also taken in its fair share of awards at the Accolade Global Film Competition, The Burbank International Film Awards, and most recently was given awards in five categories of the International Independent Film Awards.

And while some award shows, like the Geekie Awards, limit the range of entrees to specific genres like sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc., Trek fan films are still competing with “real” independent films with professional production teams and budgets that are often into the six or even seven figures.  Micro-budget Trek fan productions often face almost insurmountable competition.  And if the awards show is not limited to just sci-fi and related genres, the competition becomes even more wide ranging.

With high budgets, Hollywood actors, and professional production quality, Prelude to Axanar and Star Trek Continues were able to make their mark. against stiff competition.  But with the guidelines now limiting how much fan films can spend and who can work on them, will Star Trek fan films be able to be competitive again in film festivals?

Perhaps…

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