Coldwater’s first 10-Day Film Contest offers a special opportunity for youth this June. Students age 11-19 will compete for prizes and fame in the program sponsored by Tibbits Theatre and Beyond (T-Tab).
The contest begins with a kick-off event at 5pm, June 16 (alternatively, teams can also register 9-11am, June 17) in the Art Gallery in the lower level of Tibbits where prospective teams will receive assignments which will drive their video projects. Contest participants have ten days to produce videos which meet randomly drawn criteria including film genre and a character, prop, and line of dialogue to be used in the video. This ensures that no team starts working on their video prior to June 16.
Individuals and teams of up to 5 people will write, direct, act in, and edit their videos which are required to be between 3 and 6 minutes in length. The final videos must be submitted to the box office at the theatre on Sunday, June 26 between 5pm and 7pm.
The film contest concludes with the premiere of all qualified videos and selection of winners starting at 7pm, June 27 at Tibbits. A panel of judges will select first, second, and third place winners. There will also be an audience choice award determined by text voting that night.
In the age of YouTube, the program seeks to expand young people’s knowledge of practical skills that could help them in career and college. “Although most teens make videos on a regular basis, through this program we hope to help participants take their projects to the next level by understanding the artistic and technical elements allowing them to utilize video technology in more effective ways,” says project coordinator, Tamara Apmann.
Teams can use any type of camera. Workshops on basic storytelling, acting, videography, sound, and editing will be held at Tibbits during the ten-day production period. Arrangements can also be made to borrow equipment.
Further contest rules and registration forms can be found on the Tibbits website at Tibbits.org. Please call Tammy Apmann at 517-278-6029 or email boxoffice@tibbits.org for additional information.
T-Tab is a youth group composed of middle and high school students from throughout the county. They expand their knowledge of theatre by working behind the scenes for Tibbits Young Audiences productions, assisting with marketing, ushering, and through educational workshops.
The program is supported by funding from the Branch County Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) through a grant from their Youth Project Fund. YAC is the Community Foundation's youth philanthropy program and consists of individuals (ages 12-21) from Branch County and Colon, Michigan. The group is dedicated to effective grantmaking, endowment building, leadership, and improving the viability of our communities by involving youth in the visioning and decision-making process.
