A new instant-film competition has been announced in Spokane: The 50 Hour Slam.

It’s a bit like the popular 48 Hour Film Festival, except … well, you’ll have two extra hours to complete your three-to-six minute film.

Actually, there are plenty of other differences. This contest will have a TV component – the entries will air on CMTV (Community Minded TV, channel 14) for a month. It will also have a considerable web component, with entries available for viewing in a four-month long “viral” contest, with online voting.

Also, CMTV will host a workshop a few weeks prior to the events, covering the technical aspects of filmmaking.

The organizers include: FAVES (Film and Video Enthusiasts of Spokane), Purple Crayon Pictures, CMTV, The Magic Lantern, CORPX and Isabella’s Restaurant. Juan A. Mas, known for his extensive work on many North by Northwest productions, is one of the event’s guiding forces.

Here are the key dates:

Tuesday, 7 p.m. at the Magic Lantern, 25 W. Main – A general meeting outlining the rules. Not mandatory, but highly recommended.

April 1, 7 p.m. at the Magic Lantern – Kick-off event in which the festival criteria are announced and the competition begins.

April 3, 9 p.m., at the Magic Lantern lobby – End of the 50 hours.

May 1, various times, Magic Lantern – Movie screenings and awards party.

Continue reading to see the complete news release: 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ‐

Contact: Juan A Mas

Email: dogma8@aol.com

Web Site: http://www.50HourSlam.com

F.A.V.E.S., PURPLE CRAYON PICTURES, COMMUNITY MINDED TELEVISION, THE MAGIC LANTERN

THEATER, CORPX AND ISABELLA’S RESTAURANT have partnered up to create a new annual film

competition event for Spokane which embraces the community spirit that thrives all along the east end of

Main street, or as it’s locally deemed, the "Hip Strip”. The event is called the

50 HOUR SLAM.

THE 50 HOUR SLAM is a film competition and festival open to all filmmakers in the Spokane and

Coeur d’Alene area. The idea is to create a festival to encourage new and emerging independent artists as

well as to challenge the more established filmmakers of the region. The filmmakers will have 50 hours to

complete a 3 to 6 minute movie; starting from the writing and development process all the way to the

final editing stage. The competitors will be encouraged to experiment and push their talents to create a

unique and entertaining piece for their entry. A set of criteria involving specific elements will be

presented, which must be incorporated into each entrant’s film to ensure that their submitted piece was

created within the allotted competition time.

A panel of judges has been formed which includes a number of local film critics and news professionals.

They will judge and score each film based on how well it incorporates the criteria mentioned above, and

also on the basis of story content, creativity, uniqueness, ingenuity and technical abilities. The panel will

choose a single winner, based off the highest average score among the judges. Then there will be two

scheduled screenings open to the public, where the top 15 movies will be shown. Here, the audience will

get a voice and be able to vote on their one favorite film from among the finalists. After that, all the

movies that entered the competition will have exclusive air time on CMTV for one month, then be placed

on THE 50 HOUR SLAM website for a 4 month long viral contest, where the film that receives the most

online votes will win and be announced at ReelSpokane in December.

Prior to the competition, CMTV will host a filmmaking workshop for anyone interested in getting some

basic filmmaking knowledge and technical experience. This workshop will be staffed by local

professional filmmaking volunteers. After the entire event there will be a seminar held by the partners and

judges for the competition filmmakers to discuss their films and the challenge of the 50 HOUR SLAM.

Keep an eye on www.50hourslam.com (coming soon) for updates.

IMPORTANT DATES

March 1 ‐ 7 pm at the Magic Lantern ‐ A General meeting outlining the event, competition rules, and

answering specific questions. This will be the only opportunity for entrants to talk the organizers. It is

not mandatory to attend, but highly recommended.

March 12 ‐ CMTV Workshop with Local Filmmakers ‐ A seminar covering the basics of the technical

aspects of filmmaking and equipment. (Highly recommended for new and intermediate filmmakers)

April 1 ‐ 7 pm at the Magic Lantern ‐ 50 Hour Kick off‐ Festival criteria announced, competition begins!

April 3 ‐ 9 pm at the Magic Lantern Lobby ‐ end of the 50 hours.

May 1 ‐ 2:30 pm at the Magic Lantern ‐ 1st screening (audience votes)

7:30 pm at the Magic Lantern ‐ 2nd screening ( audience votes)

9 pm Closing party at Isabella’s ‐ Winners announced

May 8 ‐ 10 am at Magic Lantern ‐ Competition Review Seminar for filmmakers with Partners and Judges.

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