Trailer Competition

Are you an aspiring filmmaker? Would you like millions, er, thousands . . . okay, hundreds of people to see your amazing filmmaking skills?

If you answered “Yes” to either of those questions, then you should enter the Can You Hear Me Now? trailer contest!

Requirements:

1. trailers should focus on promoting the event and encouraging students and schools to get involved and enter a team
2. trailers must be between 90 seconds and 150 seconds long
3. trailers must include:
   1. Can You Hear Me Now? 2015 (name of the event – should be used prominently in the video)
   2. May 13 and 14, 2016 in Calgary (dates of the event – should be clearly identified in the video)
   3. CYHMN? logo (should be used prominently in the video)
   4. “What would you say if everyone was listening?” (CYHMN? slogan – should be used prominently in the video)
   5. canyouhearmenowyychs.com (instructions to check out our website for more information and/or resources)
4. must be in a file format and size that can be uploaded to YouTube
5. must run in 720p
6. cannot include any copyrighted material not owned by the creator of the video (including music, video clips, slogans, images, and/or graphics)

Contest Details:

Deadline:

All trailers must be received by March 25, 2016. They should be mailed no later than March 15, 2016.

Submission:

Mail a CD with a YouTube-compatible digital video file (copy the file onto the disc but do not format the CD to work in a media player) to:

Richard Wagner c/o Ernest Manning High School

20 Springborough Blvd SW, Calgary, AB T3H 0N7

Videos will be reviewed by representatives from Can You Hear Me Now? to determine a winner. Videos will be evaluated based on:

1. clarity and effectiveness of messaging (showing what CYHMN? is)
2. effectiveness of the video at capturing attention and interest
3. technical proficiency (effective editing, as well as video and sound production)

The director of the winning video will receive a Can You Hear Me Now? 2016 t-shirt and bag. The winning video will be prominently featured on the Can You Hear Me Now? website, at CYHMN? events, and before the preliminary and final rounds of the poetry slam in May. The video will also be shared with various media outlets to promote the event.

Additional Information:

If you have any questions, please email me (Richard Wagner) at rgwagner@cbe.ab.ca You should also email me to obtain a digital copy of the logo for use in your video.

You may include some/all of the following information in the video, or simply use it as background information to guide your creation of the trailer.

Can You Hear Me Now? is a poetry slam that is open to any school or writing club in Alberta.

For 2016, 16 schools will enter teams of 4 to 8 student poets. These poets compete against students from 3 other schools or writing clubs in preliminary bouts.

Teams must perform 5 poems during each bout, one or two of which need to be group poems. The scores from all of a team’s performances are combined to determine the team that wins each bout.

Each performance must be no longer than 3 minutes long and is scored by a panel of 5 judges with scores ranging from 0.0 to 10.0. The top 4 teams after the preliminary rounds make it into the finals, to determine the Alberta Schools’ Provincial Poetry Champions.

Poems can be written about any topic a poet chooses, but must be the poet’s own, original writing. No props or costumes are allowed. Singing or beat-boxing is permitted, but the performance must be focused on the poetry.

Videos of some of the performances from last year’s competition can be found on the Can You Hear Me Now? YouTube channel or by going to the “Can I Hear Who Now?” tab on the CYHMN? website:

www.canyouhearmenowyychs.com