yes! today’s the day we can start talking about this! (we’ve been holding it in for a while and it feels so good to let it out!). today, stillmotion is announcing Big Shorts, a filmmaking challenge meant to make you look at storytelling from a different perspective. rather, to hear it differently…

the aim:

to harness the fierce power of audio, whether it be natural (nat) sound, dialogue, or your soundtrack. we’ve found that audio is one of the most overlooked elements in filmmaking, so we’re challenging you to make it your focus! we hope it’ll give your approach a swift kick in the <bleep> and get you thinking in a different way – one that will pull your viewer in deep and make them even more captivated by your visuals.

assignment deets:

we’ve got two categories: hobbyist and pro. you be the judge of which group you belong to and which of the two challenges is best suited to your skill level.

hobbyist:  create a 55-60 second film
use the theme of “family”
use the song “Honey” by Sunbeam
put an emphasis on nat sound in the piece

pro:  create a 115 to 120 second film
use the theme of “home”
use the song “Building Houses” by Wesley Jensen
put an emphasis on nat sound as well as dialogue in the piece
include the line “my heart is” somewhere in the dialogue, either spoken on camera or as a voice over

both categories have until August 21st, 2012 to create their film. pieces under or over the intended length will be disqualified, so time things right! we’ve given you 5 seconds of buffer room so no excuses! you can use any section of your group’s song for your piece, but please use only that song. work alone or with a friend. got more than one friend? that works too. we like social folk.

as educators, and to be very honest, in everything we do at stillmotion, ethics is huge.  Patrick, Amina and I have structured stillmotion in a way that builds real relationships while cultivating creativity.  our education outlets follow suit.

every time we speak publicly, design the latest SMAPP tutorial, or decide on having a behind the scenes crew follow us at a specific shoot, we’re looking to build real relationships with our audience.  at the same time, we’re hoping to spark a creativity match in each and every mind that our educational content reaches.  simply put, we’re looking to build the filmmaking community and provide the same opportunities we’ve been given to those who have their minds and hearts in the right place.

being prepared is needed in what we do, especially when it comes to larger commercial projects. but, one of the the most exciting times on any shoot is when something surprising happens and you can just run with it.

one of the most interesting times this has happened was when we were spending time with Ernie Els for Callaway. like many professional athletes, there is often red tape around some of their lives – particularly around family. it’s very understandable, as so much of their life is public domain, home is often the one and only sacred place where these very public figures can be private.

with Ernie Els, it was certainly the assumption we had going in to the shoot – we knew there may be an opportunity to film at his house, but overall it would be a small part of his film. but as many shoots start with one plan, schedules and locations can shift and change, and in this case what was originally slotted for a very short time at Ernie’s house changed to an entire afternoon with his family.

we certainly didn’t expect to have as much time with him in his home, or have the opportunity to spend time with his entire family as they spent this sacred ‘off’ time together. it was a welcomed surprise, but a surprise none the less.

Last week With Etiquette ran a contest: The Wizard Suggests Knowledge and a part of the rules for entry included notes from you about what you challenges you face as filmmakers and what you’d like to learn from KNOW. we received a ton of entries and therefore a ton feedback on what you are excited to take away from the KNOW experience. thanks to everyone who entered we now have lots of great information to help us shape KNOW into the best experience for you. we have many neat ideas brewing and can’t wait to share them with everyone joining us on the tour!

so with that the Wizard has waved his wand and we have our winners.

the 5 winners for our secondary prizes were contacted last week and they each won a ticket to KNOW by stillmotion and a $199 With Etiquette credit

congrats again to Sam Schallberger, Kiera Faye, Aisha Jordan, Andrew Assaf and Michael Shu!

and now the big one. the grand prize winner goes home with (2) tickets to a KNOW by stillmotion, a $199 With Etiquette credit and a one hour 1-on-1 mentorship at their KNOW by stillmotion stop.

phew that’s a lot of knowledge. you ready for this? congrats to our grand prize winner

she’s old, she’s bossy, she’s got some quirks, but at the end of the day, she produces impressions that are downright perfect.  she also happens to be French.

inspiration is a funny thing – you really never know when it’s going to strike. on top of that, as we work in such a team driven environment with so many projects on the go at any given time, even when inspiration strikes, we rarely can act upon it right away.

in this particular case, With Etiquette was going through the process of having cards made.  after spending some time with Keegan and Katy of KeeganMeegan in their space discussing the project, i knew i had to find time to film the process.  their attention to detail, roots to the past, and love of their craft is something i just couldn’t pass up. so on the afternoon the cards were to be printed, i showed up with a camera, a tripod, 2 lenses and a light, and off we went.