• Download Mighty Asian 2009 Registration Info Package
• Registration is now CLOSED
  
  

1. Official Registration Package
2. Registration & Payment
3. Eligibility
4. Rules & Regulations
5. Genres
6. Pitch Session
7. Copyright
8. Visible Minority Groups
9. UBCP Member Requirements
10. Prizes

Official Registration Package

• Gather your team. Choose the genre(s). Incorporate one creative element (predetermined by MAMM). Pitch the story. Make your film.
• Get creative, keep it real, and have a blast making movies this summer!
• Now in its fifth year, the Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon raises the stakes & slims down to 13 days – running from August 8 to 20!

What’s new for MAMM 2009?

1. Compulsory 1: choose your genre – or combination of genres (see list of genres below).
2. Compulsory 2: incorporate into your film a creative element predetermined by MAMM. (Creative elements TBA).
3. Pitch your story to a panel of industry professionals & judges.
4. Shoot and edit an 8-minute film.
5. Attend the Gala Screening where the Top 3 films get awards. First place receives $1,000 cash.
6. Have your awarded film shown on television, aside from a guaranteed selection into Vancouver Asian Film Festival in November.

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Registration & Payment

DEADLINE:

• Thursday, August 6, 2009 – 6:00 PM
• By online at www.vaff.org (coming soon)

REGISTRATION FEE:

• Non-refundable registration fee of $50.00 per team
• Fee must be submitted by Thursday August 6, 2009, 6 PM PST
• Payment will only be accepted online. (coming soon)

TEAM LEADER:

• Each team must designate a leader who will be the main representative for all communications between the team and the MAMM / VAFF organizers and to accept any awards on behalf of their team.

TEAM LIMIT:

• Registration will be granted to the first 15 teams that apply, in the order applications are received.
• Additional teams that register will be placed on a Wait List, pending any withdrawals. (Wait List Teams that do not get into the competition will be refunded their entry fee.)

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Eligibility

1. Competition is open to British Columbia residents only
2. Films must be produced in their entirety in British Columbia.
3. A maximum of 15 teams, each up to a maximum of 10 members per team, is allowed to compete. In addition to the team members, any number of additional on-screen performers may be used in the film.
4. Each team may designate up to a maximum of 5 members as “key creative members,” i.e. Writer(s), Director(s), Producer(s), Director of Photography/Camera Operator(s). Each designated key creative team member may hold more than one key creative position.
5. Of the key creative members, at least 2 must be from a visible minority (see definition below), and of these 2 key creative members, at least 1 must be of Asian heritage.
6. The key creative members must participate on only one film and be a member only on one team.
7. At least one lead principle actor appearing in the final submitted film must be of Asian heritage. Any submitted film that does not have at least one lead actor of Asian heritage is disqualified from competition and will not be screened at the MAMM Gala Screening event.
8. Teams must supply their own equipment and materials to complete their films.
9. Executive members of VAFF are ineligible to participate.
10. Submitted films must not contain subject matter that contravenes the Criminal Code of Canada.

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Rules & Regulations

1. All team leaders and key creative members must attend the adjudicated pitch session on August 8, 2009, between 12 PM and 6 PM PST, at the Cineworks Studio (back lane entrance) 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver. Teams that do not attend will be disqualified from the competition and will not be screened at the MAMM Gala Screening event.
2. Submitted films must have a narrative or visual narrative structure. Films with a documentary, docudrama, music video or purely experimental structure will be disqualified from competition.
3. Submitted films must not significantly deviate from the outline pitched during the Pitch Session on August 8, 2009. Submitted films that are substantially different from the pitched outline will be disqualified from competition.
4. Submitted films must conform to the genre/multi-genre combination specified in the team registration form. Submitted films that do not conform to the declared genre will forfeit the percentage of the final score allocated to: Genre Conformity.
5. Submitted films must incorporate the mandatory “surprise creative element” provided by MAMM, which each team receives upon registration. The “surprise creative element” may be incorporated into the submitted film in any way the team sees fit, e.g. as a location, a wardrobe item, a line of dialogue. How the “surprise creative element” will be incorporated must be pitched to the judges at the Pitch Session on August 8 and must be documented in the Final Receipt Form upon submission of the film at the end of the contest. Submitted films that do not incorporate the “surprise creative element” as stated in the Pitch Session and confirmed on the team Final Receipt Form, will be disqualified from competition and will not be screened at the MAMM Gala Screening event.
6. Primary production for all films must take place within the contest duration, between August 8 and August 20, 2009.
7. All teams are responsible for securing their own cast, crew, budgets, locations, permits, equipment, transportation, production facilities, copyright clearances, insurance, health and safety, completion and output, and for submitting the completed film by the submission deadline.
8. All music and lyrics used in a film must be either original, used with permission, and/or copyrights-cleared.
9. Submitted films must be a maximum of 8 minutes in length, including credits.
10. Each team may have a maximum of 10 members/crew. Actors and background performers are exempt from this restriction.
11. Films must be NTSC compliant, submitted on disk or hard drive in digital Quicktime Movie (.mov) file format – compressed in DV, HDV, DVCPro HD, or ProRes. Please indicate one of these resolutions: 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, 1080i. Also, please indicate the frame rate used: 23.976 (preferred), or 29.97 fps. Teams may use any camera to “shoot” their film – however, they must deliver finished films in the above formats. MAMM reserves the right to convert the submissions in order to conform to the Gala Screening format requirements.
12. The VAFF logo and Cineworks logo must appear in the end credits. (Logos to be supplied by MAMM during post-production.)
13. Films, final documents and all releases must be submitted in person, by the team leader or a designated team member, to the MAMM Reception Table at Blanche Macdonald Centre (at City Square), #100 – 555 West 12th Ave., Vancouver, BC between 6 PM and 9 PM on Thursday August 20, 2009. Films submitted after 9 PM PST on Thursday, August 20, 2009 will be disqualified from competition and will not be screened at the MAMM Gala Screening event.
14. All qualifying films will premiere at a Gala Screening and wrap party on Saturday August 29 at Tinseltown Cinemas (check www.VAFF.org later for ticket and showtime details).

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Genres

Some basic genre types, and the key element/question that a film of that genre typically has and typically would answer.

Source: John Truby (www.truby.com)
Pick-Your-Genre HELPER

HORROR

• Key element: Defeat a monster
• Key question: What does it mean to be human, and what qualities are inhuman?

MYTH

• Key element: Go on a journey of self-discovery
• Key question: What is my destiny?

ACTION

• Key element: Engage in combat
• Key question: Do I fight or flee?

DETECTIVE

• Key element: Find the truth
• Key question: Who is guilty and who is innocent?

CRIME

• Key element: Catch a criminal
• Key question: Is anyone allowed to live above the law?

THRILLER

• Key element: Escape danger
• Key question: Is my suspicion that I am in danger, justified?

LOVE

• Key element: Get love
• Key question: How much can I love, in spite of the obstacle(s) in my way?

FANTASY

• Key element: Explore an imaginary world
• Key question: How do you live in this imaginary world?

SCIENCE FICTION

• Key element: Dealing with the tools of a futuristic world
• Key question: How do I create a better world than the one I’m in now?

COMEDY

• Key element: Get success/romance, with humour
• Key question: Do I lie, or show my true self?

MIXED

• A combination of two or more genres
• Determine your primary genre first, then add story elements/beats of other genres where appropriate

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Pitch Session & Script

1. Registered teams will be given a specific time slot for their pitch session after Registration, which will take place on August 8, 2009, between 12 PM and 6 PM PST, at the Cineworks Studio (back lane entrance) 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver.
2. The pitch is a concise verbal and/or visual presentation of each team’s idea for their proposed film, made in person to a panel of judges by the team leader and designated key creative team members.
3. The team leader and at least 2 key creative team members must attend the pitch session.
4. The pitch must be no longer than ten (10) minutes.
5. The pitch must describe the premise, hook and essential beats/plot points of the story, and should include short descriptions of the principal characters and a clear idea of the genre/multi-genre combination, tone, pacing, target audience/market of the proposed film – and indicate how the suprise creative element will be incorporated.
6. Each team must bring four copies of a one-page outline or synopsis of the proposed film, either in point form or as a narrative paragraph.
7. The judges may ask the team leader and key creative members questions about any part of their pitch, and these answers will count toward the team’s final score.
8. The pitch session counts toward a significant percentage of the final score, reflecting its importance in the film industry as a primary method for filmmakers to attract or secure development financing for a screenplay to be written, or for a film to be produced.
9. The script counts toward a significant percentage of the final score, reflecting its importance to the effectiveness of any film with a strong narrative structure.
10. Any outstanding team signatures, final team roster, and requested registration documents must be handed in at the pitch session.

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Copyright

1. • Artwork, logos, trademarks, trademark names are not permitted in the films without submitting written permission by the owners for their use in the film. These documents will be collected on the submission deadline, August 20, 2009, at the Blanche Macdonald Centre.
2. • Copyrighted music and songs must be accompanied by written permission by the songwriter, band, or rights owners for use in the film. These documents will be collected on the submission deadline, August 20, 2009, at the Blanche Macdonald Centre.
3. It is understood that the filmmakers allow the Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival the right to use all submitted films in their entirety for promotional and fundraising purposes, including use of clips and images on the website, at events, in advertising, fundraising and sponsorship materials and activities, and any media outlets.
4. Rights to the submitted films remain with the filmmaker(s).

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Visible Minority Groups

1. Members of visible minorities in Canada include: Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, South East Asian (e.g. Cambodian, Indonesian, Laotian, Vietnamese), South Asian (e.g. Punjabi, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Pakistani), Black (e.g. African, Haitian, Jamaican, Somali), Arab (e.g. Armenian, Egyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, Moroccan), Latin American, and other (an other non-white racial group not identified).
2. (Source: Employment Equity Act)

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UBCP Member Requirements

1. UBCP (Union of BC Performers) will not provide performer waivers for MAMM-related films. However, UBCP offers various ultra low budget programs for producers.
2. Teams wishing to use UBCP performers in their film must abide by the UBCP performer payment regulations and application deadline for Ultra Low Budget Films. MAMM teams should consider applying no later than Friday July 24, 2009.
3. UBCP regulations state that teams must apply for and qualify for their UBCP 20/20 Ultra Low Budget Agreement at least 2 weeks prior to principal photography and agree to provide insurance for performers, including commercial general liability and accident-on-set coverage as required by the Agreement. (http://www.ubcp.com)

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Prizes

1. First place prize: $1,000 cash, plus 10 Cineworks Production Memberships ($1200 value)
2. Second place prize: 10 Cineworks Production Memberships
3. Third place prize: 10 Cineworks General Memberships ($400 value)
4. Prizes are awarded “as is” and cannot be exchanged. MAMM reserves the right to modify or substitute prizes prior to the Gala Screening event.

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• Download Mighty Asian 2009 Registration Info Package
• Registration is now CLOSED
  
  

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