2015 MY STORY MY CONTENT SHORT FILM COMPETITION – CALLING FOR ENTRIES

CREATE A 60-SECOND FILM AND WIN
ONE OF TWO $1000 CASH PRIZES, PLUS
DVD/BLU-RAY PACKS, MOVIE TICKETS AND MORE!

After two successful years, IP Awareness and Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) are proud to present the 2015 My Story My Content Short Film Competition.

The 2014 competition attracted hundreds of innovative, ambitious and creative submissions from students all over Australia.

• We awarded thousands of dollars’ worth of cash and prizes.
• Selected finalists were screened on Foxtel community channel Aurora TV.
• All finalists were recognised at the prestigious ATOM Awards in Melbourne.
• More than 2000 votes were received for the Audience Choice awards.

ATOM Chairperson Roger Dunscombe said:

My Story My Content is an excellent opportunity for the future generation of filmmakers from schools across Australia and New Zealand to make short films that will raise awareness and help foster a vibrant screen industry. There are fantastic prizes on offer!

To enter My Story My Content, students must create a 60-second short film and submit it into one of the following two categories:

• Primary Schools/Students
• Secondary Schools/Students

Entries must be based on this year’s theme: ‘Movies Matter’. Your film must be about how or why movies matter and include a reference to film piracy or its impact.

IP Awareness Executive Director Lori Flekser said:

We know good digital citizenship is increasingly relevant to our politicians, business leaders and educators. With new copyright legislation currently underway, it is imperative to bring this issue into the classroom. Our research shows that respecting copyright online and maintaining cybersafety are interlinked – accessing film and television via piracy websites poses dangers such as exposure to unregulated, high-risk advertising, malware, scams and viruses.

Creating a short film involves not just ideas, but time and skill to execute the film’s production. We believe that there is no better way for students to learn about the value of content than by making their own short film.

The new-look 2015 My Story My Content website includes the competition rules, online entry system, additional information for teachers, plus all thirty finalists’ films from 2014.

COMPETITION OUTLINE

• Entry is free, and is open to all students in Australia and New Zealand.
• All films must be made specifically for this competition.
• All entries must be submitted online at mystorymycontent.com, including uploading of the short film and at least three still images from the film.
• Entrants may submit multiple entries, as long as each entry differs significantly from any others submitted by that entrant.
• Entries close at midday AEST, Monday 10 August 2015.
• The winners will be announced at the 2015 ATOM Awards Student Awards Evening, to be held in Melbourne this October.
• The first-place prize in each category includes $1000 cash. Other prizes include DVD/Blu-ray packs, movie tickets and more.

MY STORY MY CONTENT TEACHING RESOURCE

To add further value for educators, IP Awareness is developing a free online teaching resource for My Story My Content, with clear curriculum links.

It presents a hands-on approach to making a short film and encourages students to value content from the perspective of a creator as well as appreciate their own role as citizens whose behaviour makes a difference. The unit includes:

• a lesson plan, with a step-by-step lesson outline and relevant visual links;
• a fact sheet to assist students to understand copyright and its relationship to digital citizenship;
• a resources pack to support their filmmaking process.

This resource has been developed for primary years 3–6 and secondary years 7–10, and will be available for download at mystorymycontent.com soon.

To learn more about My Story My Content,
or to view any of last year’s finalists for inspiration,
please visit mystorymycontent.com.

Entries close at midday AEST, Monday 10 August 2015.

Good luck!

IP Awareness promotes screen copyright by conducting research, creating consumer awareness campaigns and producing educational programs and resources for Australian primary and secondary schools. Almost 50,000 Australians depend on the film and television industry for their livelihoods, including those in production, distribution, exhibition and retail.
www.ipawareness.com.au

Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) is an independent, not-for-profit, professional association that has been promoting the study of media and screen literacy for nearly fifty years. The membership of ATOM includes teachers and lecturers from across all subject disciplines at all levels of education. The membership also includes media-industry personnel, a range of media and education organisations and, increasingly, the general public interested in the media.
www.metromagazine.com.au

Peter Tapp
Managing Editor
Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM)

T: (+61 3) 9525 5302
F: (+61 3) 9537 2325
E: mystorymycontent@atom.org.au