Fancied being a film maker? Can you tell a compelling story visually in just three minutes? Here is an opportunity. First Clap, India's first theatrically showcased talent hunt for aspiring filmmakers, was launched in Chennai with the aim of discovering new film making talent in the state.
Launched by Movie Buff, in association with actor Suriya’s 2D entertainment and Little Shows, the contest would allow budding talents in the industry to come up with short films. The top five shortlisted films, selected based on feedback from industry experts and audience voting, will be screened for a period of five weeks across 150 plus screens in the state.
“There is a huge dream and aspiration hidden in our society. Basically there is a director in everyone and small contests like this are only to identify the best talents and make them work along with the film industry. Moviebuff, being a platform developed to support the film industry, has always been looking at identifying the best talents,” says Jayendra Panchapakesan, Co-founder of Real Image Media Technologies, which started this initiative.
For all contestants, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to associate with industry bigwigs as well as to have their movie screened across the state, ensuring a much wider reach and direct audience feedback. The top three contestants, says Jayendra, will win cash prizes from 2D Entertainment and Moviebuff.com. The winner earns Rs. 3 lakhs in prize money while the first runner-up receives Rs. 2 lakh and the second runner-up Rs. 1 lakh. The winner will be given an opportunity to narrate their script to 2D Entertainment and an opportunity to intern at 2D Entertainment as well.
“This contest is an opportunity to tell an interesting story in three minutes – a challenge for any new talent or filmmaker who wants to make a mark proving their expertise. At the same time, when presented on the big screen, the filmmaker can also gauge and experience audience reaction first-hand. We all have ideas or experiences in life that are worthy of translation to film. It will be interesting to see the calibre of filmmaking this contest garners,” says Suriya. His company, 2D Entertainment which is a part of the contest, focuses on quality content ensuring entertainment with a difference by nurturing innovative talent and utilizing the best of technology.
“Given today’s scenario, digital cinema helps in shaping ideas and putting them across in accessible platforms. However, there is no organized way of showcasing young filmmakers. So Moviebuff, through this contest, shines the light on such passionate young talent. It is a platform of expression for aspiring filmmakers that enables them to communicate their ideas and perspectives with a much larger audience,” says Director Jayendra.
In a brief talk with THE WEEK, Jayendra further said Moviebuff.com aims to be an end-to-end solution for a variety of users’ right from consumers, content creators and exhibitors and serves the role of a one-stop-shop for these users, providing information as well as solutions for anything related to the business of movies.
The contest officially opened for submissions on December 14 and will go on till January 16, 2017 midnight. Participants can register on Moviebuff.com to submit their entries. A panel of eminent jurists comprising of filmmakers and film enthusiasts will assist in shortlisting the films, which will be published online for public voting. Moviebuff’s partner, Little Shows, will handle this process. On the basis of votes received from the general public, the top five films will be screened in over 150 screens across Tamil Nadu.
Further to this, Moviebuff.com will create five theatre groups. Each set of theatres will play one selected film once a week for a period of five weeks in the theatres. The general public will be invited to vote for their favorite film by SMS voting or app-based voting. The film that receives the highest number of votes will be declared the winner of the contest. Announcement of the winning entry is slated for April 2017.