Genus is proud to be one of the sponsors ofI AM THE APA! Chapter Video Contest.
 For years, APA members have been known for telling great stories, one frame at a time. This has worked well for most of us and led to very successful, rewarding careers.
But time and technology have moved on...with the availability of broadband and proliferation of the internet as the prime vehicle for our clients to reach their clients, advertisers now want motion. Either by itself or in combination with stills as part of their outreach/campaigns.

 

 

We know that many of our members have adopted Motion as an integral part of their service offerings and thought that a contest like this would be a good way to show the world that we, members of the APA, are more than just "still" photographers and that there is a wealth of "motion" talent and creativity in our ranks.What better way to accomplish this (and promote our organization ;-) than to have a promotional video contest based on the theme "I AM THE APA !"...?
Knowing photographers, we decided to have some fun with this by creating an inter-chapter competition complete with over $10,000 in bribes (oops, I meantswag/prizes/goodies/incentive/motivation ;-) including cash and a perpetual trophy that will be awarded to the chapter with the team that creates the "Best Overall" entry...

And to keep the creative pressure up, we've decided to have the sponsors, all motion industry related companies, judge their own categories so they'd have direct exposure to the talented teams...(see below for the list of great companies, prizes and categories)

So how's this going to work? Each chapter is allowed a single entry from their "creative team" (see "Things to keep in mind" below) and will be tasked to create and produce a "short" (1 minute minimum, 3 minute maximum) piece showcasing/interviewing/featuring their members and their reasons for being an APA member and the benefits they've derived from it.

Have fun with this...there are no conceptual limitations...if you and your team feel you can best showcase the APA and your talents with a music video, mock commercial, dramatic/comedic scripted piece or a documentary then go for it...Given APA's lineage, creatively intermixing stills with the video is encouraged.

Entries will start being accepted (via APA National’s "Dropbox") for posting on Jan 10th with a final deadline of Sunday Jan 29th, 2012 at 5pm PST.

(Note: Early entry will give more time to garner votes for the "Peoples Choice" award...hint, hint)

APA Officers, NEB and Contest committee members will have no input on the judging/results so they are eligible/encouraged to participate with their chapter teams.

Winner(s) will be announced Sunday Feb 12th, 2012

So how's this going to work? Each chapter is allowed a single entry from their "creative team" (see "Things to keep in mind" below) and will be tasked to create and produce a "short" (1 minute minimum, 3 minute maximum) piece showcasing/interviewing/featuring their members and their reasons for being an APA member and the benefits they've derived from it.

Have fun with this...there are no conceptual limitations...if you and your team feel you can best showcase the APA and your talents with a music video, mock commercial, dramatic/comedic scripted piece or a documentary then go for it...Given APA's lineage, creatively intermixing stills with the video is encouraged.

Entries will start being accepted (via APA National’s "Dropbox") for posting on Jan 10th with a final deadline of Sunday Jan 29th, 2012 at 5pm PST.

(Note: Early entry will give more time to garner votes for the "Peoples Choice" award...hint, hint)

APA Officers, NEB and Contest committee members will have no input on the judging/results so they are eligible/encouraged to participate with their chapter teams.

Winner(s) will be announced Sunday Feb 12th, 2012" Best Overall" winning entry will be chosen based on creativity, being on message, effectiveness for APA promotional use (broad appeal/call to action) and overall production value by a group of un-named, but very prominent advertising industry professionals...we'll tell you who after the contest ends.

And yes, the Overall winner is eligible for other categories in addition to Best Overall.

We have set up a Vimeo page for showcasing the entries. This will also serve as a venue for the "Peoples Choice" award voting...(Most "Likes" and Comments wins).

Here's the categories and sponsors/prizes:

* Best Overall ­- APA National ($500 cash, perpetual trophy) and others (Master Course by Hollywood Camera Works, Subscription to Controlled Vocabulary Keyword Catalog and more...)

* Best Production value - Cinevate (Atlas 10 LTS)

* Best Visual Experience - smallHD (Dp4 EVF)

* Most Innovative -­ Kessler Crane -

KC lite 8' Camera Crane/case

* Best Lighting - Switchbladegrip (Switchblade grip kit)

* Best Use of Humor -­ Controlled Vocabulary

(1 year CV Library)

* Best Integration of Stills and Video -­ Roberts Imaging

(Tenba Camera Bag)* Best “Run and Gun” Technique - GenusTech (Shoulder Brace kit)

* Best “Indi Style” - indiSystem (indi Air Slider Pro)

* Best Locations -­ ThinkTank Photo

(Airport Security Rolling Bag)

* Best Directing ­- Hollywood Camera Works

(Master Course DVD set)

* Best Use of Movement - Glidecam

Glidecam HD-4000 camera stabilizer)

* Best Editing – Adobe (Premiere Pro CS5.5)
Get your FREE 30 day trial of Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5.

* Best Sound – TBD * Best “BTS” (behind the scenes/making of) Video - TBA

* Peoples Choice - surprise

Things to keep in mind:

- While primarily serving as a showcase reel for the APA and its members, this should contain a "call to action" for prospective new members.

- "Creative Teams" should be composed primarily of current chapter members, although the use of non-member "specialists" (ie.: MUA, Sound, etc) is allowed. Use of Actors in a scripted or "mockumercial" piece is allowed. ALL talent and creatives should be prominently credited. Remember that one of the primary goals of this contest is to highlight the talent of our members.

- Best Overall will be presented to the Chapter while Category awards will be presented to the "Teams" to disperse as they feel proper.

- Teams might also want to think about creating a separate "BTS" (behind the scene) or "making of" piece that highlights the cooperative/conceptual process of creating the piece...this could serve as an additional promotional vehicle for the chapter/individual talent.

- All subjects/creators/talent will need to sign a release allowing the APA to use the videos for promotional purposes with no further compensation. Download the Release (pdf) here.

- Entries should be focused on the positive aspects of being a member of the APA as well as highlighting the talent and diversity of our membership.

- Please be aware of any potential usage issues with featured products, images, personalities, logos, music, etc. As always, please respect the copyrights/trademarks of others.

- Most of all, let's try to have fun with this and promote the APA, member benefits and our talent pool in a positive, visually exciting way.

THE FINE PRINT: By submitting an entry, each Chapter and each person involved in the creation of an entry grants the APA the right to use the material submitted on its website and in any other medium, whether now known or hereafter devised, for the purpose of advertising and promoting the APA.  The APA reserves the right to edit, alter or re-cut any entry submission. By submitting an entry, each participant represents and warrants to the APA that (i) all material contained in that entry is original to its authors; (ii) all participants in the creation of the entry have granted the Chapter all rights (including copyright) in and to their contributions or have obtained all releases from persons appearing in the entry necessary for the Chapter to grant the APA the rights granted by submission of the entry (iii) nothing in any entry shall defame or violate the rights of any third party. Each Chapter and each person involved in creation of an entry shall indemnify, defend and hold the APA harmless from and against any damages, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) resulting from a breach of the representations and warranties stated above with respect to that entry or a claim that any material contained in that entry violates the rights of any third party including, but not limited to copyright, right of privacy or right of publicity. The creators of each entry hereby grant the APA to use their names, likenesses and biographies in connection with the exhibition of the entries and in connection with promotion of the APA, generally.