FREE YOUR STORY Contest

THE CHALLENGE

Beyond event coverage and filmmaker interviews, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Channel provides a platform for emerging artists everywhere to connect with a worldwide audience interested in works by or about Asian Americans. Their latest digital initiative challenges you to tell your story without the constraints of space or time. Ten applicants will be chosen, six will compete, and one finalist will win a brand new HD camera and one year Supporter level membership to CAAM.

THE DETAILS

CAAM and Toyota Matrix are looking for 6 emerging storytellers to explore ideas of activity and movement in this exciting digital age. In a 5-7 minute piece in any film/video genre, allow your vision to take flight across time and space, from real to virtual, from inertia to motion. To drive your story, imagine you have a powerful Toyota Matrix device that moves your narrative forward – and keeping with the theme, this object is as open to interpretation as your story. Whether you use the actual vehicle or a Matrix-shaped portal, free yourself to delve into any subject matter – from immigration stories to voter voices to global issues. We challenge you to make the most interesting and insightful works and prove that creativity knows no boundaries.

Deadline is Monday, June 23, 2008 at 8PM PST.

WHAT YOU WIN

Grand Prize Winner* receives a HD video camera.

*Restrictions apply. See Contest Rules and Regulations for more details.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Create a one (1) minute video introduction, telling us who you are and why you should be chosen to compete for the grand prize. Be original, creative, and resourceful. Use anything to capture that video: web cam, camera phone, digital camera, etc. Videos need to be one minute or less. One introduction video per contestant.

2. Email michella[at]asianamericanmedia[dot]org the following information:

– Your Name

– Age

– Address

– Phone number

– A brief written bio

– 3 – 5 URLS for samples of works (all sample works must be online, youtube, google, myspace, personal sites, etc.)

– A short treatment (no more than 300 words) for the video you would make if you were chosen to compete in the Toyota Matrix FREE YOUR STORY Video Challenge

You have to be eighteen (18) years of age or older and a legal resident of the fifty (50) United States. To be able to participate, all entrants will be registered as CAAM Fans. CAAM Fan is a free membership to the Center for Asian American Media. For more information and benefits of CAAM Fan, click here.

3. Upload your video introduction here. YOUR NAME MUST BE IN THE TITLE OF YOUR UPLOADED WORK.

(Accepted video file formats are: .WMA, .MP3, .MPEG, .DV, .MPG, .MOV, .GCELP, .WAV, .WMV, .QT, .MP4, .AVI, .AMR-NB, .MOD, .3G2, .ASF, .3GP, .FLV, .MOVIECLIP. The maximum video length is 1 minute. Maximum file size is 100MB.)

If you have trouble uploading contact michella[at]asianamericanmedia.org.

4. Deadline is Monday, June 23, 2008 at 8PM PST

No entries or videos will be accepted after the deadline. Please make sure to allow enough time to upload your video.

JUDGING

1. The Top 10 Most Resourceful, Creative and Energetic applicants, selected from all the submissions by the FREE YOUR STORY CAAM Judges, will be posted on www.asianamericanmedia.org on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 5PM PST. Public Internet Voting will then determine the six finalists that advance to the video challenge round.

2. Voting Officially Ends Monday, July 21, 2008 at 5PM PST.

3. The six finalists of the FREE YOUR STORY Contest, chosen by Public Internet Voting, will be announced on the www.asianamericanmedia.org on Wednesday July 22, 2008.

4. The six finalists will then have three weeks to each make a 5-7 minute video about activity and movement using the Toyota Matrix object. Their final video deadline is August 12, 2008 at 5PM PST. The six videos will be posted on www.asianamericanmedia.org on August 13, 2008.

5. The FREE YOUR STORY jury will determine the winner by August 22, 2008. The winner will be featured on www.asianamericanmedia.org by August 25, 2008 and screened at a TBA outdoor screening in early Fall 2008.

Here’s a short video from the assistant director of the San Francisco Asian American Film festival put on by CAAM.

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