Universities compete in Pioneer's extreme DVD making competition
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. has announced that nine film schools from the U.S. and Canada will compete for $20,000 in grants from Project Pioneer 2880, an extreme DVD making competition using new high speed DVD burners to go from script to final DVD in less than 48 hours. Writer, director and film competition winner, Pete Jones of HBO's Project Greenlight has signed on as creative consultant, creating the story concepts that students will use as the basis for their entries.
Jones also will lead the panel of judges who will select three finalists to participate in a screening event at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 9 in Las Vegas.
Nine universities will be competing for a $10,000 grand prize grant and $5,000 for grants for two runner-up schools. Each team will be given a scenario to follow and will be required to finalize a script, recruit a cast, determine shooting locations, film, edit and burn up to a 10-minute short onto DVD, all within a 48 hour (2880 minute) timeframe. Participating schools include:
Academy of Art College in San Francisco, California
Brooks Institute in Ventura, California
Columbia University, New York, New York
Florida St. University in Tallahassee, Florida
Los Angeles Film School in Los Angeles, California
Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois
Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada
University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma
University of Washington in Seattle, Washington
"Competitions such as Project Pioneer 2880 are a perfect way for our graduate students to challenge their creative limits and get recognition outside of the academic environment" said M. Sanchez, director of instruction at Columbia University Film School. "The project is a great way for our students to utilize their skills while learning to appreciate a filmmaker's greatest resource - time."
A panel of industry professionals will judge the shorts selecting two finalists and a winner for the January event. They will review the final DVDs based on six key areas including cinematography, screenplay, editing, use of technology, performance and overall impression. These elements will show how digital technology enhanced the filmmaking experience, made it more simple, less expensive, higher quality and allowed the students to pull from a wider range of resources.
Along with Pete Jones from the Project Greenlight team, the judges will include alumni from participating schools, media representatives with film critique and technology review experience and industry professionals who have worked on numerous television shows and films such as The Perfect Storm, The Princess Diaries, What's the Worst that Could Happen, Big Trouble, Gideon's Crossing and Even Stevens.
In addition, Videomaker Magazine will extend its editor-in-chief to assist in judging the Pioneer Extreme DVD Competition. Videomaker advocates the use of video production tools. They hope to educate society about ways to enrich video making. Videomaker also works to inspire and inform people about the potential of the video medium. Along with judging, Videomaker will supply each school with a one year subscription to the magazine.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video, computer and cable equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on four, core business domains including DVD, display technologies, Digital Network Entertainment and components. Founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Pioneer Corporation employs more than 31,000 people worldwide. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PIO).
To attend the Project Pioneer 2880 screening event in Las Vegas or to get in touch with one of the film schools regarding their involvement in this program, please contact: jjaqua@gcigroup.com.
Nine universities will be competing for a $10,000 grand prize grant and $5,000 for grants for two runner-up schools. Each team will be given a scenario to follow and will be required to finalize a script, recruit a cast, determine shooting locations, film, edit and burn up to a 10-minute short onto DVD, all within a 48 hour (2880 minute) timeframe. Participating schools include:
Academy of Art College in San Francisco, California
Brooks Institute in Ventura, California
Columbia University, New York, New York
Florida St. University in Tallahassee, Florida
Los Angeles Film School in Los Angeles, California
Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois
Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada
University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma
University of Washington in Seattle, Washington
"Competitions such as Project Pioneer 2880 are a perfect way for our graduate students to challenge their creative limits and get recognition outside of the academic environment" said M. Sanchez, director of instruction at Columbia University Film School. "The project is a great way for our students to utilize their skills while learning to appreciate a filmmaker's greatest resource - time."
A panel of industry professionals will judge the shorts selecting two finalists and a winner for the January event. They will review the final DVDs based on six key areas including cinematography, screenplay, editing, use of technology, performance and overall impression. These elements will show how digital technology enhanced the filmmaking experience, made it more simple, less expensive, higher quality and allowed the students to pull from a wider range of resources.
Along with Pete Jones from the Project Greenlight team, the judges will include alumni from participating schools, media representatives with film critique and technology review experience and industry professionals who have worked on numerous television shows and films such as The Perfect Storm, The Princess Diaries, What's the Worst that Could Happen, Big Trouble, Gideon's Crossing and Even Stevens.
In addition, Videomaker Magazine will extend its editor-in-chief to assist in judging the Pioneer Extreme DVD Competition. Videomaker advocates the use of video production tools. They hope to educate society about ways to enrich video making. Videomaker also works to inspire and inform people about the potential of the video medium. Along with judging, Videomaker will supply each school with a one year subscription to the magazine.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video, computer and cable equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on four, core business domains including DVD, display technologies, Digital Network Entertainment and components. Founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Pioneer Corporation employs more than 31,000 people worldwide. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PIO).
To attend the Project Pioneer 2880 screening event in Las Vegas or to get in touch with one of the film schools regarding their involvement in this program, please contact: jjaqua@gcigroup.com.
