Jump to content

Colorlab's Summer Shorts: entries due soon


Ben McMurry

Recommended Posts

Have you made a theater-worthy short and are looking for exposure? Would you like your film preserved on actual film for generations to come? Colorlab is offering the chance to have your short made into a 35mm print and premiered at a Washington DC area theater.

 

Films must be narrative in nature, made in 2016 or 2017, be 20 minutes or shorter, be available in 4K, and have been shot with a majority of 4K video, 35mm film, and/or super-16mm film.

 

We have two categories, Color Narrative and Black and White Narrative. A renewed trend has been the exhibition of traditionally color films as black and white (Logan, Mad Max: Fury Road) and so films DID NOT have to be shot and finished in black and white to submit for the black and white category. Approximately ten finalists will be selected for judging, which will be done by Colorlab employees at a private screening. For full rules and entry form, please visit www.colorlab.com/shorts

 

Entries are due July 22nd. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Chris,

 

This year's Summer Shorts Contest is featuring 35mm prints as prizes, and so we want to show the best that 35mm can offer. Colorlab is a film lab and so we are heavily vested in our grand prize winners looking great and representing the medium of 35mm film.

 

Previous year's prizes included 16mm prints and we did not have the resolution requirement. We understand that a lot of quality filmmakers are not shooting or finishing on film or 4K video, and so while this might not be for everyone, we know that will we get a lot of worthwhile entries.

 

Finally, I'm not sure I understand your question of short notice. As of now there are still 16 days in which to submit a link to a video. We are not asking entrants to create a new film for this, as the requirements and above paragraph only state that the film be made in 2016 or 2017.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It just doesn't seem that inclusive. why must they be narrative in nature? What about all the experimental filmmakers who don't tell narrative stories. Would you turn away Stan Brakhage? A 35mm print, while nice and all, just is not that necessary these days. True, not for everyone at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But if we really wanted to submit, and shot on film, we only have 16, shortly to become 15 days to RESCAN our cut list and re-conform to 4k. Not for everyone, but for the wealthy among us. The old arguments that film is so cost prohibitive and only for the well heeled are given some fuel here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

We have two categories, Color Narrative and Black and White Narrative. A renewed trend has been the exhibition of traditionally color films as black and white (Logan, Mad Max: Fury Road) and so films DID NOT have to be shot and finished in black and white to submit for the black and white category.

 

Is that really "a thing", films completed in color being later exhibited in B&W...? What is that founded upon..? It seems loopy and a bit alien to me and I don't know why a festival of shorts would align itself with this idea...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And it says films Do not have to be shot or finished in black and white to be considered black and white. Kind of confusing to me. What is meant by finishing in B&W? Being a film lab, why not promote black and white as well as color?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Is that really "a thing", films completed in color being later exhibited in B&W...? What is that founded upon..? It seems loopy and a bit alien to me and I don't know why a festival of shorts would align itself with this idea...

 

It's not common but it has happened in the last few years. I suspect most if not all black and white entries will have originally been conceived as black and white, but it's left open. We are not a festival, but the reason we have aligned ourselves with one color winner and one black and white winner is based on film stock. We have one roll each of the color stocks and black and white stocks to offer as prizes, thus the 50/50 split. A 2,000' roll of stock will cover one 20 minute film, thus the time limit.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...