64 Photos | View as slideshow >

The lovely people at The Belfast Children’s Festival invited us and our Mini Mogul Cinema to their fantastic festival in the Waterworks park. The Belfast Children’s Festival is run by Young at Art, a not for profit children’s arts organisation. It was set up in 1998 with a mission to make life from birth to eighteen as creative as possible through the arts. Alongside the festival it runs a year-round programme of outreach and events across Northern Ireland.

We showcased a reel of very high quality short films provided by the guys at Cinemagic to hundreds of kids. It also happened to be the hottest day for 7 months, so exhausted and slightly sunburned! we have returned with more great shots from the day, courtesy of Emma Campbell Photography

93 Photos | View as slideshow >

In the meantime why not have a browse through some of the fantastic behind the scenes photographs, courtesy of Emma Campbell Photography.
Go to www.emmacampbell.co.uk Keep an eye out for more from Emma on our website over the coming months.

A special thanks to all of the crew at The Princes’ Trust, you know who you are!! And a big thank you to the Princes’ Trust students who amazed us with their hard work and creativity, They managed to make their films in an unbelievably short space of time, and they did a fantastic job!! Thanks guys!!!!

A behind the scenes look at the Golden Wonder ad shoot at Mediazoo Studios in Belfast.

As with previous years our budgets are modest (up to £500 per film) but the scope for artistic expression is enormous and, as all the selected films will form part of this year’s showcase in our New-Media Roadshow / touring mini-festival and /or online presentation, the exposure will be through the gosh-darned roof.

So, if you want to enter an idea to be considered for a commission, here’s what we need from you.

1. A script or clear story synopsis + suggested tagline. Obvious I know, but we need to have the idea written down.
2. Storyboards with sound and dialogue below.
3. A shot list.
4. A 200-word statement of the director or writer’s intentions.
5. A CV / Resume stating your nationality and where in the world you’re currently residing.

Being friends to all humanity, the scheme is open to film-makers everywhere and we encourage applications from anyone, anywhere.

The Films:.

We’re looking for exciting, dynamic, moving, amusing, happy, sad, upbeat, downbeat and left-field pieces in any genre you please. We do however have a few conditions.

1. You must not use any film materials, music or copyrighted characters you don’t personally own or have the licence to use. So no ‘Star Wars’ fan films, pieces based on Beatles songs or re-purposed sequences from your favourite movies.

2. Any music you do commission from others for your film must be fully cleared. We will provide you with a basic Rights agreement for your composer as well as all other (simplified) paperwork needed for cast, crew, actors, editors, writers etc etc.

3. Running time. We’re serious about the 15 second time limit but we do allow, outside from the main body of the film, up to 10 seconds for titles and credits. The titles and credits are there for “creative elbow-room”. You can have 2 seconds of titles and 8 seconds of credits… or 10 and none… or none and 10… it’s up to you. You can also use text over picture with sound. When your film is shown in a program with other 15 Second Films the audience has to dial-in and dial-out of your film very quickly indeed. We allow one ‘cheat’… you can trim-off up to two seconds of credits to provide an end ‘sting’, or poignant moment. We also request that each film be topped and tailed by 2.5 seconds of black bumpers. So you’ll submit a finished item of exactly 30 seconds of length. Clear?

Formats:

Being modern forward thinking techno-savvy media types we’d naturally prefer every film to be shot and delivered in 16:9 on full 1080 HD. If however you have a pressing artistic need to shoot it in standard def or in a different aspect ratio, we can be convinced.

Production:

We will facilitate production insurance for all shoots, though this will not extend to unlicensed use of pyrotechnics, wilful criminal damage or anything that’s patently dangerous, immoral or nutso-cuckoo. Film-makers will need to provide complete risk assessments for their shoots. We can, where necessary assist in this process.

And, whilst we endeavour to provide camera rentals wherever possible, those with access to their own camera equipment are encouraged to use it.

We will also be providing, if necessary, editing facilities and post-production assistance.

Applications should be sent to info@15SecondFilmFestival.com with the words “15SFF Application” in the subject heading. We’re constantly looking for 15 Second Film ideas and are always willing to look at applications.

After a year for filling in all kinds of grant application forms the 15SFF finally secured decent funding. We were awarded £50,000 from the Arts Council & DCAL’s ‘Creative Industries Innovation Fund’ and £25,000 towards a touring vehicle from the Arts Council’s ‘Equipment Grant’ award to develop the 15 Second Film Festival Production scheme, Touring New-Media Roadshow, online New-Media / Viral Distribution wing and 15 Second Film School.

The core activities of the 15 Second Film Festival are: the creation / commissioning of new 15 Second Films through its yearly filmmaker-friendly Production Scheme; the rolling out of the Touring Festival & New-Media Roadshow (with and without ‘The Mini Mogul’ Cinema) with a major driving force being to establish new avenues of distribution / exhibition for the commercial exploitation of the product; and the development of exceptional creative talents in Film / New-Media education through the 15 Second Film School.

ALSO… we’ve opened a great new Filmmaking Space that we’re calling ‘Mediazoo Studios’ just behind the Europa Hotel. ‘Mediazoo Studios’ boasts two great working areas and we are already hiring out the space to other production companies / ad agencies / individual filmmakers.

Main Room: with a wide and full floor-to-ceiling in-built green screen with multiple infinity curves, high ceilings with pro lighting grid (green screen pre-lit with our own lights and lighting mixing desk), good fully certified electrics (3 x 63 Amp outputs), reasonable sound proofing, theatrical flooring, 8-step mobile warehouse steps, ground floor loading bay and three large windows that can be totally blacked out.

Production Area: with double-door loading dock, comfortable lounge area, costume and makeup area, hot-desks, Wi-Fi, great gas central heating system, modern open-plan kitchen area with fridge freezer, washing machine etc, decent toilet with a good shower… + two high-end Mac edit suites on an separate enclosed mezzanine floor, if needed… at additional cost.

+ The Studio is fully alarmed and there is on-complex security, 24 hour access, FREE parking and of course a very convenient Belfast City Centre location (right behind the Europa Hotel / Bus & Train Station, 5-minutes walk from the BBC and a simple pop-in from the M1 motorway.

Pictured above: Producer Villi Ragnarsson, Actor Jonathan Harden, Writer / Director Mik Duffy & Cinematographer Ryan Kernaghan in Mediazoo Studios for the shoot of ‘Hopper’ – a Northern Ireland Screen ‘dv8′ short.

View Larger Map

The 15 Second Film Festival was imaginatively set up by the Clones Festival organisers in the Broom Cupboard in the Lennard Arms Hotel… The 15SFF fans viewed the films from the back of an old motorcycle. Peter was chuffed to bits to be on the Jury judging the documentary entries and the Scanbitz Short Film Competition. There will be a Video Diary posted here as soon as it is edited.