Elon is one of a dozen universities where students this fall will be eligible to enter original screenplays in the nationwide Sprite Refreshing Films™ contest or apply to direct one of the six short films chosen for production.
Sprite Refreshing Films™ is a program “that gives future moviemakers a chance to create real films with industry pros and celebrities.” Entry forms and applications can be downloaded from the contest website.
The deadline for script submissions and position applications is Nov. 30, 2010. Scripts must be between five and 15 pages in length. A panel of judges will select semifinalists for filming by Jan. 28, 2011, and the six short films produced as a result will go head-to-head against each other in a nationwide vote via text messaging beginning April 1.
The three films that emerge from the head-to-head competition advance to another round of text voting. At the same time, a panel of industry professionals will also weigh in, and the film with the highest combined score will be screened at an upcoming major film festival.
Everyone associated with the winning film will receive an all-expense paid, two-night trip to attend the screening.
Paul Castro, a visiting assistant professor in the School of Communications, is the lead sponsor and adviser for Elon. Contact Castro at pcastro@elon.edu for more information.
Participating schools include:
Elon University
Northwestern University
Savannah College of Art and Design
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Columbia University
Chapman University
Florida State University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Iowa
Indiana University
California State University Long Beach
University of Colorado at Denver