Antman's Short Film Contest #22 - Re-enactment

[Daniel Rutter]

Hey guys;

Stepping back into the bosses shoes again after a break, moving house and such. Also spending some time researching a new machine and getting my business up and running. Thanks to Bruce/Bif for taking over while I took my break... without him I wouldn't be running this contest as it is now.

Now that you know I'm back, lets get into it.

I've been running this contest for about 3 months, taking over after Huey handed in the reigns. I myself have been trying to think up ways to improve the entries, and the amount of them coming in to this contest, with nothing changing at all. Only one or two contests have more than 2 entries... and it's disappointing.

I don't want to see this contest die, and I'm sure some of those regular entrants (Timbit comes to mind) don't want to see it die either. WE NEED MORE ENTRIES. Because, I'm getting sick of running contests only to see one entry. If I see another contest with only one entry... I'll be forced to close the contest. I have no time to run a contest for only two or three people. I will be willing to dedicate my time, on the other hand, if these entries improve in quantity and quality. I've made changes to this contest to try and help those who were unable to enter due to the previous "rules"... and I'm yet to see these people actually enter. You got your three weeks, take them and use them!

A little piece of advice to those of you who are film makers, or want to be. YOU NEED TO LEARN TO WORK UNDER PRESSURE. Time limits are one of those limits. Procrastinating doesn't create, so rather than tell us all "the rules don't fit me", why not try fitting the rules?

To those of you who enter this contest as regularly as possible... PLEASE HELP ME BY DOING YOUR PART to advertise our contest. We're only small, we offer no prizes... but we encourage people to create by giving them ideas and letting them run with it. HELP US GET THIS CONTEST OUT THERE. If you love this contest as much as I do, you'll help us out!

ONTO THE CONTEST

THIS CONTESTS THEME IS: Re-Enactment

You have a favourite scene from a movie, right? If you're a movie buff, of course you do. Anything from the "You want the truth..." line in 'A Few Good Men', to "I'll be back" from the Terminator films.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to take your favourite scene from any film of your choosing, and re-create it in any way you see fit. You can take that scene, film it word for word and shot for shot.. or you can improve on it with your own ideas.

THERE IS A TWIST! You must include THESE ITEMS: (1) Cigarette, lit., and (1) ACE OF SPADES. "But they have nothing to do with my scene!"... so what? Shirking challenges isn't what this contest is all about!

I WANNA SEE QUALITY guys! Quality audio, quality lighting! Let's ramp this contest up a little!

YOU HAVE THREE WEEKS TO COMPLETE YOUR MISSION. Your debrief will commence on the 18th of April, 2011 at 12am UTC. That's a Monday, for some of you Countdown To Contest deadline!

GO CREATE!

[YouWereThinkingTheSame]

No rules about copyright this time? Also, shoe-horning in the lit cigarette and the ace of spades is a bad bad idea. It cuts off a lot movie scenes. Say I wanted to do the opening scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey with the apes and the Monolith? What about any scene that takes place before cigarettes/playing cards were invented? What about a scene with a dying patient in a hospital where smoking is banned? Then there is the part where most indoor buildings in the real world prohibit smoking. What about younger participants that might not even be allowed to BUY cigarettes? Please remove the twist. It adds nothing, and takes away a lot.

You might also want to add the rules to your post. Still PG-13? Still under five minutes?

[Daniel Rutter]

Please remove the twist. It adds nothing, and takes away a lot.

That's your opinion. The "Twist" has been requested by a few members...

[drapeama]

THIS CONTESTS THEME IS: Re-Enactment
THERE IS A TWIST! You must include THESE ITEMS: (1) Cigarette, lit., and (1) ACE OF SPADES. "But they have nothing to do with my scene!"... so what?

That's your opinion. The "Twist" has been requested by a few members...

1) Alright, the re-enactment theme we've been waiting for so many weeks!
2) Why adding a twist? I mean, with an open genre/theme with only the twist it was great, but with a scene reenactment...The only problem I see is that: "What if I wanted to recreate the bank Robbery in Dirty Harry? Or a scene from Pitch Black? I mean, movies where the ace of spades has nothing to do in it? anyway, as always, you decide. My point is, we should have a reenactment scene straight, open genre but straight.
3) Cool, if a few members requested that, then you'll get a few members in this one, but probably not me thought. The twist kind of stops me here.

[Vishus]

3) Cool, if a few members requested that, then you'll get a few members in this one, but probably not me thought. The twist kind of stops me here.

It might not be a deal breaker for me, but it is limiting. If we're looking for more entries, the "twist" feels counter-intuitive for me. I guess time will tell!

[drapeama]

If we're looking for more entries, the "twist" feels counter-intuitive for me

I second that.

[Daniel Rutter]

How is it limiting? You guys honestly can't see any way to put in a lit cigarette and a playing card in the scene? The is no rule stating HOW it must be used, or where... it doesn't say the characters have to interact with it...

The only limit is your imagination. If you lack an imagination, then don't enter...
I'm not making any more changes to suit the individuals who won't use their heads. We've tried handing you a story on a platter and all you did was whine.

[Shaunp007]

How is it limiting? You guys honestly can't see any way to put in a lit cigarette and a playing card in the scene?

You were wondering how it is limiting? I was going to do the scene from pulp fiction where marcellus was talking to butch (bruce willis). I can't do it now cause in Indiana you can't smoke in bars...I can't light up in there. I could just throw a scene in where someone is standing outside smoking and flipping cards but why? It would just come off as distracting. What if someone usually just films in their home and they don't want it smelling like smoke? My wife would kill me if I brought cigarettes home and lit them in the house.

Nothing against you Daniel, props to you for running the contest, its a great thing. But to say you want more participants and then saying, well..you gotta go buy cigs and try to find a place where you can actually light up, sure does limit our location choices, and in turn limits the scene we would choose to re-enact which defeats the whole purpose of the re-enactment genre.

[charlie_tango]

The only limit is your imagination. If you lack an imagination, then don't enter...
I'm not making any more changes to suit the individuals who won't use their heads. We've tried handing you a story on a platter and all you did was whine.

It's not interresting, sure a bit of challenge is fun, youre asking to recreate a scene and include element that not supposed to be in the original scene. You said you served it on a platter but in fact you only make it harder with that twist... no wonder that people don't rush to enter it!

edit: what if i'd like to recreate the scene from titanic with cigarette/lit./ace of spade..? it's not that scene anymore. So it's not scene reenactment.

[paperkut12]

The "Twist" has been requested by a few members...

Who requested a twist to have cigarettes and playing cards in the scene? Like others, it's quite baffling to me. I know it's your contest to run, but seeing as it's not a popular idea right now, I put my vote in to remove it for what it's worth. Please consider.

[Timbit]

I put my vote in to remove it for what it's worth. Please consider.

As do I. I'm not about to work hard, make a short, and then have it disqualified due to it not having a cigarette or an Ace of Spades card.

Firstly, I don't smoke, non of my friends smoke, and I'm not about to go spend money I don't have to just buy a pack for one shot. Aside from that, I'm allergic to cigarette smoke.

And secondly, I don't have a pack of regular playing cards, so then again I'd have to go buy one.

I say, cut the twist. If you want it kept, change it to something else. Here in Ontario (and I imagine other provinces), you can't smoke in public places or in a confined space with young children, as well as many other stipulations.

If you want to run the contest to the ground, that's fine. I'd lose my initiative to practice and improve my filmmaking, but I guess that's only my concern.

[charlie_tango]

Who requested a twist [...] I know it's your contest to run, but seeing as it's not a popular idea right now, I put my vote in to remove it for what it's worth. Please consider.

I totally agree with you. More little & simple over harder themes. It would certainly not harm.

[YouWereThinkingTheSame]

How is it limiting? You guys honestly can't see any way to put in a lit cigarette and a playing card in the scene? The is no rule stating HOW it must be used, or where... it doesn't say the characters have to interact with it...

The only limit is your imagination. If you lack an imagination, then don't enter...
I'm not making any more changes to suit the individuals who won't use their heads. We've tried handing you a story on a platter and all you did was whine.

You honestly think this is an appropriate response for someone running a contest?

[Playing]

If you lack an imagination, then don't enter...
I'm not making any more changes

Daniel, this might not be the right tone to attract entries. I for one don't respond too well to it.
The only scene I would be willing to involve a cigarette is the one where the cancer victim holds it against the hole in his throat where his vocal cords used to be.

Not a deal breaker, but I am with the voters against it.

[RockDonkey]

Discussions about the themes before they are announced please.

[drapeama]

Discussions about the themes before they are announced please.

That would be a great idea. At least we could avoid a situation like the current one before the announcement of the theme.
I vote to remove the twist.
Against: 1
For it: ?

[Bif]

Everyone: A little imagination, example...

Shot of person from back (closeup) over shoulder showing hand of cards with ACE OF SPADES being inserted. Out of focus but across table second card player with lit cigarette in hand tossing his hand of cards down in disgust.

Cut to closeup of him then closeup of hand as he stubs out cigarette in ashtray (this could be done at night out on a back porch or card table setup on a patio. No house gets "stinked" up, no family members have to endure inside smoke. One or two lights...even clamp on reflectors).

Second card player says: "You know, this is boring". "I'd like to feel more like Vin Diesel in Pitch Black than bored out of my guourd fiddling with cards"!

Dissolve to your version of Pitch Black scene starring second card player.

Just one of many ways the "twist" could be done.

I'm going to try to say it ONE MORE TIME. No other contest or challenge venue I know of allows the entrants to know the theme and any items to be included before they are "entered" to produce an entry. They either produce or go home in shame.

Nor are any of the parameters subject to question. NEVER that I've seen.

So you can THINK and do something, or not do something. It's a "challenge".

On the last one, nobody liked it and I understand. But you were "challenged" and asked to do something that did have some potential to draw some of the rest of the site's interest towards this contest thing. This was requested my Mal (who would like to see this grow) and it was EXPLAINED to you.

Only ONE had the guts and gumption to try, the rest of you just said to yourselves "I don't like it", or "This puts me off", or "I can't do anything...".

Daniel has given you partly what you asked for, but with that "twist" to make it more challenging.

Work that "twist" in as best you can...Or hang your heads in shame!

I'm sorry to come across this way, but I literally cannot believe what I'm seeing here.

Bruce Foreman

[paperkut12]

Well, I'm going to have to disagree. The last contest didn't do well because, like you said, they didn't like it. I'm all for a challenge and all, but doesn't this contest need some entries? Take example: the trailer contest. It got a good amount of entries. Why? Because it was a fun theme without any restrictions. This "twist" it just hinders potential newcomers who I have read had hard times coming up with an idea; no need to throw another obstacle in the way.

Either way, I'm still going to try and submit an entry despite the added twist (because I've pushed for this theme A LOT), but I think it just hurts more than it helps. If we're talking about a site that consistently got a hefty amount of entries per contest, fantastic; but we're not. We're talking about a site's contest that has a hard time getting more than 1/2 entries consecutively.

Getting an idea sometimes is the biggest challenge for some people, lets give them as big of an invitation as we can to submit something before we throw too many challenges at them.

Just my 2 cents. I want to see the contest thrive.

[Shaunp007]

Bruce,

Myself, like you would like to see more people enter these monthly contests. In terms of this particular theme, ask yourself which would get more entrys.

1. Re-enactment (unfettered)
2. Re-enactment (use of cigarettes and playing card as requirement)

Its not like the "twist" of featuring cigarettes and a playing card is hard or challenging us as filmmakers, it just comes off so arbitrary and counter-intuitive on a theme like "Re-enactment".

[drapeama]

Dissolve to your version of Pitch Black scene starring second card player.
Work that "twist" in as best you can...Or hang your heads in shame!

1) Bruce, I don't understand you on this one. This doesn't make any sense at all.
2) Well, I'm actually hanging mine reading all this...

Well, I'm going to have to disagree. [...] Either way, I'm still going to try and submit an entry despite the added twist (because I've pushed for this theme A LOT),

I thought the same too, after all, we ALL wanted it and I personally do shorts for fun, so let's get as many "non-competitive entries" as we can!

... it just comes off so arbitrary and counter-intuitive on a theme like "Re-enactment".

I agree. It's like suggesting to shoot a blue sky but requesting as a challenge to have it green without loosing skin tones...eh...

[HueyNRolf]

I'll pitch my ten cents in.
While Bruce has a good point, the hard truth is that there will be little or no entries again.
I don't understand the point of setting complicated conditions. Simple (flexible) themes yield more entries, at least they used to.

[Daniel Rutter]

I stand by what I've previously said, but this time more harshly so that you will actually take notice:

"I'm SICK OF CHANGING THINGS just to suit you. This is a contest, you choose whether or not you enter it because of the conditions it sets. If you lack the imagination to incorporate these two things into a scene, then don't enter. Don't like it? Don't enter. It's that simple".

The contest is dead anyway, the only reason I came back is to give you guys an opportunity to bring it back to life. If these conditions are so "limiting", then don't enter... let the contest die. If you all decide it's too hard for you, then don't enter the last Antmans contest. If there are no entries, or no more than two entries in this contest, I'm hanging my hat. Why waste my time bending the rules for others, who beg you to do it... then don't even show their faces here again? Why even bend the rules at all?

It's not my fault that you're too lazy to think of an idea.

[HueyNRolf]

The contest is dead anyway, the only reason I came back is to give you guys an opportunity to bring it back to life.

That's not how I remember it.

[paperkut12]

I don't want to see this contest die, and I'm sure some of those regular entrants (Timbit comes to mind) don't want to see it die either. WE NEED MORE ENTRIES.

The contest is dead anyway, the only reason I came back is to give you guys an opportunity to bring it back to life. If these conditions are so "limiting", then don't enter... let the contest die.

You want it alive or dead? A little bit mixed up here. Seriously though, I appreciate everything you do to run the contest, but if you want the better of the contest and to keep it alive, isn't it sensible to listen to the people that actually submit stuff to keep it alive? I think all the people here are voicing their opinions because they want it to keep going not because they're lazy, it's just an arbitrary twist.

[Shaunp007]

Antman's May 2011 Contest Theme - Childrens Fairy Tale

Twists - Must feature
1. Stereo headphones
2. Fifth of Jack Daniels or Jim Beam (note- Johnny Walker is not accepted)

...get to work.