14 DAY TRIAL // The online video sharing service YouTube launched a new contest yesterday which invites the participants to create 2-7 minutes long videos based on several guidelines provided by Jason Reitman. The contest will be started on October 7 and will be officially closed on November 9, the first 20 finalists being voted from November 23 till December 2 by the YouTube community. The winner of the competition will be presented on December 5. Because I'm sure all of you can't wait to find out the prizes, the winner of the contest will receive a $5000 debit card as well as a nine-days invitation to an international film festival held by HP. At this conference, the winner has the chance to meet the Fox Searchlight production executives.
In care you want to register for the competition, you should know there are several terms and conditions for the contest. First of all, the countries eligible for the contest are Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, UK and the US.
"YouTube provides a great platform for independent filmmakers to build and grow a global audience for their short films and video projects. Project Direct will recognize the best filmmakers and reward them for their creativity and ingenuity," said Jamie Byrne, head of product marketing, YouTube. "We created this competition for an international audience as video is a universal way for people to communicate and express themselves."
As I said, the contest is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, the company which encouraged the users to upload videos for several programs started by it.
"We're thrilled to be involved with Project Direct - it's a natural extension of our 'What do you have to say?' campaign," said Daina Middleton, director of global advertising and interactive marketing, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "Our campaign seeks to spark creativity and personalization among people around the globe; we see this contest as an opportunity to extend that support to the YouTube community."
If you want to read more information about the contest as well as to register for it, check the official page hosted by YouTube available here.