Do you have what it takes to direct the next trailer to screen at the Brattle? We challenge YOU to come up with the best trailer of the year in our BRATTLE TRAILER SMACKDOWN contest!

We are looking for teams or individuals to create an original trailer for the fictional movie MIRANDA.

These trailers must be postmarked or dropped off at the Brattle Theatre by Sunday, July 1. The best of the entries will be screened at our upcoming TRAILER TREATS fundraiser on Thursday, July 19! The winner of the audience award will win a cash prize and the admiration of your friends!

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The Brattle Theatre announces an exciting addition to its annual celebration of movie marketing and backyard fun, TRAILER TREATS. The TRAILER SMACKDOWN is a homemade trailer contest where filmmakers will compete to make the most compelling trailer for an as-yet-unmade film entitled simply "MIRANDA". Each filmmaker (or filmmaking team) will be required to incorporate certain elements (genre, location, character type, action, etc) in their two minute or less trailer - see Competition Menu. All entries are due by July 1, 2007 and must include a Registration Form. A dedicated group of filmlovers will gather for a preliminary judging round and the finalists will be screened during TRAILER TREATS on July 19, 2007. A Grand Prize Audience Award will be voted on and a winner announced at the event. A cash prize will be awarded and the winning trailer will be featured on the Brattle's website as well as screened prior to certain features during our July/August calendar. A $10 entry fee is required with registration for the competition.


TRAILER REQUIREMENTS:

1. The goal of the Brattle's Trailer Smackdown is for teams or individuals to create an original trailer for the fictional movie MIRANDA.
2. Each trailer must include one item from each column listed on the entry form ("Genre", "Location", "Character", and "Action"). One written-in "Wild Card" will be allowed per entry. Please note: selecting one item does not preclude using other items from the same list.
3. All films submitted must be less than two (2) minutes in length.
4. The films may contain violence or nudity, but we cannot allow anything that would be deemed pornography. You may not harm real animals or unwilling people in the making of your video.

ENTRY FEE: An entry fee of $10 is required to participate. Entry fee must be received at the same time as the registration form. 80% of entry fee will contribute to final cash prizes to be awarded on July 19, 2007.

ENTRY DEADLINE: All completed films must include a completed Registration Form and be postmarked OR delivered by hand to the Brattle Theatre no later than July 1, 2007 (Attn: Smackdown '07, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138).

FORMAT: All films must be submitted on DVD (NTSC format) that is compatible with a consumer level DVD player. A backup copy on VHS may be submitted along with DVD entry. At the discretion of the organizers, an alternate DVD copy may be requested if technical problems are apparent. All copies of the film handed in for the contest will be retained by the organizers.

LABEL: Each film must bear a label stating YEAR, TEAM/FILMMAKER NAME, TITLE OF FILM ("MIRANDA" trailer), RUNNING TIME, CONTACT INFO (phone and/or email).

ASPECT RATIO: All films will be screened in 4:3 aspect ratio.  Teams may shoot in widescreen or other aspect ratios, but it is highly recommend letterboxing the film to 4:3 so it won't appear distorted at the screenings.

CREDITS:

1. Written credits for key technical and talent positions should be provided to organizers (i.e. director, cinematographer, editor, writer, actors/actresses) including any music and/or footage sources. On screen credits for technical and talent positions are not required.
2. If on-screen credits are included, they should be listed on one screen at the end, trailer-style, and not rolling for minutes like they would at the end of a feature.
3. On screen credits must include both a title treatment for the film MIRANDA and a separate card credit reading:

"Created for the Brattle Theatre's Trailer Smackdown 2007
www.brattlefilm.org"

JUDGES & JUDGING:

1. A preliminary judging round will determine a number of finalists to be screened on July 19, 2007 for Audience Award consideration. The number of films screened will be a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 20.
2. The judges of the preliminary round shall be individuals with experience in the motion picture industry, such that they are qualified to select winning films, as determined by the organizer in its sole discretion. The judges will be the sole arbiters deciding which entries are screened for Audience Award consideration.  No one will be allowed to be a Judge if he/she has any demonstrable bias or conflict of interest with respect to any of the Contest Entrants, as determined by the organizer in its sole discretion.
3. Final awards will be determined by audience ballot after the screening of the finalist films on July 19, 2007. An announcement of the winner and any runner-ups will be made at that time.

JUDGING CRITERIA: Trailers will be judged on creativity, technical merit, adherence to criteria, and "How badly they make us want to see MIRANDA." These are clearly subjective categories and will be treated as such. The judges will not use a point system. The final Audience Award and any runner-ups will be awarded based solely on a numerical score obtained by averaging all scores awarded by audience ballot.

OWNERSHIP OF MOVIES: The filmmakers maintain the rights to their finished trailers. However, The Brattle Theatre reserves the right to broadcast the trailers, include scenes from trailers in future promotional materials, and include trailers in DVD compilations.

ONLINE DISTRIBUTION: No movies may be posted online prior to the contest. If we find your movie online (YouTube, MySpace, etc) before the screening, you will be ineligible for the competition. After the screening, however, filmmakers are free to post their trailers online. The Brattle will feature the winning trailer as well as a few runner-ups on brattlefilm.org.

DISQUALIFICATION: The organizer reserves the right to disqualify any Team, Contributor, Entrant, or Entered Film that does not comply with the Official Rules and other Contest requirements otherwise communicated by the organizer. 

ELIGABILITY: Anyone can enter the Trailer Smackdown contest. There are no age restrictions and entry is open to amateurs and professionals alike. No one working on the film, however, can be paid. The screenings and award ceremonies will be held at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA, but you can still participate even if you aren't a Cambridge local. If you don't live in the area and still want to participate, just make sure your movie is mailed or in our hands by July 1, 2007.

Paid employees of the Brattle Film Foundation are welcome to participate in the contest but are not eligible for the Audience Award cash prize. A special Staff Section of the July 19 screening will be set aside for any such entries and a special prize may be awarded.