February 5th, 2010
Each Friday, a CINE Award-winner, Board member, staffer, juror or FOC (“Friend of CINE”) will select a favorite quote, either from a film or about filmmaking/creativity, and explain why it’s a favorite.
Today: Betsy Walters, CINE’s Director of Competitions.
“Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.”
- The Muppet Movie
I love this quote for the following reasons:
- It’s both from a movie AND references movies. I get extra points for that, right?
- Jim Henson, besides being brilliant and revolutionary, was a two-time CINE Golden Eagle Award-winner.
- Anyone who encourages imagination and curiosity deserves to be quoted as frequently as possible.
- The wit and wisdom of the Muppets is eternal.
Do you have a favorite quote? Email it to info@cine.org with the subject “Friday Film Quote” and we’ll see you back here next Friday.
Like/dislike this quote? Comment below!
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February 4th, 2010
This week, we’ve been calling our 2010 CINE Special Jury Award winners to notify them of their win. That’s a task that never gets old, frankly. We’ll be posting the complete list of winners soon – and it’s a remarkable crop, watch as many as you possibly can – but until then, we wanted to take a minute to explain what the Special Jury Award is, and why the recipients are so extraordinary.
CINE holds two competitions per year to select recipients of the CINE Golden Eagle Award. The Golden Eagle is bestowed based on the individual merits of the film, and not in competition with the other entries in its category; if a category has 100 entries, there can be 100 Golden Eagle winners or none, depending on the quality of the submissions, and to receive a Golden Eagle, a production must achieve excellence in all facets.
In January, CINE’s Board of Directors meets to select the best Golden Eagle Award-winning film of the previous year for each of CINE’s categories, which become the winners of the CINE Special Jury Award. From the hundreds of submissions that CINE received in 2009, these productions are the 30 (or so) best.
Soon we’ll post clips, pictures and links from the 2010 Special Jury Award recipients, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts about these wonderful films. If you want to see your name in those ranks, enter your production into our Spring 2010 Competition, and hopefully we’ll see you back here next year.
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February 3rd, 2010
When you submit a production to CINE, you submit a form that tells us everything we need to know about that film. CINE juries use that information when evaluating entries, so what you put on paper should best serve what you present on screen. Here are a few tips to help you avoid the mistakes that may set your production back right out of the gate.
“INTENDED AUDIENCE”
DO NOT OVERSTATE YOUR AUDIENCE. Our juries frequently see “for a general audience,” “for all ages” or “for moviegoers from 9 to 99!” While that’s a remarkable goal, in most cases, the viewing preferences of the 9 year old and the 99 year old won’t be identical. Even a seemingly narrow audience (ie., “for grades K-6″) can in fact be too general; as any elementary school teacher can tell you, a video for a kindergarten classroom is almost never appropriate for sixth graders, and vice versa. Our jurors are always checking carefully to see if a film communicates well to its intended audience. If a production misses the mark with anyone within the stated range (and with a “general audience,” that’s virtually everyone) it will lose points – and, potentially, an award.
If your production is intended for 25 year old steel workers in western Pennsylvania, say so. The better the judges know your audience, the better they can evaluate how effectively your film speaks to them.
Read the rest of this entry »
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February 2nd, 2010
A few months ago, we unveiled the new CINE.org, and today, we’re thrilled to present its newest feature: the CINE Blog. Though it’s rather daunting for a 53-year old organization to dive headfirst into the world of blogging and social media (follow us on Twitter! And Facebook!), we’re excited to have the opportunity to engage with those who are making great media; and whether you are an entertainment mogul or a student filmmaker with a camera, a wing and a prayer, all are welcome – and represented.
Since it’s time for the Spring 2010 CINE Competition (have you entered yet?), we’ll have tips for entrants (including what not to do if you’re planning on entering); tell us what’s on your mind by submitting your Competition questions. And in the future, keep an eye out for exclusive news, updates, CINE winner Q&As and much more.
Finally, let us know what else you’d like to see in this space. We’re here to serve you, so holler (metaphorically) with your ideas.
Thanks for joining us in the blogosphere!
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