(RED BANK, NJ) -- PROJECT FX 2016, the Count Basie Theatre’s statewide student film competition presented by Bank of America, is live at www.projectFXbasie.com. Starting now, students enrolled at any New Jersey high school or college can visit the site to learn about entering the competition, with an internship experience with Sony Pictures Classics at stake as the contest's grand prize.
On April 17, 2016, the Count Basie Theatre will proudly host the daylong PROJECT FX Festival, which will include workshops with film industry professionals, plus a showcase of the top vote getters in both the high school and college categories. New this year, the winning films in each category will also receive a screening and distribution consideration via a new, major film festival coming to the Count Basie Theatre, to be announced in 2016.
“Last year’s crop of PROJECT FX entries contained true, cinematic gems – works from students I’m certain will have long careers in film,” said Tom Bernard, co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics. “I am excited to see what we will find at this year’s PROJECT FX.”
PROJECT FX is open to students enrolled in any New Jersey high school or college as of September 1, 2015. Students have until February 1, 2016 to enter their films, which will then be judged upon by a panel of regional and industry-wide experts. Last year’s inaugural PROJECT FX competition and festival attracted dozens of high school and college applicants from throughout the state. Last year’s finalists are viewable at http://www.countbasietheatre.org/pfxfinalists2015.asp.
Entries into the PROJECT FX 2016 competition are limited to ten minutes, and must have been produced no earlier than January 2014 by students then and presently enrolled full-time in any New Jersey high school or college institution. Interested students will upload their films to either YouTube.com or Vimeo.com, and then fill out the official festival entry form at www.projectFXbasie.com. A $25 non-refundable fee is required to enter the competition, and films previously entered for PROJECT FX consideration are not eligible.
From there, a subcommittee and cast of master adjudicators will critique entries using a point system to rate each film’s storyline, cinematography, technical aspects, sound and editing. In March 2016, the ten highest vote-getters in both the high school and college categories will be posted on the PROJECT FX Facebook page at www.facebook.com/projectFXbasie, where a separate tally of “Likes” and “Shares” will also factor into final scoring.
Full competition rules, regulations, prerequisites and scoring guidelines can be found at www.projectfxbasie.com. Details on the April 17th onsite festival and workshops / panels will be released closer to that date.
