Have a story to tell? Consider creating a stop motion short film. You could win $100!

The UTSC Library Makerspace is hosting its 3rd Annual Stop Motion Film Festival. You are invited to enter your short film. A prize of $100 will be awarded to the first place film.

Entry deadline is March 5, 11:59 p.m. Complete the registration form and send a zip file or link to a downloadable file to makerspace.utsc@utoronto.ca.

Requirements:

  • Participants must be current U of T undergraduate/graduate students. 
  • Participants can work in groups of up to four people. Only one prize will be awarded. 
  • The short film must be a minimum of 60 seconds and no longer than 3 minutes. 
  • Submissions must be in MP4 format. 
  • The film must use the traditional stop motion technique of moving objects incrementally and capturing the motion with a series of camera shots or frames; animation cels are not permitted. 
  • Additional material such as images are permitted, though the film must primarily consist of original stop motion footage.  
  • Any material (images, music, text, etc.) that is used must be original, copyright-free or participants have permission for their use. All work must be credited.
  • No theme restrictions, but the movie content must be legal and non-discriminatory. 
  • If dialogue is included, consider adding captions to reach a wider audience. 
  • Previous winners are not eligible to submit a film. 

A panel will judge the films on the following criteria:

  • Story: clear storyline, easy to understand 
  • Stop Motion: smooth, steady, in focus, movement is fairly natural  
  • Props: well crafted, used effectively  
  • Music and/or sound effects: fit well with the stop motion, makes the animation interesting  
  • Overall: cohesive, entertaining 

Film festival disclaimers: 

  • Any material (images, music, text, etc.) used in this film is original, royalty-free or permission has been obtained for their use.  The University of Toronto is not responsible for any infringing use of material. 
  • Participants retain all ownership of their short film 
  • Participants agree to publicly exhibit their short film at the film festival event 

Website image by rmathews100 from Pixabay