Submitting Student Films
How to Submit Student Films
1. Complete the film submission form, so the library can add your film to the library’s catalog (we’ll translate your data to library speak)
2. Create and submit to the Library a DVD clearly labeled to correspond with the identifying information submitted on the online submission form.
The DVD will contain the following items:
1. A QuickTime copy of the completed project in the project folder.
2. A copy of the mpeg and audio files used to create the DVD’s submitted to Faculty upon completion of the film.
If you want to share your film
Register for a free Vimeo account and upload your films to the site for use by the film school and library. (http://vimeo.com/) Allow “Watkins Library” access to your account so that we may easily grab your film if it is selected. You should read Vimeo’s terms of service and be sure you understand your rights and obligations. (http://vimeo.com/terms) Vimeo is not YouTube; they do not claim any rights to your work and allow you to restrict downloading and to make your site completely private.
The Watkins Film School Vimeo channel will display juried films and films selected at professors’ discretion.
Remember, at the end of each semester, project folders will be removed from the Shared Drive. When students prepare DVD’s for submission to department professors, the Library will be added to their distribution lists. These discs will be catalogued and placed in the Library’s collection.
5 Reasons this is a good thing!
1. It’s better than trying to do it yourself. Your film is safely stored in multiple ways in the library and cared for by professionals. You may move several times in the next few years. Something could get misplaced, but your film will always be safely in the archive.
2. As John Cage said: you can’t create and analyze at the same time. Most students have already moved on to another project before they finish their current one. What if you find later you want to revisit an older work? Having a high-quality copy on hand or accessible through an archive means you can always go back to it.
3. Good habits have to start somewhere. Building a preservation process into your productions will serve you well in the future. Learn now how to organize your working materials, use consistent methods, and make it your final production step to deposit a finished copy somewhere safe, because it’s easier than breaking bad habits later.
4. If you don’t care about your work, who will? Making the effort to ensure that your work is identified and stored properly and made accessible to people who want to see it will increase the likelihood that others will care for it too.
5. Do it yourself for free; do it for others and get paid! The organization and foresight involved in archiving your work are valuable and marketable skills. Even the greatest filmmakers got their start working on other people’s projects; demonstrating your resourcefulness through the care you take of your own work will serve you well when working for others.