INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SILENT FILM FESTIVAL

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is the International Youth Silent Film Festival ( IYSFF)? The IYSFF is a competit ion for f i lmmakers aged 20 years and under (as at 15/04/15). Fi lmmakers must select one of seven original musical scores composed in different genres by US organist Nathan Avakian for the Wurlitzer Organ and use the score to set their 3-minute si lent f i lm to. All submissions wil l be shown on the cinema screen with l ive accompaniment at the IYSFF launch at Kingston City Hall .

Q. What is the Wurlitzer Organ?

The Wurlitzer Organ is housed in the Kingston City Hall , and was originally instal led in the State Theatre Melbourne in 1929. This organ is one of only four of its kind worldwide with others instal led in the Regent Theatre Melbourne, the State Theatre, Sydney, and the Trocadero Theatre in Elephant and Castle, London. The Moorabbin based organ was removed from the State Theatre in 1963, and subsequently instal led in the Moorabbin Town Hall, for the then Moorabbin City Council (now Kingston City Council ) , which sti l l owns the organ. The pipe chambers, almost 1500 in total, are situated high up at the rear of the stage in the Grand Hall.

Q: What do you mean by "silent fi lm"? A: Si lent f i lm was the very earl iest kind of f i lmmaking. It was invented around 1894 and was state-of-the-art entertainment unti l in 1929 sound fi lm appeared, in which the actors could actually speak on f i lm. Without spoken dialogue technology, si lent f i lmmakers had to tel l their stories with exaggerated action, printed tit le cards that provided commentary, and clever plots which could be

pulled off pictorial ly. Live music, played by a ski l led organist, accompanied si lent f i lms in the theatres, and added to the experience of seeing these stories on the big screen.

Q: Where can I see some examples? A: Please see the winners page at www.makesilentfi lm.com for some examples of si lent f i lms submitted to the IYSFF. A Silent Fi lm Guide is also available for teachers to download from our website at www.kingstonarts.com.au. Your school l ibrary or local l ibrary may have compilations on DVD. Look for si lent f i lms at your video rental store or online.

Q: Does my fi lm have to be black and white? A: No you can submit a f i lm in colour or in black & white. The reason the tradit ional look of si lent f i lms is black & white is because color f i lm stock did not exist. Many video cameras today al low the color feature to be turned off. I f yours cannot, or you prefer the color look, enter a color f i lm.

Q: Can my fi lm have sound effects or spoken dialogue? A: NO - your f i lm cannot have spoken dialogue (but can have written dialogue) and must not have sound effects. The sound must come from one of the music composit ions chosen from www.makesilentfi lm.com.

Q. Who is judging the IYSFF in Victoria? Films wil l be judged by an expert panel from the Austral ian f i lm industry and the judging panel wil l be revealed some time in 2014.

Q: What will make my fi lm stand out? A: The judges are looking for f i lms that are original, fun to watch, and tell a short story in an effective way - without spoken dialogue. Visit www.makesilentfi lm.com for the Judging Criteria.

Q: Can I submit more than one fi lm? A: Yes, but please enter each f i lm separately. Do not batch upload your f i lms. Do not enter multiple f i lms on the same Submission Form. Each entry must have its own Submission Form.

Q: Can my fi lm be longer or shorter than three minutes? A: NO. Your f i lm should begin and end with one of the music tracks provided on the www.makesilentfi lm.com website. Each of the provided music tracks are almost exactly three minutes in length, so your f i lm should be too.

Q: Can I use my own music? A: NO. Please do not edit the provided soundtracks, combine them, or use music other than the f i lm festival composit ions, as these wil l be performed l ive by an organist at the screening.

Q: Do I need to submit my fi lm with sound? A: YES: Please ensure you submit your f i lm for judging with the music genre chosen. The judges need to hear the music so they can judge your f i lm accordingly.

Q: Can we submit a fi lm as a group?

A: YES The IYSFF is open to individual f i lmmakers, school groups, clubs and creative f i lmmaking teams. It is a great event for teachers to engage students in f i lmmaking and the origins of f i lm in the classroom and we have provided some curriculum guidelines to help with these activit ies.

Groups submissions must adhere to the same guidelines. Where a teacher or supervisor has the authority to do so, you may act as the guardian and complete the submission for on behalf of your students. This wil l enable your students to complete the submission form during school t ime. To avoid any confl ict, please ensure f i lmmaking teams work out the allocation of prizes should they be awarded a prize.

Q: Can others help me make my fi lm? A: Yes, but al l f i lmmakers including those writ ing, f i lming and editing the f i lm must be 20 years old or younger on 15/04/2015.

Q: If we submit a fi lm as a group, do we all get a prize? A: Prizes are awarded per f i lm, not per individual. This means a f i lm made by several f i lmmakers would share in a single prize. It is up to the f i lmmakers how to divide the prize and we suggest you work this out before you submit your f i lm to avoid confl ict.

Q: How do I submit my fi lm? A: Please see the 2014 Submission Guidelines

Q: When do I learn if my fi lm has been chosen as a finalist? A: The top 20 f inalists wil l be announced via email or mail 3 weeks after the submission deadline. Unsuccessful f i lmmakers wil l also be notif ied at this t ime.

Q: How will f i lms be judged? A: Please refer to the Submission Guidelines For enquiries please contact iysff@kingston.vic.gov.au or call 9556 4440. IYSFF founded by Jon "JP" Palanuk in collaboration with Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. Design sponsored by Fuze IYSFF is a 501(c)3 Not-for-profit registered in the State of Oregon. Copyright © 2012 International Youth Silent Fi lm Festival. All Rights Reserved.