RIFC Announcements

A RIIFF Creative Impulse Award Competition
www.7DayPSA.org

The Rhode Island International Film Festival Announces the Beginning of a New National Filmmaking Competition.

The 7DAYPSA is a week long competition, where teams (called “Agencies”) beat the clock to produce three broadcast quality versions (20, 30 & 60 seconds) of a single public service announcement for the deserving local not-for-profit organization (called “Clients”) that the Agency teams have randomly drawn at the start of the competition. Multiple “Clients” will have PSA’s produced and several “Agency” teams will be producing for the same “Client” organization. Each “Agency” will have seven days to go from concept to completion. For the Agency teams, this will be a writing challenge, a shooting challenge, and an editing challenge. The object is to get as many completed professional broadcast quality public service announcements for the clients to choose from as possible. The seven day period allows for this, as well as for the opportunity for media and marketing classes to use the competition as a teaching tool during the school week.

The “Seven Day PSA” Competition (7DAYPSA) was conceived by Duncan B. Putney, an Emmy winning writer and the creative producer of Original Concept & Development Associates (www.OCDA.biz). This national competition has been created for the non-profit Flicker’s Art Collaborative/Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Creative Impulse Award brand (www.Film-Festival.org). The purpose of this new type of competition is to challenge local filmmakers to use their skills and energy to meet a major need of local non-profit organizations, giving the filmmakers not only a great experience and a good feeling, but also a broadcast credit for their resumes. In an economic climate when deserving non-profit organizations are struggling for resources to operate, they do not have the funds to produce a broadcast quality public service announcement to raise awareness of their organization. It is this current lack of public awareness that impacts both their ability to raise funds and to make the public aware of their services. Media outlets that had once been able to both produce and air public service announcements for free, no longer have the available production resources or personnel to produce those PSA’s. But there is a resource that is going untapped. Local independent filmmakers have the skills to produce original and imaginative short films and are looking to garner professional credits for their resumes. The 7DAYPSA competition will bring filmmakers and not-for-profits together to provide these deserving organizations with a broadcast quality PSA and also a commitment from local media outlets to air the spots. This is a real feel good competition. Additional competition cities will be announced in January and the winners of each local “Best 7DAYPSA” will compete for a “National Best 7DAYPSA.” In addition, each PSA chosen for broadcast will be eligible for submission by the 7DAYPSA for awards such as Emmy and Telly Awards.

Our growing list of sponsors for the premier providence event includes:

Amped Graphic Design
Cox Media
CW 28
G Media
OCD Associates
The Rhode Island State Film & Television Office

Dates for the Premiere Providence Event:

Registration: November 15, 2009 through January 10, 2010

Beginning on November 15th, team leaders will be able to go to www.7daypsa.org to download information and forms. To enter, team leaders must mail a completed “Agency Producer Agreement” with a check for the $120 entry fee made out to “R.I.I.F.F.” to:

7DAYPSA
c/o Rhode Island International Film Festival
PO Box 162
Newport, RI 02940

Competition Week: (locations to be announced)
Teams pick up their client package on one of three days to best fit your work or class schedule.
Thursday Evening, 28 January 2010
Friday Evening, 29 January 2010
Saturday Mid-day, 30 January 2010

Teams drop off their completed PSA seven days from your pick up day.
Thursday Evening, 4 February 2010
Friday Evening, 5 February 2010
Saturday Mid-day, 6 February 2010

Public Screening & Awards Night: Saturday, 20 February 2010
(This is not an RIFC Production)