ABOUT THE CONTEST
Fall Frenzy is a brand new four-day regional contest that is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their creativity and teamwork under tight deadlines, mirroring real-world production environments. It is great practice experience for those planning to participate in the Crazy Eights contest at the national convention.
Schools may enter two submissions per category at $25/each. The registration deadline is December 5, 2024 at 5PM PT. Prompts will drop on Friday, December 6 at 8AM PT and the submission deadline is Monday, December 9 at 5PM PT. No entries from a previous STN contests may be included submitted. Winners in each category receive awards and recognition on all STN social media and the STN website.
All interviews and video footage must be shot during the contest period. File footage, clips from other media outlets, or parts of previous stories not allowed. Still pictures are allowed for backstory. Teachers, advisers, and professionals may not shoot, write, or edit any part of an entry. This is a hands-off contest and must be 100% student-produced.
Each entry will be scored and provided a critique by a professional who will offer their expert opinion and feedback, based on years of work experience in the TV/Film industry. All contest categories will attempt to award a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and up to two honorable mentions (if applicable) in each region. If the entries in a category do not meet the criteria, the judges may elect to award less or no awards at all. Winners in each category receive awards and recognition on all STN social media and the STN website. Judging generally takes 3-4 weeks to be completed. Teachers will be notified 1-2 days before results are posted.
All questions and concerns about contests can be sent directly to dave@studenttelevision.com.
** Refunds will not be granted after your registration has been submitted. Please plan accordingly. **
CONTEST CATEGORIES
SHORT FILM [DIVISIONS: HSD1, HSD2 & MS]
Teams will plan, record, and edit a short-form movie with a clear, compelling story that can be any genre (drama, comedy, horror, etc.) or form (documentary, live-action, animated) of filmmaking based on a prompt. Like feature films, short films tell closed-ended stories with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Title slate and credits are required and count toward your total run time. Max TRT: 6 Minutes | Team Size: Unlimited | Max Teams: 2 Per School
VERTICAL FILM [DIVISIONS: HSD1 & HSD2]
Teams will plan, record, and edit a mobile-ready, 9:16 ratio short-form fictional movie with a clear, compelling story for vertical social media distribution that can be any genre of filmmaking and based on a given prompt. Like feature films, short films tell closed-ended stories with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Title slate and credits are required and count toward your total run time. Max TRT: 6 Minutes | Team Size: Unlimited | Max Teams: 2 Per School
MOVIE TRAILER [DIVISIONS: HSD1 & HSD2]
Teams will produce a movie trailer based on a given prompt that portrays scenes, basic plot, and mood of a fictional film in order to gain audience interest and promote the film. Max TRT: 90 Seconds | Team Size: Unlimited | Max Teams: 2 Per School
WILD CARD FILM PRODUCTION [HS NOVICE: FIRST YEAR VIDEO STUDENTS ONLY!]
Wild Card Production (Novice Only Division): This contest will include a prompt for a specific kind of creative production, 90 seconds max, for first-year broadcast students only. Students will be expected to edit a project with a clear beginning, middle and end, but there will be a lot of room for creative touches along the way. Max TRT: 90 Seconds | Team Size: Unlimited | Max Teams: 2 Per School
NARRATIVE PODCAST [DIVISIONS: HS]
Teams will write, record audio, and edit a narrative, non-fiction podcast story based on a prompt. The entry should include a host or hosts providing an introduction for context, and a wrap-up after the story with any extra information to tie it all up. Entries may NOT include a commercial break. Any music added must meet STN standards regarding copyrighted material. Max TRT: 8 Minutes | Team Size: 4 per Team | Max Teams: 2 Per School
MORNING SHOW [DIVISIONS: HS & MS]
Teams will plan, record, and edit a daily-style morning show based on a given prompt, led by a team of hosts with the purpose of informing and entertaining the audience as they get ready for their day. Segments may include news headlines, human interest and lifestyle reporting, sports-related topics, national weather forecasts, and light-hearted infotainment. While it is not required, shows may include one commercial break. Max TRT: 6 Minutes | Max Team Size: Unlimited | One Team Per School
WILD CARD BROADCAST [DIVISIONS: HS & MS]
For students in any broadcast journalism or video class, the prompt will provide an overarching theme for a 2-3 minute journalistic story. The story will require interviews, voiceovers, and strong visual sequences. NO ADDED MUSIC allowed for this contest. Max TRT: 3 minutes | Team Size: 4 per Team | Max Teams: 2 Per School
SCHOOL/COMMUNITY FEATURE STORY [DIVISIONS: HS & MS]
A video package, which may contain interviews, b-roll, natural sound, interviews, voiceovers, and optional reporter stand-ups, focused on topics or events affecting your school or community based on a prompt. Features should contain less of a news angle and need not be timely. The story should be an in-depth look at a particular subject, event, or location within your school or community that keeps the audience’s attention throughout, delivering a compelling narrative to create a lasting impression. Max TRT: 3 minutes | Team Size: 4 per Team | Max Teams: 2 Per School