MUMBAI: Moviebuff and 2D Entertainment have announced the launch of First Clap Season 2, the country’s only theatrically showcased talent hunt for aspiring filmmakers, back again with the challenge of creating a compelling story in three minutes on any subject. Knack Studios is supporting the initiative by extending free of charge its postproduction facilities, for processing the Digital Intermediate and 5.1 audio mix, to the top five winners prior to the theatrical screening. Moviebuff’s partner Little Shows will handle the online public voting process as they did last year.
The contest has a simple challenge - ‘Oru Kathai Sollunga’ - tell a story, in 3 minutes. First Clap is the only platform that brings aspiring filmmakers, production houses, cinema halls and avid audiences under one roof giving the creators an opportunity to realize the ultimate dream of seeing their work on the silver screen and showcasing their story to masses to experience their response.
For all contestants, this is a chance to associate with industry bigwigs as well as have their creation shown on the big screen, ensuring a much wider reach and direct audience feedback. The maiden edition of the contest was screened in 170 theatres across 40 cities in Tamilnadu alone, with a minimum viewership of 34,35,432.
The top three contestants will win cash prizes from 2D Entertainment and Moviebuff.com. The winner earns Rs. 3 lakhs in prize money while the first runner-up receives Rs. 2 lakhs and the second runner-up Rs. 1 lakh. The winner will be given an opportunity to narrate their script to renowned actor Suriya’s 2D Entertainment film production and distribution company, including an opportunity to intern with them.
“A platform like First Clap helps us identify raw new talent and exposes us to various innovative stories. If scripts are finalized, we will be interested in working with this new class of creators as bringing such artists under one common platform gives us more options on the projects we want to support,” says Suriya. His company, 2D Entertainment, focuses on quality content ensuring entertainment with a difference by nurturing innovative talent and utilizing the best of technology.
“The first season helped garner exposure for these aspiring filmmakers – they saw their work on the silver screen along with audiences in various cities and towns, and it gave them the opportunity to connect with a production house. Contestants can expect improved exposure and feedback in this second edition of the competition,” says Arvind Ranganathan, Chief Executive Officer of Qube Cinema Technologies (QUBE). Moviebuff.com, promoted by QUBE, is an end-to-end service providing information and solutions for anything related to the business of movies — consumption, exhibition and content creation - to a variety of users, including, but not limited to, consumers, content creators, exhibitors and affiliates, and serves as a one-stop-shop for these users.
The contest officially opens for submissions on Jan 20th 2018. Participants can register on Moviebuff.com to submit their entries by Feb 24th 2018. A panel of eminent jurists comprising of filmmakers and film enthusiasts will assist in shortlisting the films, which will be published online for public voting.
On the basis of votes received from the online voting, the top five films will be screened for a period of five weeks in 170+ screens across several theatrical distribution districts of the Qube Cinema Network. During this time, the general public will be invited to vote for their ranking of these top five films on Moviebuff.com.
The film that receives the highest number of votes will be declared the winner of the contest. Announcement of the winning entry is slated mid 2018.
For more information/additional material, visit Moviebuff.com | Moviebuff.LittleShows.com
