DEADLINE EXTENSION: New deadline is February 13, 2017 at 9am.
Are you interested in video production or animation? What about making a difference in our community? ConnecTeen is looking for creative youth to shoot a promotional video about our services!
ConnecTeen provides confidential peer support to youth in Calgary through phone calls, texts, chats and emails. Youth contact us for a variety of reasons, from trouble at school or with friends to suffering from depression and experiencing suicidal thoughts.
We want our service to be as accessible as possible to the youth in our city so no one has to feel like they are alone. If you are passionate about getting the word out about us, this is the project for you! Create a short commercial promoting these services and showing the impact they can have.
If you need any help or inspiration, we encourage you to visit us at our office or out in the community. Email Vanessa to schedule time to come see us.
The video will be showcased during ConnecTeen’s annual Hitmen Game Fundraiser at the Saddledome where upwards of 10,000 people will watch the video throughout the game!
The video will also be highlighted on our website, which is great exposure for your work!
How do you apply?
We have a few basic requirements:
- Video creators must be youth- we work from a peer support model of youth helping youth and want to ensure the youth perspective is the driving force of the video therefore you must be 20 years old or younger to enter
- The ConnecTeen logo must be shown in the video (email vanessad@distresscentre.com for the logo)
- The hours of ConnecTeen and ways for youth to access ConnecTeen’s services must be included in the video (find this info in our Need to Talk section)
- You can create the video by yourself or work with a group of friends – only one prize is awarded whether you work solo or with friends, but as you’ll see below, it’s easily split!
And a few technical requirements:
- The maximum length a video can be is one and a half minutes. Any videos longer than that length will be disqualified.
- The video must be in 1080i HD (or just 1080i) and videos in 16×9 format will look best on the Energy Board (Jumbotron). Otherwise the video may appear stretched. A high bitrate of 20 MB/Sec is recommended. That all sounds very technical but a fancy camera is not needed. Check out this article on shooting 1080i on a smartphone.
- Since the Saddledome is pretty loud, it’s really difficult to hear sound. Videos that are more visually focused will have a better chance of being selected. For example, overlaying text instead of having people dialogue. An example of this style is last year’s winning entry. Check it out to get a better idea of what we mean:
- Here’s one more example, the 2015 winning video:
How do I submit my video?
- You must sign a release giving the ConnecTeen Program of the Distress Centre all rights and access to utilizing the video as they see fit for future promotions of the program and submit it with your entry. Find that release here.
- Upload the video and waver to either Dropbox.com (free to sign up) or on Google Drive (comes with a Gmail account), share the files with lindsayd@distresscentre.com, and then send Lindsay an email stating that you’ve shared both files and how you shared them, so she can confirm that they were received.
That’s all well and good… but what is the PRIZE?
PRIZE: Your video will be shown on the Energy Board (Jumbotron) at the annual ConnecTeen Hitmen game on March 12th, 2017, and the winner(s) get to watch it from a corporate box! Enjoy ten box seats as well as food, beverages and ConnecTeen swag. Learn more about the game.
Deadline for submissions is February 13, 2017 at 9am.
If you have any questions or would like more details about this contest, please contact:
General questions about ConnecTeen: Vanessa at 403-264-8337 or vanessad@distresscentre.com.
Technical questions and questions about uploading: Lindsay @ 403-266-1601 ex 3045 or lindsayd@distresscentre.com.
