CALL FOR ENTRIES!
Community Television Producers!
It’s time to get your entries ready for this year’s Best of the Midwest Video Fest! Deadline to enter is Monday
January 12, 2015. The Video Fest Banquet and Show featuring the top winning entries will be held on Thursday
evening, April 30 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.
Purpose
To recognize outstanding video productions produced by public, education, and government access television staff and
community producers and to encourage excellence in community television.
Judging
Four-person judging panels at a dozen or more community media centers evaluate the entries. Two community access television
staff and two media professionals drawn from outside the access television field judge the professional entries. A panel consisting
of two access television staff and two community access producers with several years of experience producing programming
judges the amateur entries. Last year, these panels evaluated nearly 200 entries.
Eligibility
Programming must have premiered on a Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska
or Kansas PEG (public, education, or government) access channel between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 and have
been produced and/or distributed with the resources of the PEG station. Some entry categories allow the program to have
debuted on a community media website during 2014.
Entry Levels
Amateur: The entry is produced mostly by individuals who have never earned more than $3,000 per year from video production.
Amateurs may be judged as professionals if they choose. Professional: The entry is produced mostly by individuals who
currently earn or have, in the past, earned more than $3,000 per year in the video production field.
Registration Fees
WCM Members
$30
Non-Members
$45
Entry Deadline
All online forms and payments MUST be submitted by Monday, January 12, 2015. If under unusual circumstances, you require
an extension of this deadline, please call Video Festival Coordinator, Mary Cardona, at 608-215-5594 (WCM office). Entrants
have until Thursday, January 15 to upload programs onto the TelVue Connect website.
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How to Enter
WCM is using an online entry process on our site, www.wisconsincommunity.com. It has three steps:
STEP ONE: Fill out the online Entry Form for each program
Supporting documents: You can upload supporting documents on the Entry Form. If you need to provide print copies
of these documents, please send four copies of the documents to Jeff Robbins, Video Fest Manager at the address
below. Please indicate in a cover letter the program name, entry category, and producer name. Thank you.
STEP TWO: Fill out the online Payment Form: one for ALL programs you enter.
Paying online. You may pay online through PayPal with either a PayPal account or through PayPal with a credit card.
These options will appear as part of the online Payment Form.
Pay by check. You may also pay by check to Wisconsin Community Media (WCM). If you send a DVD, you can
include your check with the DVD. Otherwise, please mail your check to the WCM Treasurer, Deb Brunett at Merrill
Area Public Schools, 1201 N. Sales Street, Merrill, Wisconsin 54452.
Invoicing. Invoicing is available, but payment should be made by the entry deadline or the program runs the risk of not
being judged.
STEP THREE: After you fill out an Entry Form, look for an email from TelVue Connect. TelVue has donated hosting this year
to the Fest. The email will include a link to the TelVue site and your username and password. Upload your program no later
than January 15. You may also mail a DVD.
Uploading your video: When you complete the online Entry Form, it will trigger an email to TelVue, who will send
you an “activation” email with a link to TelVue Connect, along with your assigned Username and Password. You will
upload your show to that site and fill out some brief information about you and your show. You can also upload a
DVD using the TelVue site by opening your DVD as a Video__TS file and dragging & dropping it in. Download the
TelVue Instructions found on the WCM website for important details on how to fill fields and upload your program.
DVDs: If you submit a hard copy DVD, you will still be using the online Entry Form to enter the Fest, but will mail in
your program. Wrap your DVD with the “DVD Wrapper” using a rubberband. The “DVD Wrapper” can be
downloaded from WCM’s website; the “DVD Wrapper” will provide identifying information about your program for
the judging site.
Mail your DVD to:
Jeff Robbins, Video Fest Entry Manager
Sun Prairie Media Center
1350 Linnerud Drive #2
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
DVDs mailed in will not be mailed back. Most producers will be able to pick up their entries at the Spring Conference
Video Fest Banquet.
Scoring
Each entry is scored on a 100% scale. Different weighting is applied to professional and amateur entries, and meetings and more
heavily produced programs. After the four judges score the program, the highest and lowest scores are discarded and the two
middle scores are averaged to create the final score. See "Judging Criteria" for more information about scoring.
Awards
To explain the recognition levels, we borrow from the Olympics. The equivalent of a “gold medal” is an Excellence Award.
This award is bestowed on entries reaching a specific score or better, normally the top 10% - 15% of entries. An Achievement
Award is the equivalent of a silver medal. Last year, over 50 programs reached this level of recognition. Merit Awards honor
the notable work of our “Bronze” scoring entries. Not all producers receive one of these awards, but nearly three-quarters of our
entries do. All producers will receive the judging sheets for their program with the numeric scores for all the criteria and
comments.
Best in Show: A program may also receive a Best in Show if it earns the top score in a Subject Category.
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Entry Categories
1.
Series. Your program has been produced and cablecast on a weekly or monthly basis. Any format. To enter, submit three
15-minute excerpts, each from a different episode in the series. Excerpts must include one example of the opening and close
of the program.
2.
Documentary/Feature. Non-fiction documentary or feature program about a person, place, event, organization, or subject;
these entries are more heavily edited.
3.
Short Form Documentary/Featurette. Non-fiction documentary or feature short. Programs in this category must be
fifteen minutes or less and may have premiered on a center’s website or cable access channel. (Note: Programs can be
longer than last year.)
4.
Entertainment. Programs that amuse or entertain an audience (comedy/series, drama, artistic expression, sit-com, etc.)
5.
How to/Instructional Programming. Programs that are instructional, informative, and demonstrate a craft, skill, hobby or
academic subject.
6.
LIVE. Programs that originally aired “live” with no post-production. Entrants must submit a continuous, non-edited excerpt
as originally cablecast. This category excludes meeting coverage. See #14 for details on submitting meetings.
7.
Local Events. Programs covering local events and activities happening in the community such as parades, civic events,
church services, etc.
8.
Magazine Format/News. Programs with segments that provide in-depth features or coverage of different topics.
9.
Performing Arts. Programs presenting/documenting a play, concert, dance or other performance.
10. Public Service Announcement. Programs promoting a non-profit organization, government function, PEG access facility,
community event, or positive social behavior. The program may have premiered on a website managed by the access center
or on a cable access channel. There is a 20 point score deduction for videos exceeding 5 minutes in length. (Change from
last year: The length accepted has increased from 3 minutes to 5 minutes. May have premiered on the web.)
11. Sports. Programs covering sporting events, athletes or sports topics.
12. Talk Show. Studio programs with discussions and/or interviews between two or more people, designed to inform or
educate.
13. Computer-generated/Animation. Programs, a segment of a program, or an “intro” or “outro” to a program in which
original computer generated images, perhaps accompanied by sound, are presented with artistic intention.
14. Meeting Coverage. Programs that are only comprised of meeting coverage footage. Entries in this category will not be
judged on originality/creativity.
15. Paid Commercial/Sponsorship Spots. 30, 60, or 90 second spots promoting sponsors, underwriters, or advertisers. The
spot may have premiered on a community media website or a cable access channel.
16. Significant Community Program Award (honorific): These programs do not go through the judging process. Significant
Community Program Awards are bestowed on programs that have generated a significant community impact. Community
media centers use this award to generate broad recognition for important programs produced through community centers.
Beginning this year, the program may have been produced by an amateur or a professional. Contact your community media
center manager if you would like your center to consider submitting your program for this award. The program must meet
the following standards:
1. The program was produced and cablecast in 2014.
2. The program is submitted with a letter from the community media center briefly stating why this program was nominated
and what kind of community impact it had such as increasing volunteerism, increasing understanding of an issue that creates
a noticeable change, elevating the profile of a local non-profit organization, or providing a much needed service to a
segment of the community.
3. The Significant Community Program is accompanied by an entry fee.
4. One copy of the program and support materials are submitted to the Video Fest.
A portion of the letter may be read during the Fest Show. During the show, a representative of the center will introduce the
producer and a clip of the program. The producer may choose to talk about the program. Each honoree receives a
certificate. The media center may also choose to purchase a personalized plaque or statuette. Significant Community
Programs may also enter the Fest as a separate entry.
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Subject Categories
Besides an Entry Category, you will also enter your program in one subject category that best applies to your program. Each topscoring amateur and professional entry in the category is awarded a “Best in Show.”
Client: Government. Your program has been produced by and for a municipality or county or some other government
subdivision.
Client: Schools. Your program has been produced by and for a school district or higher education facility.
Public Access Program. Your program has been produced by a member of the community using a community media center.
Produced by Seniors. Your program has been produced by seniors 62 and older. Amateurs only.
Produced by Youth. Your program has been produced by youth, 18 years old or younger.
Produced by College Student. Your program has been produced by a college student.
Cultural/Ethnic. Your program has been produced to celebrate our differences and enhance our understanding of diverse
cultural or ethnic groups within communities.
Small Station. The program has been produced at a station with a budget of $50,000 or less. (WCM can confirm. Enter if you
think you may qualify.)
Judging Criteria
1. Overall Quality
2. Effectiveness (Judges consider support materials
submitted: articles, letters, etc.)
3. Originality/Creativity
10%
Meetings
(Amateur)
10%
5%
Meetings
(Professional)
5%
25%
25%
10%
10%
25%
0%
10%
0%
4. Camerawork/Composition
7%
15%
10%
13%
5. Audio
6. Graphics (Weighted more heavily in “Computergenerated /Animation”)
7. Lighting (Graphics are assigned this percentage in
“Computer-generated /Animation”)
8. Editing/Direction
5%
13%
15%
18%
5%
14%
10%
14%
5%
5%
15%
15%
10%
10%
10%
10%
9. Subject/Talent
8%
8%
15%
15%
Criteria
Amateur
Professional
Plaques, Statuettes, and Certificates
Producers may choose to purchase plaques, statuettes, and certificates (one free for every award-winning program) for their
award-winning shows. These awards will be presented at the Video Fest Banquet and Show. If a producer is not able to attend
the show and no one is available to pick up their items for them, WCM can mail them for a $10 per item fee.
Banquet
Honorees will be feted at the Video Fest Banquet on Thursday evening, April 30 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. The
Exhibitors Reception begins at 5:00 pm, the Banquet and Show follows at 6:30 pm. Tickets to the Vendor Exhibit, Reception,
Banquet and Show are $45. During the show, Significant Community Program producers, Excellence Award winners, and Best
in Show recipients are invited to say a few words about their programs after a clip is played. Producers receiving an
Achievement Award for their shows walk across the stage to receive their award while a still of their program is displayed. Merit
Award winners are recognized with a PowerPoint display during the banquet and pick up their awards at the beginning of the
evening.
Questions?
Best of the Midwest Video Fest 2015
Contact Mary Cardona, Executive Director, WCM at exec@wisconsincommunitymedia.com or at 608-215-5594.
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