7DAYPSA
A RIIFF Creative Impulse Award Competition
www.7daypsa.org
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 Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Creative Impulse Award (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.
Andre Stark, the co-founder &Executive Producer of OCD Associates describes the idea as "Where competition and creativity meet community." Inan 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 that has potential for great PR opportunities for our sponsors. At this time, our sponsors for the premier Providence event include: Cox Communications, CW-28, WJAR-TV-10, G Media,
Amped Graphic Design, OCD Associates, LDI Casting, Brooklyn Coffee Tea House, Nara Hookah Lounge, Comedy Connection Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island State Film & Television Office. We are actively seeking sponsors for both local competitions and on the national level. If any businesses are interested in sponsorship opportunity with national media exposure, they should contact Duncan Putney at the Rhode Island International Film Festival at 401-861-4445.
The 7DAYPSA will be 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. Duncan explains that, "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 our client organizations 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." Interested filmmakers can get more information at www.7daypsa.org and filmmaking teams may sign up through January 10, 2010.
In talking about the future, Duncan is enthusiastic, "We will be expanding the competition beyond the initial incubator Providence event to other filmmaking communities across the country and we will be announcing those cities in January of 2010. So, each "Local Best 7DAYPSA" from those other cities will compete for a "National Best 7DAYPSA" award. In addition, after broadcast, winning PSA’s will be eligible for submission by the 7DAYPSAfor nominations for regional Emmy Awards, Telly Awards and others."
This premier competition will take place from January 28th to February 6th 2010 and is win, win, win, for Rhode Island’s non-profits, RI businesses, and the local filmmaking community. George Marshall, executive director of RIIFF comments that "We are very excited that this new and innovative Creative Image Award competition will have a national reach and impact that originates in Rhode Island."
This is not an RIFC Production