The following rules apply to Falcon Film Festival. We reserve the right to reject any submission for failing to follow the guidelines below. *Rules are subject to change at any time.

1. The theme for all submissions is “The BGSU Experience” All Films must be related in some way to life at BGSU. Please use your imagination and creativity to develop this theme. Films that do not relate to the theme will not be considered for the final event. Please steer away from film ideas that are based at BGSU, but have nothing to do with the BGSU Experience..
   
2. Teams must consist of a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 BGSU students.  You may pick your own teams, but submissions of 1 to 3 may be placed with other teams to make a team of 5 if necessary.
   
3. Films must be between 7 and 9 minutes. Films that do not fall within this time frame will suffer a -1 point penalty during the judging (see Rule #13).
   
4. Films must follow the Movie Industry Standards for a PG rating.  The Falcon Film Festival Steering Committee has the final say in the matter so if you think something is questionable, run it by the committee before making it part of you movie.  You can do this by contacting Co-Chairs Kim Fleshman & Mike Hachtel.

Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children. A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture.

5. No violations of state and/or federal law.
   
6. No violations of the BGSU “Student Code of Conduct” or the BGSU “Student Handbook.”
   
7. Must follow BGSU copyright policy. (No more than 10% of a song in its entirety throughout the entire movie or 30 seconds of a song. For example: 30 continuous seconds or 10 seconds of a song at one point of the movie and no more than 20 seconds of the same song at another point in the movie.)
   
8. Any submissions become the property of BGSU as well as all members of the team and can be used at anytime.
   
9. Teams may begin checking out equipment on the date specified on the Falcon Film Festival timeline.
   
10. Team name must be printed and attached to all materials submitted to assist in keeping materials organized.
    
11. Film must be submitted in Quicktime Format on the Firewire drive signed out from the Technology Support Center:
    1. Export as a Quicktime file. There will be a couple different settings. Make sure you choose "FULL QUALITY DV" This will make your Quicktime file have a ".DV" extension instead of ".MOV" (example: teamname.DV). This is the only format that will be accepted.
    2. Name the final copy of the film after your team name (teamname.DV)
    3. Save the final product in a folder labeled "Final Film"  Ensure that this is the only file in this folder for ease in locating the final product.
    4. Check and double check your Firewire drive to make sure the file is there and working before submitting it.
    5. Films must be turned in to the Student Technology Center by the date specified on the Falcon Film Festival timeline.
       
12. Films will be judged using the following criteria:
    1. Creativity (Originality, Expressiveness, Imagination)
    2. Innovative Use of Technology (Transitions, Special Effects, Credits)
    3. Videography (Focus, Camera Angles, Lighting)
    4. Editing (Seamless Transitions, No Pauses)
    5. Thematic Integration (Location and Scenery, Props, Wardrobe)
    6. f. Acting (Annunciation, Screen Presence, Emotion)
    7. g. Story/Theme (Plot, Flow, Does it make sense, does it convey the theme "BGSU Experience" - See Rule #1)
       
    NOTE: Each of these criteria are based on a point scale of 1-10 that will be evaluated by five judges. [maximum of 350 points] The points are then tabulated and if necessary deductions are taken (-1 point for every 10 seconds outside of the 7 to 9 minute time frame). The three teams with the highest number of points will be awarded first, second, and third place.
    
13. Best actor and best actress will be judged using the following criteria:
    1. Annunciation: (How well does the performer speak)
    2. Screen Presence: (How well does the performer fit the role and sell the story)
    3. Emotion: (Is the performer's portrayal of emotion realistic)
    4. Wardrobe: (Does the wardrobe fit the scene)
       
    NOTE: Each of these criteria are based on a point scale of 1-10 that will be evaluated by five judges. [maximum of 200 points]  The actor and actress with the highest number of points will be awarded the “Best Actor” and “Best Actress” awards.