THE SHOWCASE KEY DATES
- MARCH 22 (Monday) –
- Kickoff event with B&H Tools of the Trade equipment demo.
- Online Showcase goes live, Public Event of Finalist films.
- Honorable Mention Winners announced.
- MARCH 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 – Showcase Screening Round, Public Event. Students can vote for Student Choice Awards — winners win $50 B&H gift certificates, runner ups receive a customized laurel!
- MARCH 28, 1:00 pm (Sunday) – Showcase Screening Round CLOSES. All voting must be done by 1pm.
- MARCH 28, 11:30 PM – All Student Choice and Jury Prizes Announced in a midnight email.
WHO IS ON THE FILM JURY?
- coming soon
WHO WERE THE STUDENT SCREENERS?
- coming soon
FOLLOW US!!
Make sure you follow Pace MCVA on social media for updates
- Instagram @PaceMCVA
- Facebook @PaceUniversityMCVA
GENERAL INFO & FAQs
How do you choose the films for the Showcase?
A new addition this year, all films submitted for the Showcase will be watched and chosen through Semifinal screening rounds with student clubs. This is done to engage a broader student body in selecting the films which screen at the Showcase. Check back soon for a list of participating clubs.
Who selects the submissions? Who are the Semifinal round screeners?
Pace student in clubs, MCVA classes, and just about anyone who wants to watch a round of student films. We are currently lining up groups to screen so check back here for more details. Screeners will have guidelines on how to rate the films they watch and how many films each person watches. Being a screener is a big responsibility! You can contact Professor La Rosa if you want to be a screener.
How are you judging submissions?
The submissions will be watched and ranked using established guidelines. Each film will be ranked, and screeners will be given the option to tagging certain films for high quality in areas like Writing, Directing, Editing, Cinematography, Acting, Best Horror, Best Romance, Best Humor, Best Use of Fake Blood, and so on. The ranking and tags will be used to determine the films that make it to the final rounds. Films with a lot of tags, like “Best Romance” or “Best Horror” can also earn an Honorable Mention in that area! The films with the highest overall rankings will be selected for the finals round.
Note on final selections: final selections from the Semi-finalist round were based on overall ranking. The highest ranked films, based on the evaluations of 4 or 5 students each, moved on to the Finalist round. For films with the same score (there were many excellent films and many scored the same), films with the most Honorable Mention categories were moved up. We can only program 90-100 minutes, and we had a total of over 4 hours of films submitted.
Do professors pick the submissions?
Not this year! While professors will still be part of the submissions screeners, this it was done by students.
Do you take all the films?
Unfortunately, no. While the aim is to create a celebration of student work, we can only program 90-100 minutes for the Showcase Finals Round, which will be released online over Thanksgiving weekend. In each of the Showcase we have had more films submitted, and we have to make difficult decisions about which ones to include.
Does everything submitted make it to the Semifinals?
Not every film made it to the Semifinals. Each film submitted was reviewed before moving to the Semifinal round, and over 1.5 hours of films did not move forward, for technical and other reasons.
How can I improve my chances?
- Make a shorter film! We aim for the broadest array of films and the 2 minute, 30 seconds, 5-minute films have the best chances.
- Enjoy yourself! The energy of the performance and film is sometimes just as important as the technical aspects.
- Send a poster! It really helps to see what the film’s theme is before we hit “play.”
- And, of course, MAKE A GREAT FILM. Amazing camera work, excellent audio, great music choices, nice credits for your crew and actors, thank you’s to all the professors and students that helped you, inspired acting, enjoyable production design — all of this matters!
Who is on the Showcase Jury?
In previous years, the Showcase Jury was composed of non-DCF faculty, the Deans of Dyson College, and special guests such as faculty from neighboring film programs. For 2020, we are inviting alumni and community organizations such as places that take Pace students as interns to join the deans and non-DCF faculty. Check back here for a list soon.
RULES FOR FILM SUBMISSION ENTRIES
- Each student can enter a maximum of 2 projects.
- Group projects can have a maximum of 4 members unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- Aim for films of less than 15 minutes. Films longer than 15 minutes might not be accepted due to time restrictions. Shorter films have a better chance of getting programmed, as they allow MCVA to include more students’ work. Please choose carefully when you submit!
- Films must be 29 minutes or less. No films over 29 minutes will be programmed due to time restrictions.
- Project acceptance is based on many factors: technical skill, humor, writing, acting, overall feel, creativity, and variety. Don’t prejudge yourself — if you think you have something that is quirky, fun, unique, insightful, transformative, or otherwise entertaining, submit!
- All entries must use this form and share a DOWNLOADABLE link. Vimeo, Dropbox, and Google Drive – not Youtube. No exceptions! Your entry might not be accepted if you share a file we cannot download.
- Consider your technical polish. Does your film have nice credits? How is the audio? Have you really put in the time and effort for public eyes?
ELIGIBLE FILMS
Must be made by a Pace Pleasantville student at the time you made it (Alumni can enter their student films)
- Fiction films
- Non-fiction films
- Animations
- Trailers for your original films
- Mock trailers for other films (re-writes of Hollywood films are ok)
- Music videos
- Original sound design (must be creative commons and list original video creator)
- Corporate videos
- Broadcast news pieces
- For group projects – designate the director or co-director team
- Outside-of-class projects are ok as well as long as they were made by Pace students
GROUP PROJECTS:
- Group projects made as a whole class, where the professor was significantly involved in writing/directing – are eligible to screen but are NOT eligible for prizes.
- Group projects made as assignments, where the professor was NOT significantly involved in writing/directing, are eligible to screen AND eligible for prizes.
- Films are eligible for prize categories as long as the applicant is a Pace student (any major). If a film was made for a 48 Hour Film Festival, for example, prizes can only be awarded to Pace students, so if you have 4 people on your 48 hour film festival project, and 2 were Pace students, only those students are eligible for prizes.
PRIZES & PRIZE CATEGORIES
Award categories this year will include Jury Awards and Student Choice Awards for best films, best actors, and best animations/trailers/music videos.
Check back soon – we are still confirming prizes and prize categories including B&H, Alamo, and others.
ONCE YOU FINISHED YOUR ENTRY
Thank you for your submission. Please be patient. We are excited to view your work and will respond as soon as possible.
Entries for the 2021 MCVA Student Film Showcase are CLOSED!
The Showcase accepts films of all types: documentaries, fiction, animations, etc. For 2021, the Showcase is an online event. All screenings will be released for several days online. After the Showcase, students will have a choice as to whether their films will remain available online.
Please read this page carefully. This year, MCVA is using Film Freeway for its Showcase, which is the portal that most major film festivals use. It does not take too long to get your film set up in Film Freeway, and gives you a bit of experience in a new skill. Plus you are set to enter the film to other festivals.
Round #1 – SEMI-FINALS
All film submissions will be reviewed by students who participate either through clubs or individually.
Highest ranking films from the Semifinal round will move on to the Finals round, and eligible to win Jury and Student Choice Awards.
Entry deadline: FEB 19 at 11:59 pm.
Your film must be uploaded and ready to watch when the clock hits 12 midnight on Feb 19. No late entries!
You do not have to wait until the last minute! We will be reviewing entries between now and the launch, and you can enter it earlier and make sure everything is set up ok. We will confirm your film is received.
ROUND #2 – SHOWCASE ROUND, FINAL SCREENING
The highest-ranked films from the Semi-Finals Round will move to the Finals round and will be open to voting for Student Choice awards and jury awards.
The final round will be available for screening and sharing on March 26-28. Watch with friends and family!
Winners announced: March 28, 2020
WHEN WILL I HEAR ABOUT MY FILM?
Be patient! We try really hard to communicate results and progress. But there are a lot of you! You will hear soon.
MY FILM WAS A GROUP PROJECT – HOW DO I ENTER IT?
Designate one person as the main contact for group projects. List the names and contact information of ALL collaborators who should share a prize if you win.
LATE SUBMISSIONS
Nope. Don’t even think about it.