Contest Details

Formal Name: YYCKidsFest Simple Fun Video Contest 2012

Nickname: The Contest

Objective: 1. Film a Simple Fun Video of your own. (Hints & Guidelines shown in the previous toggle)

2. Upload Your SFunVid here on this page. (YYCKidsFest.ca/Contest)

3. You will be emailed a link to your vid, hosted on the YYCKidsFest YouTube Channel (called, YYCKidsFest). Share your vid. Get everyone you know to ‘Like’ it and share it.

THE PERSON WHOSE VID HAS THE MOST COMBINED YOUTUBE & FACEBOOK LIKES* BY THE CLOSING MINUTE OF THE CONTEST WILL WIN…**

THE YYCKIDSFEST2012 PRIZE PACK

PRIZE PACK:

• A Family Pack of 8 vouchers for tickets to shows at the 2012 Calgary International Children’s Festival running May 22-26
• Market Mall Gift Card ($100)
• 4 Passes to the Calgary Zoo
• 4 YYCKidsFest t-shirts (fun fashion for the whole family)
• 1 CD

Contest Opens: It is already OPEN, get crackin’!

Contest Closes: 11:59 PM SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012 (One day before Kids’ Fest opens).

Video Submissions Close: 11:59 PM WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012.***

Sponsored by: Market Mall, the Calgary Zoo, and Stephen Nagy Consulting.

*Facebook likes will be counted as per the number shown on the posting of it on facebook.com/YYCKidsFest

**In the event that two or more submissions have a contested number of total combined ‘Likes’ that are similar to each other and vying for the Prize Pack, selection of the Prize Pack recipient will default to a random draw in which the names of those people whose submissions are within this contested field will be entered.

***Allow up to three days for your final, edited video to appear on YouTube.

A Guide for Making Your Simple Fun Video

Before You Start 

What’s your version of ‘Simple Fun’? How can you best teach it to somebody else? Do you need any materials? Have you got the materials? Have you practiced teaching other people before you get on camera? Okay! Let’s start!

1. Set it up!

Simple Fun Vids are all about keeping things simple. So, find a good location in which to film. Usually that means a quiet area with a blank wall. The wall can be any colour, just make sure there’s nothing hanging on it that could be distracting–keep it simple.

Do you have a video camera? Any type will do (cell phone, point & shoot, DSLR, professional 16mm film camera that was given to you by Steven Spielberg…). If not, ask your parents or friends for help. They might have one, and it’s way easier and so much more fun to film with friends and family around.

Set up the materials you need, and get ready to film!

2. Film it!

Start the camera rolling. Stand in front of the blank wall. Speak directly to the camera.

Introduce yourself. State what you do for Simple Fun. Then, show what you do for Simple Fun.

–You’ve practiced for this moment, so have fun!

Try to film your video in one continuous shot. Don’t worry if you make small mistakes or have to do two or three takes (Word to Learn) before you manage to get through everything you want to say in your video. Everybody makes mistakes–leaving them in your video makes you look human. And doing it as one shot will make everything, even the finished look of your film, simpler.

BONUS: When you’ve shown off your ‘Simple Fun’, you can add on a BONUS Section. If you’d like to, all you have to do is finish explaining the main part of your ‘Simple Fun’, then Pause (keep filming); look at the camera, lean in to the camera, and whisper, “This is my Bonus Section”, then stand back up, and do what you need to do for your Bonus Section. When you’re done, say bye. 

3. Upload it!

If you’re not reading these instructions on the YYCKidsFest Contest page right now, go to it: YYCKidsFest.ca/Contest.

Now that you’re for sure on the most useful page for the Contest, you’ll have noticed the instructional video (hosted by our Social Media Commander, Steve) at the top of the page, these instructions in a toggle bar, and, below this, the Uploader.

We made the Uploader really simple. It only asks you for your name, email address, suggested title of your video, and a permissions checkbox partly stating that you are 18-years of age or uploading with your parent’s permission (hopefully you’re doing the whole thing with your parents and having fun together).  We use this information to put together the final version of your video.

How we put together the final version of your Simple Fun Vid:

So, you’ve uploaded your video file. Awesome! Congrats! But it still has to get online in a finished form for your friends and family to see. How does that happen? Well, it’s a very technical process that involves a lot of pixie dust, two dragons, the tooth of a whale and four cartons of glue. But we won’t bore you with the technical details.

Basically, a few days after you upload your vid, you will receive an email that contains within it a link. Follow that link. What you will see is the footage that you uploaded, wrapped in our opening and closing title animations, and, (if you whispered, “BONUS” at the camera), your Bonus Section, all put nicely together. And it will be sitting prestigiously on the YYCKidsFest YouTube Channel (incidentally called, ‘YYCKidsFest’). Now it’s time for you to do something…

4. SHARE IT!

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, G+, email, Buffer, text message, Digg, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, talking to people face to face, carrier pigeon….whatever means you wish to use, you have until 11:59 PM SUNDAY, MAY 20th to get as many people as possible to ‘Like‘ your Simple Fun Vid.

That means, Get Filming. Share it like crazy. And have loads and loads of fun!

Special Notes

You can upload a whole lot of different types of files, BUT you can only upload one file for each Simple Fun Video you film AND the max file size is 200MB (yes, you can submit as many different SFVs as you like). So, that means your maximum video length will be about 5 minutes, depending on file type and film quality.

BE AWARE, the file you upload is what we will use for the main content of your video. That means, if you upload a file that is a single shot of you trying over and over again to get through the lines you’ve rehearsed, you might get lucky and we’ll try to cut down to the best portion of that, but the better idea would be to stop recording in between each of your takes and upload the best single take that you get. That’s why we suggest that you rehearse and then upload a very casual, happy and friendly one-shot take of you sharing your ‘Simple Fun’.

We know some of you grown-ups (and soon-to-be-grown-ups) have access to video editing software like iMovie, Adobe Premiere or Final Cut—you are more than welcome to upload a single file of footage that you have edited yourself. We’ll still put the title animations in, but the closer to finished product you hand it to us, the nicer it is for us. But if you don’t have editing software (or don’t want to get frustrated figuring out how to use it), the rehearsed one-shot method is best.

HAVE FUN!

Market Mall is Awesome!

Thank you to everyone who filmed their Simple Fun Video with us at Market Mall. We got a lot of great submissions. We’ll be sending you your video link soon. Share it around!

Details about filming at Market Mall (this portion of the contest is now closed).

Market Mall loves Simple Fun so much that they are hosting a mini YYCKidsFest in the Mall at Bay Court on April 20 & 21, 2012.

Friday and Saturday come to Market Mall during store hours and share in the smile-inspiring Simple Fun Activities.

There will be lots of things to learn and do and try out…and, even for you to teach us!

That’s right, you get to teach us!

…come to Market Mall on Friday and Saturday April 20th & 21st to record your Simple Fun Video!

Our Social Media guy, Steve, will have our Simple Fun Film Studio set up in the Mall. Bring down whatever it is you want to record for your Simple Fun Video, and we’ll do it right there!

And the even better part is, Market Mall, as a big Simple Fun Sponsor, is going to enter you in for a SECOND SIMPLE FUN CONTEST PRIZE PACK if you film with us in the Mall. 

That means you have both a chance to win the Simple Fun Video Contest Prize Pack AND the Market Mall Prize Pack!

In the Market Mall Prize Pack:

• A Family Pack of 4 vouchers for tickets to shows at the Calgary International Children’s Festival 2012
• Market Mall Gift Card ($100)
• 4 Passes to the Calgary Zoo
• 2 Stuffed, Plush Penguins
• 1 CD

Also…

When you come by Mini-KidsFest at Market Mall, make sure to pick up a promo code, because every ticket that you buy for YYCKidsFest2012 using that promo code will get you entered in to win the Market Mall Prize Pack, as well.

Totally Awesome, right?!

***Sponsored by Market Mall***

**Supplementary Sponsorship by the Calgary Zoo and Stephen Nagy Consulting**