Filmmaking Frenzy, our 2019 Bumper Contest theme is….URBAN LEGENDS!

This year, Fantastic Fest double dog dares you to tread where Marys are bloody, children stare at you through black eyes, and killers hide in the back seat: reveal to us your most dreadful Urban Legend!

"I swear to God this happened to a brother of my friend! There was a film festival where the audiences were asked to create bumpers every year and then..."

As Fantastic Fest turns 15, we're going back in time to those younger days when sharing scary or weird stories was a legit way to pass the time—yes, this year for the Bumper Contest, we're asking you to bring us your best takes on URBAN LEGENDS—whether it be The Hook, The Black Dog or the sewer alligator!

So get to work, look at those brilliant myths of yesteryear and bring us your favorite 30 second complete take on URBAN LEGENDS—not the movie, mind you, but the true kind! WE SWEAR!

The winning bumper creators will receive 2 Fan Badges to Fantastic Fest 2020, a two-night hotel stay at the official hotel of Fantastic Fest, plus a $250 Food & Beverage gift card to spend at the 2020 festival.

Bonus: If your bumper is one of the 20 selected to play during the 2019 festival, you’ll receive 25% off the purchase of up to 2 FAN badges for Fantastic Fest 2020! And if you’re one of the top 4 finalists, you’ll also receive a $75 Food & Beverage gift card!

Submit Your Film

Here are a few ground rules.

THE THEME:

This year’s theme is Urban Legends! Be it spooky, slasher-y, stunning, or supernatural, we expect your tale to give us some serious willies and leave us wondering if maybe...just maybe...it really *did* happen that way, even though, c'mon, it's probably just a silly story, right? RIGHT?

THE RULES:

Your video must be 30 seconds or less. (We will add a 5-second logo bumper to your video after you submit.)

The story’s up to you – you can adapt a scene or write an original. As long as there’s a complete Urban Legend in there, you’re good!

In keeping with FF bumper tradition, the video must end with the line “That’s fantastic!”, either in dialogue or narration.

All film entries must be submitted by 10:00PM CDT on Sunday, August 25th to be eligible. Entries received after that may still be used on-screen during the fest, but will be ineligible for the grand prize. Submit and read more about the terms and conditions.

Bumpers will be posted—all at once—by 12:00PM CDT on Friday, September 6th, at www.filmmakingfrenzy.com for voting purposes.

Entrants must not upload his or her film to any other public site until the contest has wrapped.

An important note: While we intend for the bumper contest to be funny and outrageous, there are limits to the type of content we can screen in front of an unsuspecting general audience. We think if you follow your best judgment and avoid anything overly mean-spirited, you’ll likely be fine. This year we've built in extra time to allow us to review bumpers, suggest revisions for those that we feel contain unacceptable content, and provide an opportunity for you to make changes. We know you work incredibly hard on these and it's important to us to celebrate that work and create a fun and rewarding experience for everyone, from the filmmaker to the entire Fantastic Fest audience. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

THE CONTEST:

A jury of Fantastic Fest programmers will select three bumper finalists, and online viewers of entries will select two additional finalists by audience vote at www.filmmakingfrenzy.com. Voting will begin September 5th; instructions on how to vote will be provided when voting opens. The grand prize winner will be selected by the Fantastic Fest team from the top 5 finalists and announced during the Fantastic Fest Awards Ceremony. The winner will receive 2 Fan Badges to Fantastic Fest 2020, a two-night hotel stay at the official hotel of Fantastic Fest, plus a $250 Food & Beverage gift card to spend at the 2020 festival. If your bumper is one of the 20 selected to play during the 2019 festival, you’ll receive 25% off the purchase of up to 2 FAN badges for Fantastic Fest 2020.

The Top 20 bumper videos selected by our programming committee will be screened in front of excited audiences throughout Fantastic Fest 2019. Each of those audiences will include visiting filmmakers from around the world, press from the likes of Birth.Movies.Death, Slash Film, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, ScreenCrush and more, plus a legion of the most devoted, intelligent, fun-loving genre film fans on the planet.

DEADLINES:

Submissions Open: July 18, Noon CDT

July 18, Noon CDT Submissions Close: August 25, 10:00 PM CDT

August 25, 10:00 PM CDT Voting Begins: September 6, Noon CDT

September 6, Noon CDT Voting Ends: September 12, 10:00 PM CDT

September 12, 10:00 PM CDT Finalists Announced: September 17

September 17 Winner Announced: During Fantastic Fest 2019 Awards Ceremony

VIDEO SPECS:

File type: MOV - ProRes or DNxHD codec preferred, but not required

Resolution: minimum 1920x1080, maximum 4K

Framerate: 24fps or 23.98fps

Audio: 5.1 preferred, but not required

Length: maximum of 30 seconds, minimum of 15 seconds

CONTACT:

Question or concerns?

Let us know at [email protected] and someone will reach back out soon.

Submit Your Film