Sara Hickman's Super Pal Universe
Spring 2008 Video & Arts Competition!
Super Pal Universe, a new entertainment and educational program for pre-teens and teens from Austin singer/songwriter Sara Hickman, has announced their Spring creative competition titled “Super Heroes – Clean up this Mess!” The contest will invite kids to create their own “Super Hero” who fights against Pollution or Littering of any type! The Super Hero and their quest may be presented in any type of creative format – a short video, a song, an animation piece, or even a comic book or ‘zine!
The competition is open to any and all kids of high school age or below, but entrants must be sponsored by a school or other community group. Individuals or teams can enter the contest.
*Download all this info AND the print based entry form >>>>>> PDF <<<<<<<
Online Entry Form @ Filmaking FrenzyPrizes!
The goal of the competition is to provide kids and their teachers or community service providers with a fun, educational and challenging creative project. Kid winners will receive direct prizes, but more importantly their sponsoring classroom or community group will also receive a ‘wish list’ of goods and services that will enhance their capability to educate and inspire other kids!
- 1st Prize picked by our panel of judges will win $500 cash and their sponsor will receive ‘wish list’ goods or services valued at $2500!
- Runner up will win $250 cash, and sponsors a ‘wish list’ valued at $1000!
- The ‘Audience Favorites’ video/animation award winner and their sponsor will each win a $250 gift card from Best Buy.
The competition launches on March 22th, 2008. Deadlines for submittal are May 30th, 2008, with winners announced the week of June 2nd.
SPU is collaborating with Alamo Drafthouse www.originalalamo.com to host the video/animation creations under Alamo’s “Film Making Frenzy” program, and is partnering with local non-profits the Austin School of Film www.austinfilmschool.org and Austin Voices www.AustinVoices.org to conduct seminars on video and ‘Zine creation. These sessions will be held on Saturday, April 26th at 11:00am at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar.
Super Pal Universe is more than a band – it’s a concept built around community awareness, creativity, and pop-driven activism for today’s teens and pre-teens. The band uses a variety of vehicles – original songs, Web-viewable programming (“webisodes”) on the Super Pal Universe website, and even ‘zines – to engage audiences on a variety of issues impacting the next generation of young adults. Born out of the scene around the Live Music Capital of the World, the Super Pal Universe is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Sara Hickman. She is the manager and mentor of a band of youth determined to follow their dreams of being the next BIG/little thing!
Testimonials:
Akasha Banks, Technology Department head, Garza High School
I am currently the Technology department head at Garza High School (where I teach Filmmaking, Flash Animation, Multimedia, and Desktop Publishing), and I am happy to report that I had an overwhelmingly positive experience with the Superpal Universe Video Contest. Sarah Hickman has created a program that is so obviously dedicated to giving kids an opportunity and an outlet for creativity; it's truly a service. One of my students won the Superpal video contest on energy efficiency. Superpal not only gave her a fantastic new computer, but they also donated $2500 toward our department. One of the things I was able to purchase with the money was a new Canon HV20 camcorder for the students, which records in HD and is 24p-capable - amazing for high school students to be able to use! The students are loving it - the image-quality is beautiful, and it's already my most requested camera. I was also able to buy a Digital SLR camera and several Photoshop training programs, which has made it possible for me to introduce two new courses: "Photoshop for Graphic Artists" and "Photoshop for Photographers." These classes are easily my most popular courses, as there has always been a high interest in photography and Photoshop, but, until recently, we had nothing to offer them. It's important that we give teens a place to be creative and the tools with which to execute their ideas, so this has been a big help. I also purchased two advanced Flash training programs and a 3D Animation training DVD. I haven't introduced these new courses just yet, but I already have students who are interested, and I'm excited to see them begin to deepen their skill. Garza is a small high school - only 300 students - but we work with a high number of students who are considered "at-risk" for dropping out. I would just like to add that offering engaging, creative classes that are relevant to the students' lives and interests is an important part of keeping them in school, so this money is actually making a real difference in kids' lives. These classes improve students' self esteem, and, in some cases, are the first time a student feels "good" at something. As a result, these students often improve their attendance and end up doing better in their other classes. Thank you, Superpal, for everything you've given us.
SPRING 2008 CONTEST GUIDELINES & FAQs
How do I make a Video or other Artistic Piece?
Our community partner, the Austin School of Film www.austinfilmschool.org
has produced a cool video on ‘How to Make a Movie’ which will provide kids with clear tips and documentation on how to put your video together. This video is on the SPU website at http://superpaluniverse.com/spu-diy.html
What should I make the piece about?
There’s no right or wrong answer here – just be creative! Be funny, or dramatic, or mad, or sad, or glad!
The theme is Super Heroes – Clean up this Mess! and addresses the issue of pollution and littering, which could cover lots of different ideas:
- How could a Super Hero reduce littering around my home?
- What could a Super Hero in my community do to address littering or pollution?
- What would happen if our air or water became completely polluted, or we had no place to put our trash? What could a Super Hero do about it?
- Can you think of a wild and crazy Super Villain that the Super Hero has to deal with to stop littering or pollution?
- Who is doing a great job of reducing pollution and littering? Who is doing a terrible job?
Can I do my own video? Should I do it with a team?
Individuals are welcome to create their own project as long as it’s sponsored by a school or community group. It’s even more fun to put together a team to do your project! Pick a Director, a Script Writer, a Camera Man, an Editor, some Actors, some Set Designers, and maybe even a few guys who can just sit around and think up cool ideas!
I don’t have access to a Video Camera! What can I do?
Super Pal Universe has a limited number of Mini-DV cameras that can be reserved and used free of charge for your video shoot. Please contact info@superpaluniverse.com if you need help with a camera.
What format should I provide my Video or Digital Animation piece in?
You can provide a DVD with a copy of the file, or a tape of your film in standard format (mini-DV, Super8, etc.)
If providing a digital file: Please use these file formats: Quicktime .mov, or Windows Media .wmv.
What about a song?
The music must be provided in MP3 format on a CD, and must include the music lyrics on a separate written sheet.
What about a comic book or ‘zine?
A hard copy print must be provided.
*** Don’t forget to save a copy in case we lose ours!!! ***Eligibility:
Anyone of high school age or below can enter the contest. Entrants must have a formal adult sponsor who is part of a school or a community group – church, non-profit, after-school program, home school association, etc.
Adults can provide consulting and advice, but no adults can help with the actual production of the project! No cheaters! There is no fee to enter this competition.Content:
There are no restrictions to the contents except for these basic rules
Films can be no longer than 4 minutes, including opening and closing credits – no exceptions! Comics or ‘Zines should be less than 12 pages.
-
The entries may not contain violence or nudity or any content which the general community would consider to be in poor taste or offensive to any race or creed. You may not harm real animals or unwilling people in the making of your video.
- All entries must include the Super Pal Universe logo at the end of the film or on written materials. The logo file will be available for download via www.SuperPalUniverse.com. Other than these rules, there are no other restrictions regarding content.
Missing the Time Limit:
Entries not post-marked before the deadline will not be accepted. Entries for hand-delivery will not be accepted on the final due day unless a drop-off time has been scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Don’t wait until the last second!!!
Where do I bring my finished piece?
- By mail: Super Pal Universe c/o
3005 S. Lamar, D-109 #412
Austin, TX 78704 - In person: Drop it off at the Super Pal Headquarters
You must call ahead to make a drop-off appointment!
Call Mollie at 512-443-2147.
2405 Homedale Cir.
Austin, Texas 78704
Posting:
No entry may be posted anywhere else on the Internet until AFTER the awards ceremony the week of May 26th. If we find your entry online before the awards ceremony, you will be disqualified.
Judging:
All entries that are completed before the time limit will be eligible to win. A panel of expert judges will pick the winner and runner up based on criteria of originality, creativity, inspirational impact, and artistic talent. There will also be an “Audience Favorite” prize for videos and animation pieces. All entries will be posted on the Super Pal Universe/Alamo Drafthouse Website for online voting. The top vote-getters will be eligible for Audience Favorite awards. Depending on the number of entries, Audience Favorite awards may be awarded by category, e.g. videos, comics, songs or ‘zines.
Prizes:
Grand Prize & Runner Up:
The winning kid or team will receive a CASH prize of $500! The Runner Up will receive $250.
The winning sponsor will provide SPU with a “Wish List” of goods or services valued at up to $2500. The Runner Up will get a “Wish List” valued at $1000. SPU will purchase these items and donate them directly to the sponsor.
Audience Favorites:
SPU will collaborate with Alamo Drafthouse and their Film Making Frenzy program to post videos and animation pieces online at www.filmmakingfrenzy.com. SPU will award at least one, and maybe several “Audience Favorite” awards for the pieces based on online voting results. Audience Favorites and their sponsor will each win a gift card from Best Buy valued at $250. Online voting will open on June 2 and close on June 6th.
Help and Further Info:
If you have other questions that haven't been answered on this site, please email info@superpaluniverse.com, and allow 48 hours for a response. We will do everything we can to help everyone out with all aspects of the competition.