IndieTalk Weekly Challanges Proposal

W

wheatgrinder

Hi all,
For those of you not following the Secret Santa thread, there seems to be some desire to start a regularly scheduled film making "activity" of some sort.

To me, such an activity would meet the following criteria:


  1. Simple enough to be doable in one weekend.
  2. Frequently enough that you don't have to participate in EVERY event in order to feel involved.
  3. Varied enough that all aspects of film making can be explored
  4. Be fun and engaging for seasoned pros and noobs alike
  5. Administratively light

To this end I propose that we come up with a five good activities by this Friday. Then On Monday (each Monday for the next five weeks) one of those five activities is randomly chosen and posted as the "IndieTalk Weekly Challenge."

IT members then check out the activity and decide if they want to participate and then jump in and go do there thing and post there results in the Screening Room (Other Category)

Here are a few examples I came up with in another thread:
  1. 30 seconds of the most suspenseful footage you can film and edit NO SOUND
  2. Film yourself performing a soliloquy\or monologue from Hamlet. Must use 3 point lighting.
  3. Complete the scene. (we all start with the same opening lines of dialogue..then finish it the way we think it should end)
  4. Edit Only. Somebody films some footage and posts it, the rest try and make a scene from it in edit.
  5. Audio Only. Record \ create the best fart sound effect you can
  6. Film someone (extra points if its you) doing stand up comedy In front of pets or farm animals. Laugh track to be provided.



So what are some other good ideas? Your comments welcomed here!
Thanks
Wheatgrinder
 
I don't have a specific idea, but some of yours, like the "end the scene", could be done over and over with different scenes.

I'm in to participate either way.
 
Go wheat... I'll gladly participate/ help however I can. I like the focus on specific tasks/skillsets as I've been doing primarily the same thing with my shoots... no camera placements above chest level, no cameras perpendicular to the back wall, none at angles, just to explore the specific technique and what works/doesn't - and why.

Perhaps a brutal deconstruction as well? Maybe?
 
Sounds great!
It also sounds alot like the group on vimeo called "Vimeo Weekend Project".
But you can definitely count me in tho.

I think a hello is in place since this seems to be my first post!
 
I will try to participate. I have all this video equipment that I've done nothing with lately. Been focusing on writing.
 
Like VP, I purchased a bunch of equipment and it's been sitting there while I've been working on my writing.

This will be a good chance to play with it.

Count me in.

especially Wheat's fart challenge.

-C
 
I'm in.

Just my two cents, though -- I suspect once per week might be too often, and I think it would die out quickly. I'm in Papertwin's and Ernest's shoes -- no way in heck could I do this every week. I actually think 4 times per year, or perhaps once every other month would be good.

Either way, count me in -- I just won't be able to do it every week.
 
I like this. Probably could only swing 1 per month. Weekly, for me, is too frequent, but the idea of keeping busy and jumping in on certain projects when they are appealing or of interest seems doable.

Cool! Keep the dialog going :)
 
I agree that weekly would be near impossible for me. I already have way too many creative ways to procrastinate on writing (like the screengrab game). I don't need yet another. I'd go for quarterly.
 
I would be more inclined towards a monthly challenge as well.

I also think that keeping it very simple would be better. Each month would have its own theme. In December there was Secret Santa, which was a Christmas theme. In keeping with the holiday motif, February has St. Valentines day, so that months theme would be love/romance/sex, for example.

Just for fun I Googled up "January Holidays" and the following came up on holidayinsights.com; I BOLDED my favorites:


January, 2011 Bizarre and Unique Holidays


Month:

National Bath Safety Month
National Blood Donor Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National Hobby Month
Hot Tea Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Soup Month

Week Celebrations:

2nd Week Letter Writing Week

Each Day:

1 New Year's Day

2 Run up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day

3 Festival of Sleep Day

3 Fruitcake Toss Day

3 Humiliation Day

4 Trivia Day

5 National Bird Day

6 Bean Day

6 Cuddle Up Day

7 Old Rock Day

8 Bubble Bath Day

8 Male Watcher's Day

9 Play God Day

10 Peculiar People Day

11 Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend's Day

12 Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

12 National Pharmacist Day

13 International Skeptics Day

13 Make Your Dream Come True Day

14 Dress Up Your Pet Day

15 National Hat Day

16 National Nothing Day

17 Ditch New Years Resolutions Day

17 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday , celebrated on the third Monday

18 Thesaurus Day

18 Winnie the Pooh Day -The Birthday of Winnie's author A.A. Milne

19 National Popcorn Day

20 National Buttercrunch Day

20 Penguin Awareness Day

21 National Hugging Day

21 Squirrel Appreciation Day

22 National Blonde Brownie Day

23 National Pie Day

23 National Handwriting Day

23 Measure Your Feet Day- we only ask...."Why!?!"

24 Beer Can Appreciation Day

24 Compliment Day

25 Opposite Day

26 Spouse's Day

27 Chocolate Cake Day

27 Punch the Clock Day

28 Fun at Work Day

28 National Kazoo Day

29 National Puzzle Day

29 National Cornchip Day

30 National Inane Answering Message Day

31 Backward Day

31 Inspire Your Heart with Art Day




Perhaps we could use this and/or other websites for each months themes.
 
I like the theme idea and unusual and unknown holidays like these could be a lot of fun. I love the peculiar people day but i wont be participating this month for sure so it doesnt matter.
 
I am, as always, up for this. I have to agree that weekly challenges just aren't feasible, but i ink every month could work.

What I think we need to decide is whether we're going to do this as show and tell or as some sort of competition. On the old IT challenges there were some prizes given by various companies and whilst it's unlikely that Wes can get anything like that, we might be able to muster something. Would that help participation? I worry that if we don't run it as a competition of some sort then it won't make sense trying to run it to a deadline and therefore eventually it will lose steam.

But I think all of Wheats ideas are good. I'll just brow in a couple of ideas of my own:

-spoof political broadcast.
-one song provided, we all come up with our own music videos.
-short documentary on yourself (as though you're a celebrity)...

I guess there are more ideas, but these are just my immediate thoughts...
 
Hey all, this got traction.. so Ill run this for a bit..


My thinking on the "weekly" frequency aspect presumes that no particular person would do a project EVERY WEEK, rather as each persons schedule, desire and interest allows they could do the challenge.

Let me restate that.. Each week there is an OPPORTUNITY, its not expected that anyone will respond to EVERY OPPORTUNITY, only the ones they like, or can squeeze in.. Figuring once a month for some, less for some and more for some...

A new OPPORTUNITY every week helps to keep things moving, fresh and lively.

With the members on this board, EVERYBODY has something to say on just about EVERY topic :) I think we can capitalize on that. Those that aren't working on this weeks challenge, will still participate in the fun by offering ideas, cracking jokes etc...


On the downside, there could be a weekly challenge that nobody picks up, but then again, thats a possibility with a monthly challenge. If nobody picks up "THIS" weeks challenge, hey, its only a week till another one comes around, but a month without participation will KILL the momentum and the whole thing is dead...

And knowing the REALITY of how I work, give me a month, and Im still putting it off until the last weekend. Also this is a "leveling" contstratin and forces folks to keep it simple.

Given a MONTH to work on it, the quality expectations will be high (self imposed etc) but for a week, heck it will be expected to be rough... and thats has a certain "liberating" aspect. Im pretty sure most the secret Santa projects were all done in just a few days.

Still no love for the WEEKLY idea?
 
If we take Secret Santa as a working example then that was just under a month to cook up the videos, but really people probably did them in about a week or two.

There were about 13 entrants (if I remember rightly, which I might well not) to that and I think we'd probably be looking at those people as being the ones to sign up to this challenge. Maybe a couple of others would pitch in occasionally, but let's say there are maximum 20 people who would take part in these competitions.

I just think that once a week might mean that you're only getting two or three entries. The fun and interest of a challenge like this is seeing how different people respond to the same stimulus and, as such, the more people we can get to respond to each challenge the better and more constructive the excercise.

Just my thoughts.
 
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