ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The following eligibility requirements and terms must be met in order to proceed with the application process for “The Final Reel” reality contest show.

• All contestants must be 18 years or older at the time of application, except that if you reside in one of the five states listed below, you must be at least the following age:
  • Alabama: 19 years or older
  • District of Columbia: 21 years or older
  • Mississippi: 21 years or older
  • Nebraska: 19 years or older
  • Wyoming: 19 years or older

• Must be a legal U.S citizen and live in the United States.

• Must be in an undergraduate or graduate Film, Video, or Communications degree program in an accredited university, college, community college, or technical school in the U.S. To verify a school’s accreditation, go to: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx

• Must maintain the minimum academic requirements for your school to be eligible for The Final Reel.

• Must be in the process of completing a final film or video narrative, documentary, or animated project (final project) as part of the course or degree requirement; and must make this final project, or be allowed to by your school, to make this final project available to air publicly on The Final Reel show, and for the purpose of judging and voting in consideration of the Grand Prize winner.

• Approximately 15 semi-finalists (the final number of which will be determined by Producers) will be invited for final interviews with The Final Reel Producers. 5 Finalists will be selected from the semi-finalists to appear on the series.

• If selected as one of the 5 finalist, you must complete up to eight (8) short contest videos, no longer than fifteen (15) minutes each, based on a theme or subject designated by the Producers, and post these videos on your designated day of the week for the purpose of judging and selecting the weekly and Grand Prize winners.

• Contestants must be willing to be open and candid about their lives as regards school, career, family, friends, personal issues, and any other relevant details. Creativity and good storytelling are rewarded over raw expression or explicit content. Contestants are discouraged from using explicit material in their videos.

• Equipment Requirements.

You must use a minimum of a pro-sumer level video camera in either DV or HDV format, or higher. The Producer will provide a list of eligible cameras to the semi-finalists as part of the selection process. 

Your contest videos must always be clearly audible and well lit.

You must prove you hold a license or ownership of any and all music used in your contest videos. Originally scored or royalty-free music sources are recommended.

The Producers are not responsible for any costs, loss, damage, theft, or force majeure related to the use of your video, audio, lighting, and all other related production equipment used to create contest videos for the show.

• Only the 5 Finalists are competing for the Weekly Prizes and the Grand Prize. The winner of the Series will be eligible to receive the Grand Prize that will be $5,000 in assistance toward school, or a film or video project following graduation. The Weekly Prizes are given based on the discretion of the Producers, and based on the judging and voting per week.

• Can not hold any public office or position.

• Must be in good physical and mental health.

• Must agree to submit to a physical and mental examination.

• Must agree to a background check.

• Must agree to and sign the release and waiver form.

• If selected as one of the 5 finalist, you must be able to fulfill the requirements of the show, as stated above, while maintaining your school and work schedules. The Final Reel is not responsible for any issues that arise regarding your school and work schedules if you participate in the show.

• An online application is available at The Final Reel website Apply page. (http://www.thefinalreel.com/apply.html) The deadline of applications is 11:59 pm (MST) 03/21/09.

• Any expenses you incur during the application process including internet access fees, equipment rental, and materials preparation (videotape, photos, etc) are your sole responsibility. The Producers will not reimburse you for these expenses. Only one application per person is allowed. All decisions of the Producers are final and not subject to inquiry or appeal.

• If selected as a semi-finalist you must be available for an online video interview, at your own expense. If selected as a finalist you must be ready to submit your first short video for judging and voting possibly as soon as March 30, 2009, or possibly later. These dates are subject to change at the discretion of the Producer.

• Applications will only be considered if they are complete. A complete application should consist of the following:

• The completed online application with all questions answered.
• An online link to two posted video clips, or to one video clip with the following two parts of an Audition video, and a Sample video. (You can use any available video social networking site such as: YouTube, Veoh, Vimeo, MySpace, Facebook, or any other that provides a link you can paste into the application and does not require special or fee-based access.)
  • The Audition video: Three (3)-minutes (maximum length) video highlighting yourself and your film school experience. Creativity counts.
    • The video must show your head to waist, and a close-up of your face for a minimum of fifteen (15) seconds.
    • You must be fully clothed in the video (closed shirt and long pants).
    • You should appear the majority of the time (80%) in the video.
    • Make sure you are well lit so your face and body are easy to see, and stand out from the background.
    • No music, please do not include music in your audition video.
    • Make sure your voice and other audio is audible.
  • The Sample video: Five (5)- minutes (maximum length) of a sample of your work. If providing a sample taken from a long form piece, select the best five minutes.

• We will not be able to verify that we have received your application. The Producers are not responsible for lost or incorrectly posted applications. The Producers will not be able to answer any questions about the receipt or status of any application or video link. All applications become the sole property of the Producers.

• The Producers reserve the right not to hold participant applicant interviews, or to modify the manner in which it conducts such interviews, or not to produce the Series at all.

• By submitting an application, each applicant agrees to release, discharge and hold harmless the Producers and vElevator Inc. from all claims and damages arising out of his/her participation in the application process or the Program itself, and to have his or her name, voice and likeness used at the Producers' discretion as part of the Program, or as part of promotions for the Program, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised as further set forth in the Release and Waiver at the end of the Application.

We are looking for unique individuals who are serious about communicating through film and video, and sharing their lives, passion for filmmaking, and last semester of school with the world. Remember, that all applications must be completed for you to be eligible. Check back with us at thefinalreel.com for updates on the show.

Go Make It!