The theme of the BiM 2011 contest is Tales Of Yore.

Entrants for this contest are asked to tell a story rooted in a history.  Entries may be based on actual events, or simply include historical settings, people, and/or events as central elements of the story.

Each entry you submit must:

• Be primarily composed of stop-motion animation. 3D, Flash, or other animation techniques may be used to in addition to stop-motion as long as the finished product is at least roughly 50% stop-motion animation.

• Use LEGO or similar building toys as primary elements.

• Not contain adult language, excessive violence (blood and gore) or sexual themes.

• Contain only images, sounds, music, and story material which you have the rights to distribute -- no copyrighted content to which you do not have the rights may be used.

• Be longer than 30 seconds, and contain more than 30 seconds of stop-motion animation.  There is no maximum time restriction.

Though there is no maximum running time restriction, remember that it is better to focus on quality and attention to detail than to make a very long and ambitious film, but let the quality suffer.  A highly polished 3 minute movie is better than a 10 minute movie that falls apart as it goes because the director ran out of time to do it the right way.  The judging system won't favor a film for simply being longer, but low production values will hurt a longer film when competing against a shorter film that is better made.

The deadline for submissions will be Sunday, July 17th, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. UTC.

Films may be submitted as early as the beginning of July 2011, though they cannot be made public until after the deadline has passed.

No trademarked properties which might be confused with commercial enterprises may be used. This means you can not use storylines based on characters from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, or other trademarked series. You cannot base your work on copyrighted material; however, old works that are now in the public domain are acceptable source material.

All material included in films submitted must be original, or content that you have expressed permission to use. If you use content that is not your own, you must be able to provide proof that you have received permission to include it in your film. All music must be credited, even if you made it yourself.

Submission will be conducted via the forums.  It's possible that as the deadline comes closer, more submission options may become available.

1) Send a private message in the BiM forums to username “BiM 2011” including your name and a link to download the entry. We will accept .avi, .mov, and .wmv formats.  Unlisted YouTube videos are also acceptable.

All major aspects of filmmaking will be taken into account in the judging process.  For the purpose of determining rankings and winners, the panel (yet to be determined) will judge films on the basis of storytelling (use of the theme as well as the quality of the script) and presentation (animation, cinematography, any effects, and all audio elements.)

The three (3) contest winners will select from three prize packages.  First place will receive first choice, second place will receive second choice, and third place will receive the remaining prize package.

Package 1:

• A license for Dragon Stop Motion 2.0, for Windows or Mac and the accompanying remote controller.

Package 2:

• The LEGO 2010 Advent set, provided by Cincinnati Bricks.

• A Brickarms Prize Package which includes:
  - 3 Blade Packs
  - 3 Chrome Blade Packs
  - 10 Claymores in Gunmetal
  - 10 Glaives in Gunmetal and 10 in Silver + 10 U-Clips in Gunmetal and 10 in Silver
  - 30 Bayonets and U-Clips in Gunmetal
  - 10 prototype Muskets

Package 3:

• A Blue Snowball USB Microphone, courtesy of Bricks in Motion.

 

For more information and questions, visit the Contest Discussion Thread.