DVMISSION RULES & FAQ • DV Mission

2024 IS THE NINETEENTH EDITION OF DVMISSION 48-HOUR FILM CHALLENGE

The CHALLENGE WEEKEND takes place from 5 pm Friday 1st March to 5 pm Sunday 3rd March 2023 and starts with the release of the obstructions via email and social media at 5 pm on the Friday.

The DVMISSION PRESENTS premier night, awards ceremony and after-party, from 7.30 pm Saturday 9th March at The Wedgewood Rooms, Albert Road, Portsmouth, PO4 0JW.

The DVMISSION rules and FAQ should answer all of your questions and tell you all you need to know about taking part in a DVMISSION 48 Hour Film Challenge.

DOWNLOAD the instructions for registering for DVMISSION via Filmfreeway.com HERE!

FAQ

Does DVMISSION cost anything?

DVMISSION is a non for-profit event. Everyone gives their time for free from filmmakers to organisers. However, it still costs to put the event on and to manage the organisation throughout the year. For this reason, there will be a charge of £20 for teams to enter the challenge. This entry fee of £20 can be paid through PayPal when you apply through Filmfreeway.com.

Tickets to the DVMISSION PRESENTS event are no longer free for challenge teams, however, each team will be eligible to purchase four discounted tickets for entry to the Premier Film Screening, Awards Ceremony, Immersive Cinema Experience and access to the Infamous Afterparty. The reason we are now charging everyone for entry is that we have to pay for venue hire fees, awards, PA and Projector hire and so on. We wish it could be free but we do try to keep costs down and try to keep the ticket prices low.

Who can enter?

We have had teams enter from all walks of life. We welcome amateur, independent and professional filmmakers. UK, International, local, distant, interplanetary or inter-solar, anyone can take part. You can use any kit from stop motion, mobile phones, home DV cameras to pro kit.

Do I have to come to Portsmouth to enter the challenge?

You don’t have to be in Portsmouth to cross the start and finish lines. However, we do request that at least one team member comes to Portsmouth for ‘DVMISSION PRESENTS’ (if nobody from your team attends the event your film will not be screened and will not be eligible for an award).

So how does it all work?

The ‘Challenge Start Line’ will be at 5 pm on the Friday night of the challenge weekend and the ‘obstructions’ (e.g. title, genre and line of dialogue) will be announced via email and social media. If necessary arrangements can be made to phone you the ‘obstructions’ and they will also be posted on the website and social media channels.

The ‘Challenge Finish Line’ will be at 5 pm on the Sunday night of the challenge weekend. In order to finish, you must complete uploading your film to FILMFREEWAY.COM before the 5 pm deadline.

Why come to DVMISSION PRESENTS?

Meet all the teams, watch the films, pick up an award at the glitzy award ceremony and blow off some steam at the infamous after-party. It has been described as ‘the Sex Pistols meets the Oscars‘ and ‘better than Christmas!‘ It is the highlight of the whole event.

How old do I need to be to enter?

All team members must be 16 or older (additional actors can be any age).

How many people are there in a team?

Your team can have as many members as you wish. The application form asks for two contacts for MISSION updates. Your contact details will not be passed on to third parties.

What if I just want to come to DVMISSION PRESENTS?

We welcome audience members to DVMISSION PRESENTS. It’s a great evening with lots of energy and excitement. If you are interested in the cutting edge of independent film production, this is the place to be.

Do I have to dress up to come to DVMISSION PRESENTS?

Oh yes! Costume de rigueur for carnival: themed, blinged, cocktail, black tie, white tie, posh frocks, but fancy dress is the best. But interpret the dress code as you wish. We have seen everything from Vivian Westwood to Mohawks and kilts. We have a prize for dressing up in response to the genre or theme – dressing up is part of the fun!

DVMISSION Rules:

All teams must register a profile with FILMFREEWAY.COM and upload a finished 2-minute (+/-10%) film by 5 pm on the Sunday of the challenge weekend. Films should be submitted as 1080p, H264, MP4.
Your film will only be eligible to be screened and for awards, if you attend the DVMISSION PRESENTS event the Saturday following the challenge weekend.
DVMISSION does not offer refunds on team registration so please don’t ask.
You will be required to submit a press kit and contact details for at least one team member with your submission (see submission guidelines on FILMFREEWAY.COM).
All team members must be 16 or older (additional actors can be any age).
You will be issued with a series of ‘obstructions’ i.e. a film title, genre and line of dialogue that must be used in your film.
Your film must be no longer than 2 minutes including titles and credits. If your film does not meet this time limit, it might still be accepted, but it will be ineligible for an award.
All films will be viewed first by the judges and if deemed unsuitable for broadcast they will not be entered. The judge’s decision is final. Unsuitable refers to anything racist, explicitly sexual, explicitly violent or with strong drug connotations.
If we feel you have cheated by “padding” your film with work you have prepared in advance, we will disqualify you. It is at the judge’s discretion as to what is ‘padded’.
In submitting this film to DVMISSION you acknowledge that you hold all licensing and copyright permission for all the material used in your film (including any actors and any sound effects or music). Any breach of copyright will mean your film cannot be entered for the competition.
By entering the competition you agree to license DVMISSION to show your film at the premiere night and in the future including public screenings, online, broadcast and other media channels, worldwide. We may not be able to contact you if we do show your film in the future and your film may be edited by a third party. DVMISSION reserves the right to use your film to raise funds for future DVMISSION Challenges.

NOTE: ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE CHALLENGE HOWEVER ONLY THOSE TEAMS WHO ATTEND THE PREMIERE NIGHT ARE ELIGIBLE TO HAVE THEIR FILMS SCREENED AND ENTERED INTO THE COMPETITION AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARDS.