The clock starts at midnight on Feb. 9 for Greenfield Community Television’s sixth annual film sprint, “Lights! Camera! Greenfield!” — challenging everyone from seasoned directors to total rookies to write, shoot and edit a masterpiece in just 14 days.
After signing up, participants will receive three prompts to guide their storytelling: a universal prompt, the only prompt every participant follows, a camera prompt with specific video language like “slow-motion,” “black and white,” “Dutch angle,” “rack focus,” “insert” and a random prompt for each filmmaker.
Bella Levavi, GCTV station manager, said she particularly enjoys developing the random prompts.
The sprint comes to an end on Feb. 23 at 11:59 p.m.
From “the key to the city” to “a high heel shoe,” “purse mints” and “a warm beverage,” the random prompt has no limit beyond a noun.
Prompts in hand, participants will have two weeks to craft 4-minute films with the help of GCTV equipment, software, training and help from staff upon request at no cost. Filmmakers can also shoot the projects with their phones.
Levavi said the two-week time crunch helps participants forget about sweating the small stuff and embrace the joy of artmaking.
“As artists, people often get held back by needing to be really good at their craft, and this is an encouraging festival to get people dipping their toes into making video, working with video and not worrying about finding the best gear or finding a crew that can really help you,” Levavi said. “Anyone can work in video, and that’s the purpose of Greenfield Community Television as a whole. The festival follows our mission in general.”
While filmmakers can craft their own projects with a team of friends or family, GCTV is also offering workshops for artists of all ages and expertise.
Kids can sign up for a free workshop at the Greenfield YMCA on Feb. 19 and participants in The Rec Room and Greenfield Recreation Department’s after-school program can join a documentary filmmaking workshop to produce a film about the Greenfield Winter Carnival’s cardboard sled contest as a team.
“There’s lots of opportunities to engage no matter what confidence level of videomaking you have,” Levavi stressed.
Although workshops have helped artists craft submissions to film festivals in the past, a new workshop will start at Prospect Meadow Farm in Hatfield. At the farm, people with disabilities already enrolled in the GCTV program will create an original film for the festival together with the help of GCTV staff, a new effort that aligns with the station’s values, Levavi said.
“We are putting in an extra effort to really help demographics that are on society’s fringes, and also just everybody in the community,” Levavi said.
Beyond the new workshop, GCTV partners with organizations that provide services for people with disabilities, like the Seven Hills Foundation in Athol, and dedicates air time for the voices of individuals with disabilities. Like these efforts, the workshop will “[target] those demographics to say, you are welcome to come to GCTV and be a part of this creative community,” Levavi said.
Participants, their supporters and curious viewers will watch the submissions on the big screen at the film sprint’s finish line: a free public premiere on March 5 at the Greenfield Garden Cinemas.
Interested filmmakers of all skill levels can sign up on this Google Form: https://tinyurl.com/2uzcxjnw