Jan 14, 2008

2 Weeks of Promotion

With the Sasktel Video Competition (Cell-ebrities) in full swing, and with both of my films (Give it Time & The Gizmo Tree) as Top 10 finalists, i've decided to keep the focus on acquiring votes for my work until the contest wraps on January 25/08. *Please read on.

In case i haven't made this clear, your votes are incredibly important!

Quite simply, this contest will be won by the person who gets the most votes. It's not about ratings or judges anymore, it's about numbers. Although i have 2 films in the finals, i've decided to campaign mainly for my film The Gizmo Tree to keep from dividing my potential votes.

If you have 5 min to spare, please visit www.cell-ebrities.ca to watch my film The Gizmo Tree.

Voting is Easy:
- visit www.cell-ebrities.ca
- click SIGN UP to create an account
- click on the GO VOTE! link at the top
- make your selection from the finalist box (*Gizmo Tree*)
- DONE!

You can vote once every 24hrs until January 25!

Like i mentioned in my previous post, to me winning this contest isn't just about a credit or about getting some extra cash. More specifically, it's about the potential to pay for another semester of university. I take this opportunity very seriously, and i can't compete without the help and attention from readers like you. Your vote can literally make all the difference in a small competition such as this, even though in my situation, the payoff and effect is anything but minor.


Being a film student i kind of feel like this contest was custom tailored to my strengths, making it an even more exciting challenge. I'm very proud of what i've accomplished so far (being the only one to have 2 films in the finals) but my reach only goes so far. I need to catch a break somewhere along the line, and even just having you go to the site to decide whether or not you think The Gizmo Tree deserves your vote is all i can really ask.

Please check out the Gizmo Tree @ www.cell-ebrities.ca and sign up to cast your vote. Thank you readers, for your time and consideration!

As always, i welcome your comments, questions and/or feedback.

Jan 11, 2008

I'm a Top 10 Video Finalist - Please Vote!

You may recall that before Christmas i had entered a video competition through Sasktel (the provincal phone company) where the focus was to create a cell phone related video for a chance at winning a grand prize of $5000. I ended up making 2 films, Give it Time and The Gizmo Tree. After a week of waiting, I am very happy to report that not only were both my films well received in the preliminary round, but they have both been selected as finalists in the Top 10!Now comes the tricky part, the campaigning for your continuing votes. Let me first say that i entered this contest initially because it looked like a great opportunity to put my film skills to use, and because i thought it would be a great credit for my ever growing portfolio. Now that i've made it to the final voting round though, i actually have a chance at winning a sum of money that can potentially combat my debt for an entire semester. Let me state again, this isn't just a prize that i'd use for a vacation or something, it would directly effect my ability to pay for another semester of university without sinking further into debt.

It's both a blessing and a curse that both of my submissions were accepted, because viewers can only place one vote every 24hrs. Because of this i've decided to campaign for my video The Gizmo Tree first, and perhaps later focus attention to my other submission. Your help is crucial to my success in this contest, and i can't be more thankful to any of you who take the time to watch and vote for my work.

Voting is simple!

- click on the link http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/
- click Sign Up to create an account
- place your vote by selecting a film from the finalist box on the HOME page (http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/). It will say your vote has been cast, and when you can vote again.
- DONE!

Once again, please cast your vote for: The Gizmo Tree

It can also be viewed on the site again or for the first time if you haven't seen it yet. Keep in mind that you are not giving a star rating, you are just casting a direct vote for the winner. Please check it out! I can't thank you enough for your participation, and please feel free to leave comments on my blog to let me know what you think of my films or if you have any further questions regarding my work or the contest in general.


The contest runs from January 11-25, 2008.

PLEASE VOTE!

www.cell-ebrities.ca

and please pass this message on to others who may be interested.

Jan 9, 2008

Free Hugs Campaign

Sometimes you come across things on YouTube that make you laugh or smile, but never have I come across a series of videos that just plain make me feel good the way that the 'free hugs campaign' videos do. You may have heard about this, the original video has over 22 million views - enough to inspire spin-offs and copies from all over the world.

A person, or a group of people, go out in public with a sign promoting free hugs. You then get to watch the reactions of people, and see the humble project snowball into a much larger event. Hugging is a pretty simple gesture and low key idea for a video, but after watching these it's even more clear how much good can be done with so little. If there's one thing the world could use a bit more of, it's probably hugs.

Free Hugs Campaign (original)


Free Hugs Amsterdam


Free Hugs Korea


Free Hugs Scotland