on the Friday night, 2 - 3 hours prior to the commencement of the competition, filmmakers confirm

their attendance at the registration venue

15 - 20 mins prior to the start of the competition, The Shooting Brief is read out and a hard copy

handed out to all filmmakers

once the competition starts (as close as possible to 9pm), filmmakers have 24 hours from that time

to complete and hand in their film

in the next 18 hours, after all the films have been handed in, from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon,

the preliminary judging panel selects the top ten films that will be screened on the Sunday night.

The duration of the films must be 7 mins or less, including titles and credits.

Always go for 'short and sweet' as opposed to the 'epic tale'.

Only IN CAMERA EDITING is allowed - the tape cannot be taken out of the camera and edited on a computer.

See 'What is In-Camera Editing?' for full details.

That's right - filmmakers make and shape the film on the go!

Five out of a possible ten items must appear in the film. These items can be anything; often they're location specific, sometimes phrases.

These items are revealed in The Shooting Brief announced on Friday night just prior to the commencement of the competition.

The items do NOT have to be prominent in the films - they should be used as creatively as possible.

The Shoot Out provides a 'copyright released' music library supplied by songwriters and musicians from the specific regional area of the event.

It includes a variety of music from classical to pop to punk. Whether filmmakers source music from the library or provide their own,

all filmmakers must complete music release forms before a film can be handed in. 

N.B. The Music Library may not be available at each event site. Please refer to the specific event site page for comprehensive details.

See 'What is the music library?' for full details on how the music library works.

The songwriters want their music used, so let's not abuse it!

Filmmakers must hand in their films on the tape (in most cases, VHS) supplied by The Shoot Out at registration.

Filmmakers may shoot on digital but the final product must be dubbed to the specific tape supplied.

For this reason, The Shoot Out sets up a dubbing facility where filmmakers can book a time (15 mins) to simply dub

across from one format to another. At this point filmmakers can add music, but there can be no editing of vision,

or of vision to sound or vice versa.

See 'What is the dubbing facility?' for full details on how the music library works.

This is what we mean by a "level playing field" - it's not about the quality or quantity of the technology, but the quality of the story

The 24 hour period includes pre-production, shooting, dubbing and the handing in of film with all the appropriate paperwork

as requested in the registration pack. Please note that The Shoot Out organisers do adhere strictly to the deadline and

no discussion will be entered into their decisions.

That's right - everything must be shot and delivered in 24 hours.

Once the films are handed in, the preliminary judging process begins. About 40 local judges over three sessions view the films.

The judges may include film and television industry people, technicians, film buffs, casting agents, film and media teachers,

young filmmakers, etc. The Shoot Out assembles a widely skilled judging panel so that all films receive a fair and equitable viewing

from a broad range of perspectives.

The Shoot Out gives every film, every chance to make it into the Top Ten!

On the Sunday night, the top 10 films, as selected by the preliminary judging panel, are given a public screening and judged by

a panel of industry personnel from the national and international industry. The panel selects the best film and other prize categories.

The Shoot Out does not enter into any discussion regarding the decision of the industry judging panel - because we trust them!

The Shoot Out endeavours to create screening opportunities for all other films entered in the competition.

Check with specific event sites for screening details.

The Shoot Out refers to this opportunity as The Continuous Screenings.

The Shoot Out is about having a great time while engaged in filmmaking with a twist: it's fast, furious and non-stop.

Do you dare take up the challenge?