Goal: Write, Shoot and Edit a short film in 50 hours. Teamwork and focus will help to create cohesive and entertaining movies in an incredibly short period of time.

1.) Times: 50 Hour Slam will occur between Friday, April 5th, 2024 at 7:15 p.m. and end Sunday, April 7th, 2024 at 9:30 p.m. or as stated verbally at the kick off.  Films received after that said time on Sunday will not be accepted as part of the Judging. If a film is delivered after the above time, but before the organizers leave the assigned drop off location, it will be considered for the viral voting competition.

2.) Participants: 50 Hour Slam is open to any and all filmmakers. We reserve the right to limit the total number of filmmaking teams based on arrival time at the "Kick Off".

3.) Official Competition Period: All creativity must take place during the designated 50 hour period which includes but is not limited to: Writing the script, Rehearsing, Costume/Set Design, Shooting, Editing, Graphics & Visual Effects, Sound Design & Music. The only work allowed before the competition period is organizing the crew, securing equipment, organizing the cast and scouting locations.

4.) Each film must include the three elements assigned to the teams at the "KICK OFF" on April 5th, 2024. The finished film must be between three and six minutes in length including credits. The end credits should be no longer than one minute. Credits must include the following: "This film was made as a participant in: (50 Hour Slam logo). The 50 Hour Slam logo and credit will be provided for download on our web site (www.50hourslam.com), under the "Filmmaker's Toolkit" Section. Each film must also include credits for any material used in their film which release or approval of usage was obtained. And a final requirement, each film must include a Special Thank you to the City of Spokane and the Spokane Park and Recreation Department.

5.) The finished film should be submitted on the 50 Hour Slam USB thumb drive given to each participating team at the Kick-Off event. File format should be a full resolution .mp4 file. There should only be one video file on your drive, which will be labeled as follows: "FilmTitle_TeamName". So, for example, if your film was titled Citizen Kane and your team name was Orson Welles Productions your video file name would look like this: CitizenKane_OrsonWellesProductions.mp4

6.) Releases/Copyright clearance: Each team must secure talent releases, location releases and music releases. This information should be turned in Sunday April 7th, 2024 with the provided thumb drive. Films that don't have releases or clearance for music will not be accepted. Filmmaking teams are encouraged to work with a local composer and/or musician to write and record music specifically for the film. It is acceptable for teams to use pre-recorded music (royalty-free music or a local band) but the team must have a signed release. Blank release forms will be available on our web site.

7.) Content: The content of the film is at the discretion of the filmmaking teams however organizers of 50 Hour Slam reserve the right to disqualify films due to:

  1. Depictions of graphic sex.
  2. Comments aimed at disparaging one group of people in a way that might encourage hate or violence.
  3. A lottery, or any advertisement or information concerning any lottery.
  4. Any material that constitutes libel, slander, invasion of privacy or publicity rights, unfair competition, violation of trademark rights or copyright, or which may violate local, state or federal law.
  5. On air FCC guidelines for airing on KSPS. Language will be blipped. Nudity will be masked out.

8.) To be considered for judging each participating team's film/video production must follow all of the rules herein. 50 Hour Slam organizers reserve the right to judge only those films that meet all of the requirements.

9.) Participants cannot use the name of the 50 Hour Slam or the competition to financially benefit themselves.

10) Participants will comply and refrain from any other act that might be considered unlawful under city, county, state and federal laws and regulations.

11) As per the 50 Hour Slam's agreement with the City of Spokane, participants are prohibited from using ANY prop weapon for filming in public view or on public property and are also prohibited from using ANY aerial drones to capture footage. Non-compliance will result in the disqualification from the competition.

12.) All certified films are eligible for judging. A panel of professional filmmakers, critics, and independent judges will select 15 finalists. Those 15 films will be screened at the Bing Crosby Theater in one screening on June 8th, 2024 (Time TBD). The screenings will be publicized prior to the event and qualifying teams will be notified at least one week prior to the event. The judges will select the top film and the audience will vote and award their top choice, which will be announced at the closing party that same evening on Saturday, June 8th, 2024. The 50 Hour Slam organizers reserve the right to change the date or time of the screening prior to the event.

13.) Teams must submit the following documents with their complete film/video: The 50 Hour Slam signed entry form/participant's agreement (with all team participant signatures), any/all talent, location, logo/ art, music releases and a printed copy of the city filming notification form.

14.) 50 Hour Slam reserves the right to amend these rules up until the beginning of the competition.