pancakes

MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: Entries Open - Shutterstock Stories $75k Artistic Grant Program  (Read 6034 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

« on: July 18, 2013, 12:40 »
0
Hello All,

At Shutterstock, we meet and connect with individual contributors a number of ways: daily, through email exchanges and phone calls; through contributor visits, tours and research at our HQ in New York; through forums and social media; through events; and also by visiting cities around the world and meeting contributors personally for 1:1 or small group conversations.

It's often the case that contributors tell us stories of why they're artists and what drives their passion and creativity.  Those stories are very interesting, humbling, educational and inspiring.  With that in mind, we created the
"Shutterstock Stories" $75k artistic grant program to uncover and celebrate those stories.

There will be a total of seven creative grants as part of this new program: five $5,000 grants and two $25,000 grants, including one grant winner who will be selected by the public.

Please see today's announcement below and the first teaser video of contributor and excellent illustrator Anja Kaiser HERE.


*************

Entries Are Now Open for the Shutterstock Stories Artistic Grant Program!

Last week, we announced our new artistic-grant program, Shutterstock Stories, and starting today, submissions are now open! A total of $75,000 in grants will be awarded to the winners of the program, which is open to all current Shutterstock contributors in good standing.

Its all in celebration of our 10th anniversary the perfect occasion to showcase the inspiring stories of the artists who have made the success of our first decade possible.

Submissions are open from today at 12:00pm EDT until 11:59pm EDT on August 14, so over the next several weeks, well be on a mission to uncover the most extraordinary, emotional, humbling, exciting, and downright entertaining stories of Shutterstock contributors. There will be a total of seven creative grants: five $5,000 winners and two $25,000 winners, including one who will be selected by you, the public.

If you have a story to tell, get your thinking caps on and get ready to share it. You can watch a few of them in the video above for initial inspiration, then check out the story of contributor Anja Kaiser for more, and keep reading for full submission details.

Please read and get more details here:
http://www.shutterstock.com/buzz/celebrating-a-decade-of-creativity-announcing-the-shutterstock-stories-artistic-grant-program

Thank you!

Best Regards,

Scott
VP of Content
Shutterstock


« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2013, 12:53 »
0
Please see today's announcement below and the first teaser video of contributor and excellent illustrator Anja Kaiser HERE.


Nice little video. Good for Anja. I'm laughing thinking about how awful my video would be in comparison.


Ron

« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2013, 09:25 »
0
Thats a great video Scott, but how can none video artits compete with that. I am not even going to try.

It seems the grant is not for photographers but for video artists or animation artists.

« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2013, 10:07 »
0
Hi Ron,

Thanks.  Entries aren't being judged on visuals or technical merit alone and video isn't a requirement for the initial entry. 

A little background on how this project came to be:

We travel the world and talk to contributors directly and through many different channels every day.  With many artistic and creative people within the company, we're constantly fascinated by personal stories of passion, artistry, inspiration, working methods, and personal innovation.

Over the years, we've heard many unique stories of how creating and licensing visual content has affected people's lives - ranging from building a new business, to traveling, to quitting an unfulfilling job to be a full-time "creative," to learning new artistic methods, to helping families, etc...  Those stories can be very interesting, illuminating, engaging and educational. 

Video and the visuals aren't the important piece (though helpful) - the grant program is really about the diverse and interesting stories that our contributors have to tell about who they are.  It's about shining a light on the interesting (and important!) people and personalities behind the collection.   

While our contributors range from hobbyists to professionals -- I'm sure everyone has an interesting story in that regard.   With $75k in grant money and 7 different grants - we recommend that everyone tell their story and take advantage of the opportunity.

Best,

Scott
VP of Content
Shutterstock
« Last Edit: August 14, 2013, 10:15 by scottbraut »

« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2013, 10:29 »
0
Last Edit: Today at 10:15 by scottbraut

Was wondering why the entire text above contained a hyperlink to become a new contributor.  The first draft before your revision removed any doubt that our videos will be used as advertisements to attract new contributors for SS.

« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2013, 10:34 »
0
Last Edit: Today at 10:15 by scottbraut

Was wondering why the entire text above contained a hyperlink to become a new contributor.  The first draft before your revision removed any doubt that our videos will be used as advertisements to attract new contributors for SS.

for 25k $ or 5k $ doesn't seem that bad...


Ron

« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2013, 11:16 »
0
Hi SCott,

Thanks for explaining, but I can only film myself and tell a story. I cant really edit videos. Looking at the level of competition in terms of visuals, I stand no chance, and however great my story might be, if its not visually pleasing, I am sure I wont be a winner.

The videos are judged on technical and artistic merit, according to the rules, which rules out a lot of people who cant do video editing or shoot artistic videos.

EmberMike

« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2013, 12:55 »
0

@Scott, how much editing is done to the videos after they are submitted to Shutterstock? For example, in the already-posted videos we've seen items from the artists' portfolios. Are those images/clips inserted on your end? Or do we need to put those into the videos ourselves? I'm assuming that at least some additions are made to the contributor-supplied videos because of the addition of the Shutterstock Stories title sequence at the start of each video.

I'm also asking in regards to the concern about editing. For folks unfamiliar with editing videos, even doing this basic task of putting examples of their work into the video will be a problem.


« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2013, 10:22 »
0
Hi Mike,

Elliot and Victoria's videos were submitted as you see them -- using content they created -- except for the branding; Anja's video was created specifically as an example video to educate people about the grant program, but Anja's comments and bio were unscripted.  We're accepting text submissions in the circumstance that contributors aren't proficient in video, but we're also hoping that contributors take advantage of storytelling vehicles, and video is a great medium for storytelling.

Entries are being judged on creativity, storytelling as well as technical and artistic quality (rules are
here). If the judges feel a story -- text or video -- is among the best because it's powerful, compelling, engaging, etc.., then the team will do a final pass with the finalist(s) before their video is released to the public, knowing that most contributors aren't professional videographers, animators or video editors.  Submissions are expected to come in ready for judging, however.

For people who aren't proficient in video, there are a number of tools out there, ranging from professional software to DLSRs that shoot video to iMovie to mobile apps.  Despite the acceptance of text entries, it's a great opportunity for contributors unfamiliar with video to give it a try. 

Vimeo video school might also be a good place to start: https://vimeo.com/videoschool

Best Regards,


Scott
« Last Edit: August 15, 2013, 10:26 by scottbraut »

Ron

« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2013, 13:07 »
0
Thats great, but the professional footage shooter is going to win this by a mile. SS wont pick a great story with a crappy video. Even if the story is the most compelling.,

« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2013, 13:38 »
+2
Thats great, but the professional footage shooter is going to win this by a mile. SS wont pick a great story with a crappy video. Even if the story is the most compelling.,

Are you saying my gripping and dramatic puppet show isn't going to win?

« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2013, 13:48 »
-1
\
« Last Edit: May 12, 2014, 11:17 by Audi 5000 »

Ron

« Reply #14 on: August 15, 2013, 17:06 »
+1
Thats great, but the professional footage shooter is going to win this by a mile. SS wont pick a great story with a crappy video. Even if the story is the most compelling.,

Are you saying my gripping and dramatic puppet show isn't going to win?
I think he's whining because that's easier to do than trying to make a compelling video.  The puppet show just might have a chance though.
And you call me a troll? Its you who is constantly after me. I thought trolling was beneath you? Why dont you behave like an adult and let me be the clown? Why do you care so much about what I have to say? Go take pictures of post-its or something.

« Reply #15 on: August 15, 2013, 20:31 »
+3
I understand Ron's point of view. I took the time to participated even if I knew not much about video (I'm a photographer).

But... I learned a lot during that time and I will probably submit stock videos in the future.

For instance, I learned to always do a WB correction before shooting. Always double check the exposure. With photography, I could get away by correcting the WB with RAW files. You can't do that properly with video. It's like trying to correct JPG files. Also, I learned that the audio quality is equally important as the image quality.

This has been a great learning experience overall and I'm looking forward to view all the other video entries.

Michael

« Reply #16 on: August 16, 2013, 08:48 »
0
I understand Ron's point of view. I took the time to participated even if I knew not much about video (I'm a photographer).

But... I learned a lot during that time and I will probably submit stock videos in the future.

For instance, I learned to always do a WB correction before shooting. Always double check the exposure. With photography, I could get away by correcting the WB with RAW files. You can't do that properly with video. It's like trying to correct JPG files. Also, I learned that the audio quality is equally important as the image quality.

This has been a great learning experience overall and I'm looking forward to view all the other video entries.

Michael

Good feedback, Michael.  I am wanting to broaden my base by adding video.  Any tips like this are helpful.


Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #17 on: August 16, 2013, 11:55 »
+3
Great way for Shutterstock to get a whole bunch of "commercials" for $75k. Just so you know, ad agencies charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for a video similar to the one on the site. That video was copywritten, art directed, expertly lit, shot in a variety of locations with a large pool of talent, including actors, cameramen, grips, lighting crew, etc., and well edited....plus they had to pay for the stock music (a very minor cost in the scheme of things).

My fee alone as a creative director and copywriter (coming up with the concept, writing the script, attending casting, shooting, editing, etc.)...one member of a large team... would be much more than $25k, which is the most you can hope to win.

Good luck to those who decide to enter.


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
13 Replies
5974 Views
Last post November 19, 2008, 22:47
by Sean Locke Photography
4 Replies
3663 Views
Last post January 25, 2011, 12:24
by Noedelhap
3 Replies
4344 Views
Last post July 13, 2013, 00:41
by michaeldb
3 Replies
3131 Views
Last post July 25, 2013, 12:23
by gbalex
2 Replies
3483 Views
Last post September 21, 2013, 09:01
by WebSubstance

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors