filmmakers - WKTV Journal

By WKTV Staff

Calling the best and brightest producers, directors, actors, writers, and filmmakers to submit their entries for the 2017 Eclipse Awards! Entries are accepted until March 27th, 2017.

The Eclipse Awards honor content creators for Excellence in Craft in the disciplines of film, television, video, acting, sound, music and writing. Created by WKTV Community Television and Media as a means of empowering the West Michigan “voice” of content creators, the Eclipse Awards has become the “big event” for the creative community.

“There really are a large number of content creators here who are either fully established and enjoy the recognition or who are just starting out and have that spark of genius with a great idea,” said Tom Norton, General Manager of WKTV.

Tom Norton, General Manager of WKTV Community Television and Media

In the first round of voting beginning right after March 27th, voting members from Michigan select the nominees. Nominees are then announced at 7 pm EST on Monday, April 17th and streamed live on the WKTV Youtube Channels. A link will be available on The Eclipse Awards website, theeclipseaward.com. A second round of voting begins following the announcement and this time, voting members are joined by industry peers across the US and in Europe.

The tallies from those votes then decide from the list of nominees who will be the recipient of The 6th Annual Eclipse Award in each category and craft.

The Hyperion Award — a leadership award given to outstanding leaders in TV, Film and the Arts — is voted on by the Eclipse Awards Board of Governors. The name “hyperion” refers to the light that exists behind an eclipse and this is the leadership that The Hyperion Award honors; the individual in West Michigan who by example and leadership encourages others to excel and contribute to an already thriving community of content creators.

The 2017 Hyperion Award recipient will be announced on the day the Eclipse Nominations are announced and will be presented at the 6th Annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony televised live from City Flats Ballroom on Thursday, May 18th.

NEW to the Eclipse Awards this year, Los Angeles distributor FairwayFilm Alliance, through their Rogue Arts label, is offering a first look to the 6th Annual Eclipse Award winners in the feature film and documentary category. Following the night of the awards ceremony, when the winners are known, the connection between Fairway Film Alliance and the winner(s) in these categories will be arranged.

“We’re tremendously pleased to be working with all of our sponsors,” said Norton. “They really believe in the importance of West Michigan having regional awards recognition to help foster the creative spirit. The democratization of media over the last few decades has really given voice to a much wider array of creativity and WKTV wants to see it grow and expand.”

Here are the important dates:

Friday, March 27th at 5pm — Entry Window Closes
1st Round of Voting Begins
Nominations Announcement 7pm on Monday, April 17th
Hyperion Award Recipient Announcement Monday, April 17th 7pm
2nd Round of Voting Begins with National Judges
Nomination Certification Party, Monday May 15th
The 6th Annual Eclipse Awards Excellence in Craft Award Ceremony, Thursday, May 18th 7pm

More information can be found on the website www.theeclipseaward.com or by calling 616.261.5700. Entries are $35 for content creators and $20 for students, however there is no student criteria for voting by the judges.

The 6th Annual Eclipse Awards is sponsored by WKTV Digital Cinema, the West Michigan Film Video Alliance, West Michigan Film Office, Compass College of Cinematic Arts and Ferris State University.

Filmmakers have until Oct. 14 to submit entries to the Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ fourth annual Saugatuck Shorts Film Competition.

This year marks the fourth year of the Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ (SCA) film competition, which is Nov. 5. Professional and student filmmakers will compete for $2,500 worth of cash prizes for their short films — five minutes or less — that feature some sort of Michigan flavor. Student submissions (age 18 and under) are free, and adults (age 19 and up) are $20 per entry. Video projects by schools, clubs, and religious organizations are encouraged to enter. Registration for Saugatuck Shorts is open now until Oct 14, and can be completed at sc4a.org.

“Over the past four years, the SCA’s Saugatuck Shorts competition has brought in filmmakers from across the state for a wonderful night of engaging entertainment on the big screen,” said SCA Executive Director Kristin Armstrong. “The competition is a great way for students and professionals alike to get their work in front of the community. We are very excited to bring this special competition back!”

Saugatuck Shorts is the only film competition in West Michigan that offers a cash prize for film submissions in a juried category and an audience favorite. Similar to ArtPrize, a panel of judges will choose the top tens shorts to be shown on screening night. Of those top ten, a winner from the student and from the adult category will be chosen. The Student Winner will be awarded $500 and the Adult Winner, $1,000. On screening night, after the audience has viewed all ten shorts, they will cast their votes for the “Audience Favorite” which will be awarded another $1,000.

This year’s competition also marks the second year that the SCA will partner with Wyoming- Kentwood Television (WKTV) to promote Saugatuck Shorts. In addition to the station coming to the event to broadcast it live on Nov. 5, WKTV will also feature the top ten juried films on the station.

WKTV is a community television station located at 5261 Clyde Park Avenue in Wyoming, Michigan. WKTV is one of the oldest community television stations in the country that is still in operation, celebrating 40 years in 2014. More information about WKTV can be found at www.wktv.org.

For more information and registration details for Saugatuck Shorts can be found at sc4a.org or by calling 269-857-2399. Saugatuck Center for the Arts is located at 400 Culver Street, Saugatuck.