I've been thinking for the past few months that it'd be fun to have another Approval Screen Contest this year.

For anyone who wasn't around...

Last year VaporTrail pointed out that lots of fanfilmers were putting the MPAA screen at the beginning of their previews, despite the fact that they had no such approval from the MPAA.

[image=http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9766/approvalscreen9zg.jpg]

Since most of us here pretty well know our way around Photoshop and other various programs, it's not hard for us to make our own approval screens to put in previews. We could make one for trailers OK for all audiences, and a "mature" one for trailers that might have some content that little kids shouldn't watch.

See [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_films/b10015/19217706]last year's thread[/link] for details.

It's a good concept that having another contest could help people to start thinking about again.


For this year's contest, I'm kinda hoping that people will try to make things more creative than green screen MPAA rip-offs, i.e. where it's the same except the wording is changed to something like "This preview has NOT been approved by the MPAA". But instead, whatever crazy or cool ideas you can come up with. You can even make a short video clip if you like. Maybe if the MPAA paraphrases get really popular, we could have a separate vote and set of entries. Like, one for who can make the best design, and another to see who can make the funniest one. All this depends on how things go.

Here's a link to last year's entries: http://fanfilms.theforce.net/temp/ScreenImages.htm


I'll make the rules and set the deadline after I see if, and how, you guys are interested.

 

Good idea for a thread, I remember this from last time around.

 

I'm interested. I never got a chance to enter the first contest (although I did end up voting).

 

Wow nice contest

I'll see what I can come up with

 

Here's a quickly made example of creativity. Similar to one that someone made and posted last year after it was too late to enter.


[image=http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/771/approvalcutegood2nu.jpg]

[image=http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6292/approvalcutebad1kn.jpg]

Of course this one expresses the more cute side of creativity rather than something anyone would actually use, but it should help to get you thinking outside the box.


At [link=http://forums.cgsociety.org]CG Society[/link], there's some really cool artwork. People make use of various 2D/3D software to make these "paintings". Those are some of the kind of things I'm thinking of when it comes to an approval screens design. I understand that making a CG painting takes a lot of time and effort, but I encourage anyone considering participating to use the artwork on that site as inspiration. Even if it simply helps you to think outside the box.

 

So just make a picture?


[EDIT] How do you do shadows in photoshop?

 

And have words in it saying whether or not it's appropriate for all audiences, yes. You can make two similar ones for All and Mature.

 

If you mean for text...

You go to Layer Properties, and on the left it says Drop Shadow and Inner Shadow.

 

Ahh, the rebirth.
Hope this contest goes as well as the last one. It was pretty cool recieving all the entries.

Submit, guys!
You know you want to...

 

Well the official rules haven't been made yet, so I don't know how they'd submit just yet. But there's something I've been thinking about. I also plan on taking part in this contest, but it wouldn't exactly be very fair if everyone sent their submissions to me, that might give me an advantage. At first I thought a good solution might be to get someone else to vollunteer to take the submissions till the deadline, then I take them and catagorise them. But then I realised, I have at least one sock, so people could just PM their submissions to [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=AdamShernist]AdamShernist[/link] so I wouldn't need to see them till after the deadline.

 

I changed my mind. Since I don't use Darthness anymore, you can just PM your submissions to that username.

 

I am SO in on this. I've had an idea brewing recently for this very idea of an MPAA parody, and now I get a chance to do it.

 

That would only be if other people are interested as well.

 

I'm working on one, it's very complex, so it's taking a while to do...

Also, in photoshop, how you you make it look like there's beams of light shining out of the text?

 

Beams? Hmm... Not sure what you're imagining, but probably the same or a similar way you do lightsabers in Photoshop.


The official rules haven't been made yet, but just so anyone knows, you can enter as many entries as you want. You can also do short video clips if you like.

 

Trapcode's Shine, Sithman. [link=http://www.trapcode.com]Check it out.[/link]

 

Can that work in PS?

Aaron.

 

Don't think so, but you can use the free plug-in [link=http://amicoperry.altervista.org/luce/main.html]Luce[/link] for a similar effect.

 

Alright, I'll go ahead and post this.


[hl=yellow]Official Rules:[/hl]

Type of Approval Screen You can enter any kind of screen you can think of, use your imagination. Though creativity and design are prefered, you may also do MPAA parodies.* Short video clips are allowed as well. It's also reccomended (but not required) that you make alternate versions of the same screen. i.e. One for All Audiences, and another for Mature Audiences.

*If we get enough of those entries, I'll make them into a seperate catagory.

How to submit You may post your entries in this thread if you like. If you'd rather keep them secret and anonymous, you can PM them to Darthness.* If you have any PM-worthy questions about the contest, just PM DK_Force85.

*Since I don't use Darthness anymore, it helps to keep this contest more fair so that I can participate without having any advantage of seeing other people's screens that they don't want anyone else to see yet. After the deadline, I'll check the PMs for submissions and go about setting them up for voting.

Deadline All submissions must be made (whichever way you choose to do it) by Friday, May 12.*

*That's what it is for now. I'll extend the deadline if nessesary.



Well that's about it. If you see any problems or changes that should be made with the rules, PM me.

 

So far I've got zero submissions. So I'm officially setting the deadline back a week to Friday the 19th.


Commin people. Submit!

 

Don't know how, but I somehow missed the official rules. I'll try to pull something together for it.

 

Okay, if you say so.
My entry:[image=http://www.freewebs.com/stbeelzepaulproductions/mpaa.jpg]

 

This is my submission. Working on adding a few more things, but I just hit a wall of "no more green please... my eyes....burns us."

[link=http://www.shadicats.com/media/approvalscreen.avi]http://www.shadicats.com/media/approvalscreen.avi[/link]

 

Well the most simple way of giving the approval screen without faking it AND looking serious at the same time is this:

"The following peview has not yet been approved by the MMPAA"

 

Ill attempt one, although someone almost stole my idea!

I should be done with it by the end of the night.


-Cyr