Monday 21 October 2013

Stars and Storm 2013 winners announced

The Movies FR in association with Moviestorm are proud to present the results of the Stars and Storm 2013 competition.

 Alutt, admin of The Movies FR, said: "All in all, every entry was very atmospheric and very interesting to watch. 

"We wish a big congratulations to all the participants and thank them for taking part - we hope they had fun creating the videos and everyone really enjoyed taking part.


"For a better understanding of how we determined the final results and also our podium, we present two charts, one for the technical aspects and one for the script aspects, and also a compilation of the jurors comments for each movie."

Jury for videos: Poulet Noir + Vincent C. + Walvince + Alutt


TECHNICAL MARK (/20)
(=Direction + Editing + Soundtrack + Scenery + Costumes)
1) Contribution n°4: Melopee - The French Kiss >>> 15
2) Contribution n°1: Kibishipaul - Endurance >>> 14,25
3) Contribution n°5: DoublePrimePictures - Yearning >>> 13,25
4) Contribution n°3: Mysterysgames - Rescue from the Past >>> 12,875
5) Contribution n°2: 65radius - Un Amour Difficile >>> 12

STORY MARK (/20)
(=Script + Dialogues + Characters + Originality +Theme)
1) Contribution n°1: Kibishipaul - Endurance >>> 14
2) Contribution n°3: Mysterysgames - Rescue from the Past >>> 13,875
3) Contribution n°2: 65radius - Un Amour Difficile >>> 12,5
4) Contribution n°5: DoublePrimePictures - Yearning >>> 11,875
5) Contribution n°4: Melopee - The French Kiss >>> 10,875


FINAL RESULTS (/20) (=average marks based on the 2 previous ones)

1) Contribution n°1: kibishipaul - Endurance >>> 14,125

FEEDBACK COMMENTS: An interesting and well described "historical event", even if there are a lot of subtitles (partly a little hard to follow/read). Scenery are outstanding (except for unrealistic water) with a real sense of place. A lot of atmosphere but there's a lack of ambient music and sounds; however the ones used are appropriate. Some chosen or created animations are a little clumsy (for instance men dragging the sledge), but on a whole there are really original aspects too (soccer ball game, sledge, etc.). Direction, even if not "perfect" sometimes, is at a very good level. An interesting machinima on several accounts!


2) Contribution n°3: mysterysgames - Rescue from the Past >>> 13,375

FEEDBACK COMMENTS: The story and the message about following your dreams is nice, with a sympathetic character, although the end sounds a bit like a demo. Scenery are various and well done (at the exception of a few textures choices and some sets which looks a bit Spartan). Some costumes are a little bland, although the contrast between the old and young hero was very well done. Nice direction and camerawork, despite maybe a lack of tempo and a few clumsy camera shots. The work on expressiveness (faces, gestures) is vey well done. Very nice music too.


3) Contribution n°4: Melopee - The French Kiss >>> 12,9375

FEEDBACK COMMENTS: Technically, the movie is superb. Lighting, sets, camerawork are all delightful, and the black and white works wonderfully. But the movie lacks tempo a little. There is a lot of atmosphere, the romantic and mysterious music matches well. Characters' gestures are sometimes a bit caricatured and it may be confusing at times as to who was saying what. Nice scenery and costumes. Unfortunately there is very little story, dialogues are minimalists and the end is quite banal.


4) Contribution n°5: DoublePrimePictures- Yearning >>> 12,5625

FEEDBACK COMMENTS: A melancholic and poetic movie, with well written dialogues. The opening sequence is superb and raised expectations for the rest of the movie, which is unfortunately not at the same level. Direction and editing (including special effects) are well done, but lacks of coherence. The music is well chosen and used. Scenery and costumes are quite OK, but sets are sometimes minimalists and lightning is not always effective. Maybe some kind of old movie filter over black and white could have increased the ambiance. The work on expressiveness (especially faces) is handsome. Ambiance and tempo are also quite good. The story is simple but well written, presenting a central character with true inner beauty. Unfortunately the 'Old times' theme of the contest is not obvious.


5) Contribution n°2: 65radius - Un Amour Difficile >>> 12,25

FEEDBACK COMMENTS: A simple and special but cute and offbeat story! Thanks for the French subtitles (but be aware with automatic translators: results are very random!). The (chosen) cheap music is quite funny. There are very good soundtrack ideas, but the sound editing is a little clumsy, although sound match perfectly with action, just like in an old silent movie. Direction is quite OK; tempo+ movie editing are good. Scenery is nicely constructed; sets and costumes give a bizarre and interesting atmosphere.

*1st prize: kibishipaul
1) 3000 MS points on content packs from Moviestorm: http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/hub/content_packs?cat=0
2) The all 6 exclusifs French mods on TMFR made by Cinecitta: http://www.themovies.fr/viewtopic.php?t=6601
3) a £25 gift voucher on Moddingstorm by Chris Ollis: http://www.moddingstorm.co.uk/getmods.shtml

*2nd prize: Mysterysgames
1) 3000 MS points on content packs from Moviestorm: http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/hub/content_packs?cat=0
2) The all 6 exclusifs French mods on TMFR made by Cinecitta: http://www.themovies.fr/viewtopic.php?t=6601
3) a $30 gift voucher on Mods and More by Squirrelygirl: http://www.modsnmore.net/moviestorm/

*3rd prize: Melopee
1) 3000 MS points on content packs from Moviestorm: http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/hub/content_packs?cat=0
2) The all 6 exclusifs French mods on TMFR made by Cinecitta: http://www.themovies.fr/viewtopic.php?t=6601
3) a $15 gift voucher on Mods and More by Squirrelygirl: http://www.modsnmore.net/moviestorm/

PLUS *4th and 5th prizes: DoublePrimePictures and 65radius
1) 500MS points on content packs from Moviestorm: http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/hub/content_packs?cat=0
2) The all 6 exclusifs French mods on TMFR made by Cinecitta: http://www.themovies.fr/viewtopic.php?t=6601

Friday 18 October 2013

Exclusive Moviestorm Halloween education offer: engage your students

As Halloween approaches, and kids all over the word gear up for the world of ghosts, ghouls and assorted horror, why not use the theme to engage them in classic literature and films?

 

 As this great article from Barnes & Noble suggests, horror should be embraced as a genre that inspires students to learn:
Clown5_250px.jpgCombining Moviestorm and horror is a great way to enthuse your students with writing. They can write the script to a short story, and quickly bring it to life as a film, without the usual logistical restraints associated with live filming, such as equipment, cast, crew, location and of course, budget.

Moviestorm supports all levels of horror, from pumpkins and graveyards, through to modern vampire stories and all sorts of ghastly monsters. People of all ages and abilities use Moviestorm - you do not need any technical, creative or filmmaking skills to get going with it's intuitive game-style interface.

To help you get started, we have assembled a fantastic seasonal offer for your school and students, allowing you all to get productive and start creatively enjoying film and literature horror for Halloween.


Buy 5 Moviestorm Education licences, get 5 free
+
Annual Home Use licences are under $5* per student

Contact me now - timjudges@moviestorm.net

Promotions open until 31 October 2013, so get going now to avoid missing out!


* Or £ / Euro equivalent



Featured Movie

Haunted House movie
Haunted House ...ghost caught on video!

How to Introduce Moviestorm
Advanced Skills Teacher and education advisor, James Durran, uses Moviestorm to enthuse students, ages 11-18, in English and visual literacy. 
Download this engaging introductory lesson plan

6th Form Media Teacher, Steve Thorne, uses Moviestorm to allow his students to introduce and practice the art of filmmaking.
Download this engaging introductory lesson plan
 


Student Activity
As a first filmmaking exercise, why not get your students to make a simple 'shocking' Halloween film like the one above?  Use the ''hide'/'unhide' function to make your monster appear on set when the viewer last expects it!




Watch other movies by teachers and students

Featured Packs
 
Long Road college students using Moviestorm
Halloween
Enter the graveyard, if you dare. Bones, the skeleton is sure to be there...

Long Road college students using Moviestorm

Evoke the passion and thrill of your favourite vampire movies with this darkly romantic pack.

Explore all our packs






Halloween special: Moviestorm is great for horror

As Halloween approaches, we are reminded about the fantastic horror machinima created by our users, so we thought we would draw your attention to their craft, and offer you an incentive to get youself or your friends involved in telling your own blood-curdling, ghoulish or just plain deeply-disturbing stories in Moviestorm.

Check out some of the movies and content that could be yours below, and start scaring people.  Its a lot of fun!






Shocking stuff!

Featured Horror Movies
The 15th Floor by KV

By KV, Moviestorm Filmmaker
"When Andrew is hired to disprove hauntings on the 15th floor of a hotel, he gets much more than he bargained for."

Sacrifice by Steve3416

By Steve3416, Moviestorm Filmmaker
"A young man plays a dangerous game with the supernatural and demonic world."


Frankenstein by Kibishipaul
Frankenstein     
by Paul Carr, English Teacher
"A new series I am creating for students of ESL and or literature, introducing classic stories in a short machinima movie ..."

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Featured Content

Sample horror characters scene
Male and Female Monsters
Creepy, kooky, spooky and quite horrible heads for male and female Moviestorm characters. The packs includes werewolves, zombies, vampires, and other monsters.

Sample Halloween content scene
Enter the graveyard, if you dare. Bones, the skeleton is sure to be there...


Sample Twilight promotionalposter using Moviestorm
Evoke the passion and thrill of your favourite vampire movies with this darkly romantic pack.