FM 118: Workshop in Viral Videomaking New Production Class Opportunity The Department of Film and Media Studies, in partnership with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, invites you to submit a proposal for an exciting new production course in Spring 2007.  This is an experimental workshop that explores sponsored video production amid the proliferation of new media technologies and contemporary practices of brand identification, formulation and communication.  The rise of massively popular user generated content online, especially on YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook, for example, have altered significantly how product manufacturers, corporations, schools, governments, non-profits, creative industries, media organizations and others groups do their public business.  This class will also address the significance of direct internet sales on sites such as eBay, and the role of the blogosphere, webcasting, podcasting, new user nets such as Craig’s List, among many others on the way young people both consume and produce media content. Today the YouTube “viral video” phenomenon is challenging the dominant model of top-down, organization-driven approaches to getting messages communicated in favor of more spontaneous, organic and bottom-up strategies driven by consumers themselves.   In view of these formidable changes in our contemporary media environments, Harley-Davidson and UCSB’s Department of Film and Media Studies are sponsoring a small pilot course that aims to participate in the production of short sponsored videos for online media or for downloading to other digital media platforms such as cell phones, iPods, and PDAs.  In conjunction with this class, Harley-Davidson is sponsoring a competition for the best short video project that communicates the Harley-Davidson lifestyle for your generation of riders.   The Harley-Davidson Motor Company would like to support students’ ideas of how to translate its familiar brand identity to appeal to contemporary young people, women, and urban populations.  A production stipend of up to $1,200 will be awarded for each project proposal selected for the workshop.  There will be $5,000 prize at the end of the seminar for the best completed video, to be selected by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Application Guidelines: If you wish to be considered for enrollment in the workshop you must submit a proposal describing your video project.  The proposal should explain your project clearly, including your main story idea and the general visual and acoustic design.  Images of Harley-Davidson motorcycles will be made available to those requesting emblems or other kinds of identifiable visual material.  The length of the video should be from 2-5 minutes.  A rough-storyboard is recommended but not required.  As a requirement to participate in this project, students will sign an agreement acknowledging that their videos are "works for hire" and that they thereby give all ownership and the rights therein to Harley-Davidson.  Students will be able to use the works in portfolios as work samples.  Please note that all proposal submissions become the property of the UCSB Department of Film and Media Studies, and will not be returned.   Please submit your proposal by March 21, 2007, to the Department of Film Studies, C/O Joe Palladino. 1720 Ellison Hall, UCSB.   Harley-Davidson’s requirements are as follows: Project Guidelines Films should be from two (2)  – five (5) minutes in duration Essential that the film reflect the Harley-Davidson lifestyle -- cool, thrill-seeking, independent, authentic, non-judgmental -- in the storytelling/imagery Main character(s), to the extent developed, must be law abiding Use of motorcycles is not required.  If motorcycles are depicted, students will be solely responsible for securing them If motorcycles are depicted, the video must feature a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (custom choppers and other non-Harley-Davidson branded motorcycles can be depicted, but cannot be featured) If motorcycles are depicted, they cannot be used as weapons Images cannot be pornographic All image and sound rights must be cleared by the filmmaker and filmmaker must submit all clearances in writing Click here for an application.