Create drama for the YDA and get noticed
Ahead of the launch of this year’s Young Director Award, supported by shots, comes the announcement of a contest that shines a light on yet more new directing talent.
Ahead of the launch of this year’s Young Director Award, which is supported by shots, the event is also announcing a contest with the aim of shining a light on yet more new directing talent.
Since the inception of the YDA more than 20 years ago, the sole purpose of the award has been to find the best, most gifted up-and-coming directorial talent in the business; those who were born to create drama on the screen.
That line, ‘Born to Create Drama’ has been with the YDA for more than 15 years, thanks to TBWA/PHS Helsinki. A simple but effective way of signifying the talented directors it searches for and champions. At certain points during the YDA’s existence it have been indebted to producers and agencies for creating a series of short ident films using that line, films which have helped showcase the YDA and what it does.
This year, in a bid to unearth even more untapped talent, the YDA is offering you the chance to shoot a film, the brief for which is simply, 'Born to Create Drama'. It can be anything up to three minutes long and can be funny, scary, odd, exciting, unsettling… as long as it makes us sit up and take note. The competition is free-to-enter, and open to everyone, whether you’re filming alone with your smartphone, or go traditional and get a film crew involved – what’s important is the end, not the means.
Above: An example of a previous 'born to create drama' film, from 2008.
We will be showcasing our favourite entries, chosen by the YDA board, starting in January, until we decide on a winner in May. If the entrants are eligible, all showcased entries will be entered into the relevant category in the main YDA competition free of charge, to be judged by our international jury. The winning piece of work will introduce the YDA ceremony 2021 (wherever it happens and in whatever form it takes), and will also feature on the shots site alongside an interview with the winning director/team.
You can check out 20 years of film and print campaigns, that range from the beautifully simple to the stunningly intricate, in our brand-new online archive. Our previous campaigns have been the powerful culmination of fruitful partnerships between directors and writers, so if you don’t want to take on the challenge alone, reach out to your network, and get inspired!
The rules:
1. Maximum length is three mins.
2. Films must contain the 'Born To Create Drama' tagline, and the YDA logo, an example of which can be seen here. The YDA logo is available from the entry form, but the tagline can be displayed however you want.
3. The category is free to enter and open to everyone, whether you’re a young director or not.
Enter now via the YDA entry platform.
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