Chords of Truth Music Video Contest 2012
Submission dates | July 2 - August 26, 2012 |
September 6th Update: FINAL RESULTS
I have spent the last week or so watching all of the video contest submissions many times and it has been incredible.
I want to thank everyone that created a video. These are all so cool! I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them and so will many others over the years to come.
This has been extremely difficult for me to decide the winners. There are so many aspects to consider about a music video. And I know the time that all of you must have spent on this project was significant. So in the end I have tried to determine the winners based on the videos that, in my opinion, best capture the "essence" of the song. So I hope everyone understands I did my best :)
This music video contest was broken up into 2 categories with cash prizes for each. However, the second category that involved creating a music video from a remix had zero entries. Therefore, I decided that I was going to select a few "Finalist" videos to reward the available prize money. This was going to help because I was having so much trouble narrowing it down to just first and second prize anyway.
Then the number of "Finalists" kept getting bigger and bigger... and I felt like I couldn't leave out just a few of you (whoever it ended up being) so... I have selected a Winner and Runner-Up that will receive the $400 and $100 for the first contest. But I am also giving a $50 Finalist prize to everyone that entered a video entry. Now everyone comes out a winner :)
I have organized all of the finalist videos into general categories below and will be sharing these with as many people as I can over the coming years. Thanks again to everyone that participated in this contest. It has been an amazing experience! ~Chords of Truth
| WINNER - Tim Eddy | "
Listen" |
RUNNER UP - Stephen Patek | "Moments"
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| This video will make you feel the words to "Listen". Using the lyrics as text based graphics, Tim uses a clever combination of words and shapes to follow the concepts and story of the song. It almost puts you into a trance as you try to read the fast moving words and absorb the concepts being presented. Then he chooses the right times to give your mind a break. |
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| This video shows a young man contemplating and searching for answers. Through skillful production of video imagery, Stephen captured the essence of this song. Along with choosing the right effects and transitions, there are many subtle messages from the song that were cleverly conceptualized into the video. |
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| Scripted/Narrative Based Concepts |
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The Power To Be Alive
Video by Tim Sage |
The Power To Be Alive
Video by Jason Swinchock |
The Power To Be Alive
Video by Nate & Trey |
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| This video follows a deep narrative between several different people that are all having intense personal experiences. The production level of this video is amazing. |
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| This video follows a man in various locations thinking, searching, etc... The footage choices were skillfully shot and edited to convey the story of the song. |
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| Thoughtful imagery was used following a young man through a series of observations of various types of life. Using effective slow motion, transitions and close ups. |
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When I Was Wasted
Video by Aditya Prasad |
What Life Is About
Video by Rachel Hardy |
Moments
Video by Aditya Prasad |
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| Aditya uses an empty bottle and an apartment in combination with various camera techniques to tell this story. Several visual effects were used along with a couple cool ideas for scenes. |
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| Using split screen effects and time-lapse video, this video shows people of all kinds participating in the experience of life. Footage was shot in Indianapolis, IN. |
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| Aditya creates a scene showing aspects of life from different perspectives (including an insect on a plant). He uses interesting camera roation effects and close ups. |
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| Video Collage |
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What Life Is About
Video by Nate Christofferson |
Moments
Video by Jelena Kukic |
What Life Is About
Video by Aditya Prasad |
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| Nate takes us along with him on a family vacation. Great footage of rocks, cliffs and caverns with people enjoying the beautiful scenery. |
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| This video follows a young girl with her horse and dog through a series of experiences. If you are into horse riding you will especially enjoy this video. |
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| Aditya takes us on a train ride to visit the Taj Majal with an acoustic guitar fingerpicking soundtrack. |
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| Conceptual Slideshow |
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The Power To Be Alive
Video by Oraku |
Moments
Video by Alan Kinney |
What Life Is About
Video by Lucy Cain |
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| This video uses powerful imagery, slow motion, time-lapse and effective transitions to conceptualize the feel of the song. Very well thought out visual choices for the lyrics. |
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| Using carefully chosen combinations of videos and images, this video follows the lyrical story of the song. It gives you a visual representation of what the lyrics are saying. |
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| This video uses a series of vintage video clips, pictures and well used transitions to tell the story of the song. Showing people living, loving... real life all to the soft fingerpicking of an acoustic guitar. |
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August 27th Update: Now that the contest deadline has passed, I will be watching all of the entries many times. I want to thank everyone that entered for their hard work. I know these took a lot of time! This is going to be a hard decision. I plan on announcing the winners by the end of next week so make sure to check back.
NOTE: I am going to be leaving this video contest project up indefinitely. So if you are struck with a vision and want to create a music video and then submit it to the Chords of Truth Video Contest Vimeo group, I will add it for everyone to enjoy. |
The Power To Be Alive
Video by Gina Jordan |
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| This was actually the very first video I saw for one of my songs. This video is a collection of images that portray different types of people from the famous and powerful to the poor and downtrodden. It definitely gave me the chills. |
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Do you have an eye for creating compelling videos? Do any of the songs on my EP inspire you with a creative vision? I sure hope so because I am offering you the chance to win cash and prizes for sharing your creations.
And I am going to provide everything I can to help you. In fact, you will have 2 different contests to work with increasing your opportunity to win. The general idea is pretty simple.
Create a music video using any footage you want
synced to the following soundtracks:
1. Any song from my debut
Acoustic EP
"Reflections of Reality"
2. A remix of any song from my EP
(click here for remix contest details)
PRIZES: (over $1000 in cash and prizes)
The Winner and Runner-up for each contest will be selected by Chords of Truth to receive cash prizes of $400 and $100 respectively. All other entries will be considered for various opportunities to be determined based on the quality and quantity of submissions.
And to get things rolling, I will send a free CD of "Reflections of Reality" to the first 6 entries submitted for each contest.
Just as a small thank you for getting involved.
HOW IT WORKS:
Along with my songs, I am providing you with links to various video footage sites I've found to use to get started. I am not saying you should or should not use any of this footage. These are just a few resources you have access to in case you did not know where to find royalty free video for creating videos.
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| Here is a short list of great sites to download
footage that is COMPLETELY FREE to use for
this project. |
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I encourage you to use any video you can legally. Go ahead and shoot new footage, create animations or visualizations, or even browse stock video sites with my songs playing and look for anything that syncs up cool. Have any of you seen Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz? That kind of thing happens all the time when you have video on with just random music playing and I would be blown away if anyone could discover something like that for even part of one song. Let alone the full EP :) But in the end, I am really looking for your version of the story in the song.
What do you see/feel/experience when you listen to these songs? Or what do you visualize when you are creating your remix? As far as I'm concerned, anything you make will be awesome to me because my song will be a part of a new artistic creation. That will now be taking on a life beyond my vision and that is just badass to me! So I will appreciate any time you put into this contest and your creation will always be included as part of this project.
Now I would like you to come up with your own, unique vision for these songs if possible. But for anyone needing a little direction, here are a couple general styles of music videos I have liked from other artists in the past that could reasonably be made using the type of content available for this contest.
There are only a couple things that I am going to ask of you regarding what you create.
NUMBER 1. I DO NOT want anyone taking these songs and creating a hate filled or negative presentation. I am so excited to see what you all come up with and most concepts are welcome, but it has to stay positive in message. The primary purpose for Chords of Truth is to help empower everyone to challenge their perception of the world and create a positive experience for themselves and everyone around them. And we all know that's what the world needs.
So please keep it POSITIVE IN MESSAGE! 2. USE A STANDARD NAMING CONVENTION -
Include the name of the song and "Chords of Truth" in the title along with your name when posting your video. That way we can all keep things organized and both increase our exposure through this project.
3. READ THE RULES - Click Here for Official Chords of Truth Video Contest
Legal Terms & Conditions
4. ENTER THE CONTEST - Please join my Vimeo Contest group below. Then upload your video to your Vimeo.com account and
add it to
the
Contest Group: https://vimeo.com/groups/chordsoftruthcontest2012
NOTE: If you do not have a Vimeo account and would not like to create a free account, you may still enter the contest. Simply click here to upload your music video to our dropbox, then click here to send a message with the details and we will add it for you.
That's basically it, so the rest is up to you. Do your thing! I'm talking whatever you can think of that will create a positive and impressionable experience for the viewer.
Everyone has to start somewhere. So even if you have never made a music video before go ahead and give it a shot. If you have the right software and material to work with, it's simply a matter of learning the basics and using your imagination.
Don't have video editing software? Well there are a lot of free and paid options out there to get the job done. But as of April 2012, Adobe has launched something called the Creative Cloud that you might want to take advantage of.
Right now, you can license every product they offer including Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, etc... but most importantly Premiere Pro Video Editor for one reasonable monthly subscription fee. All starting with a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL with no obligation
(this alone could get you through the contest).
Click Here for Adobe Creative Cloud 30 Day FREE Trial
To determine the winners I will be taking into account many factors including plays, likes, comments and of course which ones I like the most. Be sure to share this page with all your friends or anyone else you think might be interested by using the links at the bottom of the page.
I will posting updates about the contest on our Facebook page and Twitter account showcasing some of the best videos that come in and keeping everyone up-to-date on the contest. So make sure you follow one of them and stay involved. |
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