Up All Night with Apple..

Scripture tells us that the children will lead us into salvation. Hmmm..I don't know about that - especially with some of the kids I know! However, it is true that some of the best mobile and 'mini' filmmakers are on the young side and are students who know their way around digital cameras and new media.

This fact is not lost on the folks at Apple Computer, who have announced the launch of the 2nd Insomnia Film Festival on October 13 at 9:00 a.m. (EST). On that day, Apple will post a list of elements — special props, dialogue, settings — that must be used in its film competition. Choose any three to include in your movie. Then, you and your team will write, cast, shoot, edit, score, and upload a 3-minute masterpiece within 24 hours.

Once the films are in, your friends, family, and fans will be able to watch them online and rate their favorites. The 25 entries with the highest rating on November 9 at 12:00 a.m. EST will be screened by industry professionals, including Barry Sonnenfeld, James Mangold, and Nora Ephron. If your film is the biggest hit with either the public or the pros, each member of your team will receive a MacBook Pro, Final Cut Studio 2, Logic Studio, and Shake.

The top 25 public rated finalists will also be featured on Apple’s own iTunes Store Podcast page; and will have the opportunity to present their film and be featured in a Made on a Mac presentation at participating Apple retail locations.

The winner of the public voting and the film picked as the best by the celebrity judges will be front and center on the Facebook Apple Students page. The top 10 rated movies will also be featured in "Made on a Mac" on the Apple Students page. The films will be on display for over 400,000 group members to view and critique in the Apple Student discussion board.

These same two winning films will join the elite ranks of previous winners and be added to our Insomnia winner’s gallery.

Slingjam, a community rating website for multimedia content will present one Insomnia Film Festival team with the Slingjam Creative Award. The criteria for this award will focus on the creativity of the storyline and art direction, more than the quality of production or the acting.

Members of the winning team will receive a private group video iChat with David Barron, producer of the hit Harry Potter feature films. This one hour face-to-face discussion will offer the winning team the chance to have their Insomnia film critiqued, and their questions answered by one of Hollywood's leading producers.

Sounds pretty neat to us, so get ready for some fast and furious ultra-short film making!