Lights! Camera! Greenfield!

If you need the short, sweet, and bullet-point version of this explanation click here.

Lights! Camera! Greenfield!, or LCG!, is an annual film competition hosted by Greenfield Community Television. We at GCTV wanted to create our own version of a film sprint where newcomers can compete with experienced filmmakers on an even playing field. How do we do that? Well, LCG! starts with a Kick-Off Celebration where each team is given a few randomized, individual prompts as well as a universal prompt shared by each team.

Wait. You didn’t know about the prompts?

That’s how we figure out if the movies were made ahead of time or during the competition. These prompts can range from any type of topic and are usually kept secret until the official Kick-Off to prevent pre-filming. This is what evens the playing field. While we appreciate and love the highest quality of local movies, during LCG! we are more concerned about how each team creatively uses its prompts. While each prompt is only technically required to show up for a single moment, we want to see how your team can work the prompts into a story or find uncommon interpretations of the prompts. No one knows who will get what prompts until they are being drawn during the Kick-Off.

Wait. You didn’t know about the two-week deadline? It’s a good thing you are reading this now.

As soon as the Kick-Off is over, LCG! is officially underway and each team must complete a 4-minute movie (from writing, filming, editing, and submitting) using their unique random and universal prompts within the two-week deadline.

The strict deadline is what makes it a film “sprint.” These kinds of competitions are everywhere (including our friends at Northampton Open Media) and can range from 10 days to one week, 48 hours, and even 24 hours! Relatively, LCG! is more like a film jog. We think two weeks raises the creative pressure but is more flexible for people’s schedules.

Filmmakers of every experience level are welcome and in fact, are encouraged. The GCTV Staff is experienced in various filmmaking techniques, editing, effects, and video production and we are happy to train any and everyone who is curious about LCG! or any type of video or audio project. Reach out to us at any time, during LCG! or any other time, to learn how to make your creative dreams come true!

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Greenfield Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

To get a better idea of what kind of movies Lights! Camera! Greenfield! gathers, check out the past videos below!

2023

This year’s LCG! has not begun yet! But we will be announcing it soon! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and sign-up for our newsletter to find out the latest news involving GCTV!

2022

2022’s LCG! was the first springtime competition we threw and all of the participants took full advantage of it. Watch all of the movies here. Each team had to incorporate the word “Bloom” into their movie as well as a COLOR, SHAPE, and FOOD. The results were phenomenal. You can watch all of the movies and the awards ceremony right here.

2020

Lights! Camera! Greenfield!: The Quarantine Year!!! Lockdown didn’t stop the Pioneer Valley from getting creative. Even with an all-virtual event, we got a whole bunch of new movies from great filmmakers. Each team had to incorporate two nouns and two verbs. These teams provided some incredible dramas, music videos, and horror movies. You can watch these and the awards ceremony right here!

2019

The first ever Lights! Camera! Greenfield! was a major success! GCTV invited filmmakers from all over Greenfield and the Pioneer Valley and those filmmakers answered! For our first competition, what better universal prompt is there than “First!” Each team needed to use “first” in addition to three Greenfield locations and three types of props. This location-based scavenger hunt game was so successful that we decided to keep it going each year. To watch all of the submitted videos and to find out the winners watch all of the videos here!

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