Hey kids! Do you have a film school project coming up? Are you an indie filmmaker looking to expand your portfolio? Or do you just have a cell phone camera, a lot of hard drive space, and a jonesin’ for all things Lovecraftian? Introducing the very first music video contest for the H.P. Lovecraft inspired punk band, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.

Our next CD release will include a DVD, and we want your work to be on it! There are very few restrictions, and here they are:

1. You must give us permission in writing stating that we are allowed to use your film for our DVD and promo purposes (such as youtube).
2. You must use a complete song from any of our albums.
3. No porn, misogyny, or general bad taste in subject matter. Fake gore in good humour is a-ok!
4. Must not contain any elements to which you do not have the rights (don’t use Star Wars, Mickey Mouse, or Hellboy in the video, for starters). This includes any sound or images you don’t own, (unless they’re public domain or covered by a creative commons license). No pilfered film footage, that includes other music, identifiable products or logos (no sports team jersies or coke cans).

You own the rights to your film. You can submit it to film festivals (such as the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Screamfest, and A Night of Horror), make your own DVDs, whatever you like. As long as The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets are credited with the music, we’re not going try to restrict use of your film. In fact we encourage it.

It can be live action, a Flash cartoon, stop-motion animation, anything you like.

We, the band, will review all of the submissions and pick a video which will receive the Tentacule d’Or award. This recipient will receive $200 in Thickets merchandise of their choice. Even those who don’t win the contest are still eligible to have the film on the Thickets DVD. All qualifying films will get a copy of the album/DVD.

Bonus considerations for the Tentacule d’Or are as follows:
a) Use of tentacles in the video.
b) Giant monsters destroying cities.
c) Setting in the deep sea or in outer space.
d) Use of the Necronomicon.
e) Using any of the following songs: Blackout; No Way; Strange; Return to Melanesia; Cultists on Board; A Need-To-Know Basis; Operation: Get the Hell Out Of Here; Ride the Flying Polyp; Downtown (In the Cenozoic); Nyarlathotep; 20 Minutes of Oxygen; The Innsmouth Look; Power Up; Frogstar; The Math Song; Dies Is Unverschamtheit; The Chosen One; Slave Ship; KABLAM!; Big Robot Dinosaur; Goin’ Down To Dunwich; Yig Snake Daddy; Hookworm; Rock Lords; Protein; Burrow Your Way To My Heart

Full credit will be given to you on the DVD of course, including the website of your choice. We will even help you out in any way that we can while you make your video. We can probably send you some photos and other footage if you need it, and we’ll answer whatever questions you pose. If you live near Vancouver BC, Seattle WA or Portland OR you’ll have some opportunities to take live footage of the band.

-Phase One will be your proposal submission. Let us know what song you’d like to do, what the theme and subject matter will be, what media you’ll be using, and all of that. Deadline for proposal is Oct 1 2008.
-Phase Two will be the final product! Deadline for final product will be June 28 2009. Extensions can be requested but no guarantees. It’s even better if you can provide updates of your progress. Why not make a blog about the project, or at least email us with your updates and we’ll spread the word amongst Thicketdom to keep the interest and excitement at peak levels AT ALL TIMES. Maybe our vast network of Cthulhoids can put you on your way to wealth and infamy.

Format: Mini-DV, DVD, or Quicktime, in either HD or NTSC (the North American video standard). Videos shot in PAL (the European format) can be converted, but it’s a pain in the nippers so best avoided.

Gugs and fishes,
Toren Atkinson
thickets@uniserve.com
604.737.4283
3254 West 3rd Ave Vancouver BC V6K1N4

Please note that the deadline for proposals has been extended to DEC 31!

Contestants, please feel free to chime in and brag about your project!

Steve F says:

Hi Toren,

I've set up a blog at http://thekinginyellow.ca/ to document our efforts in creating a video for "Power Up!".

I would also like to offer a free wordpress blog to the other people making videos. If they want one, it would be at http://thekinginyellow.ca/whatever-their-name-is -- if any of the other video-makers are interested they can contact me at steve [at) thekinginyellow (dot] ca

-Steve-

Hey! Deadline for final video has been extended to December 31 2009. Enjoy and stay eldritch.

hey,
Does the video have to be from a song from the CD "The Shadow Out of Tim" or can the vid be from one of your earlier albums?

Any original Thickets song (so not Walkin' on the Moon)

no prob...thanks

Deadline pushed back to Christmas!