Movies Go Mobile With Telstra Mobile Masterpieces

Movies Go Mobile with Telstra Mobile Masterpieces

Telstra is calling on budding mobile film-makers to enter Telstra Mobile Masterpieces an exciting mobile-film category at the world's largest short film festival, Movie Extra Tropfest.

Now in its second year, Telstra Consumer Executive Director Jenny Young said the Telstra Mobile Masterpieces was a great opportunity for aspiring film-makers to show-off their skills and go in the running to win a trip to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, with $5,000 spending money.

"Almost anything can be done on a mobile phone these days - social networking, surfing the net, listening to music and filmmakers are increasingly using video recording to tell their stories.

"The beauty of the mobile phone is that anyone can access it, anyone can use it and you don't need great qualifications to get started. It really just comes down to a great idea for a story; a great concept," Ms Young said.

Tropfest Director John Polson said he knew it was time to embrace the mobile phone as a tool for making short films when an Australian film shot on a mobile phone won the 2008 Tropfest New York competition.

"Over the last few years mobile phone cameras have gotten better and the quality of what they can shoot has gotten better," Polson says.

"One of Tropfest's mantras has always been that it's not about how much money or technical experience you have, it is just about your story and how well you tell it.

"That's why mobile phone masterpieces are perfect for us. It's about the idea, the convenience of it, the limited expense and about someone who maybe doesn't know if they're a fully fledged filmmaker and wants to take a crack at it and see if other people respond to the idea."

Event: Telstra Mobile Masterpieces

Date: Entries are open until Thursday 6 January 2011 Movie Extra Tropfest 2011 event is officially scheduled for Sunday 20 February 2011

Prizes: WINNER Telstra Mobile Masterpieces receives a VIP trip to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, with $5,000 spending money. TWO RUNNERS UP - $500 cash and a new Telstra Next G(TM) mobile each. These top three entries will also have their films debuted at the official Movie Extra Tropfest screening.

Information: For more information on entry requirements and details on the Tropfest Signature Item KEY which must be included in eligible films, visit www.tropfest.com/tmm

Media contact:
Ali Caldicott
0438 069 055
www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/

SOURCE: Telstra