Universal "Nightmares" Short Film Competition

"Where Nightmares Come Alive" is the theme for Universal Studios Hollywood's first Halloween short film competition, a virtual film festival timed to coincide with the launch of the annual Halloween Horror Nights event that will invade the Entertainment Capital of L.A. for 13 nights this October.

Prospective filmmakers are invited to submit 90-second to three-minute film shorts on DVD that support the theme, "Where Nightmares Come Alive." Selected films will be judged by a panel of horror industry professionals including director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) and actor Bill Moseley (Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Devil's Rejects) as well as Universal Studios Hollywood executives.

Criteria will be suspense, relevance to theme and overall "chill" factor. The top 10 shorts will be posted online from September 10 - 22 for public voting. Additional information on rules and regulations is available online at http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/Nightmares. All entries must be received by September 3, 2008.

The winning "Where Nightmares Come Alive" film will be announced on September 25th and the filmmaker(s) will enjoy a screening at Halloween Horror Nights "Eyegore Awards" ceremony in front of celebrities, studio executives and media, tickets to the event and a $1,000.00 cash prize.

Watchmen Contest

Zach Snyder Launches Contest for Warner Bros.'s Watchmen

Zack Snyder is offering you the opportunity to create "Veidt Enterprises" TV commercials that could end up in Warner Bros.'s feature film Watchmen, scheduled to be released in theaters on March 6, 2009.

To get started, download the standard definition and/or high definition assets from the links below, and then shoot your own original TV commercial that advertises one of the products! Remember, the movie is set in 1985, so TV commercials should be in 4:3 aspect ratio (so it looks like standard TV, not widescreen) and they should be either 15, 30 or 60 seconds in length. The products are all made by "Veidt Enterprises," and you can download the product logos for your use as well.

Make your TV commercial in NTSC standard definition (720x486) or higher resolution, upload it, and then others can vote on your work. The contest ends on June 2, 2008. The 40 finalists will win signed posters from Zack Snyder. The top five finalists from user votes will win High-Definition Canon Vixia HG10 camcorders. Up to 20 of Zack's favorite finalists will win $1,000.00, and have a chance to be included in the Watchmen feature film itself.

Contest Website: http://youtube.com/watchmenmovie