Ottawa’s Digi60 2012 Digital Filmmakers Festival Finds a Winner with Signiant Media Shuttle™
Powerful File Transfer Software Helps Entrants Ensure that Short Films are Submitted Online Faster and More Reliably; Ability to Handle Any Size File Adds Time Back to the Creative Process
BURLINGTON, MA (November 27, 2012) – Signiant, the market leader in intelligent file movement software for the media and entertainment industry, today announced that filmmakers competing in next month’s Digi60 2012 Digital Filmmakers Festival in Ottawa are using Media Shuttle file transfer software to speed the submission of film versions for judging and screening. The unique competition highlights the extreme creativity of local filmmakers, screenwriters and production partners who must create short films with a “catch” under tight time constraints – a timeline that cannot accommodate the delays and interruptions endemic to FTP and consumer file sharing solutions.
After this year’s catch was revealed at Digi60’s ‘Catch Event’ in September, the race was on as invited filmmakers and the Festival’s Ottawa-based production sponsors – Affinity, inMotion, Mountain Road and Parktown – had just 60 days to create and submit their finished films for judging. This year’s catch in the Scripted competition category requires that short films center on a reunion and include a rhyming couplet at either the beginning or end. Films can be up to eight minutes long with one additional minute allowed for credits. The judging form totals 60 points, with a bonus point added to the judging total if the film both begins and ends with a rhyming couplet.
“The countdown clock to the deadline is merciless. For previous festivals, we relied on free file sharing sites, such as YouSendIt and WeTransfer, for digital film submissions. With finished file sizes exceeding 2GB, our filmmakers often experienced long upload times – up to three hours – and if transfers were interrupted for any reason, time was lost and they simply had to start all over again,” said Festival President Kevin Burton. “With 60 days to make their films, every hour – every minute – counts. The speed, ease of use and reliability of Media Shuttle lets users focus more on the creative process and less on the technical aspects of getting their submissions in before the clock runs out.”
The newest addition to Signiant’s accelerated file transfer solutions, Media Shuttle provides an effective, easy-to-use alternative to FTP with transfer speeds up to 200X faster over existing networks. And, unlike consumer file sharing services, Media Shuttle eliminates file size constraints and the inherent security risks of storing media in the cloud. Users simply access Media Shuttle through a powerfully simple cloud-based interface, while assets remain securely stored on the user’s laptop or network. Onboard Checkpoint Restart features assure file delivery by automatically restarting transfers if they become interrupted for any reason.
In addition to submission of film versions for judging, Media Shuttle will be used to submit final ProRes digital film versions for screening, a process that typically requires couriers or in-person deliveries. Films entered in this year’s Digi60 2012 Festival will be screened at Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts in Ottawa, and the public is welcome to attend. Documentary screenings will be held on Friday, December 7, 2012, and Scripted Short screenings will take place Saturday, December 8, 2012. For complete information on the schedule, venue and ticket prices, visit www.Digi60.org.
About Digi60
The Digi60 Filmmakers Festival was formed in 2004 as a way to bring Ottawa filmmakers together to create short films in 60 days based on a “catch”, and to provide a public screening of their work. Over 70 different filmmakers have entered the challenge in various years, ranging from experienced producers to first-timers. Some short films created for Digi60 have gone onto other film festivals or have been expanded into longer films. The festival runs on shoestring budgets, volunteers and a passion for filmmaking. For more information, visit www.Digi60.org
