6th National Science Film Festival and Competition 2016

General Conditions for Entry 

1.Films produced ONLY between 1st January 2014 and 30th November 2015 will be entertained. Films submitted in earlier sessions of festival will not be accepted.

2. Applicants can submit more than one entry in each category. Separate entry form is required for each film.

3. Films produced in a. Hindi, English or any regional language as declared in the Constitution of India will be accepted. b. Languages other than Hindi or English must be dubbed or sub-titled in Hindi or English.

4. VP and NCSM

a. will have the right to telecast / screen awarded / shortlisted films as and when required for educational purpose.

b. will not be responsible for any damage to DVD/CD submitted by the participants.

c. reserve the right to reject any entry without assigning any reason.

d. can change the category of the film without any explanation if the film is not found suitable for the category indicated by the applicant.

5. Films’ CD/DVDs submitted for the festival / competition will be retained by the VP and NCSM. Submission of Master Tape/s [SD Format] is mandatory for “awarded films" in category A and B.

6. It is essential to fill all the columns in the entry form, failing which the entry is liable to be rejected.

7. The award will be given to the individual or institution that holds the copyright of the film.

8. The film should not violate the copyright / intellectual property law. In case such a violation is reported at a later date the awardee/s will

a. be held liable for any legal consequences.

b. have to return the cash prize, trophy and certificate &

c. be barred in future from participating in the competition.

9. Separate entry form with synopsis in the prescribed format should be filled for each entry accompanied by the following: ƒ

• Two copies of film in DVD or CD in mp4 format using PAL 625/50 standard.
• ƒ Hardcopy of the synopsis of the film in English or Hindi language, typed in the given format along with signature of the applicant. ƒ
• Certificate from the Principal / Director / Head of the institution for category C and D.
• ƒ A separate CD containing:-

             i. Synopsis of the film (in MS Word doc. file)

             ii. Script of the film (in MS Word doc. file)

             iii. Five stills of the film in JPEG format

             iv. One still image of the Director in JPEG format

Quality standards for the films [for all categories]

1 Video:

a. The picture must be 

• well lit and sharp.
• ƒ free of excessive noise, grain and digital compression artefacts.
• ƒ stable and continuous i.e. no jumps, movements, shifts in level or position.
• ƒ free of horizontal or vertical aliasing i.e. jagged lines, field or frame rate fluctuations. ƒ
• consistent in colour rendition

 b. The version of the film must meet all appropriate conditions for screening i.e. no time code, no gaps in between

c. Captions and credits must be clear and legible and must be within the safe areas

2 Audio:

a. Sound must be ƒ recorded with properly placed microphone, giving minimum background noise and without peak distortion ƒ free of noise, clicks, hums and analogue distortion ƒ reasonably continuous and smoothly mixed and edited

b. Stereo tracks must carry sound in the A/B form

c. Mono sound, if used, must meet all the stereo standards regarding levels, balance and phase.

Screening and result

a. A jury will be constituted to judge the entries.

b. Short listed entries would be announced on 11 December 2015.

c. A five-day science film screening and workshop on science films will be organised during the National Science Film Festival and Competition – 2016 at the Raman Science Centre, Nagpur.

d. Shortlisted entries will be screened during the festival.

e. Two representatives from the crew of the each shortlisted film will be invited to attend the festival.

f. AC III return train fare by the shortest route, lodging and food will be provided.

g. If a prize is shared by 2 or more, the amount will be equally shared.

h. Vigyan Prasar reserves the right to modify the rules and conditions including number and amount of awards.

Submission of printed copy of the form along with required enclosures is mandatory on or before 30th November 2015.

Please ensure that DVD is played by you in computer and DVD player. This is to minimize glitches in viewing the submitted film through a computer / DVD player. In case the DVD fails to play, the candidate will be disqualified.