CROWDSOURCED VT 2026 - Shrek 
RULES AND GUIDELINES  - 04/02/2026

TEAMS

A “team” can be an individual or a group of people, open to all ages and abilities. Choose a team leader who will be the main contact for important information, and have them sign up for a scene. Sign-ups for Crowdsourced VT: Shrek  start April 9, 2026.

SCENES

Teams will be randomly assigned scenes via email on a rolling basis beginning  April 20, 2026. We’ll send you a video of the scene you are assigned for reference. Please stick to the total running time of the scene you are assigned. Going over or under a few seconds is fine, but keep in mind your scene is a small part of a long movie. Make sure the beginning and end of your scene matches up closely to the original so it will transition nicely with the other scenes.

Scenes are due September 7, 2026. Any scene not received by this date may not be included in the final film. Your scene is part of a larger project, and out of respect for the musicians and editors working with you, please deliver your scene on time.

Musicians will have an additional 2 weeks to complete their score. We will share completed crowdsourced scenes with musicians on September 9, 2026. Music will be due on September 30, 2026.

SCENE DISTRIBUTION NOTES

1. Each individual can sign up to lead a team to create one scene. Please sign up only once.
2.  Organizations hosting summer camps can sign up for a maximum of two scenes - please check the "Summer Camp" checkbox to get special information. Please sign up for each summer camp session separately.
3. If there are unclaimed scenes, the organizer will send an invitation to all teams to claim a second scene. This is usually in early July.

ADDITIONAL SOUNDTRACK SCENE DISTRIBUTION NOTES

1. We will send you the original version of your scene, which you can use as a reference for the theme and mood of your composition. Please let us know in this form if you would like to work alongside the film team and we can share your email with that group to reach out to you during their production. Otherwise, we will send all completed scenes to musicians after the video submission deadline of September 5.
2.  All teams are able to sign up for additional unclaimed scenes after July 1.
3.  Each individual can sign up to lead a team to score one or more scenes/themes. Scenes will be distributed equally among all who sign up until we hit our waitlist.
4.  Please note that if you are submitting music that does not sync directly with the video scene, our editors may edit your piece to fit the scene.

CONTENT NOTES: BE ORIGINAL

Be creative! We ask that you follow the script in terms of dialogue and action, but it will be more entertaining the more creative you get. You can shoot live action, use puppets, stop-motion, animation, whatever you think will be entertaining and fun! We will provide guidance for select scenes if there are important continuity elements for the story. Otherwise, be creative! Check out some of the past Crowdsourced Cinema movies to get ideas.

For legal reasons, scenes CANNOT contain any copyrighted visual or audio materials. This includes any of the original audio track soundtrack or recorded dialogue from the movie. If you use copyrighted content, we will not be able to use your scene. 

If you are looking for music or sound effects, check out Archive.org Community Audio, FreeMusicArchive.org or FreeSound.org or, of course, make your own!

USING AI AND GENERATIVE AI

Crowdsourced Cinema is an opportunity for people to share their creativity, build and practice skills, and come together to tell a feature-length story as a community. Over the years, contributors have created hundreds of inspiring scenes through acting, cinematography, lighting, costume design, and stop-motion animation. In the spirit of this, we ask that you refrain from creating your entire video with a generative AI video tool. Using AI to organize, plan, and create and edit some assets that are part of a human-created scene is acceptable. Please add a watermark to any frame that is AI generated.

Crowdsourced Organizers have the right to deny inclusion of a submitted scene if it does not fall in line with the spirit of the Crowdsourced project. This interpretation is left up to the discretion of the Crowdsourced Organizers.

By signing up as a film team, I acknowledge and accept full responsibility for the planning, creation, and filming of my scene. I understand that the project organizers bear no responsibility for any accidents, injuries, or damages that may occur as a result of my actions or decisions during the filming process. I agree to take all necessary precautions and ensure the safety of myself, my team, and any participants involved in the project.

TECH SPECS

• We’d prefer everyone to shoot Full HD 1920×1080 with a framerate of 30 frames per second.
• Shoot, edit, and export in the highest quality possible. 
• Our preferred format is MPEG for files.
• If you need any guidance with camera or export settings, please get in touch with your local Access Center.

DATES

April 2 - Film Announcement

April 9 - Filmmaker and Musician Team Registrations Open

April 20 - Scenes Assigned (This continues on a rolling basis)

June(ish) - Video Making Workshops

September 7 - Scenes Due

September 28 - Soundtrack Due

November/Early December - Film Premiere (Date and Time TBA)

Questions? Please reach out to our organizers - Gin Ferrara and Kaitlyn Carroll 
Email them both at learn@mediafactory.org