Film categories are listed below. All categories are open to Junior and Senior participants. Review the Scoring Rubrics page to learn more about judging criteria.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

A public service announcement should inform and benefit the intended audience. Information presented should clearly and concisely convey the intended message using images, and sound.

Length: 60 seconds or less

Correlates to California Common Core Writing Anchor Standard 4. See Common Core Alignment on the about page for more information.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE

A personal narrative develops a story, personal experience, or event using tone, well chosen details, sensory language, and visual and audio effects to convey a vivid picture that connects the audience to the story in a powerful emotional way.  The narrative uses a variety of sequencing, audio, and visual techniques to create a smooth progression of events that lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Length: 3 minutes or less

Correlates to California Common Core Writing Anchor Standard 3. See Common Core Alignment on the about page for more information.

DOCUMENTARY

A documentary presents researched information about a compelling issue, person or event. It is an informative video that conveys complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through effective selection, organization and analysis of content. It may pose a question, present a hypothesis and draw conclusions through scientific inquiry.

Length: 3 minutes or less

Correlates to California Common Core Writing Anchor Standard 7. See Common Core Alignment on the about page for more information.