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The Watching Hour "Go Ahead, Make Our Watching Hour" Contest!

Hello, folks. Keith Garcia and The Watching Hour have announced a pretty cool contest. Film on the Rocks is probably the most popular film event in Colorado - per capita, mind you - regularly selling out Red Rocks Amphitheater for screenings of such popular classics as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blazing Saddles. It just so happens that the Starz Film Center crew are the very people who organize this popular program, and are looking to pimp their much-more-awesome-but-significantly-lower-profile Watching Hour program at Film on the Rocks this year. What does this mean to you? I'm glad you asked...

Attention Constant Watchers!

We’re announcing an amazing and creative contest for you to show just how much you love The Watching Hour and its cornucopia of genre film goodness. From horror to cult classics, grindhouse to zombie, musical to foreign mind warps, our program has style and we want to see how you interpret that style on film by creating a commercial that exemplifies the spirit of our Award Winning series. The winner will be announced at The Watching Hour’s screening of PSYCHO BEACH PARTY on July 2 and will have their world premiere in front of 8,500 people at Red Rocks Amphitheater on July 6th during Film on the Rocks: RAISING ARIZONA. The ad will also be used year round by the Denver Film Society to help spread the word about The Watching Hour, getting us closer and closer to world domination!

The rules are simple:

-The commercial must be 30 seconds to 1 minute in length
-No footage from a licensed or copywritten film or character though a fresh “homage” is fine.
-You must use The Watching Hour logo in a prominent way
- Mention that The Watching Hour is every Friday & Saturday at 10pm at the Starz FilmCenter
- Mention that The Watching Hour is hosted and programmed by Keith Garcia
- Try to keep nudity and adult language to a bare minimum or feel free to playfully ‘bleep’ and ‘black bar’.
- Please email a link to your film to constantwatcher@denverfilm.org or submit a USA-Region playable DVD (DVD-R, DVD+R) at XP (Highest) quality (Full screen Hi-resolution) for the public screening in Denver. No other media formats (VHS tape, etc.) will be accepted.
- Send your film or drop it off in-person no later than June 26 to:
The Watching Hour
Starz FilmCenter
900 Auraria Parkway
Denver, CO 80204

Below are four ready-to-go scenarios but feel free to create one of your own:

Scenario One (created by Jason Heller)
A spoof of Un Chien Andalou, filmed in fluttery black and white. A man sharpens a straight razor, goes out on his balcony, gazes at the moon, then picks up an old TV set that's sitting there. He then "slices open" the TV screen to reveal the Watching Hour logo.

Scenario Two (created by Cory Casciato)
Open on a regular person at a bus stop, reading a newspaper's Now Showing page, shaking head in disgust. Suddenly, a mass of zombies appear, wearing shirts representative of crappy modern film (white shirts reading things like "Michael Bay movie" "Unnecessary remake" "Sparkly Vampires" "Will Smith Vehicle" "Generic Romantic Comedy"). They run away from the zombies who, naturally, give chase (lumbering, shambling chase, but chase nonetheless). They stop several times to look back in near-panic as they maintain their relentless pursuit. Finally they round a corner – to reveal the Starz FilmCenter (with the Watching Hour poster prominently displayed!). They rush to the door and are pulled inside by welcoming "survivors" (i.e. the staff, maybe even Mr. Keith Garcia himself!) as the zombies gather outside and futilely attempt to get in. They’re smiling as the scene fades to black and the words "Escape Hollywood's mindless hordes at the Watching Hour, Fri & Sat 10 p.m." appear.

Scenario Three (created by Ben Martin)
Hambo – a muscle clad soldier of fortune – is in third-act, full flex, machine guns blazing mode. The poor men up against him are dying by the dozens, but Hambo doesn't care, his fury is so great. (Add additional carnage and mayhem to taste.) A Colonel comes up behind him: “Hambo! Hambo, it's your ol' buddy the Colonel. You saved my life back in 'Nam! You've gotta stop this madness, Hambo! The killing has to end! What's wrong, Hambo?” Hambo turns into a blubbering, crying mess in the Colonel's arms, muttering between sobs about how all he wanted to do was go to The Watching Hour, but then things all went crazy, and look at him now, etc. Cut to the Watching Hour logo (and necessary info) and the audible sobs of Hambo crying and talking about how he just wants to see a movie.

Scenario Four (also created by Ben Martin)
A young man bows before an incredibly old kung-fu master. He wants to be the best movie watcher there is. The Master laughs: “You know nothing of cinema! To become a true master, you must complete the 36 chambers of the Watching Hour!” Cut to montage of X-TREME movie watching. You could include inter-titles with the names of the different chambers, i.e. Slasher Chamber, 80s Nostalgia Chamber, Asian Horror Mindf*ck Chamber, Nunsploitation Chamber, etc. Throughout the montage, cut occasionally to Kung Fu master nodding in approval. Cut to: The student kneels before the master again. Master: “No one has ever mastered the 36 chambers of The Watching Hour so quickly! You truly are a master of cinema! What will you do now?” Student: “I want to bring The Watching Hour to the people! Everyone deserves such a rich and eclectic moviegoing experience.” Master: “What? No!” The student exclaims that all you have to do is go to The Watching Hour at the Starz FilmCenter every Friday & Saturday at 10pm and you too will be a true master of the 36 chambers of cinema!

Email the following information to constantwatcher@denverfilm.org and we will email you a hi-res version of the Watching Hour logo to use in your film.

Name:

Email address

Phone number:

Favorite film:

Watching Hour film suggestion?

Ben here again. Whether or not anybody ends up using the ready made scenarios - specifically the obviously superior scenarios 3 and 4, ahem - I hope this contest elicits some great responses. I can't wait to see what people come up with. And after the Red Rocks premieres of these commercials, I will make sure we get them posted here at The Movie Advocate.

-Ben

p.s. I have to give credit to Beth Link, who came up with the initial ideas for both of the scenarios I submitted.