1. Introduction
  2. Sponsors
  3. How to enter
  4. Other rules
  5. Prizes

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

It's been in the works for many months, but it's finally here: The Wonderful Video Contest, brought to you by the peculiar musicblog called Said the Gramophone.

We at StG know that you, the readers, are not just passive music dabblers. You may not have a giant music collection, or even listen to music very often, but if you're a reader here, music has an effect on you. You have memories, moments, tingles and sparks associated with music, it's a part of your life like any other. And we have decided to throw a contest to celebrate that.

We want you, the Said the Gramophone reader, to make a music video. Make it for any song you've ever loved, the one song that changed everything, or even just a song that inspires you cinematically. Make it a story, make it a poem, make it an experiment, just make make make it. It doesn't have to be slick, it doesn't have to have money in it, it just has to be beautiful, honest, great. The first and golden rule: make a video you love for a song that you love.

This contest is open equally to professional and amateur filmmakers. I know some of you readers are utterly wonderful film artists, and we're asking you (through the paper-towel tube of prizes prizes prizes!) to make us a labour of love. I know you're familiar with those, and I know that at the end of the day, those are why you're here anyway. Think of it as a reason to start a project that will feel fresh in your lungs.

On the other hand, you may have never made a movie before, and that may be intimidating. But if you've ever wanted to, now is the time. Music videos are short, they're as much or as little work as you want, and the whole process of making a movie, especially when it doesn't matter, is great fun. We were inspired to hold this contest because of a couple of unsolicited submissions, which were so beautiful, and fun, and the kind of great that we're talking about, that we had to know what else you readers would have in store for us. The second golden rule: everyone will be judged equally to a standard that has nothing to do with experience at making music vid eos.

And the winners are in store for some seriously astounding prizes, courtesy of our amazing sponsors. Big, big, biggening and bigger thanks to our generous friends at:

SennheiserAbsolutely KosherVice Records4ADDreamboat RecordsJagjaguwarDead OceansOddicaMerge RecordsRough Trade RecordsMisra RecordsSecret City RecordsSecretly Canadian RecordsSubpopYoung God Records
PolyvinylMatador RecordsArts + Crafts

How To Enter:

  1. make a music video;
  2. upload it to a web-based video outlet (like Vimeo, Dailymotion or YouTube);
  3. send an email to videos@saidthegramophone.com with a link to the video, so we can watch it;
  4. do this before the submission deadline of 11:59pm EST, February 5, 2008;

Further rules & details:

  1. Only submissions made by emailing a link to videos@saidthegramophone.com will be accepted.
  2. We'd rather you submitted only videos that were made especially for this contest.
  3. The submissions will be judged by Dan, Jordan and Sean from Said the Gramophone.
  4. The song you choose absolutely does not have to be from one of our sponsor labels. You should choose whatever song you like.
  5. Please don't submit a video for a song by a band you're in. Even if you're really good.
  6. Multiple submissions are welcome, but we are going to evaluate videos on a stand-alone basis, not as part of a series.
  7. Please don't email us .avi/.mpg/.mov video files; as specified above, send us a link to somewhere we can watch it online.
  8. If there's a good reason for your video to contain nudity, I guess that's fine, but we're not interested in pornography.
  9. The winners will be announced some time after February 5th, both on the site and notified by email. Before Valentine's Day.
  10. You retain all rights to your video.
  11. Yes, maybe the band you do a video for will see the work you've done.
  12. Yes, that's exciting!

Prizes

GRAND PRIZE:
The grand prize winner of the Wonderful Video Contest will receive ALL of the following:

  • An extremely rare v23 art calendar released on the ocasion of 4AD's 10th anniversary, Beirut - Gulag Orkestar CD, TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain CD, Blonde Redhead - 23 CD, Various Artists - Plague Songs CD, Kristin Hersh - In Shock CD, M. Ward - To Go Home 7", TV On The Radio - Province 7", Blonde Redhead - 23 7", Blonde Redhead - Silently 7", Beirut - Elephant Gun 7", gorgeous silkscreen Beirut poster (all courtesy 4ad)
  • every CD released by Absolutely Kosher in 2007, from Frog Eyes to Chris Garneau (courtesy, obviously, of Absolutely Kosher)
  • Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets 10", Jason Collett - Here's to Being Here CD (out Feb. 5), Broken Social Scene t-shirt, Young Galaxy - Swing Your Heartache 7", Broken Social Scene scarf (all courtesy Arts & Crafts)
  • Dirty Projectors - Rise Above CD, Citay - Little Kingdom CD, Evangelicals - The Evening Descends CD, Phosphorescent - Pride CD, Bishop Allen - Broken String CD (all courtesy Dead Oceans)
  • Rollercoaster Project - Drone 1 EP, Robin Allender - The Bird and the Word CD, Gala Band - Little Revelations EP, Dreamboat 2008 Sampler CD (all courtesy Dreamboat Records)
  • Okkervil River - The Stage Names CD, Parts & Labor - Mapmaker CD, Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse CD, Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover CD (all courtesy Jagjaguwar)
  • Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga LP, Arcade Fire - Neon Bible LP, Arcade Fire - Intervention 7", Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running 7", Arcade Fire - No Cars Go 7", Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem 7" (all courtesy Merge Records)
  • every CD released by Misra Records in 2007, from Sleeping States to Hallelujah the Hills (courtesy, inevitably, of Misra)
  • two t-shirts from Oddica (such as this gramophone design)
  • Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna... CD and LP, Of Montreal t-shirt, posters & buttons, and copies of all Of Montreal back-catalog on Polyvinyl including Sunlandic Twin, Satanic Panic, Aldhills, Coquelicot, Early 4-Track, Petite Tragedy, The Bird Who Continues To Eat The Rabbits Flower and Big Oil (all courtesy Polyvinyl)
  • a birthday phone-call from Basia Bulat, singing you or a friend "Happy Birthday", a signed copy of Basia Bulat's Oh My Darling CD, Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus CD, Taken By Trees - Open Field CD (all courtesy Rough Trade)
  • Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise CD, Plants and Animals - With/Avec EP, Miracle Fortress - Five Roses CD (all courtesy Secret City)
  • Jens Lekman - Night Falls over Kortedala CD, Marmoset - Florist Fired CD, David Vandervelde - Nothin' No CD, Richard Swift - Dressed Up For the Letdown CD (all courtesy Secretly Canadian)
  • Sennheiser PX-100 headphones (courtesy Sennheiser)
  • a CSS t-shirt (size M), Eugene Mirman - En Garde, Society! CD, Patton Oswalt - Werewolves and Lollipops CD, Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection CD, and Kelley Stoltz - Below The Branches CD (all courtesy Sub Pop)
  • Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil CD, Live in Tijuana CD, Katrina/Boomerang UK 7", Katrina/Italian Sexual Frustration UK 7", Live in Israel DVD, Black Lips pin set & poster (all courtesy Vice Records)
  • Akron/Family - Meek Warrior CD, signed Angels of Light - We Are Him CD (courtesy Young God Records)
Yes, you read right. The best video in this contest wins every item listed above. We do not fuck around when we give virtual high-fives, let alone when we award the most wonderful video we've ever seen.

PRIZES FOR RUNNERS-UP:
Our runners-up will all receive prizes such as these:

  • 4AD prize-pack:
    Pixies DVD, M. Ward - Post-War CD, Kristin Hersh - In Shock CD, Beirut - Gulag Orkestar CD, TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain CD, Blonde Redhead - 23 CD, M. Ward - To Go Home 7", TV On The Radio - Province 7", Blonde Redhead - 23 7", Blonde Redhead - Silently 7", Beirut - Elephant Gun 7".

  • Arts & Crafts prize-pack:
    Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets 10", Jason Collett - Here's to Being Here CD (out Feb. 5), Broken Social Scene t-shirt, Young Galaxy - Swing Your Heartache 7", Broken Social Scene scarf.

  • Dead Oceans prize-pack:
    Dirty Projectors - Rise Above CD, Citay - Little Kingdom CD, Evangelicals - The Evening Descends CD, Phosphorescent - Pride CD, Bishop Allen - Broken String CD.

  • Dreamboat Records prize-pack:
    Rollercoaster Project CD, Robin Allender CD, Gala Band EP, Dreamboat 2008 Sampler.

  • Matador prize-pack:
    One (1) signed, hand stamped, mega-limited Times New Viking (My Head)/RIP Allegory 7". Less than 500 of these exist...

  • Merge prize-pack:
    Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga LP, Arcade Fire - Neon Bible LP, Arcade Fire - Intervention 7", Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running 7", Arcade Fire - No Cars Go 7", Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem 7".

  • Oddica prize-pack:
    Two t-shirts from Oddica.

  • Polyvinyl prize-pack:
    Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This CD, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - [new labum] CD, Ida - Lovers Prayers CD, Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping CD, Picastro - Whore Luck CD, Aloha - Light Works CD, plus posters & buttons.

  • Secret City prize-pack:
    Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise LP, Miracle Fortress 12", The Go! Team - Proof of Youth LP.

  • Sennheiser prize-packs:
    Two sets of Sennheiser CX-300 earphones.

  • Subpop prize-pack:
    Low - Drums and Guns CD, Handsome Furs - Plague Park CD, Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog CD, The Shins - Wincing the Night Away CD, and a Wolf Parade t-shirt (size L).

  • Vice Records prize-pack:
    Bloc Party - Weekend In the City CD and signed vinyl, Bloc Party - Flux 12" single/EP, God Bless Bloc Party DVD, Bloc Party poster.

  • Young God prize-packs
    Three prize-packs consisting of Akron/Family - Meek Warrior CD and signed Angels of Light - We Are Him CD.

GOOD LUCK!

Return to Said the Gramophone...

(Questions? Comments? Want to throw in your hat as a sponsor? Email Sean or Dan.)