SaberComp 2023 is now Closed

SaberComp 2023 Official Rules

Rules

  1. The required Theme for this year is New Beginnings.

  2. The time limit is 6 minutes. This includes the bumper and credits.

  3. Your entry must utilize at least one lightsaber. Other melee weapons that are capable of fighting a lightsaber are acceptable.

  4. The SaberComp 2023 bumper must be attached to the beginning of your entry. This will be provided in 4k ProRes and H.264 options.

    1. The new Bumper is available to download on the Resources Page.

  5. Your Entry may come from a pre-existing project, but said project must be unreleased before the SaberComp 2023 deadline.

  6. There is no limit on how many Entries you can enter as long as they are submitted individually (this makes it easier for us to organize).

  7. SaberComp Council members or people with other administrative roles are not allowed to enter. They will still be available for consultation as a public resource. We want to be able to help on Discord, but we can't directly offer our services with production or post.

  • Once approved, SaberComp Entries will remain the property of their creative team. Participation in the competition permits SaberComp's utilization of these works for further promotion of the competition and its community. SaberComp will never use a team's Entry as a direct source of monetary gain, such as through private screenings or channel monetization.

  • Current and past Entries will remain logged in the SaberComp Archive as submitted. Further releases, such as Director's Cuts or Special Editions, may be later added to the corresponding playlist on request, but will not replace the original Entry.

Deadline

The Deadline for all entries is Wednesday, January 31th, 2024 at 11:59 PM (23:59) PST. However, we will accept entries starting Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024 at 12:00 AM (0:00) PST. You can enter by filling out the submission form, which will be available on this site on January 3rd.

Publishing

After you have submitted your entry and received a confirmation that your entry has been accepted into the competition, you may setup a scheduled publish date or YouTube Premiere for your video. Your video may be published no earlier than February 3rd, 2024 at 12:00 PM PST, at which time the Official Playlist will go live. All Entries must remain unlisted and unshared until this time.

Prizes

Thank you to this year’s sponsor: CoastalSabers. Please visit their website to see their catalog. Exact prizes will be determined and announced at a later date.

Judging Criteria

  • There will be four judges this year.

  • The committee of judges will determine their top ten favorite nominees.

  • Nominees will duke it out in a live judging on SaberComp’s official YouTube page on a date to be decided.

  • Winning entries will be awarded best choreography, production design, cinematography, editing, and VFX, respectively.

Tips

  • Keep YouTube’s content guidelines in mind when it comes to music. Copyrighted stuff will likely get muted or ads placed upon it. It also runs the risk of being blocked in some countries.

  • Follow your regional guidelines regarding safety and social distancing.

  • Be safe!

  • Have fun!

Judging will be based on five categories: Choreography, Production Design, Cinematography, Editing, and VFX.

Pre-Production (Story)

This category is based on the quality of your storytelling, what are your characters struggling with, what sort of interplay is happening between each character’s saber swings? A good fight scene or action scene isn’t great because of its choreography and move sets, it’s great because we care about the people fighting.

Production (Choreography, Cinematography, Production Design)

This category is based on your shot selection and shot movements and anything involved with the filmmaking process, from cinematography to set design and choreography. Is your camera another participant in your duel? Is it involved with the fight in a significant way? How about your color settings? Does it represent the mood of the fight? Costumes and set design, are they all working in concert? Keep this all in mind as you shoot your videos. 

Post-Production (Editing, VFX, and Sound Design)

This category is based on how you cut the action together. Editing dictates the pace of your fight. Are you choosing long shots for more tension or fast cuts for more kinetic energy? How are you choosing the sequencing of your shots, and are they the best choices to represent the feeling you want your audience to experience? 

No lightsaber duel has been brought to life without the aid of visual effects. Whether you're blurring once-twice-thrice or matching your grain one channel at a time, do your sabers feel like they fit within your scene? Is your rotoscoping top-notch? Are you employing invisible effects to help tell your story? Feel free to release a VFX breakdown with your entry! And don't forget: the judge’s panel usually consists of one or two industry professionals who got their start with lightsabers in the backyard.

And don’t forget that sound will bring all of this together. Don’t skimp on one of the most overlooked parts of the process.