Sunday, January 29, 2012

Introducing The "Vision Machine" Remix Writing Contest

The "Vision Machine" Remix Writing Contest starts February 1st. It's a great way to have fun writing and maybe get recognized. Ben - you know, the guy who owns Empire's Comics Vault - is going to remix "Vision Machine" also. Of course, he can't win any prizes, but he'll be in it with you. Here are some things to know.

Vision_machine_image
Pencils by R.B. Silva

WHAT THE CONTEST IS ABOUT

Imagine taking a graphic novel, erasing all the text and word balloons, keeping only the art, and then plugging in your own story. That's the contest. Take an unlettered copy of Greg Pak's "Vision Machine" and add your own story. You've got two months to do it. 1st place wins $100. 2nd place wins $50 in comics. 3rd place wins $25 in comics. All submissions must be received by March 31, 2012. Please read the official contest rules for complete details.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

1. Download the official entry form. You'll need to include this with your writing submission. This form is required with all submissions.

2. Download an unlettered copy of Greg Pak's "Vision Machine." Add your story to the art - beautiful art by R.B. Silva. We're not accepting scripts, so your story must be added to the art, and you can do that any way you'd like - with a pen, using software, cutting out word balloons and pasting them onto the art. Also, your story can be of any genre you'd like - comedy, horror, sic-fi, whatever. Obviously, your story has to be original, you know, no copying anyone else's homework, or works that are protected by copyrights. There's more about that in the official contest rules.

3. Submit your completed official entry form and your story with art to empirescv@gmail.com or ship to Empire's Comics Vault, 1120 Fulton Avenue, Suite K, Sacramento, CA 95825. 

TWO THINGS YOUR SHOULD KNOW - TAKEN FROM THE OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

(1) "Vision Machine" is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike 3.0 Unported License that lets you copy, share, and remix the book non-commercially as long as you credit Pak Man Productions and release your remixes/derivative material under the same Creative Commons license. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA.

(2) Essentially, that first point means, you agree to permit your remix of "Vision Machine" to be copied, shared and remixed non-commercially, online and offline; and since Greg Pak got this whole enchilada cooking in the first place, no matter how far down the line "Vision Machine" get remixed, we credit Pak Man Productions. Sounds fair to us! Plus, you never know, if your story is amazing, good things could happen for you. Maybe. So go for it.

The official contest rules are available online. We recommend reading those rules. Read them at http://empirescomicsvault.blogspot.com/2012/01/vision-machine-remix-2012-contest-rules.html.

SPECIAL THANKS

Pak Man Production's very own Greg Pak has done and is doing some amazing things. Are you familiar with "Planet Hulk," "Incredible Hercules," "Red Skull Incarnate," and "Magneto Testament"? Ay-may-zing. Amazing, and honestly, we think he's a great model to follow when it comes promoting comics. We also like his healthy and active life online, from his blog to the novel he's writing on Twitter to his early adopter Google+ activities. So, if you don't know Greg, please get to know him. Last but not least, how many other writers do you know who are excited about you remixing their work? So, thanks, Greg. You're the man… the Pac Man.