This week, we’re going to host the awesome guys from Mozilla (of Firefox fame) to speak about a contest they’ve been developing in the past few years – “Firefox Flicks”

Firefox Flicks is a campaign giving everyone an opportunity to produce short films that highlight what makes Firefox different, that we’re a non-profit organization helping keep the power of the Web in people’s hands.  We’re encouraging Chapman University students to submit high-quality videos that will help more mainstream Internet users learn about the issues that affect their online lives and, more importantly, how Firefox addresses these issues.

Starting at 6:15 / 7:00, It’s going to be a great event, with:

  • Free catered dinner (a sliders bar!), movie tickets, and Firefox Flicks swag
  • A screening of popular and classic short films to spark your inspiration
  • A conversation with Mozilla executives and past winner, Jeff Gill, to learn about this exciting opportunity for worldwide exposure for your work.
  • a conversation with past Flicks winner, JibJab’s creative director Jeff Gill and Mozilla Executives

Why, Firefox?  The world’s most popular browser open-source began development originally as Netscape Navigator, the browser that famously went head-to-head with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer in the mid 90’s.  Essentially, Mozilla/Netscape ‘crowdsourced’ the development of the browser, a somewhat democratic process which brought many more voices into the discussion, and many more hands into the project, than would ever have been possible with Internet Explorer’s corporate-controlled development team.  In so many words, the developers of Netscape Navigator wanted to the process to be open to the people who were using it, not controlled by those making money off it.  So that’s what they mean when they refer to “the issues that affect their online lives” – literally, an embracing of the founding principles of the internet, and a reliance on the users themselves to govern the direction the browser took.

Check out the Creative Brief for more info about what the contest runners are looking for.  Firefox Flicks is open to teams of up to 10 people, and you can submit multiple videos if you like.  Each flick (or, short film) will be judged in one of these categories:

  • Best Overall 30 second Spot
  • Best Animation
  • Best use of New Technology
  • Best Public Service Announcement

And, the grand prize winners will receive (your choice of) $5000 in video equipment, or a film school scholarship!

 

So, if you care about an open internet – and as you likely heard with the social media-fueled rejection of the SOPA and PIPA, the Internet is under constant attacks which threaten your right to free speech – take a look at how you use your browsers today, get some ideas for how you’d like to keep using them as the Internet takes over even more of your life, and make sure to stop by and hear the Mozila team speak to the issues you care about.