Renton FilmFrenzy - Association of Washington Cities

Denis Law
Mayor
AWC Municipal Excellence Award Application “Hometown Spirit”
Renton FilmFrenzy
Project Statement
In an effort to support the existing arts and culture in Renton while also attracting new and diverse employers
to the community the Renton Community Marketing Campaign developed and produced the first annual
Renton FilmFrenzy in 2008. The Renton FilmFrenzy (www.RentonFilmFrenzy.com) includes a filmmaking
competition, Downtown FilmWalk, and “Curvee” Awards Gala intended to help create a thriving cultural
environment that draws attention to the city and increases the livability of the community.
Project Summary
The Renton FilmFrenzy is a filmmaking competition where entrants are given 50 hours between Friday at
5:00 p.m., and Sunday at 7:00 p.m., to write, film, edit, and submit a film. Films can be up to four minutes in
length and must be shot entirely in Renton. At the beginning of the timed competition, the filmmakers are
given three “Curveball” challenges that must be included in
the final film. Curveballs generally include: a line of dialogue
specific to Renton; a specific location in Renton that must be
incorporated into the film; and something that represents
the art, culture, or history of Renton. In 2008, the Renton
FilmFrenzy drew 13 teams to the film competition. In 2010,
that number had grown to 25 team entries, with 18 teams
actually making it to the finish line.
The event culminates in an award ceremony known as
“The Curvees,” a direct play off the city’s slogan: “Renton,
Ahead of the Curve.” The Curvee Awards Gala is emceed by
local celebrity Jim Dever of KING 5 and “Evening Magazine”
fame, and attracts hundreds of people to the Renton IKEA
Performing Arts Center. Top films receive Curvee awards crafted by local art business Uptown Glassworks,
and cash prizes. Curvee winners, who are selected by a panel of judges in advance of the award ceremony,
are presented their awards and prizes by principals of the Renton Community Marketing Campaign member
organizations.
All films are screened during the Downtown Renton FilmWalk at businesses and restaurants, which allows for
additional economic development opportunities to showcase the city’s historic business district and engage
business owners. During the FilmWalk filmmakers of all ages are on hand to discuss the making of their film
and answer questions from community members.
In addition to the awards presented during the Curvees, the city’s local newspaper, the Renton Reporter,
has partnered with the FilmFrenzy to hold an online vote for “People’s Choice” presented to the winner at
a following city council meeting at Renton City Hall.
Renton City Hall
• 1055 South Grady Way • Renton, Washington 98057 • rentonwa.gov
AWC Municipal Excellence Award Application “Hometown Spirit”
Renton FilmFrenzy
The Renton FilmFrenzy supports the city’s Arts and Culture Master Plan, which recognizes the strong nexus
between the arts and the attributes that make a vibrant community. In 2008, the Renton Community Marketing
Campaign, which is staffed by the city’s economic development department, developed the concept of a
filmmaking competition and actively recruited key business partners from throughout the community to help
implement it. Utilizing Lodging Tax Advisory Committee funds, the city leveraged other investments from
private donors to help fund the effort.
During the development of the Renton FilmFrenzy, the filmmaking competition planning committee
researched several other film competition models throughout the country. Renton’s filmmaking competition is
unique in that it highlights the assets of the city and the local arts and culture, while actively striving to make
the city a better place to live, work, learn and play. In addition, this filmmaking competition brings together
diverse members of the public, students from local high schools, local businesses, and the arts community to
help implement the city’s Arts and Culture Master Plan.
Partnerships
In an effort to highlight and increase interest in the arts and culture in Renton, the City of Renton joined forces
with other Renton Community Marketing Campaign members (including the Renton Chamber of Commerce,
Renton School District, Valley Medical Center, Renton Technical College, Renton Visitors Connection) as well as
the Renton Municipal Arts Commission, to develop and produce the Renton FilmFrenzy. Staff from most of the
marketing campaign member organizations play an active role in the development, implementation, and
success of the program, and principals of every organization present awards during the Curvee Awards Gala.
A key element of the success of the FilmFrenzy has
been the participation of the Renton High School
Film Program, an incredible program that prior to
the film competition had received very little public
attention. The partnership with the high school
film program allows the city to highlight our youth
while bringing more assets to the program,
including the Seattle International Film Festival’s
FutureWave program, which has brought film
luminaries to the school to engage with students.
Additional key partners have included Reel Grrls,
TheFilmSchool, Seattle University’s new film
studies program, and the Seattle International
Film Festival, which have helped strengthen the
credibility of the program and brought additional
marketing opportunities. The Renton FilmFrenzy is also fortunate to have a talented cast of civic leaders,
community members, professionals from both the film and theater industry, and city staff who donate their
time and talents to the effort. The Renton FilmFrenzy is a unique blend of public and private interests, which
is arguably why it has been so successful to date.
Renton City Hall
• 1055 South Grady Way • Renton, Washington 98057 • rentonwa.gov
AWC Municipal Excellence Award Application “Hometown Spirit”
Renton FilmFrenzy
Budget
The annual budget for the Renton FilmFrenzy is
$20,000, which includes lodging tax funds, private
donations, and in-kind services. The city actively
seeks to leverage available funds to increase the
effectiveness of the program, making a relatively
small amount of money go farther. The $20,000
annual budget funds website development and
updating, marketing posters and materials, social
media and online marketing, facility costs for the
Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, printing, cash
prizes for the Curvees, and a small stipend for the
producer of the Curvees. The Renton Municipal Arts
Commission also donates a stipend for the Curvee
Awards.
Key Successes
In the past three years since the inception of the Renton FilmFrenzy, the program has nearly doubled in
participation and attendance, drawing both professional and student film makers from throughout the region
and state to the competition. The Renton FilmFrenzy has provided dozens of film students with a venue to
publicly share their talents, awarded creativity, encouraged community participation, and enhanced the
visibility of the arts and cultural community in the city of Renton. The FilmFrenzy has also garnered
significant local and regional media coverage.
Perhaps the most important success of the program is that it has been the catalyst for some very exciting
developments related to increasing the arts and culture in Renton, and in turn, increasing economic activity.
Key successes that can be directly attributed to the FilmFrenzy include:
•The City of Renton, along with the Renton Community Marketing Campaign, recently established a new
partnership with the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) — the longest running, largest, and most highly
attended film festival in the United States — to bring its acclaimed movies to Renton as a SIFF screening
location from May 20-26, 2011. SIFF representatives credit the Renton FilmFrenzy, the city’s diversity, and
commitment to the arts as primary reasons for including Renton as a venue for their film festival.
•The SIFF-Renton partnership has drawn support from some very high profile individuals including local
television celebrity Meeghan Black of KING 5’s “Evening Magazine,” and Brad Brotherton, President of
Brotherton Cadillac Buick Pontiac GMC. Black and Brotherton co-chair the SIFF-Renton Host Committee and
are active supporters of showcasing the city’s thriving arts and culture scene. Brotherton personally donated
$13,000 to install a new industry standard screen (measuring 14 feet 6 inches high by 33 feet wide) at the
Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center to accommodate the SIFF partnership. This new screen will not only
benefit SIFF-Renton and the Renton FilmFrenzy, but it is now a permanent asset of the Renton High School
Film Program and Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center. Bringing SIFF to Renton means an estimated 4,000
or more visitors will come discover Renton, with its many shops and dining options as well as affordable
hotels, and having the high caliber screen will support the Renton FilmFrenzy and help bring many more
film-oriented events to Renton in the future.
Renton City Hall
• 1055 South Grady Way • Renton, Washington 98057 • rentonwa.gov
AWC Municipal Excellence Award Application “Hometown Spirit”
Renton FilmFrenzy
Supplemental Documentation
Supplemental documentation includes:
•Renton FilmFrenzy Poster 2008 (at left)
•Renton FilmFrenzy Poster 2009 (at left)
•Renton FilmFrenzy Poster 2010 (at left)
•Renton FilmFrenzy Program 2010 (below)
•Curvee Awards photo (lower right)
For more information about the Renton FilmFrenzy
visit www.RentonFilmFrenzy.com
Renton City Hall
• 1055 South Grady Way • Renton, Washington 98057 • rentonwa.gov