But before you start filming, check out these tips all GIFF filmmakers should follow!<\/p>\n Seriously. Read the rules.<\/a> In the past we\u2019ve had to reject films that:<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing wrong with your film being about a geocaching love story, a race to the FTF, or a geocaching montage, but be aware that we’ve seen those themes a lot in the past. After watching the finalist films from previous years<\/a>, where do you<\/em>\u00a0find the art in geocaching? How do you make this game your own? And don\u2019t forget that your film can be fiction or in a documentary style.<\/p>\n Geocaching is an international game, and so is every GI Show, don\u2019t tell! Film is visual medium\u2014you\u2019ll have your audience hanging on tenterhooks by keeping the voiceover and dialogue short and sweet. This GIFF 2015 finalist film was able to do a lot with no dialogue at all.<\/a><\/p>\n Just because you can submit up to 4 minutes of video doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you should. Ask yourself, \u201cWhat is the simplest way I can tell this story?\u201d Then, add more if you can\u2019t resist. This will help you focus on what is truly important and keep your audience engaged. 2015 GIFF finalist, Travel Bug Story<\/a>, tells a sweet and simple story in under 2 minutes!<\/p>\n We understand if geocaching comes before filmmaking <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Geocaching International Film Festival is returning for another year of epic geocaching moments captured on camera. If you\u2019re a filmmaker, a geocacher, or something in between, GIFF 2017 is your chance to have your geocaching film viewed by thousands of people on movie screens all over the world. Submissions are due August 1, 2017….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":39235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[192,319],"series":[],"class_list":["post-39016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-giff","tag-giff-2017"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MailerSuite_GIFF_2017_general_vFINAL_Mailer_Blog-800x450-1.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/inside-geocaching-hq-podcast","embedCode":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/3gnomes.png\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n1. Know the rules for submission<\/h5>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/housey.png\")
Show footage of a geocache that they either don\u2019t have permission to spoil or that doesn\u2019t follow all basic requirements for hiding a geocache<\/a>. If you’ve received permission to show an active geocache, make a note of that in the film submission form.<\/li>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/1gnome.png\")
2. Tell a story only you can tell<\/h5>\n3. Make it global<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MailerSuite_GIFF_2017_general_vFINAL_Mailer_Blog-800x450.png\")
FF audience. Try to show an element of the geocaching experience that people in different corners of the world can connect with. Try to find a balance between a film that is personal to you and one that others can relate to.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MailerSuite_GIFF_2017_general_vFINAL_Mailer_Blog-800x45gg0.png\")
4. Make it visual<\/h5>\n5. Less is more<\/h5>\n
6. Focus on quality<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/gnomecarving.png\")
on your hobby list\u2014we’re not looking for\u00a0Hollywood here. We are, however, looking for videos that will look and sound good on the big screen. As much as you may love your GoPro, simply wearing it around while you go geocaching usually doesn’t make for the best footage.\u00a0If you can, use a tripod and an external mic. If you can’t, have your actors speak close to your on-camera mic and use a natural tripod like a tree limb or your friend’s shoulder. The 2015 finalist, The Future of Geocaching<\/a>, is a great example. For more technical tips, check out Vimeo’s Video School<\/a>.<\/p>\nSubmit Your Film<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/GIFF_Badge_red_vFINAL_Badge.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n6 Tips for Submitting a Film to GIFF<\/a><\/blockquote>