This year Hamilton students are being offered front-row seats for an exceptional opportunity in Hollywood. In the Legendary Pictures Film Treatment Challenge, students can extend their ideas from the classroom to the big screen through the creation of an original film treatment. This unique opportunity will allow student film treatments to possibly be reviewed by the team that helped create Superman Returns, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Sponsored by Legendary Pictures founder, chairman and CEO, Thomas Tull '92, the competition is exclusively open to Hamilton students and will be conducted throughout the 2008-09 academic year.
The Legendary Pictures Film Treatment Challenge seeks students willing to present an innovative idea. In an interview, Tull explained, "We are very democratic here about where we get ideas for movies as they can come from anywhere. A member of my team suggested the film treatment challenge – and I thought, Hamilton is a great school with smart people and a theater department, so why not?"
As mentioned by Tull, Hamilton students are more than eligible for the challenge, but what is a film treatment? Simply put: a compelling story. All competitors are required to write a 3-5 page document describing an idea for a motion picture. Film treatments should narrate a story while detailing how its concept can be practically made into a film. Additional topics worth considering when creating a film treatment are costs, character development, cinematic style, and plot. Nevertheless, while these topics are integral components of a film treatment, the core of the treatment lies in a captivating idea and a story worth telling.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Oct. 15. Finalists will pitch their ideas to the Legendary Creative Team on campus in February.
