THUNDER BAY – Mining – The Ontario Mining Association reports, “Former So You Think You Know Mining winner Max Parr is off pursuing his film making career at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University on Broadway. He graduated from the Etobicoke School of the Arts in 2011 and Max is now in his second year studying film and television production in New York City.
Mr. Parr is a double SYTYKM winner. In 2010, he took first place in the Best Directing category for the video “More mining, less problems,” which featured the song and dance group the Minor Miners. In 2011, the Minor Miners made another appearance in the video “Mined (d) Your Business” and Mr. Parr earned first place in the Best Original Score category.
The Ontario Mining Association shares, “Ontario high school students – thank you for entering the 5th annual SYTYKM competition. Winner selection is now underway. Top videos will earn from $2,500 to $5,000. Early bird entries are eligible for an additional $500. There are fabulous prizes for supporting teachers and schools. Watch this space for news and be sure to vote for the $2,500 People’s Choice Award starting in April”.
You can see both these videos on the OMA website www.oma.on.ca. Click on the SYTYKM box on the homepage.
Since his SYTYKM success, he has presented his productions at more than a dozen film festivals and he has earned recognition for his work. Max has won awards at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Sprockets category, the Tulsa International Film Festival – yes, in Oklahoma — and the Toronto Student Film Festival.
“SYTYKM was a great opportunity and a great experience,” said Mr. Parr, who was contacted in New York. “It let me approach filmmaking from an informational standpoint as opposed to a personal one. We were able to take all of our creative juices and funnel them into the limitations the contest provided and in the end create projects that are both fun and informative.”
“The scholarships awarded by the Ontario Mining Association are incredible and they certainly helped make other film projects possible,” he added. “SYTYKM was an awesome chance to learn about mining and create fun films at the same time.”
From a modest start in October 2008 and 23 entries originating mainly from Southern Ontario, the competition has expanded and in 2012, SYTYKM attracted 139 solid entries from across the province. This year’s competition attracted a similar number of entries and also films from new high schools for the first time. The best filmmakers will get to walk down the red carpet at the awards gala on June 5, 2013 at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto to accept Oscar style trophies — and cheques.
SYTYKM is supported by comprehensive web-based resources and a social media network that includes Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. There is also a blog. Entries can be produced in any YouTube supported format. Contest details, technical requirements for submitting videos, production ideas, past winners’ films and videos documenting award ceremonies are available on the OMA website.
In many ways, the SYTYKM prizes to high school students are de facto scholarships. During the first four years of the SYTYKM program, $96,500 in “scholarships” have been awarded. After the ceremony on June 5, 2013, this total will reach $133,000. It is encouraging to see a SYTYKM alumnus like Mr. Parr using his contest earnings to invest in his future.
