Prime Focus offers internship to the winner of Taptu for the UGC short film contest

Winner to work alongside some of the top VFX artists across LA, New York, London or Mumbai

Taptu the social media and mobile technology company, and Prime Focus, the award-winning visual entertainment services company, have announced the opening of its UGC (University Grants Commission) short film contest to support the release of Taptu iPad, its social news reader, and its already existing iPhone and Android editions, which all aim to change the way you connect with your world.

Taptu and Prime Focus have collaborated to create the short film competition to support the launch of the free app and the first prize is a four-week internship to work alongside some of the top VFX artists in the world either in Los Angeles, New York, London or Mumbai. Prime Focus has worked on recent blockbuster films including Avatar, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and TRON: Legacy, and the winner gets an opportunity to witness the world of VFX and learn from the experts and gain invaluable skills.

From the biggest stories of the week to individual passions, Taptu iPad allows consumers to keep everything organised in a clean and intuitive design. It’s because of the company’s search engine heritage that Taptu iPad goes successfully beyond just "RSS" feeding content. It is also used for delivering related articles and allowing the discovery of new ones. The app also allows for easy navigation to any article of interest, both from the stream timeline and by a 'Rubik's Cube of news' that gives a visual preview of what’s coming up next. Consumers can also 'DJ' their news by mixing streams, allowing them to instantly become a content curator.

To kick the competition off, Taptu's marketing agency Meanwhile have already created a number of films and now the floor is open to maturing filmmakers to have an opportunity to create their own, with the chance to win the internship. The competition marks Prime Focus' continued investment in promoting the creative industries and inspiring young filmmakers of tomorrow.

The remit for the films made is wide and varied and YouTube will be the platform used to receive entries. The deadline for submissions is 22 June 2011 and the competition will consist of three rounds; the first will be a public vote where the entries will be narrowed down to the 30 most 'liked'; the second will see the 30 entries posted to Taptu's Facebook page where visitors can vote by 'liking' via the thumbs up button; and on 2 August 2011, the final round will see the entries down to the final five where they’ll be reviewed by the award-winning panel of Prime Focus judges and the winner will be chosen.

Competition judges:
Michael Fink – Senior Creative Director, VFX and View-D, Prime Focus, based in Los Angeles. He's a film VFX industry veteran and 2008 Academy Award-winner for his work on Golden Compass.

Tareq Kubaisi – Chief Creative Director, UK, Prime Focus, based in London, Tareq was ranked number 2 in Tele visuals top VFX artists poll 2010.

Merzin Tavaria – Chief Creative Director, India, and co-founder of Prime Focus, based at their new state-of-the-art Global HQ in Mumbai, India, one of India's most highly awarded VFX artists, and in charge of one of the largest VFX teams in the world.

Mitch Lazar – Chief Executive Officer of Taptu, responsible for the company's global operations. He appeared as a journalist on Miami Vice and was heard throughout South Korea on radio before helping launch CNN's online division in 1994. He went on to pioneer CNN Mobile and came to Taptu after heading up Yahoo!'s Mobile Europe.

About Prime Focus:
Prime Focus is a global Visual Entertainment Services group that provides creative and technical services to the film, broadcast, commercials, internet, and media industries. The group offers a genuine end-to-end solution from pre-production to final delivery - including stereo 3D visual effects, stereo 3D conversion, and video and audio post-production, digital intermediate, equipment hire, digital asset management and distribution.

Prime Focus employs almost 3,500 people with state-of-the-art facilities throughout the key markets of North America, the UK and India. Using its ‘World sourcing’ business model, Prime Focus provides a network that combines global cost advantages, resources and talent pool with strong relationships and a deep understanding of the local markets.