'The Next Big Idea,' Getty Images' International Film Competition Showcases World's Emerging Talent

'The Next Big Idea,' Getty Images' International Film Competition Showcases World's Emerging Talent

Ingenuity Prevails in Peer-Judged Short Film Competition

SEATTLE, Wash., May 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Getty Images, Inc. (NYSE:GYI) today announced Mark Tapio Kines from Los Angeles, CA is the grand prize winner of "The Next Big Idea," a peer-judged short film competition that garnered more than 200 entries from 23 countries. Kines' "The Closest Thing to Time Travel," which depicts an invention that enables people to witness past events, was selected from a shortlist of 28 films that made it to the final round of the competition for online peer voting. In addition to receiving the US$10,000 grand prize, Kines' film will be premiered around the world.

The competition brief was simple: explore the one thing that links all creative work -- "the big idea" -- and produce a 60-second film with at least half of the content originating from the vast collection of digital film and still imagery available at www.gettyimages.com. "The Next Big Idea" is the first competition of its kind to provide filmmakers with unlimited visual assets. With immediate access to more than 1.4 million still images and over 100,000 film clips, filmmakers were able to conceive and execute their "big ideas" to create innovative, original work.

"Getty Images has an incredibly rich and diverse film collection which allowed me to tell a story I wouldn't otherwise have had the means to: about a mirror that could capture past moments from world history and even from our personal lives," said Mark Tapio Kines. "It wasn't just great fun to work with such a huge arsenal of visuals -- it actually felt like a new art form."

The initial 200-plus entries were reviewed and shortlisted by an international panel of industry experts including: Jeremy Hollister, founder and creative director, Plus et Plus (New York); Sophie de la Motte, executive producer and managing director, Hamster Publicite (Paris); John Turk, co-founder and head of production, RES Media Group (New York); and Mark Waites, co-founder and creative director, Mother (London).

"These films surprise with fresh ideas that exist in ways not possible before," said Lewis Blackwell, senior vice president, group creative director for Getty Images. "They display three crucial factors coming together brilliantly: the filmmakers' creativity, the effectively infinite resources of our pre-shot footage and stills, and the potential of new editing tools. This leads to work that is unique to these times."

In 2005, Getty Images launched "The Big Idea" which challenged seven of the world's most innovative filmmakers to create works expressing their personal artistic vision. Responding to the enthusiastic feedback from the film community, it was reconceived for 2006 in a new, interactive format that would engage not only filmmakers but their creative peers interested in exploring ideas through film and photography.

"The Closest Thing to Time Travel" and the nine finalist films can be viewed online at www.gettyimages.com/thenextbigidea, and are scheduled to premiere at Getty Images' events around the world:

-- New York City: Friday, May 19, at the AIGA MOVES event, Hiro Ballroom
at the Maritime Hotel, 8:00 p.m.
-- Los Angeles: Wednesday, June 7 at CineSpace, 7:30 p.m.
-- Sydney: Wednesday, June 14 at TANK, 7:30 p.m.
-- London: Thursday, June 29 at AKA, 7:30 p.m.

About Getty Images

Getty Images is the world's leading creator and distributor of visual content and the first place creative professionals turn to discover, purchase and manage imagery. The company's award-winning photographers and imagery help customers create inspiring work which appears every day in the world's most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and Web sites. Headquartered in Seattle, WA and serving customers in more than 100 countries, Getty Images believes in the power of imagery to drive positive change, educate, inform, and entertain. Visit Getty Images at http://gettyimages.com/.

For more information on Getty Images or "The Next Big Idea", press only: Molly Lohman, Getty Images, +1-206-925-6054, or molly.lohman@gettyimages.com.

Source: Getty Images, Inc.

CONTACT: Molly Lohman of Getty Images, +1-206-925-6054, or
molly.lohman@gettyimages.com

Web site: http://www.gettyimages.com/

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