Shutting Up
So many ways to say "Don't Talk": Make your own Alamo Drafthouse PSA and win big
Any true cinephile can agree that rude audience members can ruin an otherwise perfectly good movie-going experience.
That's why Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League established their unrelenting no-talking policy in all of his theaters, where customers who receive complaints may be ejected without a refund. (Texting and Tweeting got added in the more recent years.)
A clear warning is issued before each screening, of course, and comes in the form of one of the Alamo's beloved signature "Don't Talk" PSAs, often starring one of the celebrities who has visited the theater.
Will Ferrell, George Romero, Patton Oswalt, the cast of Childrens Hospital and even Ann Richards have created memorable and hilarious PSAs for the Drafthouse that have been shown before everything from Pride and Prejudice to Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon.
Over the years, the Drafthouse has strictly enforced the precedent, sometimes to hilarious effect. And after the voicemail message of one infamously outraged "victim" went viral, the "Don't Talk" PSAs are receiving more attention than ever.
Today, to celebrate the moment of the PSA, Alamo Drafthouse announced the official "Don't Talk or Text During Movies" Filmmaking Frenzy. Aspiring filmmakers are invited to create their own 60-second PSA and submit it to the nationwide contest.
The only guidelines for submissions are as follows: no nudity, profanity, violence, weapons or language unsuitable beyond a PG-13 rating; include the Drafthouse logo and submit by Nov. 21, 2012 to the Filmmaking Frenzy submissions page. Other than that, let your creativity guide you.
All submissions will be posted on Badass Digest, and winners from five Drafthouse markets will enter the final round of decision making. From there, Alamo Drafthouse CEO & Founder Tim League, National Promotions Director Henri Mazza and Badass Digest Badass-in-Chief Devin Faraci will declare a single winner.
The winner in each market will win a $200.00 Alamo gift card and have their video filmed in their region. The grand prize winner will receive a $1000.00 Visa gift card and have their video shown before movies at Alamo Drafthouses nationwide.
