Make a music video in 53 hours & 14 minutes

10 bands. 10 filmmakers. $1,000 each.

2024 applications will open on June 10. Stay tuned

WHAT IS 53:14?

53:14 Music Video Experiment pairs 10 filmmakers with 10 musical acts and gives them 53 hours and 14 minutes and a filming budget of $1000 to go out and create 10 new music videos over the course of one weekend in Northern Colorado.

The catch? Band & filmmaker team pairings are totally secret until Kickoff on Friday, August 16 at The Lyric. Once team pairings are announced, the official 53:14 clock starts.

Teams have 53 hours and 14 minutes to conceive, shoot, edit and deliver their music videos.

Music videos will be debuted live on the outdoor screen at The Lyric on Friday, August 30. This free, all ages event is open to the public and features live music from alumni artists along with world premieres of the 10 new music videos.

SEE THE VIDEOS

Check out a few selected videos from previous years or click the playlist to see them all.

See the list of our past artists and filmmakers.

OUR PARTNERS

schedule + FAQ

2024

June 10 - Applications open

June 28 - Applications close

July 5 - Lineup announcement

Aug 16 - Kickoff at The Lyric, teams announced

Aug 16-19 - 53:14 production weekend

August 30 - World premiere screening party at The Lyric

  • That is totally up to your team. We want this to be a creative collaboration between the filmmakers and musicians to come up with an original concept that everyone is excited about. It could be a story focused video with actors, or a performance piece in a unique location, or even a live performance if that’s what you want to do. It’s totally up to you. We do want to stress, this should be a collaborative process. We want the filmmakers and the musicians to work together to pick a song, come up with a concept and execute a music video that everyone is excited about. So even though you’re on the clock, we encourage you to take your time coming up with a concept!

  • We provide each film team with $1000 to help them with the costs associated with producing the video. You could use this money to rent speciality equipment, secure a location, buy unique props or costumes or anything else you come up with. The use of the money is solely at the discretion of the film teams.

  • We will premiere all 10 videos at the Lyric on their outdoor screen on August 30. After that public premiere, future releases are at the discretion of the artists, with the exception of any other 53:14 events.

  • We love working with young filmmakers and young artists! If anyone on your team is under the age of 18 we do require parental/guardian release forms to be signed in advance. As long as you’ve got permission from the powers the be, there is no age restriction on participation.

  • Yes. We only accept bands and filmmakers who reside in Colorado and consider it to be their “home state.”

  • You are absolutely welcome to apply again. If you’re a band/artist, we would encourage you to apply under a different musical project than one that has been selected in the past. However previous participation does not disqualify you from being selected a second time.

    Filmmakers often participate multiple years in a row, or sometimes take a year off and return. So please don’t hesitate to apply again!

APPLICATIONS OPEN JUNE 10

APPLICATIONS OPEN JUNE 10 ∞

Contact us.

Please use the form if you have general questions.

Press/Sponsorship inquiries:
doug@theviacompany.com
633 1/2 North College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524