Sony Creative Software Announces Winners of Second Annual 'Technology in Motion' National Student Film Contest at National Educational Computing Conference

Sony Creative Software, a leading provider of professional video and audio editing software applications, announced the winners of its second national student film contest, Technology in Motion: Community of the Future, at an awards ceremony last night during the National Educational Computing Conference in Washington, DC which is being held through July 1, 2009 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Sony Creative Software is also announcing the release of a new Vegas Pro 9 Academic Edition which includes additional tools for classroom educators.

Technology in Motion is an educational program with a contest component that is designed for teachers to engage students in grades 6-12 in professional video and audio production. Each school that submitted an eligible entry received one launch kit, which included a free copy of Vegas Pro Promo 8 (Promotional Edition) video and audio production software and Cinescore™ professional soundtrack creation software, along with video tutorials and a curriculum guide to structure the production process. All entries were required to address the theme "Community of the Future."

Each school uploaded their film submissions to the Technology in Motion website (www.techinmotioncontest.com) for judging by an expert panel comprised of professionals from the film and music industries. The panel ranked each qualifying film submission of which the top three were posted online for public voting which determined the final grand, second and third place winners of the contest.

The top three films were selected from hundreds of entries, with Pacific Coast High School in Tustin, California chosen as the grand prize winner for its submission, Full Circle. Second place was awarded to the film, The Future, from Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, California, and 2048: A Rock Opera from Red Bank Middle School in Red Bank, New Jersey won third place.

  The Winning Films
  Following is a description of the winning films:

  --  Full Circle explores the dichotomies of technology advancements,
      demonstrating that no invention could "make life easier without making
      it worse."
  --  The Future takes us into a world where everything is interactive and
      automatic, showcasing the potential dangers of being overly dependent
      on technology, especially when there's a glitch.

  --  2048: A Rock Opera portrays the stages in which the human race could
      be affected by robots - both good and bad.

"Sony Creative Software is pleased to support this second national Technology in Motion competition. The program provides students and teachers with the latest software tools for video storytelling projects and effectively invigorates video education curriculums," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of worldwide marketing for Sony Creative Software. "We are proud to support educational initiatives, such as Technology in Motion, year round and congratulate all the students and faculty for their hard work and production achievements."

The prize packages awarded to grand, second, and third place winning schools include over $400,000 in retail value of Sony hardware and software products including, Vegas® Pro 8 Promotional Edition software, Sound Forge® 9 software and site licenses, ACID® Pro 7 software and site licenses, Cinescore™ software, Sony® Handycam® Camcorders and accessories. Twenty-five fourth place winners' prize packages include Vegas Pro 8 Promotional Edition software and Sony Handycam camcorders. Twenty-five fourth places winners were also identified and awarded prize packages.

Vegas Pro 9 Academic Edition

The new Vegas Pro 9 Academic Edition provides students and educators with an efficient and intuitive environment for video and audio production, as well as DVD and Blu-ray Disc™ authoring. Comprised of Vegas Pro 9 software, DVD Architect™ Pro 5 software and a Dolby® Digital Professional AC3 encoder, this collection supports nearly all video formats including popular HDV™ and AVCHD™ devices. With a full complement of effects and transitions, Vegas Pro 9 Academic Edition provides a truly creative environment in the classroom. In addition, the new Academic Edition includes user-friendly video tutorials to help quickly learn the software and an electronic Curriculum Guide with lessons, tests and sample media for easy integration into any classroom setting.

About Sony Creative Software

Sony Creative Software inspires artistic expression with its award-winning line of products for digital video, music, DVD, and audio production. The company develops applications that integrate with and enhance use of Sony cameras and other hardware devices. Sony Creative Software customers span the globe and include seasoned professionals in the film, television, video game, and recording industries, as well as students, educators, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. For more information about professional and consumer products, visit www.sonycreativesoftware.com.

Vegas, Cinescore, Sound Forge, Sony, Handycam, DVD Architect, and HDV are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation in the United States and other countries. Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories in the United States and other countries. AVCHD is a jointly owned trademark of Panasonic and Sony Corporation. All other marks are property of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.

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SOURCE: Sony Creative Software Inc.

CONTACT: Jessie Comstock, Bender/Helper Impact, +1-310-473-4147,
Jessie_comstock@bhimpact.com, for Sony Creative Software Inc.

Web Site: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/
http://www.techinmotioncontest.com/