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The Sound Map is an online sound resource and tool brought to you by The Smalls and Scion, in association with The Smalls Street Sounds event. Use it to upload, download and listen to cool sounds from all over the United States. We hope it will inspire everyone, and we hope it will be a great resource for independent filmmakers around the world.


Anyone anywhere within the United States can upload sounds from their local neighborhood. Everyone around the world can participate in The Smalls Street Sounds filmmaking competition.


We encourage you to record and upload any sounds that entertain or inspire you, or just a sound you feel is a hallmark of your neighborhood.


We ask that you do not upload any inappropriate sounds. If you are unsure of what that means, read our Terms & Conditions


We do not limit your clip in terms of length, only file size.


Currently we can only accept sound files that are up to 50MB in size. Need tips on how to make your file smaller?
Go to our Technical FAQ


There is no limit to how many sounds you can upload. Upload as many as you want!


Currently we only support MP3. If you need help on converting your file to MP3, visit our Technical FAQ


We ask this so that we can contact you should your sound be used in any of the films entered into The Smalls Street Sounds filmmaking competition. You can also opt to receive competition updates from us, but that is completely voluntary.


We store your email securely. We promise only to use it to notify you if there is a technical or other problem with your sound; if your sound is used in any of the films that enter our competition; and, if you opt to receive updates about The Smalls Street Sounds we will send these via email too. We will not abuse, sell or otherwise share your email details with any third party.


You will receive an email if and when your sound(s) are credited in a film submitted to The Smalls Street Sounds.


The Sound Map will be open for an unlimited time period. We hope you will come back and visit often and that it will be a great resource for all filmmakers.


The first thing we recommend is that you try again. If you still do not succeed, please go to our Technical FAQ for tips on what you may be doing wrong.


The Sound Map is an interactive, collaborative tool. All sounds that are uploaded are therefore free for others to use in their creative work. So, no, if you do not want other filmmakers to use your sounds you should not upload them to the Sound Map.
When you have uploaded a sound you receive an email from us that contains a link for deleting that same sound. To delete your sound, simply click the link. Please note that by clicking this link your sound is automatically deleted and cannot be retrieved.
Every sound is accompanied by a popup box. Inside that popup box you will find a link to report the sound to us. Click the link, enter any comments you may have for us on why you feel this sound is inappropriate, and then click "send". The Smalls Street Sounds filmmaking competition is NOW CLOSED. If you’d like to stay in the know of future competitions and opportunities, click here to register with The Smalls.

The Smalls Street Sounds filmmaking competition is a short film contest where filmmakers can download sounds from across the United States to create an original short film inspired by the aural landscape of cities, towns and communities.

The Smalls Street Sounds is brought to you by The Smalls (www.thesmalls.com), a curator of independent short film. We are committed to the discovery and promotion of new film talent through our community website, events and competitions. Thanks to the generous support of Scion (www.scion.com), we are able to bring you these non-traditional filmmaking tools of The Smalls Street Sounds and we hope they will push your creativity and help you create distinctive films.

The call for entries is now OPEN. You have until March 26th, 2010 to submit your film.

The Smalls Street Sounds filmmaking competition runs until April 16th, 2010.

Anyone, anywhere can enter.

You can film anywhere in the world, the only requirement is that you use and credit at least THREE sounds from the Sound Map in your film.

Yes, however you need to check with SAG for their rules and regulations. When you enter your film into The Smalls Street Sounds you also grant us the right to show your film on our website, www.thesmalls.com.

We ask THREE things from filmmakers who wish to enter The Smalls Street Sounds:
1) Your film uses and credits at least THREE sounds from the Sound Map;
2) You interpret ONE of our themes in any way you like; The Street, A State of Mind, America, The Unexpected;
3) Your film is less than 3 minutes in duration. Got questions or feel unsure about how the rules apply to you and your work? Feel free to contact us.

Absolutely. As with any live action film you submit though, you must own the rights to use anything you submit.

The themes are: The Street, A State of Mind, America, The Unexpected. Choose one theme and interpret it in any genre.

Your film can be up to 3 minutes long in duration.

No. Your film can be 3 minutes long + 1 minute of credits.

 

Is there a size limitation to the film I enter?

Yes. We ask that your film file is no more than 2GB in size.

Entering The Smalls Street Sounds is FREE – we do not charge an entry fee.

Really? If you cannot find the sounds you need inside the Sound Map, maybe you could upload your own sounds? That way you can use them and other filmmakers can also benefit from the audio you share.

Yes, we ask that all sounds you use are also credited.

The Winners of The Smalls Street Sounds will each take home a Panasonic HDC-HS300 120GB Full HD Camcorder, and see their names published inside a full-page ad in Variety.

The public vote produces a shortlist of 6 films, from which a distinguished panel of judges from the film, television and media industry selects the winners.

The judges will be announced prior to the closing date of the competition. To receive email news on the judges and everything else surrounding our competition, please sign up as a member on The Smalls and you will be on our mailing list.

Films will be available on the site sometime during the run of the film competition. Until then, if you wish to get updates of when films are available or anything else happening with the competition, make sure to sign up as a member on The Smalls and you will be added to our mailing list.
Try to search for the sound using the search field. If you still can't find it, try to upload it again. If the problem remains please email us at streetsounds@thesmalls.com

Try to record the sound in a bit lower sound quality, for example reducing the bitrate. You can also try using a software to reduce the size or try to make the sound play a bit shorter which will reduce its size.

  You can convert the file into MP3 using a software such as Apple iTunes.

So you've recorded the sound that defines your town and are ready to upload it to The Sound Map. But hold on, your sound's not an MP3? Don't worry, all is not lost 'cos if you have iTunes, there's an easy way to convert your sound to the right format. Just follow these steps:

1. Drag your sound into iTunes.
2. Under the iTunes tab in the menu bar, click Preferences (or Edit and then Preferences).
3. Under the General Tab, click "Import Settings".
4. In the drop down menu named "Import Using:" choose MP3 Encoder.
5. Click OK to get back to your iTunes library.
6. In the iTunes library find your sound and either right click (PC) or ctrl click (Mac) and select "Create MP3 Version".

Then you'll need to locate your new file on your hard drive in order to upload it. To do this on a PC right click your sound and select "Show In Windows Explorer". On a Mac click Ctrl Click and select "Show In Finder". You can then copy your new sound file to your desktop to make it easy to locate when you're ready to upload. We look forward to hearing your contribution to the biggest sound collaboration on the net, The Smalls Street Sounds.
Because you love cool sounds, short films and want to join in our efforts to champion independent filmmaking.


We are The Smalls. We are dedicated supporters of independent film. We are creatives, film and television industry executives – and we are filmmakers and artists, just like you. Thanks to the generous support of Scion (www.scion.com), we are able to bring you The Smalls Street Sounds.


Because it could possibly be the biggest sound collaboration you have ever seen, and who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Because it is an inspiring place to travel in your imagination, listen to sounds from all over the United States – maybe places you remember visiting years ago or places you have never been. Because it is a great resource for sounds to use in your films and other creative projects. And, perhaps because we are launching a really cool film competition where you can win great prizes. Take your pick.


The Sound Map only covers the United States today.


That’s great – we’re always happy to hear suggestions on how we can do better. Please send an email to streetsounds@thesmalls.com.


If you cannot find the answer to your question in our Technical FAQ, please send an email to support@thesmalls.com


All we can tell you here is to do your best. Be as creative as you can, without making your audience nauseous.


That depends on how you define “rich”. If you mean becoming enriched by a feeling of creativity, inspiration or other fun stuff – then YES. If you mean in terms of cash, that depends on how you use the potential fame and recognition that comes from entering and winning our competition. The Smalls Street Sounds does not award financial grants or cash to any of the winners. For more information on what awards you can win, scroll back up to the Filmmaking Competition FAQ


If you are an artist, filmmaker or other inspired person you are already sponsoring our efforts through your participation. If you are a corporation or brand who would like to sponsor an event or competition by The Smalls, please email sponsors@thesmalls.com