ARTICLE I: ORGANIZATION
1. The organization will henceforth be known as the Critics Association of
Central Florida (CACF).
2. “Central Florida” shall be defined as the major
markets of Orlando and Tampa, and any location within a one-hundred mile radius
of either city.
ARTICLE II: MISSION
The mission of the Critics Association of Central Florida is as follows:
1. To represent the interests of the film critics in the Central Florida area.
2. To encourage the growth of the film critic community in the Central Florida area.
3. To annually honor the best in cinematic achievement.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
1. Minimum Requirements For Active and Incoming Members
a. Incoming and existing members of the Critics Association of Central Florida will be required to meet at least one of the following minimum qualification requirements to maintain active membership status.
i. Members must be individually approved critics by the review aggregator site “Rotten Tomatoes” OR…
ii. Members who primarily publish reviews to online outlets must maintain a minimum reach of 6,000 Unique Visitors Monthly to their primary publication OR…
iii. Members who primarily publish reviews to video/YouTube publications must maintain an average minimum of 10,000 monthly views OR…
iv. Members who primarily publish reviews to audio/podcast outlets must maintain an average minimum of 4,000 monthly listeners.
a. Members who do not meet at least one of the above listed requirements will be placed on inactive, probationary status for the length of one year. If at the conclusion of that year a member still does not meet at least one of the membership criteria requirements, that member will have their membership to the Critics Association of Central Florida revoked.
i. Members facing probationary status or removal for failure to maintain or meet one of the minimum qualification requirements may appeal that decision through the use of a provided appeal form. Appeals will be reviewed and granted on a case-by-case basis by the board committee.
b. Existing members who do not meet one of the above listed qualifications at the time that this bylaw goes into effect (January 15, 2025) will be granted a one year grace period. If at the end of that grace period, expiring January 15, 2026, a member still does not meet one of the above listed requirements they will be placed on inactive, probationary status.
2. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP will be allowed for members who:
a. Publish content on a regular basis (defined as at least 25 new release film reviews per calendar year OR 50 film reviews per calendar year, at least 12 of which are new releases).
b. Reside in Central Florida, as defined by the bylaws, for at least three months of the year.
c. Have an active Central Florida mailing address.
d. To remain in good standing, members must complete a minimum of 25 new release film reviews per calendar year OR 50 film reviews per calendar year, at least 12 of which are new releases. Members who fail to meet these output requirements may face disciplinary action up to and including one-year probationary status or removal from the group.
e. A member can only be placed on the probation list once within a three year span. If a member is placed on the list a second time within this window, they are subject to removal from the group.
3. There shall be no limit to the amount of members in the organization. A maximum of three journalists representing an outlet as their primary publication may be members of the organization at any given time.
4. There shall be no dues to participate in the organization. Any funds necessary to
conduct the organization’s business shall be raised by voluntary contribution from the
membership.
5. EMERITUS STATUS may be given to members who have been an active member within
the organization for at least two years, but no longer meet one of the requirements for
active membership (no longer actively publish content, or no longer live in Central Florida).
Once requested, emeritus status can be given by a simple majority vote by membership.
Members emeritus may keep their affiliation with the organization but receive no voting
privileges in matters of business or year-end awards, nor should a member emeritus serve
on the committee.
a. Founding members Sean Boelman, Billy Joynt, Joshua Ryan, and Adam
Sirdoreus automatically qualify for emeritus status for life.
6. PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS must meet all requirements for active membership, and may
submit themselves for consideration. A scout as designated by the committee shall
then vet the application, and will present qualified candidates for inclusion to the
membership. New members shall be inducted by a simple majority.
a. Qualifications evaluated for inclusion in the organization may include: reach,
quality of writing, professionalism of presentation, and voice or perspective in
writing.
b. Membership applications will be open from March 15th to July 15th of any given year.
c. New members must be inducted by August 31 to be included in that year's awards voting process.
7. A roster shall be kept by the committee with the information of all active and emeritus
members.
8. Members shall be expected to conduct themselves with the utmost integrity and ethics.
No harassment of any kind will be allowed, and members shall be expected to follow all
guidelines set by the organization and studios. Should a member be found to be in
violation of this policy, they may be stripped of their membership by the committee.
a. Members are expected to adhere to all strict embargoes set by the studios.
b. Members are not to attend any screenings to which they were not invited.
9. Active members who do not vote in matters of business or year-end awards may be disciplined. A member may be removed from the organization after missing 2 consecutive votes or 3 total votes in a three-year period.
10. Members may be disciplined by the organization for a violation of these bylaws after a majority vote by the committee. The committee can issue a warning, place the offending member in probationary status, or remove the offending member, at their discretion, depending on the severity and frequency of their violation. If a member is in probationary status and repeats the same infraction, or receives three total probations, they will be removed from the organization. Probationary status lasts for a period of one year.
a. Any member on probation will not be included on the active member lists sent to studios.
b. If a member of the group is subject to removal, they shall be granted a period of one week (seven days) from the time the board sends the removal notification via email to provide a response. This response can be sent through email or by utilizing documentation provided to the member for this purpose.
If no response is received by the board within the seven day period, the member waives their right to appeal the removal.
ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEE
1. Any eligible member of the Critics Association of Central Florida will be permitted to run for board election upon vacancies.
a. To be eligible a member must be active and in good standing for a minimum of two consecutive years.
b. Good standing is defined as an active voting member meeting all membership qualification standards without the use of grace periods or exemptions.
2. Committee Members Length of Term and Reelection: Effective March 1st, 2025, any member elected to a board position with the Critics Association of Central Florida committee shall serve a term of two-years. At the conclusion of that two-year term, if the member wishes to run for another two-year term their reelection will be decided by a simple “Yes” (reelect) or “No” (do not reelect) majority member vote. Reelection votes should be conducted at least four weeks prior to the conclusion of the current board member’s term in order to allow sufficient time for possible transitional changes.
a. In the event that a committee member is reelected, their new term will immediately take effect following the conclusion of their previous two-year term.
b. In the event that a committee member is not reelected, or chooses to not run for another term, their position will be posted and made available for any eligible member who wishes to run for a board position with the Critics Association of Central Florida and an election process will be conducted following established bylaws and protocol. The current board member will finish out their term and the newly elected board member will take effect immediately following the conclusion of the previous member’s term.
c. Any member currently holding a board position in the Critics Association of Central Florida Committee at the time this bylaw goes into effect, March 1st, 2025, will have their two-year term automatically initiated at that time.
3. Early Termination of Two-Year Term: Any member holding a board position with the Critics Association of Central Florida committee may have their position revoked, regardless of their term status, under three circumstances.
a. In the event that a board member no longer wishes, or is no longer able to continue their role with the Critics Association of Central Florida committee they may willingly step down from their position. Said member must provide written notice to the committee of their intentions to step down from their position at least two-weeks prior to the date whenever possible. Failure to provide proper notice may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination from the group.
b. Any board member who fails to remain in good standing will be removed from their position within the committee. Board members are not permitted to be on probationary status and therefore must maintain all minimum requirements for active and incoming members as outlined in “Article III: Membership” of the Critics Association of Central Florida bylaws.
c. In the event that a board member is deemed unfit or unable to fulfill their duties and responsibilities, or in the event that their behavior/conduct becomes egregious in a manner that would reflect poorly on the Critics Association of Central Florida or in any way hinder/prevent the group from fulfilling its intended purpose, said board member may be removed from their position through a unanimous vote of the other existing board members.
4. The initial committee shall consist of the members Sean Boelman, Billy Joynt, Joshua
Ryan, and Adam Sirdoreus. The first election shall occur in June of 2022.
5. In addition to the elected committee, there are positions that will be appointed by the
committee members for the sake of smooth operation:
a. SPOKESPERSON: The committee shall designate one of its own to be the spokesperson for the organization. This person will be responsible for drafting, compiling and sending necessary announcements through email and other necessary means of communication, to members, PR firms, studios, etc. The Spokesperson will also be responsible for writing necessary text to accompany Hall of Fame inductees and creating Awards Graphics for all awards announcements.
b. POLL OFFICER: The committee shall designate one of its own to run all voting needs for the organization. The poll officer shall not have any vote regarding issues of membership or committee election, but will retain their right to vote in business issues not related to membership and year-end awards. The poll officer will be responsible for tracking, counting and maintaining the integrity of all voting matters.
c. STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER: The committee shall designate one of its own to ensure that all existing and potential members of the CACF meet and maintain all minimum qualifications for membership. The Standards and Compliance Officer shall be responsible for tracking disciplinary issues, probation status, review output and all other criteria necessary to maintain good standing within the group.
d. SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR: The committee shall designate one of its own to build and maintain a strong social media presence for the purposes of continued growth, engagement and awareness of the CACF with the general public and other relevant organizations and personnel. The Social Media Coordinator shall be responsible for maintaining group profiles across all relevant social media sites.
e. WEBMASTER: A member (of the committee or general membership) shall be selected by the committee to maintain the website of the organization and fill any related needs, such as graphic design.
f. Additional powers may be delegated by the committee as deemed necessary and reasonable.
6. No more than one representative from any given outlet should serve on the committee at one time.
ARTICLE V: AWARDS
1. Awards will be given by the organization in early January of every year.
2. Voting for awards will be via preferential ballot system, and is to be conducted in late December of each year.
a. For each regular category, active members are to pick their top five choices in the
category. Five points will be assigned to choice one, four to choice two, and so
on. Points will be tallied from overall membership to decide a winner and
runner-up for each category.
b. Members must list five films on their ballot for each regular category they wish to vote in. If an active member has not seen five films eligible for a regular category, they are asked to abstain in said category, but may vote in the remainder of the awards.
c. Special category awards should be decided by a nomination process in which the
membership submits suggestions for the honor, the committee selects two films from the
suggestions, and the general membership votes between the two nominees or that neither
should be honored.
i. If neither of the nominees receives a simple majority vote among members who do not abstain, there will be no winner in the special honor that year.
d. Dishonest voting in matters of business or year-end awards is punishable up to and including removal from the organization.
3. Voting shall be held via online voting system, to be determined based on available
technology.
a. The members of the committee must vote before the ballot is sent to the general
membership.
4. REGULAR CATEGORIES for voting include: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cast, Best Documentary, Best International Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Original Song Hair & Make Up, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Stunt Coordination, Best Editing, Best Sound Design, Hybrid Performance, and First Feature Director.
5. SPECIAL CATEGORIES include Best Central Florida Film, Best Achievement in
Diversity, and any other special honors which the membership deems necessary to
award in any given year.
6. ELIGIBILITY for films seeking awards shall be defined as:
a. Films released between the dates of January 1 and December 31 of the
applicable year, whether in theaters, on streaming, or otherwise for at-home
viewing.
b. Films which screened for critics in Central Florida (Orlando or Tampa) via
in-person press screening or screener.
i. A film is disqualified from the CACF Yearly Awards if a screening is not held in-person (or a digital screener is not made available) ahead of the film's theatrical release. Members from both markets must be provided the opportunity to watch the film.
ii. If a screening only occurs in one of the major markets, the members of the other market must also be invited by the studio or public relations firm handling the screening. If only members from a single market are invite, the film is disqualified.
a. A film can requalify later in the year if a "For Your Consideration" screener (digital or physical) is sent to the full membership prior to the screening deadline.
c. FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM, a film is defined as being “international” as
long as it originates from outside the United States. Preference should be given
to films primarily not in English.
d. FOR BEST CENTRAL FLORIDA FILM, a film is defined as being from “Central Florida” if it has a significant connection to the Central Florida area.
i. Members must participate in the vote for the Best Central Florida Film at least once every two years. Members must watch all the finalists for the award, as chosen by the committee, prior to voting.
e. Beginning January 1, 2025, any film that receives a critics screening in Central Florida, but is not screened for both Orlando and Tampa markets, or that does not allow both markets to attend a screening in one city, will not be eligible to win Best Picture regardless of whether or not FYC materials are provided.
7. DEADLINES for awards are as follows:
a. Voting will begin no later than final Monday of the month of December, and close on the
following Friday.
b. The screening deadline for members to have watched eligible films is the date and time voting begins. Any films seen following the screening deadline should not be considered.
8. The winners of the awards shall be announced by the organization and members via their
social media channels.
ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
1. Amendments to by-laws may be suggested by any active member in the organization.
2. Amendments to by-laws may be ratified by a vote of simple majority held via online
voting.
3. The board, consisting of members voting into position by group majority, will be responsible for writing and putting into place new and/or revised bylaws.
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