Ron Howard (two-time Academy Award Winner) and Josh Hutcherson (star of “The Hunger Games” franchise), have announced the names of 15 finalists in the Project Imagination: The Trailer contest. The contest, which drew a flood of submissions, encouraged people of all skill levels to turn their photos and video footage into movie trailers with titles, Hollywood style voice-overs and epic soundtracks.

This was a first time ever for Canon; to invite people to turn their everyday moments into epic movie trailers to help inspire a Hollywood short film. A short film starring Josh Hutcherson. Canon’s easy-to-use editing tool, online, empowered everyone, even those without filmmaking experience, to create an awe-inspiring trailer from their everyday photos and videos.

“As a veteran filmmaker, I appreciate the value of edge-of-your seat creativity in filmmaking, and that’s what Project Imagination: The Trailer is all about,” said Howard. “Josh and Kat are the perfect complements to what’s sure to be an exhilarating exploration into the inspirational value of trailers.”

“What’s most exciting about this process is that I don’t know what to expect,” said Hutcherson.

“We were thrilled by the number of truly creative trailers that were submitted,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “And, we know that Ron, Josh and Kat will honor the power of everyday moments to inspire something really fascinating.”

The 15 chosen finalists are:

• JR Poli of North Lauderdale, Fla., with “Everything is Mean”
• Anna Fuller of Louisville, Ky., with “A Reader and a Writer”
• Jan Garcia of Union City, Calif., with “The Life and Times”
• Ben Alagna of Los Angeles, Calif., with “Siren”
• Ryan McDowell of Campbell, Calif., with “Borderless”
• Mina Park of Los Angeles, Calif., with “Calling Card”
• Rachel Bingham of Sandy, Utah, with “Ninja School”
• Zack Murray of Odessa, Fla., with “Spin”
• Jonathan Spencer of Charleston, Mass., with “The 18-Hour Proposal”
• Matt Sconce of Oakhurst, Calif., with “The Hunt”
• Ryan Lawson of Chicago, Ill., with “Bubbles”
• Giordan Moore of Springfield, Mass., with “The Clumsy Shoveler”
• Marc Geiger of Lancaster, Calif., with “Stuck”
• Mark Mukherjee of Tampa, Fla., with “Tainted Water”
• Nic Thorson of Sherman Oaks, Calif., with “Project Six”

For the third iteration of Project Imagination, Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy of Freestyle Picture Company are once again producing the film, this time with Josh Hutcherson.

The public is now able to vote through June 10 on the 15 finalists at imagination.usa.canon.com and then Ron Howard and Josh Hutcherson will select one winning trailer based on its overall impression, inspiration and imagination. The film is set to go into production this summer and will be written and directed by Kat Candler (“Hellion”).

Having looked at the 15 trailers, I surely can recommend going through them, for some laughs and for the sheer experience of seeing so many shorts offering a diversity of ideas. In the end, whether you’re a seasoned professional or a pure amateur, it’s all about the magic moving images can offer you, both in creating and watching them.