Have you made a short? Have you asked yourself if it’s worth submitting? What is the point? I’ll let you in on a secret: somewhere out there, a curator is drinking their fourth coffee of the day, opening submission number 214, and silently begging it to be good. That curator could be looking at your film. Or it could be me. Statistically, it’s probably me.
But if your project is rough around the edges, needs refining, some things couldn’t be reshot or some practical effects couldn’t be fixed, then never fear. Those are not the things we look for in a short (at least not most of us). The things we look for are potential, ideas, and originality. Execution and production values are weighed up in context, unlike bigger budget pieces with distribution. Shorts are made to be seen; they burn bright for a short period, then onto the next! But without motivation, peer feedback, and learning, then what is there?
I won’t lie, there are some projects submitted with zero effort, some AI generated Godzilla videos, and some random, silly jokes that went a little too far and didn’t need to be a short. But most shorts, most are ideas, curiosity, potential that landed on something worth seeing.
What actually happens when you submit?
Panels of judges can be large or small. They can be amateur filmmakers, professionals in the industry (animation, performance, directors, etc.), or they can be professional judges. With a feedback form, these are the people who will be judging your film.
Judges’ feedback form questions are things like “Does this film bring something new to its category”, “Does this film’s sound, or lack of, tell the story in some way?” and finally, “Does this match its submitted category”. That last one is one of the most important. Many films are often submitted to the wrong category. Now it’s up to the filmmaker to decide for a reason, as the boundaries between experimental and genre can be blurred, so this doesn’t always exclude you, but the film’s intention and description often inform the panel on what they are looking at, perhaps more than you would like. So always ensure you paint a holistic picture and make your intentions clear, even if the project isn’t.
Verdicts
The verdict isn’t important. Whether your film is a finalist or not, your project has been seen. This is the purpose of a short. Now, if you are randomly sending your shorts to a mix of festivals, including big ones, this will be hard to break into. First, look for festivals that match your budget and style. If you go big, then submit to bigger festivals, but bigger and smaller projects are both likely to win at smaller, more niche festivals if you find the right fit. Go for experimental themed festivals if that’s what your film’s style matches, go for horror fests if your film is a classic horror, etc. Many festivals have multiple categories, but look at past winners to get an inside view. This still doesn’t guarantee a selection, but background research helps. While the verdict isn’t important, selections and finalist nominations give you an idea of how well your film is received if you’ve submitted following a period of background research.
Looking forward
Your next piece will come more naturally if you have motivation, feedback, and have learned what to improve on. Submitting a film gives you the best leg-up on what to do with your next project. Perhaps you need a full rewrite on the last project with a new protagonist? Perhaps the story worked, but it could have been more of an emotional beast as a drama. Or perhaps you return to the drawing board completely. Either way, festivals do respect repeat submitters. It shows work ethic, dedication, and practice, so don’t be shy, come again. Even if it’s in three years’ time. We will be waiting.
Great failures
Some pieces are great to watch but don’t make the cut. Either there was something that drove the point just a little tighter, or perhaps your film was just a little too rough. Working on refining your tools and ideas as you go is a great next step, and developing your connections in your filmmaker community helps too.
Learn about your audience and your piece. You can do this in person, passively: observe what made the cut, and be classy about it if yours didn’t. Sometimes your greatest failures are your best pieces. Seeing something you made go to a final selection, for example, but not win, will inform you that you have excellent potential but the execution needed refining, retelling.
That’s a wrap
In conclusion, not submitting your film is a mistake. Not trying again is a mistake. Leaving your piece in a graveyard of hard drives is a mistake. Take this advice and enjoy the journey. Sometimes you make a batch of cookies, and they are badly formed, ugly, yet taste amazing. That is pretty close to what your early works will be like.