How To Submit A Short Film
Let’s face it: The Internet is saturated with short films. Vimeo alone receives 400,000 monthly uploads. YouTube over 20 hours of footage every single minute. So the chances of your short film being seen by anyone in Hollywood are slim to none. So how do you become a film director?
Even film festivals are inundated with submissions. The Sundance Film Festival, for example, received over 7,000 shorts last year and only 64 were selected. To make matters worse, shorts tend to get the short end of the stick at these events, as industry VIPs opt to attend premieres, features and documentaries. That’s because, unlike features, shorts have little commercial potential. In the 21st century, there’s really no purpose for short films other than to serve as calling cards for the people who make them – and then get them work in features. As a filmmaker, you want your film to showcase your ability to convey a strong, engaging story that is compact as possible in terms of narrative, characters, settings and production requirements. That means making every moment count – and yet delivering a payoff that is strong both emotionally and intellectually.
Many aspiring filmmakers have gone on to have successful film careers, and it all started with getting their short film into the right industry pro’s hands. Bottle Rocket (directed by Wes Anderson), District 9(directed by Neill Blomkamp), “The Dirk Diggler Story,” aka Boogie Nights (directed by Paul Thomas Anderson), “Some Folks Call it a Slingblade,” aka Slingblade, (directed by Billy Bob Thornton), “Peluca,”aka Napoleon Dynamite, (directed by John Swihart) and Saw (directed by James Wan) are just a few examples of shorts that went on to become features and even box-office successes.
So why leave your project out in cyberspace where it can lay dormant, waiting to be discovered? Submit your short film, commercial or music video to Greenlightmymovie, where you can hand pick your audience – targeting those Hollywood movers and shakers that can actually do something for your career!
Submission Requirements
Running Time: 50 minutes or less
Animation
Commercials
Experimental
Music Videos
Short Documentaries
Short Narratives
Trailers
A short description (logline) of your film is preferred.
All films must be in English
Indicate if you have a feature script written.
Works-in-progress are acceptable. Please indicate “work-in-progress” in your description.
Please preview your uploaded film to make sure it plays properly.
Music videos and commercials are acceptable.
Trailers are acceptable. Please indicate “trailer” in your description and indicate whether you have a feature or short script.
Video formats officially supported by Greenlightmymovie
| Container Format | Video Codecs | Audio Codecs |
| MP4, M4V | H.264 | AAC |
| AVI | Xvid, DivX | MP3 |
| FLV | H.264, VP6 | AAC, ADPCM |
| MOV | H.264 | AAC, MP3 |
| WMV WMV9 | VC-1 (WMV9) | WMA |
| MPG, MPEG, M2V | MPEG-1, MPEG-2 | MP2, MP3 |
| MKV | H.264 | WAV (PCM), MP3, AAC |