SHORT CUTS is a new career development focused film competition organised by Shooting People, the UK's largest community of independent filmmakers. Prizes include a £1000 film fund, industry mentoring, filmmaking gear and packages.

There will be four seasonal rounds to the competition in January, April, July and October. The overall winner will be selected at an awards ceremony in January 2019. SHORT CUTS: SPRING will be open for submissions from January 1st-31st, writer/director Rachel Tunnard (Adult Life Skills) will select the winner for this round.

If you’re based outside of the UK and would like to enter the competition, you can purchase a single submission for $10.95 via FilmFreeway and receive 1 month’s SP membership.

If you're based in the UK, become a Shooting People member to enter the competition for free. Join Shooting People now at 50% off using the SHORT CUTS: SPRING discount (*£19.95/yr): http://bit.ly/SCROUND1

(*Discount offer expires Jan 31st. SP membership is normally £39.95 a year)

Awards & Prizes

ROUND WINNERS:
- Industry mentorship from BFI NETWORK, Creative England, Channel 4 Random Acts, The Agency and Lightbox Entertainment and Wildgaze Films.
- A screening of your film in a London cinema, promotion and support from SP.
- Rode VideoMic Pro+ Microphone.
- Blackmagic Design Davinci Resolve Software.
- Final Draft 10 Software.
- A Year's Membership to Close Up Film Centre .
- A Year's Picturehouse Membership+.
- A Year's Subscription to MUBI Annual Subscription.
- A lifetime Shooting People membership

ANNUAL WINNER:
All of the above prizes plus:
- £1000 film funding
- Ongoing production support from SP for future projects.
- Mentorship from the BAFTA winning and Oscar nominated producer Paul Webster (Founder of Shoebox Films, producer The Motorcycle Diaries, Pride & Prejudice, Eastern Promises).
- Mentorship from Ian Bonhôte (director and producer, Co-Founder of Misfits Entertainment & previously Pulse Films).
- A year's subscription to Little White Lies magazine.

SHORT CUTS is sponsored by Performance Insurance and Rich Mix.

Rules & Terms

SUBMISSIONS:
Submissions are open to shorts up to 30 minutes in length. We accept films of any style, genre or format, films of all countries*, production techniques, forms and budgets.

The primary contact completing the submission process must be authorised to submit the film for consideration. This includes permission from a distributor or sales agent representing the film and the applicant must have obtained necessary permissions for the inclusion of any copyrighted music and/or images used within the film. Shooting People WILL NOT hold responsibility for any copyright infringement.

Submitted films must be viewable online without a password for the duration of the competition round. You may enter as many films as you wish. Each entry requires a separate submission form and separate upload. Entry fees are not refundable.

*Entrants should be aware that many of the prizes, particularly the mentoring opportunities and UK cinema memberships, will only be available to entrants based in the UK.

SELECTION:
All entries are viewed and chosen by Shooting People’s Programming Team. Final selections are at the sole discretion of the Programming Team. Selection Process:

- Submission periods for each round open in: Round 1 January 1st-31st, Round 2 April 1st-30th, Round 3 July 1st-31st, Round 4 October 1st-31st.
- Each round is open for submissions for 1 month.
- 2 weeks after submissions close, 12 films will be shortlisted by Shooting People’s Programming Team.
- Shooting People members then have 1 week to vote on their favourite films.
- The 3 films with the highest votes will be sent to a filmmaking judge.
- The round winner will be announced the following month and screened at a Shooting People event.
- The overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony at the end of the year.

SCREENING PERMISSION:
Should your film be selected, you give us permission to screen your film individually or as part of a package at the Short Cuts events, and any subsequent screening over the next 12 months. Selected films will also be viewable online on the Shooting People website for the duration of the competition.

PUBLICITY:
Submitting a film gives us permission to use publicity stills provided and up to 30 seconds of footage for use in SHORT CUTS’ marketing and publicity.

CONTACT:
For all enquiries, please contact help@shootingpeople.org.