straight 8

+ MAKE A SHORT FILM ON ONE CARTRIDGE OF SUPER 8 - NO EDITING. SEE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL*

*if it’s good enough

in may 2020, for the 15th time, we will premiere the best new straight 8 films at the cannes film festival

and as ever, even the makers won't have seen their films

because they're made on one roll of super 8 with no editing or post-production

it's one of the hardest and most rewarding ways to make a film

think you might have what it takes? read on and enter below...

+ HOW TO ENTER

first check all the rules and deadlines. everything is explained on this page. everything!

these are the 8 key steps to straight 8 2020:

1. commit to the challenge: buy your place by hitting the enter straight 8 2020 button on this page. there’s no backing out once you pay the entry fee. and that's a good thing

2. we email you your entry number. this is for you to include visually in the first shot of your film. that's how we all know each film was made strictly for straight 8 2020

3. get your idea together. we never set a theme. you make the film you want to make. your film will be 3 minutes 20 seconds or less. that's how much one cartridge of super 8 will allow you because it will be scanned at 18 frames per second

4. source your cast, crew, camera and one roll of colour super 8 negative film (only). plus everything else you need to make movie magic

5. shoot your film in story order without re-takes on that one roll of super 8. it doesn't record sound...

6. make a completely original soundtrack, without having seen your film

7. get your roll of exposed, un-processed film to arrive with us in london by your film delivery deadline - see deadlines below

8. email us a link to your soundtrack file by 7 days after your film delivery deadline

sit back and relax - you did it. now wait and find out if your film is selected... see deadlines + dates

+ COST

on this page only the entry price is £88.88.

on the regular 2020 page, the price has been increasing by £10 per month, starting low and now up to £190

the average price is about £160. this is still only £40 more than developing and scanning your super 8 roll at the quality we do, with our partners cinelab london

this new structure is to spread the intake over the year for us and the lab - and means you can shoot in different seasons

today and each month it's first come first served - so get set, and go!

more info in deadlines + dates...

+ deadlines + dates

this is the first time we've opened straight 8 so early in the year. now people in the northern hemisphere can now shoot in summer, autumn or still winter, and those in the southern hemsiphere can now shoot in snow and ice. or whatever. you get the idea

30 places are released at 8pm uk time - on the 8th of every month - for 8 months, with rolling film delivery deadlines, at increasing prices, as follows:

• enter via this flash sale by sunday 8pm gmt >>> film delivery by feb 8 (£88.88)

• enter on or after dec 8 via our regular 2020 page >>> film delivery by mar 8 (£180)

• enter on or after jan 8 >>> film delivery by mar 8 (£190)

• enter on or after feb 8 >>> film delivery by mar 8 (£200)

animators get longer. anyone making a 100% stop frame straight 8 film gets until march 8th 2020 no matter when they enter

when the places run out each month, they run out. it's first come first served. click the entry button at the bottom of the page to see if any remain for this month. join our mailing list for a monthly reminder if you missed out

THEN:

• selections announced by 3rd week of april 2020

• the best 8 films will premiere at cannes film festival around 18/19 may 2020

• around 25 films (including the cannes 8) will premiere in a cinema in london, a few days after the cannes premiere

FINALLY:

• within one month of those premiere screenings everyone who entered will receive their pro-res files (scanned at at least 2K, with sound synch'ed). we do not return original film spools. entrants whose films were not selected to screen can request our feedback about their film. their film may go on to enjoy further life. the standard is so high now that even films that didn't make our selections are going on to get selected for other film festivals, up against films that had the benefit of editing and post-production!

+ what's included / excluded

your entry fee includes and contributes to:

• processing
• scanning
• sound synch
• digital delivery of pro-res of every entered film
• competition entry
• competition management
• premieres in cannes and london and more, for successful filmmakers
• perhaps the most unique filmmaking experience money can't buy - you also need talent, ideas, can-do attitude and a bit of magic

your entry fee excludes:

• your roll of super 8 film, which you buy yourself and which must be colour negative
• everything else you need to make your film
• your travel to premieres if selected
• re-imbursement if you don't get enough out of it. many straight8ers contact us after the shoot alone and tell us that no matter what happens with their film, they got a ton of experience and found it super-hard but amazing

+ WONDERING WHO ENTERS STRAIGHT 8?

"thank you for the chance to be involved in straight 8 2019. it was a lot of fun and has given me a big confidence boost in writing and directing my own projects outside of my ‘day job’ as a producer." rachel ramsay, director: 'venus'. straight 8 2019*

• anyone anywhere can enter straight 8. the more diverse the people and their stories, the better
• find out more about who’s ever entered straight 8 here
• this month we’ve already had entries from berlin, new jersey, york, philadelphia, paris and more
• remember - when the 30 monthly places have gone, they’ve gone

• the next places won’t open until the 8th of the following month - at a higher price. join our mailing list for a reminder

• click the enter straight 8 2020 button to see if there are any places left now

" i feel as if straight 8 really embodies everything i love about filmmaking." ollie birt, director: 'rumours'. straight 8 2019

+ FULL RULES

• straight 8 2020 full rules can be downloaded here. make sure you're on board with them as there are no refunds after entry

+ JURY

• 2020 jury announcements to follow - check out our fantastic 2019 jury here. this jury debated the 8 straight 8 films to screen at cannes from our shortlist of around 20-24 entries

+ get inspired

• watch classic straight 8's on our films page

• see how some straight 8 films were made on our making-ofs page

• check out even more films on our vimeo channel

• or best of all, see how you measure up by watching the straight 8 2018 and 2019 selections at straight 8 vimeo on demand

+ cameras

• don't know where you'd get a camera, you say?
• they're everywhere! see our cameras page for more info

+ film

• we used to send films around the world. it wasn't very green and caused delays. now you can enter, get your entry number and start shooting because you source your own super 8 cartridge - in fact you may already have a roll
• there are loads of outlets around the world - see our film outlets page for more info
• you must shoot on super 8 colour negative only