Got a head full of questions about the competition? Here’s where you can find the answers fast.

How do I enter the competition?

The competition is now closed, so if you want to upload a film, unfortunately you're too late. All films should have been submitted by midnight on June 30th 2008.

If you're longlisted, we'll let you know by 2nd July 2008, then we'll need you to resubmit your work in its highest quality i.e one that can transfer to 35mm print to be shown on the big screen.

We've put all the details in the Film Specifications guide - so take a look there. 

What happens after I’ve submitted my entry?

1)  Initial stage: now closed

All the videos submitted are showcased on this website.

2)  Second stage: Longlist

Next, we'll longlist a number of films. If one of them is yours, we'll let you know. Then you'll need to provide your work in its highest quality and send us the master tapes or digital files by the 7th July 2008. We'll also double check your film clearances.

3) Third stage: Final shortlist

We'll select 12 films to contend for the grand prize. Each of the 12 films will be transferred to 35 mm print and distributed to 211 cinema screens in the UK, ready to be watched by thousands of film fans across the country.  If you're one of the lucky 12, your film will be on the big screen for 12 months, starting in September. It may also be shown on a whole range of Virgin Media's platforms.

4) Fourth stage: Awards

There will two prize-winners picked from the 12 films.

The People’s Choice 
We give power to the people and ask the great British public to vote for their favourite film of the 12 shortlisted online.

The Grand Prize
Our panel of celebrity judges will shortlist one filmmaker from the shortlisted 12 to win the grand prize, which is the chance to work with Virgin Media and the UK Film Council on a short film at a budget of up to £30,000.

Awards Ceremony

This will take place in September 2008 and we’ll announce the winners then. We’ll invite all 12 finalists, so start planning your red carpet arrival right away!

What’s the Grand Prize?

You can win up £30,000 to produce your next short film. Plus, you’ll have industry experts to help you do it. You have two prize options:

You can claim the £15,000 funding prize from Virgin Media and develop your next short film within one year.  We’ll appoint an agency who’ll help you develop and progress your project.

You can apply for the additional £15,000 funding from the UK Film Council. That’s a total of £30,000 to fund your next film! Plus, you’ll benefit from the guidance of the UK Film Council during the making of your film. It’s easy to do, the UK Film council will help you with your application to make sure it’s a success.

Can I claim the Prize if I’m in full time education?

You can claim the £15,000 from Virgin Media.  And if you’re able to give the project the substantial investment of time and commitment the UK Film Council and Virgin Media require to make the project a success, without impacting on your studies, you may claim the additional £15,000 right away. Otherwise you can defer the prize until you are finished your studies.

When do I have to make the short film with the Prize fund?

You’ll have a year to make the film. That’s from the point of creating the idea to actually completing the film. 

What happens if I get shortlisted, but I can’t transfer my film onto the format you need?

We may be able to help. Check the Film Specification guide to see what the lowest quality file format we can accept is. Depending on your level of skill and technique, we may allow you to submit your film on other formats, like Mini DV. 

What were the criteria around film content?

Unlike other Short Film competitions, we didn't impose a set theme or subject for the films submitted. You were just required to bear the following things in mind:

The 12 top films will be shown on cinema screens, so this was your chance to create a really cinematic piece that would transfer well to the big screen. The films needed to be up to 150 seconds (2.5 minutes) including top and end credits. Plus, your film format needed to meet the technical specification outlined in the Film Specification guide. The film content should have followed the guidelines set out in the Film Specification guide (i.e BBFC for U/PG rating)

Can I submit my film to other festivals?

Yes, absolutely. We won’t stop you showing off your talent in other places.

Rights and Clearances

There are lots of responsibilities for rights and clearances that you needed to look after before submitting your film.  Read on to find out more:

Why did I need to complete all the clearances?

It's so Virgin Media can show it in places like cinemas and television in the UK, and make it available to download on the Internet, on mobile devices or even show it on Virgin Atlantic flights without infringing anyone else's rights.

Who did I need to get permission from to submit my film?

You should have obtained written permission from everyone who has contributed to making the film including, for instance: writer, director, producer, other crew, cast, locations, composers, musicians, and record labels or publishers.  You might have to pay them royalties for use of the film as part of Virgin Media Shorts. Remember, you will have to cover these costs if you incur them. 

You should also have had the ability to give Virgin Media the permission it needs to show and make your film available. This means that you need to hold the distribution rights in the film and must not have given or licensed them to a third party.  So you need to be certain that you have not licensed your film exclusively to any broadcaster, online operator, or mobile platform (for example) because if you've also entered this competition you might be in conflict with that licence.  Equally, if you've also submitted your film to other places like festivals, websites, and broadcasters, you should have check the rights that you gave them.  If you haven't it may jeopardise your chance of winning.

If your film hasn't been fully cleared, sadly, it will be eliminated from the competition.

How long does Virgin Media’s permission to use my film last?

We ask for non-exclusive rights to show your film in all the places we've mentioned for six years from the date you submit it to the competition (until 2014). That means we can broadcast your film online, on TV, through the Internet on your phone and on 211 cinema screens. We can also use it as other archive material if we run Virgin Media Shorts in the future.  Plus, we also have the right to sub-license your film to others (like our third party sponsors) to use.  But it doesn't stop you from giving anyone else the right to show it too.

Should I have cleared the rights for the music I used?

If you used music in your film, you should have cleared the worldwide rights with the publisher and also the recording company. That's because, if your film is showcased on the Internet for everyone around the world to see and hear, you'll be infringing the rights of the music owner, if it hasn't been cleared. This goes for clearances for everything and everyone (i.e. actors, logos, brand names) to be shown in your film for screening in public (i.e. cinemas, Internet.)

You should have cleared the rights of any commercial music you used with the publisher and also the recording company. You usually have to speak to the licensing department.

My film has a distributor - how does that work?

If you have a distributor, then you should have had their permission to enter the competition and let us show your film.

What if I don't hold the rights to my film?

You should have obtained permission from the owner to let us show your film. That permission must mirror the licence that Virgin Media required to showcase your film. If you are longlisted, we will need to see the supporting documentation from the owner.

Where do I find information about the types of film that could have been submitted to the competition?

Film specifications, the legal stuff, content and a technical spec are all covered in the About section of this site.

What was the maximum file size for films to be uploaded online?

Films had to be 100 MB or less.

I've submitted a film that I've already entered in another competition. Does that matter?

As long as you have the proper rights and clearance documents and you had permission to send us your film, that won't effect your chances of winning. For more details, take a look at the legal info in the About section of this site.

Now that I've entered my film...

I want to delete it from the site. How do I do that?

Drop an email to shorts@virginmedia.co.uk with your user name and the name of your film. We'll take it down for you - but remember, if we deactivate your film you will lose all the ratings, views and comments. We can't transfer them to a different version.

I want to change the description of my film. How do I do that?

Email shorts@virginmedia.co.uk with your user name, the name of your film and the description that you'd like to include with it. We'll do our best to update it for you, but it was your responsibility to submit the correct description at the time of registration.

I've submitted a film that's longer than 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Does that mean I can't win?

For a chance to appear in final shortlist and have your film shown in cinemas all over the country, you will need to have stuck to the criteria of 2.5 minutes as well as the tech spec we describe in the About section of this site.

I've submitted an animation. Is that allowed?

Yes, animations will be judged alongside all other entries to the competition. The brief is for any interesting, innovative and/or exciting short film no longer than 2.5 minutes that can be transferred to 35mm print. For more about the basic specifications, go to the About section of this site.

My film contains swearing. Is that OK?

For a film to be shortlisted, it needs to meet the PG criteria. For more about the legal side of the competition, check out the About section of this site.

Was the competition only open to film students?

Anyone over 18 was able to enter. Check out our full terms and conditions.

I've uploaded my film in a 16:9 format, but it's appearing on the site as 4:3 and look squashed. Why did that happen?

Our settings transcoded video at 480x360, which is a 4:3 ratio. If you uploaded your film as a 16:9 format, it will appear squashed. The competition has now closed.