Supported by BFI - British Film Institute

Rules

Initial stage – entering your film

1. Who can enter?

To enter a film into Virgin Media Shorts, you’ll need to be:

  • aged 18 or over by the time the competition closes for entries (12th July 2012)
  • a resident of the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
  • registered on virginmediashorts.co.uk as a film maker
  • the director or producer of the film you're entering  

You'll also need to agree to the competition terms and conditions before submitting your work. 

Re-entries
If you’ve entered your film into Virgin Media Shorts before but weren't shortlisted in the final 12, you’re very welcome to re-enter it – in fact, we’d love to have your film back! If your film has made our shortlist before (whether it won or not), you won't be able to enter that same film again, but we'd be more than happy to receive any of your other films.
 

2. Which films are eligible to win the competition?

If you enter a film that doesn’t fit the competition criteria, it won’t be considered in the judging process, no matter what. Sorry! If you want to win Virgin Media Shorts 2012 (and why wouldn’t you?), you’ll need to make sure that your film:  

  • is no longer than two minutes 20 seconds in length (140 seconds) including titles and credits - not even by a second! It can be shorter though.
  • is U or PG rated (more info here)
  • complies with Ofcom's Broadcasting Code (in particular your film must be suitable for transmission before 9pm)
  • complies with the CAP (non-broadcast) Code
  • is in English or subtitled in English
  • only uses music that you have the rights to use (find out more here)
  • is uploaded before the deadline (12 midday on 12th July 2012)
     

No matter how much we love your film, we can’t let the rules slide we’re afraid. If your film is too long, even by a second, it won’t be considered - we won’t email you and ask you to cut it down. If your film contains inappropriate content and isn’t considered U or PG, we won’t ask you to edit it. It simply won’t be judged in the competition. And if it’s not uploaded by the time we close the competition for entries, we won’t be able to accept it. We’re sorry, but getting your dates mixed up or not leaving long enough for the upload process won’t mean we can extend the deadline for you.

Please, please make sure you read all of the rules carefully before entering.

3. Which formats are accepted?

The following video codecs will be accepted:

  • H.264 with AAC or uncompressed audio (we strongly recommend this format)
  • H.263
  • MPEG (1, 2, & 4)
  • Motion JPEG
  • VP5 & VP6
  • WMV / WMA

The following formats will NOT be accepted:

  • .flv

Second stage – selecting the shortlist

Once the competition closes for entries in July, our BFI curators will start getting busy choosing the shortlist of 12 films. We won’t contact all of the unsuccessful entrants so if you don’t hear from us, we’re sorry but your film hasn’t made it this time. If you are chosen as one of the final 12, we’ll be in touch. You will need to provide your work to us in its highest quality as a master copy by post. You can send us your film digitally or on tape. The following formats are accepted (in quality order from lowest to highest):

  • Medium: DigiBeta, DVCam, DVCPro
  • High: D1, D2, D3, D4
  • Highest: HDCAM SR, HD-D5, HDCAM, HDV
     

We'd rather get your short in film format rather than PAL format, but we can accept either. The content cannot be received in NTSC format (the US format at 29.97 FPS). The following format is ideal:

  • PAL: 625
  • Aspect ratio:1:185, 16:9, (optionally 4:3)
  • Frame rate: 24 FPS, 25 FPS
  • Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, stereo or mono
     

We will also double-check your film clearances at this point, too. You'll need to have your rights forms (actors, locations and music) ready to progress in the competition. If you can’t obtain these, we’re sorry but you won’t be able to go any further.

Third stage - the shortlist. What happens to your film?

This bit is all about getting your work on the big screen in hundreds of cinemas nationwide. Each of the 12 shortlisted films will be shown in independent cinemas and the Picturehouse network nationwide, ready to be watched by millions of cinema-goers across the country. If selected, your film will be on the big screen for 12 months, starting in September, so it's important that your original film master can be transferred technically and cinematically to the cinema screen.

We may also show your short film:

  • On Virgin Media’s TV On Demand service, alongside 500 blockbuster films, and Virgin Media's TiVo® service
  • On mobile phones or handheld devices (including our iPhone and iPad apps)
  • On the internet (both on the website, through internet TV and on our YouTube channel)
  • Other places we think you might benefit from extra exposure, i.e. our partners’ websites, film blogs, et

Fourth stage - awards and prizes (the exciting bit)  

Three films will be awarded a prize at the 2012 awards ceremony:

The People's Choice Award

We'll give power to the people and ask the great British public to vote for their favourite of the 12 shortlisted films via the website. If your film is in the mix, get your friends and family behind you! The winner of the People’s Choice Award will walk away with £2,000 of spanking new film kit.

The TiVo® Award  

Virgin Media customers will get to vote with their remotes and crown our second ever TiVo® Award winner. By voting through their TiVo® set top boxes, customers will choose their favourite of the 12 shortlisted films and the winning film maker will take away XXX.

The Grand Prize

A panel of judges, including industry experts, actors and directors will select one film maker from the 12 finalists to win the Grand Prize. That's £30,000 film funding and the chance to work with the British Film Institute (BFI) and Virgin Media to make a short film.

All rights reserved Virgin Media Shorts 2012