make a short film on one cartridge of super 8 - editing only with each pull of your camera’s trigger
submit your original soundtrack without yet having seen your visuals
and if it’s great, you’ll see your straight 8 for the first time ever, at our annual premiere with the world watching
it’s one of the hardest and most rewarding ways to make a film
and everyone everywhere is welcome to join in
read exactly how it works in 8 steps - then enter straight 8 2022 below
commit to the challenge:
confirm your place by clicking the enter button below. there are different prices for different film delivery deadlines. and there are limited places for each deadline, so grab the one you want asap. extensions might be able to be purchased later but once you pay the entry fee, there’s no backing out - and that's a good thing. straight 8 is about committing. and doing
create your entry profile:
you’ll immediately receive an email explaining how to set up your entry portal for use throughout the competition. this guides you through the full rules and is how you get your all-important entry number which you must include visually in the first shot of your film. that's essential as it’s how we know the film was made for this edition. because you supply the film and camera, you now have everything you need to start right away, no matter where in the world you are and even if we’re sleeping! you’ll also now find yourself added automatically to our annual entry map which you can see below
get your idea together:
with straight 8 you make the film you want to make. no prompts, themes, genres, or random mandates. some people have their idea before they enter, others like to feel the heat first. either way, ask yourself what do you want to say? what do you want make an audience think and feel? what can you achieve in a little over 3 minutes of storytelling?
pre-production:
now source everything you need to turn your idea into on screen magic: your cast, your crew, your location, your props, your catering… not forgetting your camera and one new roll of **colour super 8 negative** film which you can buy from us, or from elsewhere. NB. the only film type you can use for straight 8 2022 is super 8 colour negative. so that’s 50D, 250D, 200T or 500T. don’t use anything else! and find out the differences here
shoot while you create your final edit:
you make your entire film by shooting in story order without re-takes on that one roll of super 8. and it doesn’t record sound - so that comes later. plan for your film to work in about 3 minutes 15 seconds or less. that's how much one cartridge of super 8 will safely allow you (we scan at 18 frames per second). and when you reach the end of the cartridge, your visuals are done! no messing about or changing your mind. you want a pink sky? use a filter in front of the camera. you want a title? make a physical one and shoot it. want some special effects? find out the clever in-camera ways. there is absolutely no opportunity to edit or grade or do post-production of any kind. because…
processing:
you send your exposed and un-processed super 8 cartridge to london for processing. it must arrive at cinelab film & digital london by the film delivery deadline you select when you enter. you use your straight 8 entry portal to organise and track this. and that’s the last you see of your film for now. meantime…
soundtrack:
you make a completely original soundtrack without having seen your film. you upload your soundtrack file via your entry portal, by 7 days after your film delivery deadline. there’d nothing more to do except…
keep it all crossed:
sit back and relax - if you can - you did it! now wait and find out if your film is selected. if it makes our selections you will see it for the very first time with the world watching at the same time as you. this means our pre-selectors loved it, then we included it in our top 25 selection from which our jury selects the top 8 selection. and even if your film is not selected it’s not the end of the world. the standard is so high now that some films that didn’t make our selections have gone on to make into other film festivals up against films that have been made the traditional ways… with editing and everything. everyone will get a pro-res of their synch’d film a few weeks after our public premieres. plus we offer feedback if you want it, if not selected. let us know if you know any other festivals or competitions that offer that! and if you did get selected there are prizes too but the main one is the pure glory of making a top straight 8.
ready to enter? choose your delivery deadline below and commit to straight 8 now!
more questions? see more info on dates, prizes, jury and more lower down this page, and see our faq’s. see the full straight 8 2022 rules - here
to enter you must choose which date you will get your exposed cartridge to london by
there are limited places for each delivery date in order to spread the workflow for the lab
some deadline extensions may be available to buy later but extensions may not be possible and no refunds are given
no-one gets to see their straight 8 film before its premiere
it’s uniquely exciting for the audience and nerve-janglingly thrilling for the filmmakers
our straight 8 2022 premiere will take place this autumn with a global live stream premiere
and (all being well!) a real-world event - details to follow
see your name in lights… enter straight 8 2022
a small selection of amazing straight 8 films - see more collections on our films page
“The first film I ever shot was on Super 8 and the magic has never diminished for me. the tactile nature, the simple cameras, the visual imperfections, the limited runtime make it my favourite format to shoot with.”
- MARK JENKIN. BAFTA for outstanding british debut, writer/director of BAIT,
and STRAIGHT 8 jury member
+ dates
by september 2022 - results announced
autumn 2022 - premieres. global livestream online and more. locations and dates TBC
by end november 2022 - all entrants' films delivered digitally
+ what's included / excluded
your entry fee includes and contributes to:
- processing
- scanning
- sound sync
- digital delivery of pro-res of every entered film
- competition entry
- competition management
- us putting on a great premiere 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 and they happen in the real world
- 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
+ prizes
we never have individual winners. the best 8 straight8ers of the year are all joint winners. the main prize is the glory and seeing your film for the very first time live with a global audience, be it at cannes (normally) or in a live stream. it's a buzz you won't forget. there's also a showcase of the top 25 - like in 2020/21.
- free entry to straight 8 2023 - hold onto your laurels if you can, year after year!
- and there may be more prizes announced soon
+ WONDERING WHO ENTERS STRAIGHT 8?
- look at the map on this page, and that's just this year's entrants since we opened
- we've lost count but over 2500 straight 8 films have been made by all sorts of people since 1999
- 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 *
"i found the whole experience of making a straight 8 to be a wonderfully testing exercise in filmmaking - not just in terms of shooting, but also in writing. sure, there are a lot of constraints, but those are easily outweighed by the freedoms you can really enjoy. it’s basically a crash course of the craft in its purest form." nikolai brokolovsky, director: 'dawn'. straight 8 2021
"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*
" i feel as if straight 8 really embodies everything i love about filmmaking." ollie birt, director: 'rumours'. straight 8 2019. see the local news story on him from his hometown in aus: here
+ JURY
- check out our fantastic 2021 jury.
- they decide the 8-film straight 8 2022 selection from our shortlist of around 20-25 entries.
- 2022 jury line-up to be announced soon.
+ get inspired
- watch tons of amazing 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
- get inspired by watching our 2021 showcase for free here
+ 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 or buy direct from us here
- you must shoot on super 8 colour negative only. there are only 4 kinds
a massive shoutout to cinelab film & digital for supporting straight 8 since 2016
every single straight 8 film since then has been processed by them. literally - your films share a warm bath with some of the world’s biggest feature films
so if you’re looking for best in class film processing for your projects, don't forget they also process and scan 16mm, 35mm and even 65mm… and now they have full digital capability too from on-set through the entire workflow. oh - and best of all: they’re top people