IT’S TIME FOLKS !
straight 8 2025 is open !!
WITH THE BEST PREMIERE OPPORTUNITIES AND now WITH MORE CHOICE OF FILM STOCKs !!!
IMAGE CREDIT: KILLJOY BY VIEIRA VASCO, TOP 8 2024
can you make a 3-minute film on just one roll of super 8 ?
editing only with each pull of YOUR super 8 camera’s trigger ?
with no opportunity for retakes or postproduction ?
submitting your original soundtrack without even seeing your film ?
for a decent chance of SCREENING at OUR cannes film festival and bfi imax london PREMIERES IN MAY - WITHOUT EVEN SEEING YOUR FILM BEFOREHAND !
DO YOU THINK YOU MIGHT BE game for the 25 YEARS YOUNG ANALOG filmmaking thrill ride that is straight 8 ?
read on to FIND OUT ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO enter straight 8 2025 right NOW !
cinema is a feeling !
super 8 may be small but your ambition to the audience can be boundless
for our top 25 premiere we’ve teamed up with bfi imax london again - the second largest screen in europe
the screen ratio is perfect for super 8 and you’ll simply never see your super 8 shorts any bigger - or we’ll eat ours
AND now you have more creative choice: with black & white and colour reversal now accepted, along with colour negative -
reversal film originally pre-dated negative, it goes through two processing stages to create a positive or ‘print’ that can be projected. we scan everything digitally so that’s not important for right now. but they do have a different look - apart from one being black and white! both tri-x and ektachrome have less latitude than negative. that means that - especially when you have no opportunity to grade - your blacks should be blacker, and your whites whiter, so to speak. however, it also means they’re much less forgiving than the negative film stocks, so maybe only try reversal if you’re good on lighting and exposure. see descriptions and examples of the looks you can get in our film shop
ok - now let’s get into it
THE SMALLEST FILM FORMAT ON THE UK’S LARGEST SCREEN: DREAM BIG - OR SMALL !
IMAGE CREDIT: SHOOTING FOR THE MOON BY JAMIE HEARING & LAUREN BIRCH, TOP 8 2024
a straight 8 entry must be a new film made for this edition. and submitted as one exposed, and unprocessed, cartridge of silent super 8, arriving at our lab by your chosen deadline
your first shot must visually include your unique entry number. so you can’t start shooting before buying entry
your original soundtrack must be submitted online by 7 days after your film delivery deadline, and you won’t have seen your film. we will line up your soundtrack to your first frame of picture
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all of this year’s deadline places are available to buy right now
the sooner you can submit your film, the less you will pay as this spreads out the work, helping us keep the pricing as low as it can be
decisions, decisions... when can you deliver by?
IMAGE CREDIT: TWICE THRICE TOLD BY BRENNAN HERSHOCK, TOP 8 2024
SECURE YOUR FILM DELIVERY DEADLINE BY BUYING THE appropriate ENTRY FEE below
IF YOU want to shoot on reversal film, add that extra to your basket before checkout. it can also be added lateR BUT BEFORE YOU SHOOT.
note: the latest available delivery deadline for reversal films is feb 8th
we will contact you about where to send your reversal cartridge
got ANY questions?
how exactly does it all work? what exactly is included / excluded? where can i find the full rules i must sign up to when i enter?
find out more detail about the process of making a straight 8 film here
OR JUST SIGN UP BELOW AND GET GOING!
ENTER BY BUYING YOUR CHOSEN FILM DELIVERY DEADLINE !
EACH DEADLINE PLACE CAN BE EXTENDED TO THE NEXT DEADLINE AT A COST OF £35 PER EXTENSION
UP TO THE FINAL DEADLINE OF FEB 21, WHICH CANNOT BE EXTENDED
reversal not allowed for this final deadline
DO YOU WANT TO SHOOT ON BLACK AND WHITE OR COLOUR REVERSAL super 8, RATHER THAN COLOUR NEGATIVE?
we rent an array of cameras and we sell film
get your film from us or any other reliable outlet
ONCE YOU’VE ENTERED AND ARE FILMING YOU MAY WONDER WHAT HAPPENS LATER…
TOP 25 SELECTION PROCESS
our pre-screeners are trusted members of our community who’ve made a great straight 8 in the past, but are not entering this year!
most years we receive 150-200ish films. each film is watched by at MINIMUM two of our pre-screeners
meet some of the pre-screeners of recent years
the pre-screeners recommended films go to our longlist which is not disclosed
next comes careful review and debating as we finalise our annual top 25 selection which will premiere at BFI IMAX LONDON
the top 25 is shared with our jury
TOP 8 JURY
OUR JURY IS MADE UP OF TALENTED FILMMAKERS AND INDUSTRY DECISION MAKERS WORKING AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME
the jury’s job is to agree the top 8 from the top 25 selection. the top 8 will be joint winners and this year they will premiere at cannes
our 2025 jury will be announced soon. meantime meet some of the people who have been on our jury in recent years. search them up for more info!
we thank them all for their honest opinions and insights.
due to the fact they all work hard in the world of film, we accept that some of them occasionally have to bail when it comes to crunch time, but are happy they do it reluctantly - they love seeing your films!
screenings
EVERYONe who enters straight 8 CAN ENJOY a mindblowing PREMIERE
because they haven’t seen their film at that point!
it’s nerve-janglingly thrilling for filmmakers and uniquely exciting for the audience
put this year’s three big premiere dates in your diary now - we hope to see you and your film there
THE TOP 8 PREMIERE AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
MAY 19TH 2025 (date TBC)
THE TOP 25 PREMIERE AT LONDON’S BFI IMAX!
MAY 24TH 2025
TOP 25 + UNSELECTED FILMS PREMIERE WORLDWIDE
MAY 31ST 2025
INVITE YOUR CAST AND CREW, FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR A CRAZY RIDE - RIGHT AS THE TOP 25 GLOBAL LIVESTREAM ENDS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SCREEN YOUR straight 8 FILM
need inspiration ?
watch some of the 3000+ straight 8 films made so far !
a small selection of amazing straight 8 films are below - find more on our watch page, and see the top 25 of 2024 here
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
