Ready for another behind the scenes insight into film festivals? Let’s dive in

Last year I reached out to the Romford Film Festival (which had quickly become one of my favourites after screening my film Wool with them the year before) and asked if I could do a talk during the festival. Along with Spencer’s “yes, absolutely!” reply, he also asked if I wanted to be a judge

In truth, I was pretty nervous to say yes. Producing and judging are two different things, and I wasn’t certain I was qualified to judge other people’s work. But in true ‘jump before you’re ready’ fashion, I said yes

This year, Spencer reached out to ask me to do another talk and be a judge again. So what’s changed this year, and how does that affect producing and funding a short film in 2024?

Less imposter syndrome

Frankly, I was not expecting the amount of imposter syndrome that popped up as soon as I started critiquing other people’s films

We have to score each film in different areas, and it creates an overall rating out of 10 for the entire film. We also comment on what the film did well and any nominations we believe it should receive

All of this is done in isolation. Meaning I can’t see what any other judge has scored a film as nor what nominations they’ve given it

Last year, this was the thing that I found surprisingly difficult

“I mean I think it should be 7.1 out of 10, but what if everyone else only thinks it’s like a 4 out of 10?! Have I ranked it too high? Or maybe too low…”

It’s very easy to spiral when you don’t have any kind of benchmark

Read more: What’s it like being a film festival judge?

This year was much, much easier

I felt confident in knowing exactly what I was scoring each film and why. I also felt confident looking at each film through a producer’s lens and letting that guide my judging

Last year I just wanted to blend into all the other judges. This time, I knew that a unique perspective was more worthwhile

So for each film, as well as the judging criteria, I looked at each film through the lens of a producer and focussed on three key areas:

A) What was the original concept or idea?

B) What was the director’s vision and meaning that they wanted to convey?

C) How well have they executed that idea and vision?

Imposter syndrome is a useful tool to push us to do our best work. It can also be painful and frustrating. Overall, I was so relieved to no longer have that constant questioning in my mind each time I scored a film for this year’s festival

Insane quality

Spencer told me, or warned me, how brilliant the quality was this year before he sent me my first batch of films to review

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure” I somewhat cynically thought

After all, the quality of films goes up every year as we have better tech (often at cheaper prices) available, along with more free/low cost education available online

But he really wasn’t kidding. The quality of so many short films blew my mind

With some short films, it was truly like watching an episode of a high-end TV show, even though the budgets were £150 – £15,000

Read more: What to do instead of funding your own film

Bear in mind that the overall rating we give each film is out of 10. This year, the highest rating I gave out was 9.7. That’s the level of quality I’m talking about

What made these films stand out so much?

Performances + direction + cinematography + pacing

These were the most common elements that went into crafting the highest quality short films

It was also what torpedoed a handful of short films that had done extremely well in other areas (eg. production design), but were let down by one of the key elements (eg. performances)

So prioritise these in your next short film:

➡️ Performances – this is why named actors are so valuable for shorts. It’s not just the power of a recognisable name, it’s the way they truly bring a character to life and keep you glued to the screen

➡️ Direction – kind of goes without saying, but some films felt like the story was leading the director, rather than the director leading the story with their own unique perspective and meaning they wanted to convey

➡️ Cinematography – not just fancy cameras and angles. The DOP you choose must have the same vision for the project as you so it actively enhances the direction (rather than just looking good)

Read more: 6 Steps to Rebuild Your Network

➡️ Pacing – give your script to a seasoned script editor and make it as lean as possible. You want the viewer to be gripped, not wondering how long is left. Some writers and directors like a slower-paced script to give the audience time to focus on the meaning and subtext, but in reality it tends to give them opportunities to get distracted. An amazing actor will be able to convey the emotion, meaning and subtext in under 3 seconds, which is again why the performances matter so much

Clout/credibility from BFI (and others) is officially dead

My highest-rated films weren’t funded by the BFI, or any well-known, respected organisation

Most of them were scraped together and carried by the mission behind the story that everyone got onboard with

Creating a stand-out film no longer means having to give your film the credibility or clout that comes from an organisation like the BFI, it is quite literally all in your hands

That might seem scary. Personally, I think it’s incredible

Read more: The Basics: 3 Essentials for Making Your Own Films

A lot of the best (in my opinion) films this year wouldn’t – and didn’t – get funding from any of the best-known sources. It seems surprising now, seeing the quality of the finished films, but most organisations tend to play it safe so wouldn’t fund these projects, no matter the quality

No longer having to rely on well-known organisations and funds means virtually no restrictions on creativity and the story you want to tell

For your own films, focus on the unique story and the creative way you’re going to tell it. Don’t get hung up on any of the clout or credibility you think you might need from the BFI or others. You don’t need it anymore

Ready to get the funding for your own film? I created a custom funding plan on demand tool that will analyse your film, automatically calculate your best funding options and tell you your next steps

It’s such a privilege to literally get paid to watch incredible films

Hopefully this not only gives you a bit of an insight into what it’s like when a film festival judge is rating your film, it will also help you create your next film