Getting Started - Burleson ISD Film Festival Resources:

• BISD Film Festival Website
• Film School 101 Website
• BISD Film Festival Contest Rules
• BISD Film Festival Submission Form

Rules & Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility is limited to students enrolled in K through 12th grade for the full academic year of 2021-2022.

Students may use any available equipment that you have access to, but completing this project on a mobile device is encouraged. 

Do not use copyrighted material without express written permission.  This includes but is not limited to music, pictures, video, and digital graphics.  We want you to create your own music, pictures, videos, drawings, and digital graphics. Any videos using copy-written material without consent will be disqualified. Any films that were created prior to the beginning of the film festival contest (December 17, 2021) will be disqualified.

Bonus points will be awarded for entries using original soundtracks. Check the Burleson ISD Film Festival site for the judging rubrics. 

The content of your short film must be school appropriate (no vulgar language, explicit sexual content, excessive violence, etc).  The Festival committee reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any short film. 

You must include an opening title and closing credits on your film. Please know that the credits are included in the overall length of your film. In addition, submit your credits and acknowledge that your film includes the required elements on the Submission Form at upload.

All narrative films must be between two (2) minutes to three (3) minutes in length. All animations must be between thirty (30) seconds to three (3) minutes in length.  The film must be completed between December 17, 2021 and March 28, 2022 at 11:59pm CST.

Adult involvement in the project is limited to the teacher or BISD sponsors, support and on-screen talent. Check with the campus for sponsor information.   

One submission per student production team with a maximum of 4 youth filmmakers on a team. Your film may have more than 4 actors, but only the 4 credited filmmakers are eligible for the District awards.  Just to be clear, the filmmakers are the students working behind the scenes in producing the short film (examples: writer, storyboard artist, director, editor, sound designer, etc.).

All films must be submitted on the Burleson ISD Film Festival Submission Form. An email acknowledgment will be sent upon successful submission of your film. All films will be reviewed in their entirety by the judges to qualify them for the voting round.

You must export an HD copy of your final film to your device’s camera roll or to your computer.  The export size should be HD - 1080p.  We will be requesting that you submit the video file or URL link in the Burleson ISD Film Festival Submission Form. 

Make sure to backup your video project.  It’s best not to delete your project until after the district film festival.

There must be at least one representative from your production team in attendance at the Burleson ISD Film Festival in order to win.

Note to the teacher sponsor:

Please make sure that every production team you sponsor fills out their submission form correctly, and provides all the required information.

Your participation in the production process for your student filmmakers’ short film is limited to giving them advice &/or suggestions or as an actor.  Your student filmmaker(s) should do all the production work.

Age Levels

Elementary - Students currently enrolled in grades K-5 in the 2021-22 school year qualify for this age group. There will be 1 film chosen for each of the categories for a total of 20 district qualifiers from this age level.

Secondary - Students currently enrolled in grades 6-12 in the 2021-22 school year qualify for this age group. There will be 1 film chosen for each of the categories for a total of 16 district qualifiers from this age level.

Categories

Narrative (2 to 3 minutes)

Pretty simple - make something up! Adventure, drama, horror, comedy all fall under the category of Suspense. Tell us a story that will make us laugh or cry or contemplate our place in the universe... Have fun, be creative because we love a good story!

Animation/Stop-motion (30 seconds to 3 minutes)

Do you love to imagine your own characters, worlds, & stories?  Unleash your imagination & creativity by app smashing on your mobile device, and tell a story through animation or stop-motion!

Viewer’s Choice
Viewer’s Choice will be voted upon by members of the community and student peers. Let your voice be heard on which film you like best! Films will be posted after the contest ends with a form to submit your vote.

Prizes

Awards will be given out for each category at the Burleson ISD Film Festival screening on April 21, 2022, at The Venue.

Grand Prize in category (4)

• Secondary Grand Prize Narrative
• Secondary Grand Prize Animation
• Elementary Grand Prize Narrative
• Elementary Grand Prize Animation

Runner-Up in category (4)

• Secondary Runner-Up Narrative
• Secondary Runner-Up Animation
• Elementary Runner-Up Narrative
• Elementary Runner-Up Animation

Viewer’s Choice in age level (2)

• Secondary Viewer’s Choice
• Elementary Viewer’s Choice

Judging & Voting:

Check the Burleson ISD Film Festival site for the judging rubrics.

Submission Form Link