Please read the full Watersprite Guidelines at www.watersprite.org.uk/rules
1. General Information
1.1 Submissions via Private Link will open on the 22nd June 2020.
1.2 Public submissions open on 22nd July 2020.
1.3 Submissions will remain open until 23:59 GMT on 12th August 2020. We reserve the right to close the submission platform at an earlier date. We recommend submitting your film as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
1.4 The filmmakers themselves must submit their films, and not agents acting on their behalf. This is to avoid large numbers of bulk entries which can affect the entry distribution and the judging process.
2.Eligibility
2.1 All films must have a total running time of 23 minutes or less.
2.2 All films must either be in English, dubbed in English or subtitled in English.
2.3 All films must have completed production no earlier than January 2019.
2.4 We will accept a maximum of two films per entrant per year.
2.5 Films may only be submitted to Watersprite once. We will not consider films which have been amended from previous submissions.
2.6 All entrants must be at least 16 years of age at the time of the festival. Under 18s will need parental permission to attend.
2.7 For a film to be eligible for consideration, at least two out of the following three must have been students during film production: Director, Producer, Writer.
2.8 In order for a film to be eligible for a Watersprite technical award, the person responsible for that particular technical aspect of the film must have been a student during film production.
2.9 Watersprite defines 'student' as those who are in full or part-time education at any age or those who graduated no more than one year ago. Proof of student enrolment will be required at the submissions stage.
2.10 The exception to this rule is ‘Best Performance’, for which the actor must be an amateur in a student-directed film, and must not have an agent.
3. Submission Procedure
3.1 Submissions must be made online via upload onto Watersprite’s FilmFreeway page with all the required information.
3.2 All entrants must specify the year in which their film was made.
3.3 Entrants must submit their film to the most appropriate genre category. Entrants must only select one genre.
3.4 Entrants should select all categories on the submission form where a student was responsible for that particular technical aspect of the film.
3.5 In order to be eligible for the Best Screenplay category, you must upload a copy of the film’s screenplay in English when you submit your film. Upload the document to your submission’s “Files & Attachments” section of its FilmFreeway page.
3.6 In order to be eligible for the Original Film Music category, the film’s entire score must be original work by a student.
3.7 Only the film’s main actor may be considered for the Best Performance Award. Where a film has two protagonists with equal screen time, please select which actor you wish to nominate.
3.8 After submission, entrants must provide photographic proof that those who were responsible for their respective technical awards were students at the time of film production. The entrant must upload this proof via the Google form which appears immediately after you have submitted your film. The link to the Google form is also emailed to the entrant in the email entitled "Checkout Success". Valid forms of student identification are: student card, a copy of a student finance bill, or a letter from the university/institution.
3.9 After submission, there is an option for entrants to apply for a Mentorship Programme. If you wish to apply, please read the Mentorship Programme section below.
3.10 Film must be submitted in the correct format. Films which do not correspond to the required format will not be considered.
3.11 Entrants will be asked to upload a copy of the film’s poster onto the project page on FilmFreeway, if available. While not necessary during submissions, a poster will be required immediately if your film is selected for the shortlists. The festival will use this for marketing purposes.
3.12 Entries which do not comply with the Watersprite guidelines may be at risk of disqualification
4. Judging
4.1 Upon submission, every film will be reviewed by the Watersprite Committee for eligibility.
4.2 The Watersprite Committee may re-categorise the submitted film into a more suitable Genre category.
4.3 Films will be considered according to the following criteria: excellence in executing its creative function.
4.4 Every eligible film will automatically be considered for the Watersprite Film of the Year and the Watersprite Social Impact Award.
4.5 Wherever the person responsible for a film’s particular technical aspect was a student, that person will automatically be considered for a technical award.
4.6 Some genre films cannot be considered for certain technical awards: Documentaries cannot considered for Best Performance or Best Screenplay; Animations cannot be considered for the Best Performance category.
4.7 Four nominees will be chosen for each award. From these four nominees, one winner will be selected. If your film is nominated, a member of your team is expected to attend the Awards Ceremony on 6th March 2021. If the 2021 festival does go ahead in Cambridge, Watersprite will endeavour to contribute to the travel, visa and accommodation costs of all nominees; however, we are not obligated to do so. In the event that the festival does not take place in Cambridge due to COVID-19, Watersprite will organise a suitable alternative Awards Ceremony and festival.
5. Mentorships
5.1 We hold three mentorship programmes:
5.1.1 The WOMEN AND NON-BINARY MENTORSHIP - for filmmakers who identify as women, non-binary, genderqueer, and/or gender nonconforming.
5.1.2 The LGBTQ+ MENTORSHIP - for filmmakers who identify as LGBTQ+.
5.1.3 The FILMMAKERS OF COLOUR MENTORSHIP - for filmmakers who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or People of Colour).
5.2 Only the Director, Producer or Writer may be considered for a Mentorship. The applicant must have been a student during film production.
5.3 Applicants must identify with one of these groups. Nominations are announced publicly, so please consider whether you are happy to openly identify when applying for the mentorship. If you would like to discuss this further, please get in contact with us.
5.4 The applicant’s film submission does not need to concern the themes of the Mentorship. For example, an applicant for the LGBTQ+ Mentorship does not need to feature LGBTQ+ stories, people or issues within their film.
5.5 An applicant may apply for more than one Mentorship Programme. However, an applicant will only be nominated for one Mentorship Programme.
5.6 We will accept multiple applicants per film. However, the Mentorship will only be awarded to one person.
6. Creativity in Crisis Award
6.1 The film does not need to be explicitly about COVID-19, but the film must be inspired in some way by the events of the global pandemic, its aftermath or your experience of containment measurement. We understand and welcome that everyone’s experience of the pandemic has been different, and governments’ measures on public life have varied all over the world.
6.2 The film must have been shot and edited after the 11th March 2020, the date when the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Films shot before this date will not be considered.
6.3 The film can be a collaborative effort, although film production should follow the advice of public health authorities and should adhere to containment measures, if any, in your country. Any films found to have broken containment measures will be disqualified.
6.4 The film can take any form: fiction, animation and documentary, music video or experimental film.
6.5 You must enter your film for the Creativity in Crisis award on the submission page. Your film may also be considered for Watersprite’s Genre and Technical Award categories, provided that the film meets those categories’ eligibility criteria. In this case, you must submit your film to both the Creativity in Crisis Award category and a Genre category.
6.6 The entrant must upload a production diary to the “Files & Attachments” section of their submission’s FilmFreeway page, marking the dates of filming in bullet points and any reflections or highlights of particular days’ (or hours) during the filming and editing process. If you have not already written a production diary, you may find a template on our website at watersprite.org.uk/rules .
7. Recommended Upload Format
7.1 Your video file may not exceed 10GB.
7.2 You are not required to provide a screening quality copy of your film at this stage, as films will initially be judged online. By accepting Watersprite's terms and conditions on the Online Submissions form, entrants agree to provide a screening-quality DVD if they are nominated.
7.3 Video
7.3.1 Codec: H.264
(sometimes referred to as MP4). A codec is the format in which your video will be encoded. Different codecs have different features and varying quality.
7.3.2 Frame Rate: 24, 25 or 30 FPS. If you know at which frame rate you shot, it is best to encode at that same frame rate. If you are uncertain at which frame rate you shot, please set to either "Current" or 25 FPS. If there is an option for keyframes, use the same value as you used for the frame rate.
7.3.3 Data Rate: 2000 Kbps (SD), 10,000-20,000 Kbps (HD). This setting controls both the visual quality of the video and the file size. In most video editors, this is done in terms of kilobits per second (Kbps). Use 2000 Kbps for standard definition or 5000 Kbps for high definition.
7.3.4 Resolution: 720x576 (4:3 SD video), 1280x720 (HD), 1920x1080 (HD)
. If you have the option to control the pixel aspect ratio (not the display aspect ratio) make sure it is set to "1:1" or "1.00", sometimes referred to as "square pixels".
7.4 Field Order
7.4.1 If you are shooting on an older camera, enable this option. Otherwise, you may get bizarre horizontal lines appearing in your video.
7.4.2 With newer camera models this will not matter, so this option can be left unchecked. (Use progressive).
7.5 Audio
7.5.1 Codec: AAC (Advanced Audio Codec)
7.5.2 Data Rate: 256 Kbps
7.5.3 Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
7.6 Recommended free converters: MPEG Streamclip (Mac & PC), Handbrake (Mac & PC)