Screenwriters! We need your short screenplay for production! Austin Film Meet Short Film Challenge will focus on producing high-quality, narrative short films, but we need good screenplays!
Do I have to attend an in-person events to submit a screenplay?
You are not required to attend any Austin Film Meet events to submit a screenplay for consideration. However, producers and/or directors may contact screenwriters to request edits or revisions. Writers are not required to make any changes, but seeing as how filmmaking is a collaborative art form, we encourage you to remain open-minded.
What kind of screenplays are you looking for?
We seek short screenplays designed to be produced by our small crew with small casts of locally-based actors for almost no budget using only in-kind resources, community support and collaborative creativity for production. We want compelling stories with interesting, dynamic characters who have clear objectives and emotional conflict. We want characters that audiences love. We want to show not tell. We want stories that make people feel a little better about the world, humankind and ourselves.
How many pages/actors/locations do you want?
You may submit a screenplay of any length. However, we are primarily looking for short screenplays under 15 pages. Projects with more inexperienced crew are asked to stay under 10 points. Projects with more experienced crew may exceed the 10 point limit with careful consideration. Shorter screenplays have a higher likelihood of being produced.
What is the 10 point limit?
Count each page, actor and location as 1 point and do not exceed 10 points. Less is definitely more!
Are there any restrictions on content?
We absolutely hate to put restrictions on artists, but there are a few things that could be too challenging for filmmakers to take on for this Challenge. Also, a few things could disqualify a project from being included as an official Austin Film Meet Short Film Challenge project and could also potentially disqualify that project from inclusion in screenings hosted by Austin Film Meet. If your screenplay contains one of the following, we encourage your to submit it anyway, as these are recommendations not firm restrictions.
- No excessive or gratuitous on-camera violence
- No on-camera realistic weapons, explosions, squibs or fires
- No dangerous stunts or complicated fight scenes
- No overtly sexual content
- No complicated special effects
- No complicated visual effects
- No political campaigns
Is there anything else I should avoid?
Please include no more than one “special thing”. A “special thing” is anything that requires extra effort and attention beyond the standard shooting expectations such as…
- Child actors
- Animals
- Realistic weapons – yes, even just wearing one
- Specialized vehicles
- Specialized locations
- Airplanes or trains
- Fight scenes
- Huge party scenes
- Expensive or rare props
- Elaborate costumes or makeup
- Simple special effect
- Simple visual effect
Can I do anything else to improve my chances of my screenplay being produced in this program?
While your content does not need to be FOR children, we appreciate family-safe content, which means no cussing, no violence, no inappropriate sexual content, nothing a little kid should not see.
Where do I submit my screenplay?
Please submit your screenplays via this form: AFM SFC Screenplay Submission
You will need to include a log line, a list of characters with short descriptions, number of locations and your PDF screenplay.
