Design Student Film Festival
Submission Requirements
We are excited to see your films! The following guidelines explain how to upload your short film.
All
submissions must be via FilmFreeway. Audio, video, and subtitles (if present)
must be in a single file.
Frame
Rate: 24fps
(can easily be employed on smartphones or cameras)
Accepted
film formats: .mp4 .mov .avi wmv
Codecs
and Resolution: H.264
(high bitrate if possible: minimum 10Mbps and Uncompressed) preferred.
PAL or NTSC HD 1920x1080p.
The following are acceptable codecs for reference:
H.264
1080 (natural iPhone default)
H.264
NTSC
H.264
PAL
Apple
ProRes 422 HQ or 4444 (for films that can be under 8 GB)
Audio
specifications:
48kHz
PCM (only uncompressed), please do not use Dolby Digital.
MP3
AAC
(if possible greater than 128 Kbps),
2
channel stereo
File
specifications:
Files
sizes up to 8 GB. Aspect ratio preserved. Try 2-pass (VBR) encoding if
possible. The higher the resolution, the better the quality of
scanning. HD
resolution of up to 1920×1080 pixels are desirable, but please do not exceed the 8 GB file limit.
Optional
Subtitles:
Submitted
films that provide captions in English will be prioritized to accommodate those
who are deaf and hard of hearing, but subtitles
are not required for acceptance
into the festival. Subtitles must be
superimposed.
Permissions/Clearances:
All rights cleared for music, footage, artwork, and talent.
Additional
notes: Submitted
films should have no SMPTE color bars or test patterns, film leaders (countdown
timers) or any black sequences before the piece begins or after it ends.
Important Submission Dates
December 1, 2025 Submissions Open
December 20, 2025 Earlybird Deadline
January 10, 2026 Regular Deadline
January 31, 2026 Late Deadline
February 23, 2026 Notification Date
