Shortly after publishing a post about submission platforms in short film distribution, a new platform designed to compete with Withoutabox appeared on the market. After almost a year, FilmFreeway.com has surpassed 1000 festivals, with 1092 according to its website, and a strong commitment to free festival submissions. That is, FilmFreeway (based in … Read more
It has been two months since we launched the new Madrid en corto folder with a DVD-free version, and after this submission period we do not miss the disc. However, we have had to make a small run for festivals that require it in their regulations: what is happening with DVDs at … Read more
I am returning to the subject of subtitles with this third post, as they are essential for international distribution and yet remain largely unknown—for instance, the formats they use. This might seem somewhat obvious, but as with all digital files, each has its own format; let’s look at some examples: If I … Read more
Two weeks ago, the 2013 Community of Madrid Short Film Week concluded, where together with David Priego we have been organizing the screenings at the Círculo de Bellas Artes Cinema. The theater was equipped with a Panasonic Full HD projector and as a player only with a Bluray and a DVD, but … Read more
I haven’t written for some time now after a few complicated months that have left me with little time. During these months, some festivals have requested digital copies with embedded subtitles, even for DVDs, but at the office we only distribute copies with separate language tracks, except for those videos we upload … Read more
The deadline for short film submissions for the 2013 Goya Awards is approaching, remaining open until October 17, 2012. This is a good time to review some of the key submission requirements, especially since they have undergone several changes in recent years. Any digital format is accepted; unlike many festivals that require … Read more
Although Digital Betacam is a somewhat outdated format (it was launched in 1993, and while it offers very good quality, it is 4:2:2, with a screen size of 576p, like a DVD), some festivals continue to request it and oppose the use of digital files, claiming they “cannot project those formats.” However, … Read more
More and more festivals, especially short film festivals, are requesting .mov video files in Apple ProRes for screenings, but this codec is designed for “working” and is not intended for distribution, which can be a problem for festivals, filmmakers, and distributors alike, for several reasons—not only technical, but also moral, legal, and … Read more
One of the problems with distributing digital formats, and with new technologies in cinema, is the enormous number of video codecs that exist. To help us navigate them with some clarity, editor Zak Ray has put together a chart with most of the codecs used today and the main parameters (resolution, frame … Read more
Subtitles are a very important part of distribution, and it is too common for them to be embedded or “burned-in” to the video image. However, this means further compressing the video and forces us to have a copy for each language. Therefore, this is not the current trend, and it is preferable … Read more