Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
- What is the MovieHatch – Jackson Hole Film Festival Short Competition?
- How does the MovieHatch – Jackson Hole Film Festival Short Competition work?
- What happens if my film is selected?
- So the top ranked films secure automatic screening at the Jackson Hole Film Festival this year. How does that work exactly?
- What are the categories?
- Who can enter a film?
- Is there a deadline?
- How long does this competition last?
- When will I find out if I'm selected?
- Where do I find the detailed Terms & Conditions of the competition?
- What clearances do I need before submitting my film?
- How am I protected?
Uploading Questions
- How do I enter a film?
- How much does it cost to submit my Short film?
- How long does it take for my film to be online and ready to be viewed?
- What requirements must the film pass when it's screened for content?
- What categories of Short films can I submit?
- What's the maximum running time of the Short films I can upload?
- How many short films can I upload?
- Do I have to write a logline and synopsis?
- What are the size limits?
- What file formats do you accept?
- Can I submit a film that I submitted to other film festivals or uploaded to other video sites?
- Can I retract or delete a film I submitted?
- Can I adjust a film I submitted and avoid having to pay the submission fee twice?
- What if I find a typo in the information I submitted?
- Will MovieHatch make any sound or video adjustments for my Short film to make sure it’s perfect?
- Can I upload a Short film that I didn’t create?
- Can I put a link to my Short film on MySpace, Facebook etc. pages?
- Can I submit a film to MovieHatch.com and submit it to directly to the Jackson Hole Film Festival?
- When’s the deadline for submitting my Short film?
- Can I help get exposure for my film?
- Where will my film be on the web site?
- How can people find my film on the web site?
- How long will my film be shown on the Home Pages?
- How do I find out which films were selected for screening at the Jackson Hole Film Festival?
Voting Questions
- How do I vote?
- Who can vote on a film?
- What’s the 5-star rating?
- Does it cost anything to vote?
- How many times can I vote?
- How do I find a specific film that I’m looking for?
- Who is eligible to vote on the films?
General Questions
Q: What is the MovieHatch – Jackson Hole Film Festival Short Competition?
A: It’s a great new opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work. It’s an online competition in which the general public votes by ranking your films to select their favorites. These will then be evaluated by industry experts to see which will be chosen for screening at this year’s Jackson Hole Film Festival in Wyoming in June.
Q: How does the MovieHatch – Jackson Hole Film Festival Short Competition work?
A: You enter your film through the entry pages on the web site http://www.moviehatch.com/jackson/entry in one of three categories: Live Action, Animation, Documentary, pay the $15 entry fee and upload it with supporting information (credits, logline and synopsis). The film is screened for unacceptable content and then posted within approximately 24-48 hours. Once it’s on the site, the general public is invited to vote in the first round of eliminations. The top 5 from each category will be chosen for a second round of evaluation by the Jackson Hole Film Festival top level screening committee and select industry professionals.
Q: What happens if my film is selected?
A: All top selections (one from each category) will be shown at this year’s 5th Annual Jackson Hole Film Festival in Wyoming, June 5th-9th.
Q: So the top ranked films secure automatic screening at the Jackson Hole Film Festival this year. How does that work exactly?
A: The public votes on their favorite films by ranking them and the top five highest in each category are sent to the evaluation committee and a select number of industry professionals. One film will be selected in each category to be screened June 5th-9th in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Q: What are the categories?
A: Live Action, Animation and Documentary.
Q: Who can enter a film?
A: Anyone over the age of 14 can upload a short film or vote on one.
Q: Is there a deadline?
A: Yes. You must enter your Short film by 11:59 PM EST on May 1, 2008. But the voting starts March 1, 2008, so the sooner you submit your film, the longer you’ll have it posted.
Q: How long does this competition last?
A: Submissions begin on February 29, 2008 and the competition, with all voting, will end on May 15, 2008 at 11:59 PM EST.
Q: When will I find out if I'm selected?
A: Within 2 weeks after the competition ends. We’ll contact you using the details you provided in the entry process. Please see the Terms & Conditions to learn all the rules involved and when you will have to respond to our contact – http://www.moviehatch.com/jackson/termsconditions.
Q: Where do I find the detailed Terms & Conditions of the competition?
A: www.moviehatch.com/termsconditions
Q: What clearances do I need before submitting my film?
A: You must own all the rights to your film.
Q: How am I protected?
A: You are protected with standard registering and copyright of your films. We do not require you to sign over copyright ownership to your film.
Uploading Questions
Q: How do I enter a film?
A: Just go to www.moviehatch.com/entry and follow the simple instructions. There are only 4 steps to complete the whole process. But have your film ready to upload. It will make things much easier for you.
Q: How much does it cost to submit my Short film?
A: The total fee is $15 per film.
Q: How long does it take for my film to be online and ready to be viewed?
A: When you upload your film properly, you will get a confirmation email that it has been uploaded. After that, it should take approximately 24-48 hours for us to screen it for unacceptable material.
Q: What requirements must the film pass when it's screened for content?
A: Please click here – unacceptable material – to see the exact details. But it’s the usual: no porn, no excessive violence, no violence to animals, young children or elderly and no blatant advertising, etc.
Q: What categories of Short films can I submit?
A: Right now we have Live Action, Animation and Documentary categories. You can only select one category per film.
Q: What’s the maximum running time of the Short films I can upload?
A: 10 minutes or less per film. So edit well!
Q: How many short films can I upload?
A: As many as you want. But you must go through the process and pay separately for each one.
Q: Do I have to write a logline and synopsis?
A: Yes. This helps people decide on viewing your film and helps people find your film when they use our keyword search function
Q: What are the size limits?
A: We only accept files up to 200MB in size. Please make sure your film fits this requirement or it may not upload properly.
Q: What file formats do you accept?
A: We accept almost all common formats, .mov, .avi, .mp4 ...
Q: Can I submit a film that I submitted to other film festivals or uploaded to other video sites?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I retract or delete a film I submitted?
A: You cannot do this yourself, but if for some reason you elect to be withdrawn from the competition, please write to us at CustomerService@MovieHatch.com and we’ll take care of it for you. Please know that you will not be refunded the entry fee once a film has been uploaded.
Q: Can I adjust a film I submitted and avoid having to pay the submission fee twice?
A: No. Once you hit the ‘Upload’ button, that’s it! No changes to the video. If you want to withdraw that film, follow instructions above. You are always free to go through the entry process and submit it as a new entry.
Q: What if I find a typo in the information I submitted?
A: Please let us know and we will get into the system to correct it. If we see any blatant typos during the initial screening process, we will notify you first and then make changes if you want them. But we will not touch the information you submitted without your consent.
Q: Will MovieHatch make any sound or video adjustments for my Short film to make sure it’s perfect?
A: No. You have final cut over your film. Please edit it carefully for picture, sound, boom in frame, whatever and upload only the best representation of your genius! The only thing we do is convert it to Flash format for ease of viewing on the site. We do not make any creative changes at all!
Q: Can I upload a Short film that I didn’t create?
A: No.
Q: Can I put a link to my Short film on MySpace, Facebook etc. pages?
A: Yes! Of course – we encourage you to promote your film as much as possible. The more people who view your film, the closer you could get to fame - and screening at the Jackson Hole Film Festival!
Q: Can I submit a film to MovieHatch.com and submit it to directly to the Jackson Hole Film Festival?
A: Yes. You can submit to both, but you will have to pay separate fees. And you will only have an online presence when you submit through MovieHatch.com. To submit directly to the festival, you must go through their entry procedures.
Q: When’s the deadline for submitting my Short film?
A: 11:59 PM EST on May 1, 2008.
Q: Can I help get exposure for my film?
A: Yes! We’ll help you out initially and send an email invitation to your friends and family inviting them to see your film and vote on it. You will have your own URL, which can be sent to as many people as you want. It will take them to a page that features your film front and center... and large! We encourage this as much as possible.
Q: Where will my film be on the web site?
A: We will rotate all films in several places. First of all, it will appear on the Home page of the Competition. It will also appear on a Category Home Page (depending on which you selected during the entry process). The rotation timing and duration will depend on the number of entries.
We will also have a page that highlights your film – this is found with the unique URL that you will receive in an email immediately upon entering your film. And it gets even better... we will also rotate a thumbnail version of your film on various other pages throughout the site. That’s 3 different sized videos – one for the Home Page (which plays right there and then – no page reloads required!! How about that for a change?!), one for your specific URL that is extra large and one thumbnail to circulate in lots of smaller spaces.
Q: How can people find my film on the web site?
A: First, they can find it with the URL we provide to you. If they do not have access to that, they can use the Search function on the upper right side of the Home Pages. They can input the name of your film, your name or a keyword that is used in your logline or synopsis. This last option is a little more difficult as the search results will bring up other film options that use the same word. The more detailed, the better.
Q: How long will my film be shown on the Home Pages?
A: This depends on the number of entries. It is all handled by a computerized system with pre-set algorithms, in order to ensure the most fair and just viewing of all films.
Q: How do I find out which films were selected for screening at the Jackson Hole Film Festival?
A: The final entrants will be notified on or about May 10, 2008. The films that were selected will be posted again on the site after the Jackson Hole Film Festival screenings in June. You can go to www.moviehatch.com in the middle of June to see the final results.
Voting Questions
Q: How do I vote?
A: There are voting banners at the bottom of every film. When you find a film that you want to vote on, simply click on the voting banner. You vote by ranking the film on a 5 star rating system. The first time you rank a film from each computer, you will be asked to submit your email address. This is not required but is greatly appreciated by the filmmaker. We do not give out your email address. It’s just used to keep things fair. And you’re only asked once to do this.
Q: Who can vote on a film?
A: Anyone over the age of 14 can vote.
Q: What’s the 5-star rating?
A: You are given the chance to vote and give us feedback on how much you liked – or did not like – a film. You have a choice of 5-stars:
1 Star = “Wouldn’t pay to see it”
2 Stars = “Only if nothing else is on”
3 Stars = “Yeah. OK. I’d watch it”
4 Stars = “Ooooh! Awwe!”
5 Stars = “Freaking Amazing”
You will see these descriptions when you hold your mouse over the stars.
Q: Does it cost anything to vote?
A: Not at all. It’s totally free to vote.
Q: How many times can I vote?
A: Only once per film, so no ballot stuffing! But you can vote on as many different films as you would like. No limits there.
Q: How do I find a specific film that I’m looking for?
A: If you know the film’s URL, just enter it into your browser and you will be taken directly to a page that features that film. If you do not, you can also use our Search function. Simply enter the name of the film, the filmmaker or some keywords from their logline and synopsis and a list of options will appear. The Search function can be found on the upper right hand side of the Home Pages.
Q: Who is eligible to vote on the films?
A: Anyone over the age of 14. The first time someone votes, we’ll ask them to submit a valid email address.