Categories and Submission guidelines

BCPS Film Expo

Category Descriptions and Submission Guidelines

Read through for category descriptions and to get ideas for film submissions. Remember, submissions can be made by individuals, groups, or entire classes. Be sure to review all submission guidelines before submitting your film!

Category Descriptions

Middle School

• Animated GIF’s (under 30 seconds): Any short sequence submitted in the Animated GIF file format. There are three sub-categories for this genre: There are two sub-categories for this genre: Digital Illustration and Stop Motion/Photo-based

• Live Action (30 seconds - 10 minutes): Any live action film in any genre, from narrative to experimental. Consider the many genres of live action films such as montage, music video, drama, horror, and comedy.

• Animation (30 seconds - 10 minutes): Films made primarily of animation, but can also include portions of live action. Consider the many forms of animation such as stop-motion, frame-by-frame (drawn on paper or a computer), and rotoscoping…

High School

• Animated GIF’s (under 30 seconds): Any short sequence submitted in the Animated GIF file format. There are three sub-categories for this genre: Digital Illustration, Stop Motion/Photo-based, Pixel Art

• Short-form Video (under 45 seconds): Any video with a duration under 45 seconds. Consider the many types of short films on the internet such as TikTok videos, Facebook and Instagram Stories, and vlogs.

• Live Action Narrative (up to 10 minutes): Any live action film that is story or narrative driven, may include dialogue or not. Consider the many genres of narrative film such as drama, horror, and comedy. Remember, not all narrative films need to fit a traditional story structure.

• Experimental (up to 10 minutes): Any film which does not seem to fit the other categories, this could include music videos (using royalty-free music), abstract films, and montages.

• Documentary (up to 10 minutes): Any film which investigates the world or your experience of it. This could include video diaries, profiles of people, and issue- or history-based documentaries.

• Animation (up to 10 minutes): Films made primarily of animation, but can also include portions of live action. Consider the many forms of animation such as stop-motion, frame-by-frame (drawn on paper or a computer), and rotoscoping…

• Promotional Videos (up to 10 minutes): Any films made for or by a club, honor society, morning announcement team, or class which may have an appeal to a broad audience.

Submission Guidelines

Technical Guidelines:

• Your submission’s total runtime must NOT exceed the specified time limit for the category you are submitting (See categories and time limits above).

• When uploading your submission, use the following file naming conventions:
  LastName_Teacher_School_FilmTitle.mp4
  Example:   Brown_Jackson_CatonsvilleHS_MyFilm.mov

• We will only accept the following file formats:  .MP4 or .MOV

• Please submit your film in 1080 HD resolution, do not submit films in 4K. Any film files that are larger than 2GB's will not be accepted. 

• Do not submit using a YouTube link as they cannot be downloaded. Any submissions with a YouTube link will not be considered for selection or screening.

Content Guidelines:

• Films may be on any topic, but must be appropriate for all audiences, and show cultural sensitivity.  The BCPS Film Expo is a family event therefore, no entries may contain excessive violence, profanity, sexually explicit footage or nudity. Films which fall outside these parameters, as determined by the Expo committee members, will be disqualified.

• Use of copyrighted materials falls under the fair use standard, but be sure to include attribution in the credits. (more info on fair use here: https://innovationhub.bcps.org/digital-citizenship/copyright-fair-use) 

• Use of AI to produce footage is not allowed under any circumstances. 

• During production, filmmakers may not obstruct the public right-of-way or film on private property without permission from the owner.   

• The BCPS Film Expo committee reserves the right to switch your submission to a different category as they see fit.

• The BCPS Film Expo committee reserves the right to reject any submission. 

Any submission that does not meet these guidelines will NOT be considered for judging and will NOT be selected to screen.