FAQ:
- "What does 'Sloppy First' mean?"
A Sloppy First is the messy first film you made before you knew anything about storytelling, writing, directing, editing, etc. It's sloppy. It's first. It's glorious. And we want to see it.
- "Yeah yeah yeah, but what exactly do you want?"
That middle school music video you thought you destroyed but is hiding somewhere on a miniDV tape. That high school short film you buried in your backyard under 10 feet of concrete. That family vacation montage your mom has in the bank security deposit box. We want anything and everything.
- "Can anyone submit?"
Sloppy Firsts Film Festival is currently limited to invited Austin, TX filmmakers only. We hope to expand in future years though!
- "Does this film have to be the first film I ever made? What is the first film I ever made was a slideshow for Mrs. Lindenfeld's 6th grade Social Studies class? Can I just submit something hilariously bad in general that I made a year later?"
FINE. But we also want that amazing slideshow too. The goal is not to try to selectively curate your most embarrassing film out of the five you have, but if you have to stretch the meaning of "first" we won't hate you (a lot). That being said, priority goes to stuff made in the early 2000's or earlier.
- "Do I have to digitize my own material?"
Unfortunately, we don't currently have the resources to digitize your material for you. So... Yes. Stay tuned though.
- "What file formats do you accept?"
All of them, as long as they are in digital form. The more antiquated the better honestly. Give us your worst - .wmv, .avi, .rm, .flv. Sorry, no VHS, Mini-DV, DVD's, 16mm, or Super 8. Convert that shit for safe keeping anyway.
- "Y'all are super needy. Anything else you need?"
Sure. Please include in your 'very informal cover letter' the following... (1) A link to your most recent work (to prove you're still making content) and (2) a two sentence description of your favorite taco in Austin (to prove you're a local).