Open Show Film Submission Form and Instructions

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Deadline

Friday, April 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM (Pacific Time)

Please plan ahead so that you have finished uploading your film before the deadline. You must login to an on-campus computer that has access to FVCentral (any lab computers, or those in A221, A321 or A421) in order to submit your film. We recommend planning to submit your film at least 24 hours before the deadline.

There are no extensions to the film deadline.

We will begin accepting films on Monday, April 7th, 2025 , at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.

Submission Form

You must fill out a film submission form for each film you plan to submit, prior to submitting it. Films will not be accepted to the Open Show without a completed form.
We strongly recommend filling the submission form out early. You do not need to have your film completed to fill out a submission form.

The link to the film submission form will be posted here in March 2025

Submitting Your .mov and Image Files

Submission instructions have been updated for this year. Please read everything carefully.

  1. Fill out a submission form for your film (see above section)
  2. Be sure to export your film with the correct specifications, and that your film plays properly from beginning to end before submitting it. There are several handouts available (see the Animation Support documents on 2 Pop), including how to export your film from Premiere with the correct settings. These same settings are listed below:
    • File Format: QuickTime (.mov)
    • Codec/Compressor: Apple ProRes 422 HQ
    • Resolution: HD (1920 x 1080)
    • Frame Rate: 24
    • Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square
    • Field Order: Progressive
    • Audio: 5.1 or Stereo; 48 kHz, 24 bit, Uncompressed PCM
  3. Double-Check your export’s codec, frame rate, resolution, and audio
    • Open your file in Quicktime Player
    • Press ⌘I, or Navigate to Window > Show Movie Inspector
    • “Video Format” is your film’s video codec, “Encoded FPS” is your film’s frame rate, and “Audio Format”, lists all the audio settings for your film
  1. You will also need to export a still image (JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file) from your film to include when uploading your film. The resolution should be 1920×1080. Please be sure the image is recognizable at a small, thumbnail size. It should be a clear, representative still from your film. A close-up of a main character works well. It should not contain text or titles.
  1. Before uploading, name BOTH your film and still image according to the CalArts Naming Convention, LastNameFirstInitial_MyMovieTitle_YYYYMMDD. Step-by-step instructions can be found on the CalArts Naming Convention 2 Pop page

Examples:

Inside Out 2, Directed by Kelsey Mann, released June 14th, 2024, should be named as follows:

MannK_InsideOut2_20240614.mov

MannK_InsideOut2_20240614.png

  1. After we receive your Submission Form, you will be able to submit your film and still image using the Submit to Open Show application. If they are submitted anywhere else, we will not be able to locate them and your film will not be added to the show. You can find the Submit to Open Show application on any School of Film/Video computer in FVCentral > Submissions > Showcase > CA > Open Show > Submit to Open Show.

This application will run to check whether your file meets the submission specifications, and whether you have submitted a Submission Form for your film. This application will require you to give it permission to do certain things on your computer, including accessing files on FVCentral and running Finder, please select “OK” if these pop-ups appear. (If you receive one about microphone access, feel free to select “Don’t Allow”)

Follow along with the instructions in the application, and please read any notification pop-ups that appear in their entirety.

When you see the green check mark, you’re done submitting for that film!

  1. If you are submitting more than one film, you must submit additional forms for each film. Each film must have its own unique still image.

Important Notes:

  • Once your film is submitted, it is considered “final”. You are not allowed to update or replace your film unless we specifically request it for technical reasons.
  • Be sure to keep backups of your final films – we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide you with a copy of your submitted films.
  • Films submitted for the Open Show that meet time limits and eligibility requirements will also be considered for the Producers’ Show. Films are juried by the faculty for inclusion in the Producers’ Show. Read more about the Open Show Time Limits and Eligibility
  • If you need additional help, please submit a ticket on 2pop.calarts.edu with the subject line “Character Animation Film Submission Help”.
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