How does FrightFest choose the horror shorts that make it onto the big screen?
James Taylor, FrightFest's Shorts Programmer, joins Brendan Cleaves and Johnny Vivash to talk about the selection process, how programmers build a varied line-up, and what filmmakers can do to give their work the best chance.
They get into story versus budget, premiere status, audience experience, festival feedback, rejection, the path from shorts to features, and why the right screening can open real doors for a film.
Chapters
00:00 Technical Difficulties and Introductions
02:04 Becoming Part of FrightFest
03:11 The Selection Process
04:00 Horror Genre and Film Submissions
04:50 Curation and Programming
05:49 Short Film Selection and Audience Experience
06:54 Film Length and Audience Engagement
07:59 Filmmaker Advice and Submission Considerations
28:50 Film Submission Criteria
30:27 The Impact of AI in Filmmaking
36:14 The Community Experience at FrightFest
43:42 The Power of Film Festivals
46:57 The Role of Short Films in Festival Programming
55:26 Film Submission and Festival Selection
56:43 The Journey of a Film
58:53 Premiere Status and Festival Strategy
01:08:06 Rejection and Feedback
01:18:06 The Impact of Venue and Screening
ABOUT FRIGHTFEST
Website: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/
Films and events: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/filmsandevents/
Team FrightFest: https://frightfest.co.uk/teamfrightfest/
Contact: https://frightfest.co.uk/contactus/
HOSTS
Brendan Cleaves
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendancleaves/
Website: https://www.brendancleaves.com/
Johnny Vivash
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnyvivash/
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3131573/
FESTFORGE
Website: https://www.festforge.art/
Podcast: https://www.festforge.art/podcast
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube: https://festforge.art/podcast-links
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FestForge
Subscribe for honest conversations about short films, festival submissions and the realities of the festival circuit.
