Judging Process

At Best Shot Film Festival, all entrants are critiqued using a set criteria. In doing so, we aim to give all Best Shot entrants, the fairest shot possible! 

Once you submit your film through Film Freeway, you can expect the following…

  • All entries (Open and Student sections) are pre-screened and a total of 12 from each section are selected as finalists, based on the quality and discernment of use of elements of artistry, execution and impact.

  • Entrants not selected as finalists will be informed via email.

  • Entrants selected as one of the 12 finalists will be informed via email and will be requested to provide additional information (which may include a written rationale of the film’s purpose, and photos and video potentially used as promotional materials). 

  • The 12 finalists from each section will be critiqued using a formal criteria, based on the quality and discernment of use of elements of artistry, execution and impact. (The 12 Open finalists will be critiqued by a judging panel of industry professionals; the 12 Student finalists will be critiqued by the Best Shot Film Festival team.)  

  • The 12 Open finalist films and the top 3 Student films will be screened at the official Best Shot Film Festival screening for the public.

  • The 12 Open finalist films and top 3 Student films will be assessed by the live audience via a public vote and an “Audience Award” will be presented to the film that receives the most votes.

  • Out of the 12 Open finalist films, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be awarded at the live screening to the films with the three highest overall scores.

  • The 12 finalists from both the Open and Student sections will be provided with their overall score, as well as written feedback after the conclusion of the festival and the screening.

Judging Criteria

We’ve worked hard to develop a judging process using a comprehensive criteria appraising the following 3 areas of film making…

ARTISTRY

Quality & discernment of use:
(Score out of 30)

Form and structure (out of 10)

  • Sequence and shape: Narrative? Non-narrative? Cohesive? Purposefully incoherent/disjointed? How does the form/structure serve the film overall?

Character/subject development (out of 10)

  • Establishment of the subject/s of the film and the development throughout: Is there an arc? Are there stakes and do they elevate? If there are human performances, are they engaging/believable and contribute to that? If there are non-human subjects, do the subjects connect to the theme and/or captivate the audience?

Command of mood and tone (out of 10)

  • Establishment, maintenance and/or manipulation and control of mood and tone through symbolism, visual/aural techniques, and the interplay between those elements and the performers/subjects.

EXECUTION

Quality and discernment of use:
(Score out of 40)

Visual composition (out of 10)

  • Visual angles, movement and framing, uses of colour/light/shade, control of the audience’s eye.

Sound and music (out of 10)

  • Control and effectiveness of sound (for realism, or punctuated/abstract effects), music to enhance the experience (choices and balance with other sounds), consistency, appropriateness and/or clarity throughout.

Editing (out of 10)

  • Control and effectiveness of pacing, clarity and/or development of sequence, command of juxtaposition and/or contrast.

Production design and aesthetic (out of 10)

  • Setting/location, costumes, props, contributions to the reality/symbolism of the scene, effects on the “feel” of the film.

IMPACT

Quality and discernment of use:
(Score out of 30)

Originality and creativity (out of 10)

  • Is the concept (narrative/non-narrative) interesting? Regardless, is it handled/approached in an original/creative way? Is the story/premise ineffectively predictable/trite? Is the film resolved/realised in an original/creative way? Is the “perspective” offered by the film challenging/unique?

Audience engagement (out of 10)

  • Is the audience drawn in/compelled to watch? Whether that be through intrigue, didacticism, entertainment, relatability, provocation or aesthetic?

Realisation of intent (out of 10)

  • Overall, how well does the film achieve what it set out to do? Be it conceptual, pragmatic, aesthetic or emotive?

Feedback

Best Shot Film Festival aims to support films and filmmakers that have not found success at any other festivals. In consideration of this, we are one of the few festivals to offer feedback to all finalists.

All Best Shot Film Festival finalists (in both Open and Student sections) will receive the following:

  • Their overall score

  • Their individual criterion scores

  • Personalised feedback about their film. 

This feedback is intended to be subjective and constructive; please take it in the spirit in which it is offered, so that we can continue to offer this in years to come.

 Judges

Open Section

A panel of three judges will be engaged to appraise and critique the Open section finalists. While all three judges will appraise every finalist on artistry, execution and impact, each individual judge will have a specific background related to the “artistry”, the “execution” and the “impact” of film/filmmaking.

Student Section

Members of the Best Shot Film Festival team (including film educators, artistic directors, and film composers) will appraise the Student section finalists, and have developed the criteria used in the Best Shot Film Festival.