Announcing the Beta Film Festival – Submissions Open Now

Calling all mountain bike filmmakers; all you hardy souls with dust on your lens, bent backs, and a selection of ungodly early alarms on your phone clock. All of you weavers of two-wheeled-tales, who know the feeling of taking a tripod to the back of the head in a rock garden that you maybe shouldn’t be riding with all that gear, we want to share your films on the big screen.

We are quite excited to announce the 2021 Beta Film Festival, and you could be a part of it. Premiering at the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival on November 13th, we’re putting together a show that will highlight mountain biking in all of its unique and glorious forms, and entertain and inspire all kinds of different mountain bikers.

Do you have a story in mind, or an edit in the works, that you think might be a fit? We’d love to hear about it, see it, and maybe even put it up in lights. Drop us a line using the submission form here, we’d love to hear from you.

NOTE: Don’t hesitate to reach out, even if you don’t yet have a polished film to show off! For planning purposes, the sooner we get a conversation going, the better.

Here’s the timeline for the 2021 Beta Film Festival:

October 1st – Rough Cut Submission Due. — This should be your basic film in length and structure but it need not be the polished final product. If you still need to license music, add graphics, etc. that’s ok. Be sure to include a description of what changes you plan to make (if any) between submission and finished film. You can include your notes on your Vimeo/YouTube/etc. video page in the description/notes/comments section, or in an email. We’re flexible.

• October 6th – Notification of Selection Status. — We will do our best to notify all submitting filmmakers of their selection status on or before this date.
• October 13th (If selected) – Trailer Due. Max One minute. (Feature pieces may require a slightly longer, 1-3 minute trailer.)
• October 20th (If Selected) – Completed Final Film Due. With music licenses, actor releases, final color mix, final sound mix, etc.
• November 13th – Premiere at the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival

NOTE: If need be, we can re-examine this timeline on a per-project basis. If you have a great story in mind that just has to be shot in early October, let us know.

Only electronic online submissions will be considered and/or accepted. If selected you will be asked to provide your film either through an online file sharing service or on a physical drive.

Submission Rules

• Select films will be considered for budgetary compensation. To be eligible, your submission must be original content that has not been publicly released.
• All entries must have all copyrighted materials cleared and documented.
• All entries and material must be cleared for streaming and broadcast on Outside TV
• General Entries must have a release date, copyright date or airdate during calendar year 2021
• Multiple entries will be accepted

Selected filmmakers will be entitled to the following:

• Film promotion on Beta website and social media channels
• Company logo/film maker photo and bio displayed on Beta website
• Film description displayed on Beta website and mentioned in Film Festival PR materials
• Film inclusion in the 2021 Beta Film Festival and promotional tour

Requirements for final film submission upon acceptance:

Submissions can be any length up to a 15-minute maximum. They must be cohesive with a start, middle and end. Submissions must be mountain bike-related.

Final submissions must include the following:

• Fully edited Film Festival submission up to 15 minutes long
• 25 second max end credits for film credits and sponsor mentions
• Film trailer up to one minute long. (Again, certain pieces may require a slightly longer, 1-3 minute trailer.) The trailer should be intriguing, without giving away the entire film.
• 16×9 JPEG title card
• Filmmaker photo or company logo
• Photo stills from film, for marketing and promotion. Five minimum.
• 150-500 word description of film
• Filmmaker or company biography, max 200 words

If selected you may provide your film in the following formats:

• Uncompressed file delivered on hard drive, flash drive, or electronic file transfer
• HD quality, minimum size of 1920×1080. 4K and high bit rates encouraged.
• ProRes 422 or other HD codec
• Either a 23.98 (24p) or 29.97 (30p) frame rate

Each entry may not use any unauthorized copyright material including music, images, or film. If you have copyright material in your film you must be able to provide legal documentation of your permission for its use. Films with copyright material that do not provide this documentation will be disqualified. Each Film entered must be mountain bike related or orientated.

Photos by Anthony Smith.