Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to be more creative this year? If so, challenge yourself with our Second Annual Short Film Competition, presented by ShortHaus Cinema! Modeled off the 48 Hour Film Project, you will have just one week to fully script, shoot and edit your short film. If you have an idea you’ve wanted to get out of your head, now is the perfect time to do so. Keep reading for details on the contest, equipment, software, resources and opportunities to learn.

Guidelines

  • All footage must be shot and edited within the one-week timeframe
  • Films should be no longer than 8 minutes
  • Content must be appropriate for a library audience
  • All footage must be your own (royalty-free music is permissible)

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, March 4: Start your film
  • Tuesday, March 11, 6 p.m.: Finished films are due in person at 6 p.m.

Film Screening

Tuesday, March 11, 6–8 p.m.
Finished films are due in person at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11. Review short films and vote for prizes! Community members are welcome to attend the film screenings on March 11 and help vote for the winners at the end. The audience will also provide feedback on each film. The more voices, the more dynamic discussions can become. Refreshments will be provided.

How to Submit

Finished films are due in person at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11. Files should be in .mp4 format and named lastname_firstname_title_of_film.

Submissions can be emailed to studio300@fountaindale.org or brought in person via an external storage media, such as a flash drive, hard drive or SSD.

After the screening, film submissions will be uploaded to our YouTube Channel.

Prizes

At the end of the screening, participants and audience members will vote on the competition’s winners. The top three winners will receive Amazon gift cards for their efforts.

1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $50
3rd Place: $25

Participants must be present on March 11 to qualify for prizes.

Check Out Last Year’s Winners

Want to scope out the competition? You can watch some of last year’s submissions on our YouTube channel.

A Godzilla toy figure emits a blue beam from its mouth in a miniature diorama with trees and debris scattered on the ground.

“Abstract Dreams” by Ismael Ochoa

A close-up of a yellow toy taxi car with a checkered stripe, shown on a blurred road background with green highway signs.

“Uber Driver” by Micheal Owen

If you want more information, feel free to attend March’s ShortHaus Cinema meeting. Lynne Ramsay will be our featured director. You may also direct any questions to Ruth at studio300@fountaindale.org.

Need Equipment?

Studio 300 offers a variety of equipment to expand your toolkit. Browse through our circulating collection of cameras, lighting gear, audio recorders and more. Studio 300 orientation is required to check out equipment, so if you plan to use our equipment, we recommend taking orientation before the start of the competition.

Choosing an Editing Software

Studio 300 computers have all the software you need to finish your film project. We have Scrivener for screenwriting, digital audio workspaces for voiceover and scoring, and many video editors to choose from.

Collage showing a bearded man, a flock of sheep in a field, two people plowing with horses, and a shelf of books.

Premiere Pro 2025 Essential Training

Adobe Premiere is a powerful nonlinear editor, one of the leaders in the industry.

Screenshot of a video editing software interface showing a timeline, ruler, playback controls, and various editing tool icons.

Davinci Resolve Fundamentals

Davinci is comparable to Premiere, though its color grading capabilities are top-notch. It also has a free version.

A man runs on trails and rural roads, passing a farm, woods, and an Appalachian Trail sign, wearing athletic gear and a hydration vest.

iMovie Essential Training

iMovie is a great basic editor to help you get started. Unfortunately, it is challenging to export an unfinished project.

A man smiles in front of a white textured background with text that reads, "How to edit videos on your iPhone using CapCut for creators.

Capcut for Creators

CapCut is easy to use and available in your browser, phone, and desktop.

Want to build your skills until then?

Fountaindale has a wide range of learning resources, from books in our collection to in-depth tutorials. Explore some personal selections below.

Screenwriting & Filmmaking Books

Book cover for "Save the Cat!" by Blake Snyder, featuring an orange cat hanging from a thick rope on a white background. Subheading reads: "The Last Book On Screenwriting That You'll Ever Need!.

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder

Book cover for "Story" by Robert McKee, featuring bold purple title text and subtitles about substance, structure, style, and principles of screenwriting.

Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee

Cover of the book "Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting" by Syd Field, with a subtitle indicating it is a step-by-step guide from concept to finished script.

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field

Book cover for "Short Films: Writing the Screenplay" by Patrick Nash, showing hands on a laptop keyboard, with crumpled paper and a notebook nearby.

Short Films: Writing the Screenplay by Patrick Nash

Book cover titled "In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition" by Walter Murch, featuring a close-up of a blue eye and a Francis Coppola quote.

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch

Cover of the book "Short Films 101" by Frederick Levy, featuring text about making short films and launching a filmmaking career on a red background.

Short Films 101 by Frederick Levy

Cover of the book "Lighting for Film and Digital Cinematography" by Dave Viera and Maria Viera, featuring a woman's face lit dramatically with hands framing her face.

Lighting for Film and Cinematography by Dave Viera & Maria Viera

Book cover for "Guerrilla Film Scoring" by Jeremy Borum, featuring a close-up of an audio mixing console and a gold badge stating, "Practical advice from Hollywood composers.

Guerrilla Film Scoring by Jeremy Borum

Kanopy

Kanopy offers excellent resources, including Great Courses and Kanopy Film Club. Whether you want to learn from the best or simply be inspired, Kanopy has it all.

A clapperboard, spiral notebook, and pen on a wooden surface with the text "Screenwriting 101" and "The Great Courses" logo.

The Great Courses: Screenwriting 101

Kanopy Film Club logo with the tagline "Learn about film by watching films" against a dark background with red theater seats.

Kanopy Film Club

LinkedIn Learning

Your Fountaindale Library Card also gives you access to LinkedIn Learning, an online learning resource full of free tutorials by industry professionals. Check out some of these short filmmaking courses!

A crew member holds a film slate labeled “The Assurance” in front of actors on a set, preparing to shoot a scene.

Creating a Short Film

This 13-part series offers 40+ hours of training. It is an extremely thorough deep dive into all parts of the filmmaking process, including scripting, pre-production, cinematography and editing. I highly recommend it, so pick and choose which parts suit your needs.

Illustration of a person sitting on a director's chair with a laptop, pointing at a large film reel, with sheets of paper in the background.

Making a Short Film: Start to Finish

Slightly abbreviated by comparison, this five-hour training will give you an excellent base for your filmmaking journey. This course focuses particularly on pre-production and working on sets.

Enjoy your creative journey, and I look forward to seeing your lovely films this March!