It’s that time of the year again! Everyone’s favorite microphone company (and the creators of the iconic shotgun mount RØDE VideoMic) is back with its yearly My RØDE Reel short film contest.
As we’ve covered in the past, this film contest is one of the biggest in the industry and offers tons of cool prizes. This year though, RØDE is pulling out all the stops and upping the ante to a whopping $250,000 for the ultimate winner—which it reports is the “largest cash prize ever offered in a short film competition.”
Let’s take a look at the contest which is open now until Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021.
My RØDE Reel 2021
First launched in 2014, the My RØDE Reel contest has seen over 20,000 submissions from over 100 countries across the globe. RØDE has kept its promise and has shoveled out millions of dollars so far to these talented creators from far and wide.
“We are extremely excited to be giving away this massive $250,000 cash prize to the winner of My RØDE Reel. It’s our mission to empower creativity in every way we can, whether that’s through giving everyone access to the technology they need to capture incredible sound to match their vision, or opportunities to take the next step in their creative journey. My RØDE Reel is exactly that—a chance for literally any creator to win big and launch their career. If you’ve got an idea for a short film, we want to see it. Get filming!” - RØDE CEO Damien Wilson.
Yet, with this 2021 contest, RØDE is really going for broke, so to speak.
A Look at the Prizes
In addition to the $250,000 Judges’ Choice major prize, RØDE is giving out prizes of $10,000 for the winners of the different genre and special categories (along with some cool gear prize packs as well for two runners up for each category).
RØDE is also offering eight prizes specifically for the Best Chinese Film category, including payouts of $20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second and third, and five $1,000 prizes for "High Commended" entries.
You can read more about the full prize packs on the website by clicking here.
As with past years, RØDE has enlisted a group of prestigious judges to make selections for the big winners. These industry heavyweights and seasoned filmmakers this year include Jess dela Merced, Ryan Connolly, and Sunday Emerson Gullifer.
And if you’d like to do a little bit of insider research, you can read up a bit more about each here below.
- Jess dela Merced is an acclaimed writer and director from San Francisco. She has made a string of hugely successful short films including HYPEBEASTS, which she made under Spike Lee's mentorship, and PHONY, which was executive produced by Paul Feig and is now in development as a TV series.
- Ryan Connolly is a filmmaker and internet personality best known for his educational YouTube channel Film Riot, which has gained over 1.8 million subscribers. He has also written and directed 16 short films, which have amassed over 10 million views. Currently, Ryan is working with 3Arts to develop feature films.
- Sunday Emerson Gullifer is an award-winning filmmaker from Sydney. Her work has screened at Telluride Film Festival, scored two Australian Directors’ Guild Award nominations, a Vimeo Staff Pick and a string of other industry accolades. In 2020, she was awarded a writing residency in Paris and development funding to write her debut feature film.
What’s cool about RØDE’s contest is just how easy it is to create and enter. Unlike many film festivals with pricey submission fees and stringent guidelines, My RØDE Reel contest is completely open to pretty much whatever you can imagine.
Here are the rules and steps that you’ll need to follow:
- Head to myrodereel.com to access the starter pack.
- Make a 3-minute short film. The brief is completely open—use the different categories to inspire the direction of your film.
- Make a 3-minute behind-the-scenes (BTS) film, which must feature a RØDE product.
- Upload your short film and BTS film to YouTube, then submit them to myrodereel.com.
- Share your film for a chance to win a People’s Choice Prize.
Entries are open now and close at 10 a.m. (AEDT/GMT+11) Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Head to myrodereel.com for more info.
That’s it! Now all you have to do is get your creative team together, hammer out that script and get shooting. Best of luck!
