Apply for Film Music Connect Shorts Competition (US)

Three filmmakers and three composers will work together to create music that is ideally suited to the winning short films. The winning filmmakers will get to choose their composer from a list of finalists to create the original score for their film. They’ll be guided through the process of watching composer reels, making their final selection, and communicating with their music team.

The winning composers will score the soundtrack for Helix Collective, a 6-member ensemble with winds, strings, piano, and percussion. The scores will be professionally recorded for use in the winning films in April 2025.

Guiding the filmmakers and composers through the process is Helix Collective, a non-profit organization that produces the Los Angeles Live Score Film Festival and has worked with over 50 film composers and directors on original scores.

Funding Information

• Composers will receive a $500 honorarium

Eligibility Criteria

• Film
  • Maximum runtime of 10 minutes (including credits).
  • Signatory under a SAG-AFTRA agreement (Student Film, Short Project, New Media, or Micro-Budget Agreement). The film’s SAG-AFTRA production ID number must be included with the submission.
• Composer
  • Submit link to video reel up to 5 minutes in length of music scored to picture.
  • Submit a PDF sample score.

Selection Criteria

• Winning films and composer finalists will be selected based on artistic merit and/or vision, ability to collaborate, and adherence to all submission criteria.
• SAGindie staff will select the three winning films. Helix Collective staff will select composer finalists whose reels will be reviewed by the winning filmmakers. Each filmmaker will get to choose the winning composer for their film from the selected finalists.

Requirements

• Film submission information
  • Short films of 10 minutes or less runtime that do NOT have an original score are eligible. (Completed films that used library music are welcome to apply.)
  • Films must be signatory under a SAG-AFTRA agreement (Student Film Agreement, Micro-Budget Agreement, Short Project Agreement, New Media Agreement)
  • Film submission form must be completed, including:
    • Filmmaker contact info
    • Film genre, runtime, and plot description
    • Link to view film (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.)
• Composer submission information
  • Submit a link to a video reel up to 5 minutes in length of your music scored to picture
    • Including multiple examples of different styles is suggested
    • Including music recorded by live musicians is not required but strongly encouraged
    • Film clips with re-scores may be included
    • Please provide a link without password protection
  • Submit a PDF sample score
    • The PDF score does not need to match a sample video in your reel
    • Chamber music scores are preferred but full orchestra scores are acceptable -You should have prepared the score yourself without assistance from an orchestrator.

For more information, visit SAGindie.