Write For Us / Submission Guidelines
Welcome to The CineFile! We are a new publication actively seeking writers for reviews, thoughts, analysis, and lookbacks at films and TV series across all spectrums. Our ultimate goal is to grow a stable of talented, creative, passionate writers and become a go-to location for pop culture reviews across multiple platforms.
For the time being, all are welcome to contribute to our publication. If you’re passionate about film, TV, or even broadway, please leave a comment on this article and we will add you as a writer. As we intend to eventually cross-submit our work with other sites such as IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and others, you may find you get more external views than on some of your other articles. Ultimately, we hope to grow both our publication and the platform as a whole through such exposure.
While we aren’t big on rules in general, the few we have for submissions are listed below. Please take the time to read them prior to submitting your work. Anything that doesn’t meet the standards below will be returned to the author with notes.
Submission Guidelines
We have no limits in terms of genre, date, significance, or length when it comes to which films/series you choose to review or comment on. The world is your oyster. Similarly, the limits on the actual length of your piece are up to you, though 250 words or more is a good starting point. Think more “professional review” and less “IMDb user comments”.
Not every piece has to be a formal review with a grade. Commentary, analysis, and thoughts on historic importance are welcome and can be as freeform as you’d like them to be. You can choose whether to meter your story or not, the publication has no preference. Obviously, you stand to generate some greater income from metering your published pieces, but since we will be creating external links on other pop culture sites, an unmetered story may reach more viewers.
Unfortunately, submission on 3rd party sites will require all writers for the publication to be on the same page when it comes to grading. Uniformity is required in terms of scoring — we cannot have one reviewer grading A+ to F and another on a scale of 1–10. For this reason, we ask all formal reviews to be submitted with a score from 1–100. This should allow ample space for reviewers to critique certain areas as they wish while keeping a uniform scoring system. For example:
· Cinematography: 30 Points
· Writing: 30 Points
· Acting: 30 Points
· Pace: 10 Points
· Total Score/100:
Lastly, formal reviews should not cross into political punditry. We are here to enjoy pop culture, not polarize. Of course, some movies will inevitably have political overtones. Still, a review can mention these without dissolving into politics itself. For example:
“The filmmakers clearly set out to deliver a message with their film and waste no time in doing so. That said, the method in which this is obtained may be a little heavy-handed for some. Those who like their politics to stay separate from their entertainment may want to steer clear of this one.”
Good examples of what not to say would be:
“As usual, Hollywood feels a need to inject woke, PC trash into what otherwise could have been a good film.”
OR:
“It’s long past time someone calls out the hypocrisy on the right wing of the United States, and this film succeeds in doing so. Mouth-breathing Trump fans need not watch.”
Keep it professional and apolitical where possible, at least in the formal reviews. If you’re submitting a commentary or analysis you can obviously be a bit freer in that regard.
That’s it! Anything not mentioned here is up to you, the writer. We’re glad you’re interested in joining us and look forward to your take on anything and everything that you decide to cover.
And again, welcome to The Cinefile!
