Welcome To Glasgow Tellyfest
Glasgow Tellyfest is all about discovering, supporting and celebrating the most exciting Scottish stories for the screen. We think the traditional development process is outdated, risk-averse and too dependent on the personal taste of a tiny group of gatekeepers. Our whole idea is to build as level a playing field as we possibly can so as to uncover the boldest, most exciting, diverse and authentically Scottish stories we can
How it works:
One Minute Pilots
We open submission windows for One Minute Pilots 2-3 times per year.
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These are open to anybody with an idea. You don't need any training, credits or experience in the film or TV industry.
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A One Minute Pilot is a 60-90 second video in a social media style. Imagine your character is making a TikTok to tell us about their life, and essentially why we should watch them for ten or twenty hours.
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Think:
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Meredith Grey in her car after her first shift as an intern surgeon, recounting how the guy she slept with last night turned out to be her attending physician;
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Roman Roy emerging from the car crash at his mother's wedding to explain how none of this would have happened if his dad had just handed over the company;
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Dana Scully stranded in a remote motel room, recording her account of a supernatural experience as inexplicable noises close in around her.
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Production should be simple. All you need is an idea, an actor and a phone. Shoot in vertical (16:9), and we advise a straightforward talk-to-camera as it's the best way to pack enough character and hints of story to come, but there are no strict rules other than it must be a format native to social media (leave multi angles and fancy post production for the next stage!).
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Have fun with it! It should feel a bit like a sketch pad, just getting your idea on its feet for the joy of it.
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The Committee
Our committee is made up of around 25 creatives from every walk of Scotland's arts. We've got podcasters and Still Game stars, musicians and Taggart actors, PR experts, TV directors and digital creatives, to ensure a real cross section of fresh eyes on our submissions. They watch the One Minute Pilots without knowing who wrote it (they might recognise the actor, there's not much we can do about that!), give feedback and vote for any they think should be longlisted. Any submissions that receive a minimum of 3 committee votes goes on the longlist, which the commitiee reviews together to confirm the shortlist as a group.
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This means that it's never about one person's taste, nor are we influenced by what else the filmmaker has or hasn't done before!
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All submissions receive a summary of their feedback from the committee when they're told whether or not they've been shortlisted this time around . There is no limit on how many times a filmmaker or project can submit: part of the idea is to be able to use the feedback to get cracking on your submission for the next window.
Pick of the Pilots
The X Factor for the digital age meets a Glasgow night out. Interactive, gamified, appointment viewing… and a shot at finding the next scripted phenomenon.
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The shortlist created by the committee goes head-to-head live in front of a Glasgow bar split into teams: celebs, behind-the-scenes heavyweights, corporate partners and members of the public. Round by round, they vote.
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By the end of the night, the room has crowned a winner, and that winner gets a commission to take their project one step closer to full production. The audience doesn't just get to play at commissioner, they are actually in charge.
