Contribution Guidelines

Before anything else, if you’re reading this, you’re likely curious about contributing or have already agreed to be a guest contributor. For that, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you! I’ve put these guidelines together to clarify the requirements and save time for both of us. This is a living document and may change as time goes on and the process matures. Once again, thank you very much, and happy writing!

If you are interested in contributing to an issue, please send me a chat request through Substack!

Overview

Each issue of FilmRunner follows the same structure:

  1. Two movie picks per issue. One from me and one from a guest contributor.

  2. Short reviews of both films in the subsequent issue. Each reviewer covers both movies.

As a contributor, you’ll appear in two issues:

  • Issue One: You announce your pick (alongside mine).

  • Issue Two: We both share our reviews of both films.

What We’re Looking For

  • Light, breezy reviews. While in-depth analysis is welcome, the focus is on concise, engaging commentary and nothing too lengthy.

  • Word count flexibility. Please aim to keep the combined word count for your two reviews around 750 words or fewer.

Your Contribution

  1. Choose a movie (it can be one you’ve already seen).

  2. Write a short summary explaining why you picked it.

  3. Write a follow-up review of your pick.

  4. Write a follow-up review of my pick.

  5. Provide a quick bio so I can introduce you in the newsletter. This can be point form as I’d like to introduce you in my own words.

Logistics

  • I’ll handle formatting, editing, and social media from FilmRunner’s perspective.

  • You are free to promote it on you’re social media, but please do not feel obligated to do so.

  • FilmRunner’s primary social media platform outside of Substack is Bluesky.

  • FilmRunner has an Instagram account, but will be focusing on that platform at a later date.

Additional Publishing

FilmRunner was picked up by firstpicturehouse.com. They’re embedding links to each Substack post, but I retain full control of the content. If you or I decide at any time that we want to remove it from their site, we can do so.