Looking for where to submit scripts for the SFP? Details and online form are on the "Script Submission" page.
Want to make a feature film or TV series pilot? You can do just that through the SMU Summer Film Production!
What It Is
SMU students produce their own feature film or TV pilot on a biannual (new project starts every two years) cycle. This is a chance to work on a long-form project while still in school, in a student-led format. It's also an opportunity to get experience on and be credited on professional-caliber work - two of the features produced through the SFP earned distribution deals after their festival runs! (for details, see The Book of Job and All the Wrong Friends info below)
Check out these behind the scenes vids, shot and cut by SMU students:
It's a chance to work with professional gear on a long-form project and really get a taste of what it's like to do production as a full-time job – instead of just shooting a day or two on a weekend, this is a full-blown, full-time, two-week shoot, often on location.
This is NOT an “interning for faculty” or “watch and learn from the professionals” project – the entire production is planned and crewed by SMUers. In particular, ALL crew heads (director, producers, cinematographer, production designer, editor, sound mixer, AD, gaffer, etc.) are current SMU students or recent alumni.
With shoots in alternate summers (hence "Summer Film Production"), if you’re at SMU for four years you’ll be around for at least two shoots.
Don't wait to wait for the summer to get involved? No problem! Despite what the name might imply, there's ALWAYS a “Summer Film Production” (or SFP) going on in one phase or another. Though the shoots happen over the summer, each SFP involves a year of prep ahead of time and a year of post-production afterwards sandwiching the shoot. So you can always find ways to get involved with the SFP - whether or not you take part in the summer shoot.
For updates, follow @SMUSummerFilm on Twitter; if you have questions or want more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page, which has answers to just about everything else you'd want to know about the SFP. And if you still can't find what you're looking for, contact us at film@smu.edu and we'll get back to you.
(By the way, YES, accepted students who will be starting at SMU in the fall are welcome to join the SFP as soon as they’ve committed to SMU, including submitting scripts, helping with pre- and post-production, or even crewing on the shoot itself!)
Current Projects:
2023-25 SFP (upcoming)
Script submissions are now being accepted to be considered for the next Summer Film Production! Feature scripts due May 3, 2023. For details, see the SFP Script Submission page.
I Want a Body of My Own (2021-23 SFP)
At high school Marissa Carter's funeral, her brother Chance (struggling with grief over losing his sister, and unable to come out to his family) collides with Marissa’s friend Naomi (fresh off failing her citizenship test). Next thing they know, they find themselves in each other's bodies. Now living as one another, Chance and Naomi must cope with their new situation and learn to see the world through another's eyes.
Writer / director:
- Piper Peña Hadley (SMU Film, B.F.A. expected 2023)
Producers:
- Kaytlyn Bunting (SMU Film, B.F.A. expected 2024)
- Anna Butcher (SMU Film, B.F.A. expected 2023)
- Grace Maddox (SMU Film, B.F.A. expected 2024)
I Want a Body of My Own was shot in summer 2022 and is currently in post-production with an expected premiere in 2023.
Website: https://ko-fi.com/iwabomo
Instagram: @bodyofmyownfilm