Want to Write for Hyperreal Film Journal?
The Hyperreal Film Journal team is always seeking fresh and fun movie reviews, essays, comics and more from writers in Austin and beyond. Check out our guidelines below!
HOW IT WORKS
If you have an idea for a pitch, our pitch form is (almost) always open. If you have questions, send an email to reviews@hyperrealfilm.club.
Please include an estimated word count. We aim for between 750-2,500 as a baseline for general pieces, and 250-300 words max per movie for lists.
We’ll be in touch via email within 2 weeks to either approve of or ask for a revision to your pitch. We’re a small but mighty team, so we appreciate your patience!
Once you send over a rough draft, we'll get back to you with any edits. We make small proofreading edits on our end and provide notes and suggestions for larger revisions. We view editing as a collaborative process and are here to help make your piece a good fit for the site!
Once an article is finalized, we'll reach back to let you know when you can expect to see it published on the site. After the article’s published, we’ll promote it on Instagram and Discord.
FAQs
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We work with passionate film writers of all levels of experience. For new writers, or anyone with questions about the process, feel free to reach out to us at reviews@hyperrealfilm.club—we're happy to troubleshoot and offer advice as much as our time will allow.
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Nope. We publish writers from around the world!
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Your emotional response to the film can be a great place to start. Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Why or why not? Can you pinpoint certain story choices that pushed you away or really brought you in? Was the acting especially affecting? A performance especially magnetic?
If you're not sure where to begin, start with the "what" of the film you liked or disliked and then move into the "why." From there, you can add in extra-textual points if you want—how does the film in question relate to other works in the director or actor or composer's filmography? Does something in the film become even more meaningful from context outside of the film? Does it change the way you viewed the film, for good or for bad?
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Pieces on the site should come from a thoughtful place, first and foremost. You don't have to write a glowing review for a film you hated, but try to dig deeper than just a hit piece. We're also seeking fresh perspectives on new and old films, so please send us unique takes.
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We're big on multimedia—we've published everything from standard reviews and essays to videos, zines, comics, and more. We also regularly publish interviews with filmmakers, though we ask you pitch us first before reaching out as a representative of Hyperreal.
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Beyond adding to the vibrant Hyperreal community, our writers have the opportunity to access exclusive screening opportunities and press passes to local film festivals and events.
The Hyperreal Style Guide
New to writing, or want a quick reference for how we like to do things around here? Check this guide, which covers our specs as well as some common grammatical issues we see pop up.
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We don’t have a hard and fast rule, but a good baseline is 750-2000 words. For lists, 250-300 words per movie max. If you want to go longer, reach out to us to discuss!
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Should be italicized, eg. The Godfather, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Very long titles can be shortened after the first mention, eg. Uncle Boonmee
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Include an apostrophe when the century is not specified.
Yes: 1980s, the ‘80s
No: 1980’s, the 80s
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Should be linked to (if digital) and cited in the article, including the year. For example:
In a 2022 interview with Indiewire, Werner Herzog said..
In the 1996 issue of Film Lovers Annual, Herzog noted…
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Periods and commas go inside punctuation marks.
Yes: “I love movies,” Remus said. (We know.)
No: “I love movies”, Remus said. (We know).