How to Get Involved:
We at Perisphere are always looking to expand our pool of contributors. If YOU love movies and writing about them, we would love to hear from you!
Email perisphere@trylon.org to get in touch.
In the email, please include a paragraph that outlines your relationship to the Trylon Cinema, and why you would like to write for Perisphere. No film writing experience is required, as our writer community spans a wide range of writing expertise. That said, if you do have samples of written things you’d like to share, feel free to include those samples in the email.
Submission Guidelines
- Preferred format for submissions is .doc or .docx, but Google docs are also acceptable. No .pdfs please!
- We aim to publish blog posts approximately one week before the film’s first screening day. To help us facilitate this timeline, please send a rough draft of your post at least TWO WEEKS before the movie or series is scheduled to screen. We’ll send you feedback ASAP and work with you to craft a solid piece for the blog. We cannot accept first drafts submitted six days after that initial deadline. If you are unable to complete an essay on time, please let us know.
- Try to keep pieces to around 1500 words. If your post is a lot longer than 1500 words, we may ask you to cut it down and resubmit before we consider it.
- We try to limit posts to two per calendar for each author because we want to include a diversity of voices on the blog.
- Please share at least ONE image to be used as a header. If you want, send us another two or three stills from the film or other images that you’d like to include in your post.
- Tell us where you would like to place the additional images in the post.
- For original artworks, artwork size is 1024×576 and .jpg is preferred.
- When selecting screenshots from films, try to find images at least 1000px wide.
- Please send all images as email attachments, not as images integrated into word docs.
- Please write a short alt-text description of each image (ca. 125 characters). “Alt text” is plain descriptive text that explains the image’s scene (ie: Blonde woman sits on the left bus seat in a dimly-lit school bus. Next to her is a black fedora).
- For more on alt text and accessibility, one useful resource is the WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative).
- If you cite online sources, please include hyperlinks. For all sources, please use endnotes and format your citations according to the Chicago Manual of Style.
- Please italicize all film titles.
- If this is your first contribution to the blog, please share a short bio (100 words or less) with your piece.
- As a reminder, we ask our writers to adhere to our deadlines as much as possible. If you are unable to complete an essay on time, please let us know. We cannot accept first drafts submitted six days after that initial deadline.
A Few Notes on Writing for Perisphere:
- Your writing does not need to be formal or academic. It’s a blog! Have fun with it.
- Do not plagiarize or infringe on copyright (either verbally or visually). This might seem obvious, but if you feel like you’re in a gray area, let us know and we can help.
- Generally, it is okay for two writers to cover the same film: a diversity of viewpoints on a particular movie is welcome and leads to good discussion. But we try to avoid more than two pieces on the same film.
- We will not post something that is racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, ableist, or offensive in some other way. We completely respect that everyone has different tastes and sensitivities toward subject matters. With that in mind, we ask that you be open to revising your writing should our editors suggest that it might exclude some members of our audience/readership.
- We encourage our authors to get creative and submit non-traditional written/visual pieces for the blog. We’ve published comics, crossword puzzles, think pieces, reviews, artwork, and a series of stills with a few poetic captions. Let us know what ideas you have and we’ll do our best to format it.
- We also encourage our authors/artists to write about topics that are only tangentially related to their chosen film/series. Feel free to use the film as a jumping off point instead of the entire point. Find something weird or prescient in these films and talk about that; don’t be afraid to make connections to other movies, personal experiences, historical events, or larger trends that interest you.
The Perks That Come With Writing for Perisphere:
- Once your post is published, two Trylon admission tokens will be left in your name at the box office. They each count as a regular ticket and you can use them for any film that is part of the Trylon’s regular programming. Note, however, that the tokens are only good for in-person ticket purchases—they cannot be used for online ticket reservations and do not guarantee seats.
- When picking up the tokens, please let the box office volunteer know that you are a Perisphere writer.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at perisphere@trylon.org.