Bright Wall/Dark Room is currently accepting submissions for our monthly online magazine. Each issue is built around a particular theme, and we open up the submission process for each new issue on or around the 15th of the month, with a three-week submission window.
We’re looking for thoughtful analysis and wholehearted engagement, as opposed to standard reviews, clickbait, or hot takes. We publish interviews, profiles, formal analysis, cultural criticism, personal essays, and humor pieces. We're looking for writing that is savvy and insightful about filmmaking, but that also grapples in some way with the business of being alive.
We tend to publish critical essays between 2,500-4,000 words, though we’ve certainly been known to publish pieces in other, longer formats. Creative approaches are always encouraged.
For further advice and answers to FAQs, please check out The Bright Wall/Dark Room Guide to Pitching & Submitting
Prompt forthcoming! But if you want to get an early start or send us a pitch: we're looking for smart writing on movies that lean in heavily to fashion, clothing, and costume design.
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We are currently able to pay $100 upon publication for essays accepted for our January issue. Please be aware that all acceptances are based on the presumption of the writer's good-faith engagement with our collaborative editorial process; a refusal to participate in this process may result in rescinded acceptance. In order to be considered for the issue we will need to receive a complete first draft of your essay via Submittable by January 10, 2024.
Please be advised that given the high volume of interest for what’s typically 8 - 10 publication slots in a month, and to level the playing field between emerging and established voices, we rely partially on Submittable in finding essays for each issue, and we do ask for full first drafts for consideration (pitches sent to Submittable are often seen too late to be considered).
We completely understand that for many writers, working on spec is too much of an expenditure of time and energy for an uncertain result. For that reason, we’re happy to accept e-mailed pitches (editors@brightwalldarkroom.com). Please include: a rundown of the idea, a projected word count (we usually publish work between 2,000 and 3,000 words), a sense of what makes it a great fit for BW/DR (usually some distinctive form or offbeat focus that would set it apart from outlets more focused on news and reviews), and links to pieces published at outlets with editorial oversight.
On pitches, we will offer a solid yes or no by the submission deadline; please keep in mind that a rejection may represent a range of reasons unrelated to the quality of your work—given our roster of regular contributors and our desire to save a few slots each month for Submittable discoveries, pitching is, for better or worse, a fairly competitive prospect!
To increase your chances, it would definitely help to familiarize yourself in advance with the types of essays we tend to publish, as well as checking our archives to make sure we haven't covered the film you want to write about within the last twelve months.
And last but certainly not least: for more detailed information about our general submission process, guidelines, and editorial preferences, please check out The Bright Wall/Dark Room Guide to Pitching & Submitting.
We welcome unsolicited essays on any film or television-related topic. However, before submitting a piece for consideration, we highly recommend reading The Bright Wall/Dark Room Guide to Pitching & Submitting, as well as browsing through our archives and reading a few essays on the site to get a better sense of the type of pieces we tend to publish.
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of submissions and very few available slots for off-theme essays each month, we aren't currently able to respond to each and every pitch and/or submission individually. So, if you haven't heard back from us within three (3) weeks of submitting your piece, please accept our regrets that we won't be able to accept it at this time.