The bell
The bell in the top bar of Your projects is where FilmScorecard tells a filmmaker what needs doing and what has happened. It has two lists: To do, the things festivals are asking you for and the scorecards waiting to be read, and Updates, the news about your festival entries and the messages visitors send through your page. This guide covers both, sending something a festival has asked for, and reading a message.
The bell covers all your projects at once. With more than one project, every item names the project it is about, and the bell's heading reads All projects. With one project, the heading carries that project's title. A project's Overview in Your projects shows the same To do items and updates, for that project alone.
The badge
The bell shows one of three things in its corner:
| The bell shows | It means |
|---|---|
| An amber number | That many To do items, across all your projects. |
| A small indigo dot | Nothing to do, but at least one update you have not seen yet. |
| Nothing | Nothing to do and nothing new. |
Opening the bell marks every update in it as seen, so the dot goes. The amber number only goes when the things it counts are done.
To do
Two kinds of amber item, project by project, A to Z:
- Missing items, one for each festival entry that is missing something it scores. A festival can score a press kit, which checks that certain details of your submission are filled in. See The press-kit checklist.
- Scorecards to read, one for each festival entry whose released scorecard has not been opened yet. See Scorecards to read.
Within a project, the missing items come first, then the scorecards, newest release first.
Missing items
Every detail a festival's press kit checks, and that is still empty on the festival's copy of your submission, is a missing item.
Only while that festival's submission page still takes edits — until the festival's selection date, a finished season, or a withdrawal. After that the festival's item goes, because nothing can change its copy any more. See When the page says "Edits are closed".
Only for entries saved to your account. A festival entry reaches the bell once it is in one of your projects. See Saving a submission to your account.
Each item reads "You're missing 4 items for Festival that affect your score", with the items under it by the festival's own names for them, separated by dots: "Tagline · Synopsis · Statement · Poster". Under them, up to three buttons:
- Send N from your project appears when the project's Details already hold some of the items, and copies all of them onto the festival's copy at once. See Sending something to a festival.
- Add field, such as Add Poster or Add Synopsis, appears when one of the items could be sent from your project but its Details do not have it yet. It opens the project's Details at that field. Fill it in, press Save changes, and the Send button counts it from then on. See Links that open one field.
- Open submission page opens the Submission details page of that festival's submission page, where you fill the items in on the festival's copy itself. It is always there.
To do items cannot be dismissed. This kind leaves by itself once nothing is missing, or once the festival's submission page closes.
The eight fields
Eight fields can be sent from your project, each from a field on its Details:
| The festival is missing your | Sent from your project's |
|---|---|
| Tagline | Logline |
| Synopsis | Synopsis |
| Trailer URL | Trailer link |
| Poster | Poster |
| Directors | Credits whose role is Director or Co-director |
| Writers | Credits whose role is Writer, Screenwriter or Co-writer |
| Producers | Credits whose role is Producer, Co-producer or Executive producer |
| Cast | Credits whose role is Cast, Actor, Actress or Performer |
Points to know about the table:
- The item uses the festival's word, not your project's. A missing Tagline is sent from your Logline, and a missing Trailer URL from your Trailer link.
- Nothing is sent from your page. The blocks you build on the project's Page, including its Cast and crew and Video blocks, are never sent to a festival.
- A credit counts only when its role is one of those words exactly. Capitals and spaces at either end are ignored, but "Second unit director" or "Director of photography" do not count as Director. Every matching name is sent, joined with commas, in the order your Credits list them.
- Everything else is filled in on the submission page. That includes the statement, your contact details, the website and Instagram links, and the screener, which is never sent from a project. Some fields cannot be filled there either. A press kit can check a field only the festival can change, such as the genre, the completion year or the runtime. It still appears in the item, and the submission page lists it but will not let you type in it. Ask the festival.
Sending something to a festival
- In the bell, press Send N from your project on the festival's item. It reads Sending… while it works.
- A short message names what was sent: "Sent your tagline and synopsis to Riverbend Film Festival". Those items leave the list, and the item goes when nothing else is missing.
What a send does, and what it does not do:
- It writes your project's saved Details onto that one festival's copy. Another festival missing the same things has its own item and needs its own press. Edits you have not saved yet are not sent.
- It counts as you editing your own submission page. The festival sees "Edited by the submitter" on its record, and its history lists the change under Submitter, just as if you had typed it on the submission page. Judges read the new value the next time they open your film.
- A poster send copies your project's poster image onto the festival's copy.
- It never changes your project. And later changes to your Details do not follow: a festival keeps what you sent until you send again, which you can do only while it is asking for that field.
If a send is refused
Nothing is written, and one of these appears:
| The message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Festival has closed changes to this submission." | The festival's submission page closed after the bell was drawn. The item is gone the next time the page loads. |
| "There is nothing in your project's details to send yet." | The fields became empty in the meantime, perhaps in another tab. Fill them in on the project's Details and press Save changes. |
| "That did not send. Try again." | Something went wrong on the way. Press the button again. |
| "This project is no longer available." | The project or that festival entry is no longer yours to send from. Reload the page. |
Scorecards to read
When a festival releases your scorecard, an amber item reads "Read your Harborlight Film Festival scorecard", with the season and the day it was filed under it, "Fall 2026. Filed 3 Oct 2026.", and one button, Open scorecard, which opens it. See Your scorecard.
It stays until the scorecard has been opened, and then leaves by itself. Opening it from anywhere counts: this button, your project's Festivals or Scorecards tab, or the access code in the festival's email. See Your festival entries.
Updates
News about your festival entries, and messages from your page's visitors. Newest first, up to 30 at a time. Each row has a small square, indigo while you have not seen it, then the update, a link, and ✕.
| The update | When it appears | Its link |
|---|---|---|
| "Festival selected Project", with "Announced 3 Oct 2026." | From the festival's Notification date, for an entry it selected. | Open Festivals |
| "Festival did not select Project", with "Announced 3 Oct 2026." | From the same date, for an entry it did not select or disqualified. | Open Festivals |
| "Project: Winner at Festival", with "Announced 3 Oct 2026." | From the festival's Award winners announced date, for an entry the festival named in one of its awards. The word is the highest the entry reached: Winner, Honorable Mention, Nominee, Finalist, Semi-finalist or Quarter-finalist. | Open Festivals |
| "Festival released your scorecard", with its date | Once your scorecard for that entry can be read. | Read it, which opens your scorecard |
| "Your Festival season entry joined Project.", with its date | When a festival entry under your account's address joins one of your projects by itself. See Saving a submission to your account. | Move, which opens Move to another project for that entry, in case it joined the wrong project |
| "Name sent you a message", with the message's first line | When a visitor writes to you through your page. | Read it, which opens the message |
| "We couldn't email you a message from Name", with the message's first line | When a visitor's message could not be emailed to you. The message's own update stays in the list beside it. | Read it |
Open Festivals opens that project's Festivals tab. See Your festival entries.
Festival updates come only from entries saved to your account. Selections and awards arrive only once the festival has announced them. They wait for the same dates as your Festivals tab: nothing reaches the bell before the festival's own announcement date, whatever the festival has decided. A withdrawn entry gets no selection update.
An update follows the festival's records. If a festival moves its announcement date back into the future, its update leaves the bell. If it changes a result after announcing, the new result arrives as a new update.
Seen and dismissed
- Opening the bell marks every update in it as seen. Their squares turn grey and the indigo dot on the bell goes.
- ✕ dismisses an update for good. It does not come back, on this device or any other.
Reading a message
Read it on a message opens it in full: Message from Name, then their Email as a link that starts an email to them, their Organisation if they gave one, the day it was Sent, and the message. Close closes it.
When the email to you failed, an amber line at the top reads "We couldn't email you this message." Everything else is there, so nothing is lost: write back to the address in the dialog.
How visitors write to you, and where the email goes, is in Messages from visitors.
What the bell does not do
- No emails for festival news. Selections, awards and scorecards reach the bell, not your inbox. The one email it stands beside is a visitor's message. A festival releasing your scorecard can still email you the link itself; see Your scorecard.
- No history beyond 30. Older updates drop off the end of the list.
- No undo for ✕. A dismissed update cannot be brought back.
Related guides
- Your projects: the top bar the bell sits in.
- Your project's details: filling in what a festival asks for, so it can be sent from your project.
- Your festival entries: the Festivals tab the selection and award updates link to, moving an entry, and the Scorecards tab.
- Your submission page: the festival's own copy, where anything your page cannot send is filled in.