LWLies’ Editorial Mission
Since 2005 Little White Lies has been covering both mainstream and independent cinema from all around the world with top quality journalism and illustration. We aren’t afraid to speak our minds on the films we love (and sometimes hate), and want to offer our readers the chance to hear from a multitude of voices from all walks of life, regardless of writing experience. We’re invested in beautiful films and the people that make them, and want to create and curate writing and illustration that reflects this.
If that sounds good to you, please find a list of the types of pieces we’re looking for below, with some examples to get you thinking.
Get more Little White Lies
Online Commissions
We only commission around 8 new features/interviews a month, so please don’t take it personally if we are unable to accept your pitch.
Please pitch all the below columns to Hannah. You do not need to CC other editors.
Acting Up
This column focuses on a single actor, highlighting notable roles or common themes. These are tied to anniversaries, new releases and milestone birthdays. The aim of the column is to explore the connections in an actor’s career, so the films don’t necessarily have to be “good” – this is a chance to write about the connections we draw between past and future performances, and the journey of filmmaking more generally. Is talent always a given? Have some performers stopped taking dramatic risks? (Word Range 1000 – 1500)
Journeys
These dispatches from a festival somewhere in the world will offer a flavour of the programme but also ideally of the festival and the location itself giving a sense for film culture in other parts of the world. They are part travel piece, part film criticism, and have the aim of telling us about the festival as a space, as well as cinema culture and movie-watching around the world. They serve as an exploration of a film festival atmosphere and why this matters. Tell us about what you ate, where you went, the venues, the Q&As – these should feel like postcards from a dear friend. We may also consider festival dispatches which are focused more on the film programme if they have a very strong thematic throughline or narrative. These pieces could also include similar cinematic pilgrimages, to filming locations or places of significance to the world of film. Please note we receive many pitches for Journeys so we are only able to commission a select few. (Word Range 1000 – 1500)
Excludes: Cannes, Venice, London, Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, SXSW, Locarno (We are always fully staffed for these festivals).
https://lwlies.com/festivals/golden-apricot-yerevan/
This Just In
Op-eds about a story in the headlines or a new film release that offer a strong, well-argued take. These pieces will offer an interesting opinion or insight on something that people are currently talking about, be it the Oscars, some casting news, or a new trend in horror films, to give you a few examples. They could pose a question or give a point of view. These should be timely, and have a short shelf life, so should be pitched and turned around quickly by the writer. (Word Range 800‑1500)
https://lwlies.com/articles/air-michael-jordan-ben-affleck/
Not Movies
Pieces on a new/returning television show, exhibition, piece of theatre or video game with a strong, clear connection to cinema. There should be a timely hook to this – is the show broadcasting now, or has just finished? Is the play just opening? Has the game just come out? We wouldn’t run these pieces much after the fact so consider this when pitching. We might consider an anniversary pitch if it’s particularly original or strong. Please note we don’t do TV recaps either. (Word Range 1000 – 1500)
https://lwlies.com/articles/pubic-information-films/
The Long Read
A longer piece (2000−4000 words) about something interesting – could be a ‘How we made’ style interview, could be a deep dive on some element or issue impacting the movie landscape, could be an oral history. Well-researched, well-written and valuable are the key terms here and these pieces will possibly include interviews, as well as a more extensive writing and editing process. We only publish one of these pieces a month.
https://lwlies.com/articles/the-case-for-art/
Anniversary Pieces
Our ‘In Praise Of/Why I Love/What X Taught Me’ essays are opinion/personal essay based, and usually – but not always – linked to an anniversary (the year has to end in a zero!). Other hooks could be a birthday/rerelease/new release/screening event, but if your idea is interesting enough, we will consider it without a timely element. These pieces usually focus on one film, one performance, one actor, one theme, or one filmmaker, and always have a strong throughline. We are looking for unique stories and strong connections with passionate writers behind them. We are not looking for general overviews or appreciations.
We are likely to be very selective about these, so please don’t feel too disheartened if it’s a no – anniversary pieces are just really saturated, so we want the LWLies ones to stand out in a crowded space. Please check if we have covered the title before, include the date of the anniversary in your email and do not pitch them more than two months in advance unless there is a heavy research aspect involved. We are more likely to commission pitches about underseen and underappreciated films – there are plenty of cult titles which have been written about to death – so have a long, hard think about your idea and what makes it unique. (Word Range 1000 – 1500)
Reviews
Film reviews are extremely coveted assignments and at LWLies they are largely conducted by our editorial team or by freelancers we’ve worked with before on features. We may consider pitches for reviews of smaller/independent films and reviews of interesting titles that have gone under the radar, but we ask you do not email asking to review the latest blockbuster or a high-profile film. We only have a small budget every month, and we have far more requests to review films than we can reasonably fulfil, so we tend to focus on films receiving a cinema release across the UK and major streaming titles. We also are not likely to commission a review more than a week after a film’s release unless there is a very good reason to do so.
We work to the UK cinema/streaming calendar so please keep this in mind when pitching reviews. If you’re looking for information on the LWLies scoring system, check here. (Reviews are 500 words each unless agreed with editor.)
Interviews
Major interviews with filmmakers and actors are conducted by our staff and regular contributors, usually for the magazine. However, we love hearing about people making interesting films or doing cool things in cinema, and are open to pitches, particularly with a strong angle/approach or unique access.
Festival First-Look Reviews
Major film festivals (Cannes, Venice, London, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, Locarno, NYFF) are covered with first-look reviews and LWLies usually has a reporter on the ground. You are welcome to pitch us reviews from these festivals but please note we give priority to our own staff and to the writers we have an existing working relationship with, as these commissions are sought-after and involve turning around great copy on a tight deadline! We do not tend to commission interviews or features at festivals unless there is an amazing opportunity.
General Pitching Information
Please put ‘PITCH’ at the start of your email subject line so we can tell what the email is about easily, along with a short summary. You can put your actual pitch in the email body – no need to attach it as a separate document. Please avoid sending more than 1 – 3 pitches in a single email, as this makes it quite long for editors to read. Your pitch should be around 100 – 200 words, outlining your idea clearly, your sources (if necessary) and when the piece can be filed. You should be specific and include examples where necessary.
If you are pitching a piece linked to an upcoming release, birthday, event or anniversary please include the date of this too. If you do not receive a reply from an editor within four days, feel free to follow up (or sooner, if it’s a particularly time-sensitive pitch) but please don’t chase us every day. Please note we don’t work weekends or bank holidays. We work on a print issue 2 – 3 months in advance. Online we work 1 – 2 months in advance.
All commissions are paid, so please do not offer your services for free. Please do not submit finished drafts for editorial consideration unless requested – we don’t have time to read them. We also do not accept previously published work unless by prior agreement, and we don’t really ‘assign’ pieces, so there’s no need to email us with a general offer of your writing services.
Finally, please remember that LWLies is run by a dedicated but very small team, and while we do try to reply to every single pitch we get, we do sometimes miss things, and we are not able to offer detailed feedback on all the pitches we receive. If you are not successful the first time please don’t let this deter you!
Do I need to be based in the UK to write for LWLies?
Nope. We publish writers from all around the world. You need only good ideas, a strong grasp of written English, and a bank account/PayPal that can accept international payments.
Who should I email?
Send your pitch to the relevant person below.
Magazine Editor
David Jenkins
david@tcolondon.com
(Long Lead & Print: Reviews, Interviews, Profiles)
Digital Editor
Hannah Strong
hannah@tcolondon.com
(Short Lead & Online: Reviews, Interviews, Features, Festivals, Podcast)
How do I get published in the print edition?
The best way to become a print contributor is to start by working with us online! Most of our print contributors started out as online contributors. We don’t really take pitches for the print edition as the film we feature every month informs our editorial decisions.
How do I pitch illustration?
LWLies is powered by original illustration and we’re always looking for new collaborators. We are not able to offer feedback to all submissions, but if you’d like to be considered, send your portfolio and a short note to our artistic director, Laurène Boglio: laurene@tcolondon.com.
What are your terms and how do I invoice?
Please refer to our contributor’s terms before undertaking a commission for LWLies. Please refer to our Style Guide for formatting advice. Contact your editor if you have any questions. All contributions to LWL are paid so please don’t offer your services for free. We pay 30 days from invoice date, and you can invoice as soon as your piece is live unless otherwise agreed. All invoices need to go to accounts@tcolondon.com and include the title and date of your piece, plus your editor, the URL of the piece and the fee agreed, plus your personal and payment details. You can use this template if you like (download/copy and fill in). We pay via bank transfer or PayPal. If there is any problem with your invoice or payment, please contact your commissioning editor.
Is there anything you’re not looking for?
At LWLies we try to publish irreverent and unique writing, so we’re not looking for takes we’ve seen before, or for pieces that are direct responses to articles published in other outlets. We’re not big on listicles unless there’s a very interesting angle, and we try to avoid being too “inside baseball” about film. We want to be a welcoming space for film lovers and while we welcome a bit of snark, we avoid punching down.
AI Policy
We are firmly anti-AI and will never use AI in our editorial or illustration. If you are someone who uses AI in your writing or art, we are not the publication for you, and we will decline any pitches which have used AI. We are not interested in reviewing or spotlighting films that are created predominantly using AI. Creativity is at the heart of Little White Lies and we firmly believe there is no place in our publication for it.
Can you review or feature my film?
We’re a very small team, and we have a lot of films to review each week, so we cannot commit to reviewing every film that is sent for review consideration.
Can I intern at LWLies?
As stated we are a very small team, so we very rarely have opportunities for internships. You can express your interest to adam@tcolondon but please note that we are unlikely to be able to accommodate you.
Are you looking for new staff at LWLies?
When we have roles available, job postings for LWLies are posted on our company website. Please do not send your CV on spec as we do not keep them on file. We do not have regular critic or reviewer roles at LWLies.
I have a question not listed here…
Email us and we’ll do our best to answer!