There are a surprising number of opportunities to get paid to write about films, movies, and the film industry. This list is a roundup of publishers that focus on this topic. Since the last update of this list, it has approximately doubled in size, to 33 publications.
Note, that there are many publications that I did not include, especially those publications that are specifically “culture/entertainment” focused, including glossy magazines such as Vanity Fair, People, etc. Most publications that cover pop-culture or entertainment also include writing about movies/film.
One avenue not to overlook: If you really want to get paid to write movie reviews, I highly recommend looking into your local or regional “weekly” magazine. Nearly every city, and even many small towns, publish weeklies, and nearly all of these weeklies publish movie reviews. It is an opportunity worth pursuing, for those interested. Even though your local weekly may not be in need of a movie reviewer, you may as well find out!
This is in addition to the many newspapers that publish movie reviews, which is another opportunity to consider.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to write a good pitch before getting published by these publications. This free lecture shows you exactly how to do that.
— Jacob Jans
Flairbox is “a revolutionary video sharing platform for talent discovery in the entertainment industry.” They are always seeking new contributors for Flairbox magazine. They love “pieces that give juicy insights and hard-won tips – or something unusual from your personal experience in the industry.” They generally pay £50/1,000 words or 5p/word. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide.
Independent Cinema Office is “the national organisation for the development and support of independent film exhibition throughout the UK.” They are always accepting pitches for their blog. Send them an idea for an article about a film exhibition that you’d like them to commission at sami.abdul-razzak@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk. They pay 15p/word for articles of 800 to 1,200 words. For details, read their blog guidelines.
Sight & Sound is “the UK’s oldest film publication and an internationally respected voice in film criticism and journalism.” They are looking for new writers and contributors to further diversify the range of voices within their pages and on their website. They encourage pitches from all writers. They would “particularly like to hear from Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, the LGBTIQ+ community, writers with disabilities and emerging voices.” They pay £120 for every 1,000 words. For details, refer to their pitching guide.
Certified Forgotten is a podcast in which film critics Matt Donato and Matt Monagle “unearth the most memorable horror films that feature five or fewer reviews on RottenTomatoes.” They are expanding into editorial content and are seeking pitches for features. They will pay $75 per feature. Send pitches to certifiedforgotten@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to this page.
WhatNerd is a website about nerd lifestyle and entertainment. They cover games, TV, movies, health, and more. They are looking for contributors who can write 1 to 8 articles per month. They pay $80 per article (600 to 1,200 words). They don’t accept one-off submissions. To learn more, refer to this page.
The A.V. Club is an entertainment website for the pop culture obsessed. They cover news, films, music, TV, games, and more. They are always seeking thoughtful pitches for their TV section. Their rates start at $250 for 900 words. To learn more, refer to this Twitter post and this link.
ALL ARTS is a multimedia platform that covers visual art, theater, dance, film, music, literature, and more. They are seeking journalists who cover theater, film, music, visual art, fashion, and/or TV. Their pay varies based on the story type, but their minimum threshold for a non-reported 400-word post is $250. For details, refer to this Twitter post. For their contact information, refer to this page.
theFold is an online magazine by Double Double store (an Australian store that offers curated streetwear and fashion from global designers). They publish “critical and exploratory writing on contemporary culture, broadly defined.” They “welcome writing about art, fashion, architecture, film, music, television, and more.” They are “particularly interested in personal essays that incorporate cultural criticism and critique.” They accept completed articles (1,200 to 1,700 words) and pitches. They pay $300 per article. For details, read their submission guidelines.
Digital Spy is the United Kingdom’s biggest TV and movies site. They offer news on TV, movies, soaps, showbiz, music, games, and tech. According to one payment report, they paid £60 for a TV review of 350 to 500 words. To contact them, visit this page.
Point of View Magazine (POV) is a Canadian, print and online magazine about documentaries and independent films. They publish twice a year. Payment reports indicate that they pay $0.25 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
Art of the Title is “the definitive industry publication for title sequence design and an educational resource, spanning the film, television, conference, and video game industries.” They are looking for contributors to “write about title sequences in film, TV, and beyond.” They pay $200 to $300 per piece. For details, read this Twitter post. You can contact them here.
British Cinematographer is a print and digital magazine that covers the art and craft of international cinematography. They publish 6 times a year. They “focus on the art and craft of cinematographers, and the technologies they use during production and post production.” According to one payment report, they paid $300 for a reported story. To contact them, visit this page.
Variety covers entertainment news, awards, film reviews, film festivals, box office, and more. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.75 per word. To contact them, visit this page.
Substream Magazine is a print and digital publication focused on music, pop culture, film, and entertainment. They publish news, reviews, interviews, and more. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.10 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
Paper Magazine covers fashion, music, film, TV, famous people, nightlife, politics, art, culture, sex, dating, and more. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.25 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
Film Quarterly publishes articles, reviews, and interviews about “all aspects of film history, film theory, and the impact of film, video, and television on culture and society.” They pay $50 for articles (of 1,000 words or less) for the Quorum section of their website. For details, refer to this page.
Digital Spy is the United Kingdom’s biggest TV and movies site. They offer news on TV, movies, soaps, showbiz, music, games, and tech. According to one payment report, they paid £60 for a TV review of 350 to 500 words. To contact them, visit this page.
AP Marvel is a progressive podcast and publication for Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans from “marginalized communities to talk politics, social issues, and story themes.” They are looking for unique perspectives from the MCU fanbase. They are seeking “pitches from women, queer people, people of color, disabled people, and people of various faiths.” They are paying for written pieces and essays. Payment: $50 per piece. For details about pitching, refer to this page.
Crooked Marquee is a movie website. They entertain, inform, and empower their readers by providing them with amusing insights and unique perspectives regarding the industry. They want writers who are based in the U.S. and have a U.S. bank account. Their pay starts at $50 per piece. To learn more, read their writers guidelines.
British Cinematographer is a print and digital magazine that covers the art and craft of international cinematography. They publish 6 times a year. They “focus on the art and craft of cinematographers, and the technologies they use during production and post production.” According to one payment report, they paid $300 for a reported story. To contact them, visit this page.
Bright Wall/Dark Room is an online magazine that is dedicated to “exploring the relationship between cinema and the business of being alive.” They publish profiles, interviews, personal essays, cultural criticism, formal analysis, and humor pieces. Their critical essays are generally 1,500 to 3,000 words long. They pay $50 per essay. For details, refer to this page.
Little White Lies is a London-based bi-monthly film magazine that is “committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them.” The magazine keeps film lovers entertained by featuring progressive writing, illustrations and photography. Payment reports suggest that they pay up to $0.11 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.
SVLLY(wood) is a biannual movie magazine which is “geared towards building a new cinephilia through diverse themes and leftist ideology.” They accept pitches (of 300 to 400 words) that outline the potential piece and its link to the issue’s theme. They pay $40 to $50 per essay. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines page.
Film Quarterly publishes articles, reviews, and interviews about “all aspects of film history, film theory, and the impact of film, video, and television on culture and society.” They pay $50 for articles (of 1,000 words or less) for the Quorum section of their website. For details, refer to this page.
Artforum is a magazine focused on the world of contemporary art. They also focus on film, photography, music, fashion, and architecture. According to payment reports, they pay an average of $0.32 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
Freelance Video Collective is a “UK network for film, TV and video production jobs.” They are looking for freelancers (with a background in film and TV) to write guest posts for their video production blog. They want articles of 800 to 900 words. They pay £60 per article. To learn more, visit this page.
Flood Magazine is a quarterly magazine that spans the cultural landscape of film, television, music, art, and travel. According to payment reports, they pay up to $0.15 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
Luma is an online quarterly publication about independent film and media art. It is published by the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society. They publish “critical essays, news, reviews, event previews, interviews, reflections, and photo/video essays about culturally relevant productions, events and ideas.” They pay successful contributors an honorarium of $200 per submission. To learn more, visit this page.
Crooked Marquee is a movie website. They entertain, inform, and empower their readers by providing them with amusing insights and unique perspectives regarding the industry. They want writers who are based in the U.S. and have a U.S. bank account. Their pay starts at $50 per piece. To learn more, read their writers guidelines.
Offscreen is a monthly online film journal that features essays, interviews, reviews and festival reports. They frequently produce special thematic issues. They want reviews and festival reports of at least 1,000 words and essays of at least 2,000 words. They pay up to $150 (Canadian dollars). To learn more, read their contributor guidelines.
Little White Lies is a London-based bi-monthly film magazine that is “committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them.” The magazine keeps film lovers entertained by featuring progressive writing, illustrations and photography. Payment reports suggest that they pay up to $0.11 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.
Cineaste offers social, political and aesthetic perspective on cinema. Book reviews should deal with newly published books (or up to two years old), and may be single-book or multiple-book reviews. They encourage review-essays in which the discussion serves as a vehicle for a broader treatment of ideas or issues, and individual book reviews should be 1,000-1,500 words. They also publish feature articles, interviews, film reviews, DVD and Blu-Ray reviews, and columns. Pay is $18 for Short Take reviews, $36 for book or DVD reviews (in the case of book or DVD reviews posted on their website as Web Exclusives, no cash payment is offered), $45 for film reviews and short articles, columns, sidebar interviews, or essays, and $90 for feature articles or interviews. Details here.
Metro Magazine is Australia’s film and media magazine, run by the Australian Teachers of Media association. They publish essays, articles, reviews and interviews that analyse the film and media cultures of Australia and the Asia-Pacific. They pay up to $350 AUD per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Afterimage is a bimonthly publication that covers visual arts, photography, independent film and video, new media, and alternative publishing. They cover issues and debates within art history, visual and cultural studies, media studies, and related fields. They have features, essays, reviews, reports, news, media noted sections for writers, and double exposure, which are collaborations of photography and prose. The magazine is partly funded by New York State Council on the Arts. They pay $0.05/word for articles, max $300 for features, $150 for essays and $100 for news, reports and reviews. When I last checked, it was not clear whether their funding was still able to support paying writers. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
