When “On the Lot” ended, the winning director was ushered into DreamWorks by Steven Spielberg. YouTube’s Project Direct can’t offer quite so admirable a prize, but participants will still be able to gain some great exposure.
YouTube, HP Sponsor Film Contest
Their task: to create a two-to-seven minute film in which “[a] character . . . must face a situation above his or her maturity level.” Also, according to YouTube’s press release, “[e]ach film must include the line ‘I demand an explanation for these shenanigans. What do you have to say?’”
Finally, “[a] character must pass a photograph to someone else.” The first requirements may just be there to provide some flavor; the last one is likely due to Hewlett-Packard’s involvement.
Following the submissions process, Jason Reitman, the writer and director behind “Thank You For Smoking,” will review the films and (along with a panel of judges) select 20 finalists. The YouTube community can then vote for the overall winner.
And here’s where we get to the good stuff. YouTube states, “The winner . . . will spend nine days as a guest of Hewlett-Packard at a top international Film Festival where they will attend special events, including a meeting with Fox Searchlight production executives. The winner will also receive a $5,000 debit card and have their video played on the YouTube homepage in seven countries.”
Project Direct doesn’t guarantee a position at a movie studio. But interested directors have from October 7th until November 9th to get their foot in this proverbial door.
