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$50,000 Reasons to like writersandfilmmakers.com

Best short film competition - EVER!!

The winning filmmaker wins up to $25,000 to shoot one of the top 10 scripts. Winning writer receives up to $10,000 for their short script!

Writers judge filmmakers and filmmakers judge writers. It’s that simple! We fund you to collaborate.

The writers review films and decide the best filmmaker. The filmmakers read scripts and decide the top 10 scripts. The winning filmmaker selects one of the top 10 scripts to shoot and we fund the production. The screenwriter gets paid and their script made. The filmmaker gets funded to shoot the script.

No need for connections to get accepted into the festival. You are the judge! If you are a writer, you want the best filmmaker. If you are a filmmaker you want the best script! Writers can't judge writers. Filmmakers can't judge filmmakers.

Visit www.writersandfilmmakers.com to enter for free and pay when the competition starts (That way we are not holding your money). Approximately 500 writers and 500 filmmakers can enter - That is a maximum of 1000 entries. Imagine competing with only 500 people. TIFF and Sundance had over 15,000 submissions last year.

The filmmaker owns 100% of the film. Writersandfilmmakers.com owns 0%.


www.writersandfilmmakers.com
 
Hi Directorik,

In the months of February and March 2015 we had over 200 entries each. In April, the traction slowed considerably because I was off shooting a short and couldn't market the competition.

So, I can't tell you the exact number. Very sorry, I hope you understand, it's not that I don't want to, but if i told you it was 999 entries, you'd probably sign up right away. If i told it was 400, you'd wait and probably forget about it.

We made it free to enter until the competition starts, so that we are not holding people's money. We also have a mailer so you can keep up to date if you don't want to join the fun.

Let me know if you have any concerns/thoughts.

Jonthan
 
The problem I have with these is integrity and capability. While I'm not accusing you, from what I've seen so far, I'm not convinced my money would be safe. What assurances is there that you will distribute the funds are promised? If you get 1000 entries from both, that's a lot of money. $200k in fact. That's s lot of temptation.

That's also assuming you'll get there. While I applaud you with the idea of not holding on to the money until it's ready to go, what would happen if I join, you take a year or two to get this together and I don't need you anymore?
 
So, I can't tell you the exact number. Very sorry, I hope you understand, it's not that I don't want to, but if i told you it was 999 entries, you'd probably sign up right away. If i told it was 400, you'd wait and probably forget about it.
I'm sorry you read so much into my question. I am a curious
person. I really like the concept. I was curious as to how well
it's working. My curiosity had nothing at all to do with me
signing up or not signing up.

I have a few more questions but I think I'll back off.

Best of luck!
 
The problem I have with these is integrity and capability. While I'm not accusing you, from what I've seen so far, I'm not convinced my money would be safe. What assurances is there that you will distribute the funds are promised? If you get 1000 entries from both, that's a lot of money. $200k in fact. That's s lot of temptation.

That's also assuming you'll get there. While I applaud you with the idea of not holding on to the money until it's ready to go, what would happen if I join, you take a year or two to get this together and I don't need you anymore?

Hi Sweetie,
I think your comment is a good one. It's making me think I should set up a completion bond style account, not accessible by us, only a third party for when the competition is done.

Also, where do you get 200k? 50k and 100k raised, but that's two separate competitions.

I know we don't know each other, but i'm not doing this for money (yet). If you know a thing or two about building a good website, marketing, lawyers, transaction and banking fees, you can figure out my margins. So why am I doing this? After 5 runs, I hope to break even and make my own movie with the best of the best. You can check out my personal site (www.writerfilmmaker.com) I hate directing and just want to write and produce.

As for your second comment, If you want to bail, you just don't pay when the competition starts and the pot shrinks by one. The competition will go on without you. We don't own the content you upload, and it's private...you have nothing to lose.

Good luck! Hope I answered your concerns.
 
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I'm sorry you read so much into my question. I am a curious
person. I really like the concept. I was curious as to how well
it's working. My curiosity had nothing at all to do with me
signing up or not signing up.

I have a few more questions but I think I'll back off.

Best of luck!

Directorik,
Oh, didn't mean to offend. Ask away! I'm glad you are genuinely interested!
 
I think your comment is a good one. It's making me think I should set up a completion bond style account, not accessible by us, only a third party for when the competition is done.

I think this would help waylay fears from some film makers who are concerned with the large amount of people trying to scam them. A reputable firm may help lend creditability.

Since you're also a film maker, the next hurdle you may need to overcome is that you have a potential vested interest in winning the competition yourself. It would be a good idea to exclude yourself from the competition and make it known that everyone involved, family etc are ineligible to enter. It's not enough to be above board, you need to show that you are.

Also, where do you get 200k? 50k and 100k raised, but that's two separate competitions.

1000 film makers @$100 each = $100k. Ass 1000 writers at $100 each = $100k. Total = $200k. I took a quick look back at your site and there are options for shorts. I just didn't pay any attention to that option.

I know we don't know each other, but i'm not doing this for money (yet). If you know a thing or two about building a good website, marketing, lawyers, transaction and banking fees, you can figure out my margins. So why am I doing this? After 5 runs, I hope to break even and make my own movie with the best of the best. You can check out my personal site (www.writerfilmmaker.com) I hate directing and just want to write and produce.

I used to work in event management. There's a saying that we used to say. "The fastest way to lose money is to run events. The fastest way to make money is to run events."

The event industry is a very tough industry these days. I left it for a reason.

I just chased you down on Facebook and sent you a friend request.
 
I think this would help waylay fears from some film makers who are concerned with the large amount of people trying to scam them. A reputable firm may help lend creditability.

Since you're also a film maker, the next hurdle you may need to overcome is that you have a potential vested interest in winning the competition yourself. It would be a good idea to exclude yourself from the competition and make it known that everyone involved, family etc are ineligible to enter. It's not enough to be above board, you need to show that you are.



1000 film makers @$100 each = $100k. Ass 1000 writers at $100 each = $100k. Total = $200k. I took a quick look back at your site and there are options for shorts. I just didn't pay any attention to that option.



I used to work in event management. There's a saying that we used to say. "The fastest way to lose money is to run events. The fastest way to make money is to run events."

The event industry is a very tough industry these days. I left it for a reason.

I just chased you down on Facebook and sent you a friend request.

Sweetie,
So, 1000 total. it's 500writers and 500filmmakers, not 1000 and 1000. So it's $100,000 raised for features. You are competing with only 500 people. Try finding that anwhere with these funds? You won't!

thanks for the friend request!!!

Oh, Yeah...I'm not in the competition, nor is my team. That's a given.
 
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I'm not going to enter. I am at the stage in my career where this
is of no benefit to me. I'm not interested in making a short and I
have made way too many under $80,000 features to want to
make another. That said, I like the concept and I know several
filmmakers who might like to make a $50,000 feature. But the
concept raises questions. Questions not addressed in your FAQ

Staying strictly to the “Feature Film Competition” category:

What happens to the entry fee if you do not get enough submissions?
If you get 200 paid submissions that's only $20,000. I know you
have admin and capital costs so you will be taking a percentage of
that twenty large. So the winner gets much less than $50,000 to
make a feature. Could be as little as $10,000. Is that the plan?
The winning filmmaker (and writer) get a percentage of the total
money raised by the entry fees? It might be good to mention what
percentage of the total the winners will receive.

Do I understand correctly that as of now you are not collecting the
fees? People are entering without paying and will then pay when you
have all 500? You mention people bailing and the pot shrinks by one.
What if 350 of them bail? I'm thinking that $100 is a lot of money to
most filmmakers to loose and 499 people will lose their $100. People
will sign up for something they are not paying for and then drop out.
In your research what do you feel the drop out rate is likely to be?
Do you need to sign up 1,000 people (for a 50% drop out) or more?
Or less? At what number to you collect the entry fee?

To your credit you do very clearly state the the winner will receive
“up to” the total amount so there is no confusion about that. On a
personal level that would concern me if I were entering. I might be
willing to risk $100 to get $50,000 But I would be less inclined to risk
$100 to get $10,000 to make a feature.
 
Hi directorik,

Thanks for your questions!

Some people are paying upfront, while most are signing up with the differed payment option.

Short answer: As this is a community driven process, we let the community decide if we start based on the funding raised.

Long Answer: When we hit 1000 entries we will stop accepting entries. We will send out an email asking people to pay. When the time is up we will advise how big the pot is. The percentage numbers are already very clear in the faq examples. So 50% to Filmmaker, 20% to Writer. %30 to W&F.com. Once we have the pot info we will share it with all. Then do a vote (that's how we roll! We vote on who is the best, we vote on who should be funded, we vote on whether the pot is big enough).

I have no research available on the 'bail out' rate. As this has never been done before. It says on every button you push the cost of entry...so it's not a surprise. But I understand that life happens, you lose your job, etc.

Hope this answers the questions. Keep'em coming! I might add your scenario to the faq's...
 
The percentage numbers are already very clear in the faq examples. So 50% to Filmmaker, 20% to Writer. %30 to W&F.com.
True. But I was talking about the percentage of what.

If you only get, say, 500 paid entries of $100 that's $50,000 so the
winning filmmaker gets $25,000, the winning writer gets $10,000.

If you only get 200 paid entries the winning filmmaker gets $10,000.

That wasn't clear in the FAQ.

That, to me, changes the contest. As I said, I might be willing to risk
$100 to get $50,000 (a great deal!) but not so enthusiastic about
spending $100 to get $10,000. I didn't get find this information in
you FAQ. Perhaps it should be included.

I still think this is a great concept and if you all the needed paid entries
it will be a fine deal for the winner.
 
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