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Project talent discovery
It’s time to get your 180 second TV pilot pitch in for the Optus ONE80Project, for a chance to win cash and seeing your idea come to life.
In a technological age built on sheer volume it may sometimes be forgotten that all good things start small. For four years now a joint project between MTV and Optus has been offering young filmmakers the chance to plant the seedling of an idea for an hour long drama by submitting a 180 second pilot. The best ten are featured on the website and the winner of the ONE80Project then goes on to hang some meat on their lean hook and develop it into something special.
Over the years entries have ranged from the macabre to the sublime, and the comic to (slightly) ridiculous. Last year Reuben Field and Dean Bates [pictured in foreground], however, also entered a stunningly emotive short named Wauchope - named after the small town Field was raised in. In one fleeting moment they managed not only to fully engage the viewer, but to leave them wanting more.
"The judges unanimously picked Wauchope as the pilot to be developed into a one hour drama," enthused MTV Networks Australia's Rebecca Batties. "The story is classic, but creators Reuben Field and Dean Bates have breathed new life into the story of Australian school kids with seemingly no hope and the teacher who wants to change their lives."
MTV have admirably risen to the challenge of fostering new talent and helping generate a new generation of Australian drama. Field, who has just finished grading his completed hour long drama, now entitled Dungoona, can attest to the challenges, rewards and value of the experience. "It's the first time I've fully applied the skills I've spent a long time learning," he says. "One of the ideas Dean and myself originally had was about growing up in a bit of a shit country town - which both Dean and myself did. We figured that if we won, we would get to make something and if we didn't we still had three minutes of pitch."
Winning the Project however has meant that they have gone on to seriously explore the potential of their own stories. And they have enlisted some handy names to help. One of the actors involved in the final product is Kat Stewart (lately of Underbelly notoriety). "Kat Stewart was a long shot - we never thought she'd do it because we were small fish and she'd become a big fish with Underbelly and so on. But she really empathised with the story because she'd grown up in country Victoria and she recognised the characters."
The guidance from MTV has also made a big difference to the outcome of their project according to Field. "One great thing that the ONE80Project people did was to seek out a supervisor for the development of the idea," he says. "We worked with Imogen Banks (who is working on the new pay TV series Tangle) and she became our script supervisor to make sure we didn't stuff it up. She helped us when we were taking the idea in a slightly different direction in the early days. It was originally more straight Ken Loach material - particularly as it focused on the main fifteen year old girl's pregnancy. It was perhaps a little more heavy and depressing. But Imogen reminded us that part of what was cool about what we were doing was that just because a fifteen year old girl is pregnant it didn't have to be heavy and dark. Because that's not what people in country towns are like. They're still full of life and energy".
The judging panel has also collected some big names in the past. Amongst them this year is David Gale, Executive Vice President of MTV Films and Producer behind such flicks as Election and Orange County (to name only a couple). Reuben Field, meanwhile, is looking straight ahead. "We have now made effectively both a strong TV pilot and short feature film. We did this intentionally because we wanted it to be versatile. We are now talking with MTV about putting it into festivals around the world as a short feature, and we hope that it has a future on television in Australia as well. Rebecca Batties is enthusiastically supporting and promoting the film throughout MTV and around the world. It has been a fantastic opportunity."
Entries are now open for the Optus ONE80Project. If you have an idea for a drama series, hit the Optus ONE80 website and submit your 180 second pilot. There's a share in $20,000 cash up for grabs and the chance to work with the MTV production crew to bring your idea to life.