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The 180 second challenge
Budding film and television makers have the opportunity of a lifetime with the OPTUS ONE80PROJECT initiative.
Gearing up for its fourth annual competition is The OPTUS ONE80PROJECT, an initiative that encourages local, aspiring film and television talent to submit an original 180 second television pilot and accompanying treatment for judging, by a panel of judges as well as Optus mobile phone subscribers.
Previous illustrious judges have included Noah Taylor, Abbie Cornish, Emily Barclay, Neil Armfield, Teresa Palmer, Alex Dimitriades and Nash & Joel Edgerton and this year it is US based, international heavyweight producer David Gale (Election, The Longest Yard and Napoleon Dynamite) that will hone in on the winning contender.
Currently the Executive Vice President of New Media at MTV, David Gale was previously head of MTV films and oversaw films such as Napoleon Dynamite, Hustle and Flow, Murderball, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Jackass: The Movie and Jackass Number Two. As such he will be bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to his new role and will not only help select the shortlist but will go on to help decide the winner of the Judges' Choice, one the two distinguished awards, the other being the People's Choice.
The competition opened on Monday November 16 with contenders being able to upload their entries on to the OPTUS ONE80PROJECT website, and will close at 5pm (AEDT), Friday February 12, 2010. Subsequently, a selection of ten shortlisted pilots will be available for viewing by Optus mobile customers on their 3G smartphone or mobile phone via the Optus ZOO Mobile TV site. Pro-active viewers who appreciate the opportunity are able to cast their vote from their mobile or the competition website over five weeks from March 1 to April 5, 2010.
"The OPTUS ONE80PROJECT allows us to offer our customers entertaining and interactive content across mobile, internet and TV platforms while supporting talented Australian TV makers with an opportunity to break into the industry," says Jim Jaques, Marketing Director, Optus Consumer. "More and more of our customers are turning to their mobiles and the internet as a source of entertainment and the OPTUS ONE80PROJECT is another way we are delivering content to meet this demand. We are proud to be supporting the OPTUS ONE80PROJECT for a fourth year and I can't wait to see what this year's entries have to offer."
The OPTUS ONE80PROJECT Awards will be held on Sunday April 18, 2010 and will screen the pilots from the ten finalists, after which the two winning entries, the Judges' Choice and the People's Choice, will be announced. The winner of the Judges' Choice will receive $10,000 cash and a prize package valued at $250,000 that includes working alongside MTV production experts and an MTV Australia Executive Producer to develop and shape their pilot into a full-length multi-platform drama with the final episodes to be shown initially on the Optus ZOO website and later, MTV Australia. The People's Choice winner will receive $10,000 plus a Blackberry prize package.
"This initiative plays an increasingly important role in nurturing the development of young local television talent," said Rebecca Batties, General Manager, Music Brands, MTV Networks Australia and NZ. "It is the only competition of its kind in Australia that invests in the development and creation of fresh television ideas. Now with the addition of David Gale, this year's winner will have more opportunity than ever before to reach a wider audience."
For more information, see the competition website.
Picture caption: Last year's OPTUS ONE80PROJECT winners Reuben Field and Dean Bates.