Moviepals.org is looking for a platform to use for collaborative filmmaking projects – Join us?

photo credit: hainteractive

I'm currently in talks with an advertising agency about working together on a large project that involves the launch of web series using all our combined resources. One of the things we outlined was the potential need for finding a technology partner to build a collaborative platform that would allow contributors to vote, stay up to date on the project and interact with other team members DIRECTLY from their myspace and facebook pages (or other social network). I know this can be done using open social or directly with individual api aps. This type of project could break into the mainstream, especially with all their media and press connections if they get fully behind it.

Specifically it would be amazing if I could find or have a virtual event type system created with web 2.0 tools that would give "regular" people a much easier way to contribute in small ways to the project. I would love it if members could track the main project timeline and focus on particular parts they’re interested in following and attending live collaboration events (like discussions on where the plot should go in the series would be one example) and perhaps live updates and video chat from members of particular filmmaking teams. These collaboration tools already exist in various forms, but putting them all together and making them work is far from user friendly and involves too much of a time commitment. This needs to be easy enough and even if the functionality is limited, if you can contribute to the project completely via a widget on your facebook page, that’s what we need to REALLY get people excited about collaborative and open source movies. Our goals with Moviepals.org is to create original movies with a collaborative approach to filmmaking which takes input from its audience and all levels of contributors. Each project we take on will be announced with a call to action for people to join and contribute. As the projects evolve they often change directions due to the participation from the audience. The more resources the combined team has the more projects can be completed. Our last short film – Jathia’s Wager was only 20 minutes, but there is no limit to the time a film can run. Features outside of documentaries require a VERY large commitment on the part of actors, so I stayed smaller until we have more resources to work with. Some projects require a lot more collaboration then others (which can be done well with a very small team). Jathia’s Wager has a number of actors, special effects, and since half of it was green screened there were lots of opportunities for people to join in. In the short term we're looking for a technology partner to work on this new web series and perhaps provide a long term solution for all the movie projects moviepals.org has and will ever do. This technology partner could provide: Tools to better enable collaboration between movie enthusiasts working together to produce original films. Ideally all these interactions could take place in widgets or api applications. It should also have VERY simple ways to contribute that can be as easy as voting yes or no on a simple question to the audience and be sorted by interested (some people are only interested in helping with the script, others video editing, etc). How Moviepals.org could work with potential technology partners: I’m VERY open to new ideas and we would probably need to have a few brainstorming sessions, because there are a number of directions this could go. This idea is HUGE and can be embraced on different levels. This really depends on how excited and onboard you are to this idea. Here are a few possibilities of relationships Moviepals.org could enter into. 1. We could come to a revenue agreement and plan for compensation of all partners in a specific project (like the new web series), although if I’m going to launch and use it for my filmmaking efforts to send a millions visitsto a particular video communication site I’ll need to be compensated for that. 2. We could create a new business entity for this specific project which would include the collaboration tools branded for collaborative filmmaking and the partners could share in the revenue of this new entity. 3. The press and traffic I receive at moviepals.org could be very beneficial in getting video technology to market and in the mainstream. You could make me an offer (cash, stock, both?)to acquire moviepals.org including the films it’s already produced, the traffic, the team, the brand, everything, add it to your assets and together we could launch this collaborative platform and filmmaking project.