Questions, frequently asked by fans
Because we love movies...don’t you?
The only thing more fun than watching movies is making them, so we figured why not make the movies that fans want to see by asking all of you which ideas you like the best. To this we challenge filmmakers to start building an audience before the cameras even start rolling, and that means getting YOU to participate in the process by supporting them!
1. There’s a change happening in the entertainment industry. No longer is it simply film and television. There is ONLY CONTENT and it can be distributed with wifi and a laptop. The problem is there are now millions of creative voices. We want to help some of those voices be heard.
2. In an industry plagued by indecision, CineCoup aims to give all Filmmakers a quick “Yes” or “No” instead of a long string of “Maybes” based on how well their idea is received by fans...YOU.
3. Most importantly we’re looking for talented people who understand that being a filmmaker is being an entrepreneur as well. Look at all your favorite filmmakers. From Walt Disney to J.J. Abrams (do you think the same person gets to reinvent BOTH Star Trek and Star Wars based on directing ability alone?) they all realized early on that they needed more than a script to find success. We’re hoping this process will guide filmmakers and awaken that entrepreneurial spirit inside of them.
Simple, AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION HELPS TEAMS ADVANCE!
You need to WATCH videos, RATE videos, SHARE videos, complete FAN REWARDS, and EARN VOTES which you can use to help your favourite team advance towards that sweet production money!
You need get behind your favourite teams and scream their awesomeness across the inter-webs! The more fans participate, the more it helps! Here’s how it breaks down:
Approximately 12 weeks.
ADVANCEMENT PERIOD: Monday, March 16 to Sunday, June 14, 2015*. Filmmakers create content to develop their projects. CineCoup publishes the content while fans share it over the internet to promote their favourite teams.
*Dates are subject to change.
Anyone over the age of 18!
It doesn’t matter which country you call home! Invite your friends, share the awesome, and support your favourite filmmakers! Fandom has no borders!
A better question is why not? This all about supporting filmmakers and making the movies that YOU want to see. So if you don’t participate the only logical explanation is that you hate movies and filmmakers (and probably kittens too) and you want to crush their dreams. Why would you do that?! What did kittens ever do to you?!
Also, participating helps get the content you want onto the screens you like to watch. TELL US WHAT YOU WANT by supporting some talented filmmakers and their great ideas.
CineCoup is looking for genre films, such as Sci-Fi, Horror, Action, Thriller, and Comedy. Also acceptable are documentaries whose subject matter falls within these genres and their target demographics (eg, King of Kong, Indie Game: The Movie, Trekkies, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, etc.)
Great examples include movies that can be pitched on their title alone. Brilliant films such as Jaws, Star Wars or WolfCop (available on DVD and Blu-ray March 10!).
What we’re really looking for are strong TEAMS. A group of filmmakers who compliment each other, support each other, and when the pressure is on... together they get the sh*t done.
A common misconception among young filmmakers is that all you need is a good idea and a script. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You also need the right doors to be opened at the right time, a strong pitch, and the desire to keep moving forward after a door has been slammed in your face.
ALL TEAMS who participate will:
FOR TOP PROJECTS, CineCoup will:
No, CineCoup is not a contest. It’s an independent studio that’s focused on supporting independent projects and bringing creative talent into the public eye to help filmmakers connect with untapped audiences.
The advancement process is decided through fan participation, which combines Performance Indicators, voting, and evaluation from CineCoup producers. CineCoup does not offer a “prize”, but instead guarantees to option a minimum of five projects and finance one project with (up to) $1 Million in production financing and a release in Cineplex Theatres.
You can think that, but you’d be wrong.
We wait for thousands of fans to tell us what they want through their participation in the CineCoup website (no one’s forcing fans to watch videos, rate videos, share videos, or vote for projects). Through a combination of Performance Indicators (based on fan participation) and voting, the project selection is narrowed to five teams. From those Final 5 CineCoup selects one that that has the most potential and can be realistically made for a budget of up to $1 Million. There is no secrecy to the process.
If you have doubts, check out 2013’s Top Project, WolfCop.
With your help!
Teams complete “Filmmaker Missions”, while moving through what we call “Advancement Gateways”, where both a project’s Performance Indicators and voting results determine if it moves forward.
While audience support is a key element to success, CineCoup is not a popularity contest. Our performance algorithms are designed to reward qualitative over quantitative engagement, which is a fancy way of saying we’re measuring everything!
Performance Indicators are how we measure how much fans are participating.
For example:
PLEASE NOTE: To prevent unfair gaming (cheating), CineCoup is unable to publish exact details relating to its Performance Indicators.
If CineCoup receives more than 120 eligible applications, we will select internally 120 teams for advancement at our sole discretion and announce that Top 120 at 9:00 PM ET Monday, March 23, 2015 on the Website (date subject to change).
IMPORTANT! Teams that do not advance to the Top 120 may continue submitting content for their Project to be considered for Wildcard Advancement (SEE “What are Wildcards” under Voting).
They are weekly homework assignments, so filmmakers know what they need to create to entertain you from one week to another!
Every Monday at 9:00 PM ET, CineCoup publishes the new mission content. Teams need you to help promote that mission content by RATING, COMMENTING and SHARING it on Facebook and Twitter.
Well that varies, but if you Google any of them you’ll find they’re kinda big deals themselves…
CineCoup 2013 featured:
ComedyCoup 2014 featured:
Our intention is to announce the panel in advance of the Top 15.
A Wildcard is when CineCoup advances a project through Advancement Gateways regardless of Performance Indicators and voting results.
CineCoup reserves the right to consider any Project for “Wildcard” advancement, in its absolute and sole discretion.
If (for example) a team does not make the Top 120 selection, they can continue submitting content to be considered for Wildcard Advancement. Upon the close of the Top 60 Voting Window, they could find themselves back in the game!
There will be THREE (3) scheduled voting windows during the Advancement Period when fans can login to the website and cast votes to help their favourite teams advance.
During Voting Windows, fans can cast all their votes for one team, or they can distribute their votes amongst several teams.
All Fans are awarded 5 votes just for registering. Fans can earn additional votes by completing new “Fan Rewards” which are revealed every week on the page (which will be revealed on March 16).
Between the beginning and the end of the Advancement Period fans can earn a total of 50 VOTES!
When a Voting Window opens you will find VOTE buttons near the top right of every project page. Just click on the VOTE buttons to cast your votes.
When Voting Windows are closed, those vote buttons are inactive.
We reset your votes when each Voting Window closes, that way you can use them all again when the next window opens! So remember to cast ALL your votes!
Fan Rewards are a weekly challenges that you can complete to earn votes.
All Fan Rewards have 4 components, which involve watching that week’s new content. For Example:
The Trailer
So for watching just a few trailers, not only do you support your favourite teams, but you can earn 6 votes.
You do if you want a shot at being the Uberfan.
The Fan Rewards system encourages you to sample a little bit of everything. These Teams need your help! They are trying to get your attention and we’re hoping you’ll spend a little time sampling some of Canada’s great talent. The Rewards help you do this.
Yes.
To prevent unfair gaming (cheating), you must be a registered user and sign in to cast any vote during a designated voting window.
All votes are audited and verified algorithmically to identify and rectify any incidents of cheating.
Superfans are the most active Canadian fans on the CineCoup website and they are recognized on the Superfan Leaderboard. The Top 50 Superfans can compete to become the CineCoup “Uberfan” (see next FAQ) and win a trip to Banff, AB!
Activity that contributes to your Superfan ranking includes:
You get a lovely trip to Banff Alberta to attend the BIG DEAL EVENT at the Banff World Media Festival in June as one of the panelists who will sit on stage to watch the Final 5 Big Deal pitches!
You even get to hammer those Final 5 teams with some questions, live on stage, while they sit before you in the hot seat!