Do you have a screenplay that you think could captivate an audience and draw in viewers if it were to be put in front of the right audience? Well, Whatifi is celebrating the launch of its branching-story development and production platform, Whatifi Studios, by giving screenwriters the chance to win either $200K to produce their "branching" (i.e. Choose Your Own Adventure) scripts or $35K for just their screenplay.
The script contest is aimed at both screenwriters and writer-directors in the US, the UK, and Canada.
With a pitch deadline of July 7th, the company aims to have 5 movies written, funded, and released on Whatifi within 120 days.
“This new contest gives aspiring writers and filmmakers an opportunity to pitch and develop interactive stories for a new generation of film fans,” said Hardi Meybaum, co-founder of Whatifi. “There were no simple tools that would do justice to our story method, so we built those tools ourselves and linked them to our consumer platform. Our first movies (As Dead as It Gets and Anatomy of a Decision) were both tested and delivered in Whatifi Studios.”
What are branching stories?
Commonly called "choose your own adventure," branching stories allow writers to create different outcomes to their ideas as the audience picks what the characters do on the screen.
These have been seen in Netflix and Black Mirror's Bandersnatch along with countless video games.
If you're like me, Whatifi will be is your first experience with writing and shooting a branching movie. So it's nice to deal with people who have done it before and can help troubleshoot along the way. The company’s story method, with social viewing and debate at its core, has been honed for 10 years, and the Whatifi team will help creatives avoid common pitfalls. Contest finalists will receive guidance and support throughout the process.
“Our experiences in developing branching stories will help writers and filmmakers progress with lightning speed,” said Jaanus Juss, co-founder of Whatifi. “We’ll help them avoid our own mistakes, and lean on our institutional knowledge to produce gripping movies for young viewers who want a say in where the story goes.”
Let's talk prize money...
Up to 5 writer-directors who have their script chosen will receive $200,000 to produce it. Screenwriters will receive $35,000 if their original or adapted screenplay is selected.
The pitch deadline is July 7, 2020.
So you better get working on those pitches!
Whatifi is available globally for download for iOS.
For full details on the Screenplay and Film Contest click the link!
Best of luck!
Up next: Get our free screenwriting eBook!
So much of what we're talking about on No Film School when it comes to screenwriting is summarized in our new eBook. It also helps guide you through a 10-week writing plan that will get your script actually finished.
