The rules

The competition

The Pitch invites original Pitches of up to two (2) minutes in length, showcasing the potential of the entrant to make a film. It will demonstrate this with a Pitch for an original contemporary short film (running length 10-20 minutes) that takes inspiration from a biblical story, parable, character or book.  Any genre is acceptable and the Pitch may be a simple piece to camera telling the story, or it may be a storyboard, pilot piece, etc.

Each Pitch must be accompanied by the official entry form (available from 1 June), which will outline the case for supporting the film maker; citing the biblical source material for the Pitch; and a rationale for the choice of material. 

The competition is open to everyone aged 18 years or over.

Entry is conditional upon full agreement to The Rules and The Small Print (see further below).

The competition will take place over three rounds (round one, round two and final round).

Round one: Invitation to submit

All Pitches being submitted must be uploaded to The Pitch Website between 1 May and 12 October 2012.  It will not be possible to submit a Pitch after midday on 12 October 2012. 

Selection of Pitches to be ‘in competition’ will be made by the Pitch Team, who will select, at their sole discretion, pitchers whom it believes are equipped to impact the world through art and film.  Pitches will be critiqued based on the following criteria:

1. skill and ability to communicate
2. passion and vision for film making
3. understanding of the Biblical topic
4. originality
5. contemporary approach

The initial judging for this round will be undertaken by The Pitch Team consisting of film professionals, theologians, communication and media production staff. The Pitch Team will screen and select pitches to be included in round two. Pitches will be selected for inclusion based on multiple criteria represented in The Pitch project judging criteria.

Round two: Submissions ‘in competition’

This round will comprise of two judging phases, first the general public and second our judges. The Pitches will be displayed on www.enterthepitch.com from 1–30 November 2012 for public voting to select a shortlist that will be presented to our judges.

Online viewer votes combined with internal judges votes will account for a percentage of the score.

The judges for this round of the competition will be taken from the following Anna Cox, David Suchet, Martin Kiszko, David Oyelowo, Nick Park, and Nev Pierce. All judges availability is subject to change due to their media engagements.

The ten highest scoring Pitchers will be considered to be the 10 finalists and will then compete in the final round of competition.

The final round:

The ten finalists will be notified by telephone on or before 21 December 2012.  Pitch selections will be publicly announced on 3 January 2013 on www.enterthepitch.com. 

The ten finalists will be invited to participate in the finalists’ weekend, taking place on 12–13 January 2013 at  the Pinewood Studios.  Finalists will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements except for the 3 finalists who will be given accommodation for the Saturday night – see below). The weekend will include making a face-to-face pitch with the judges and a subsequent interview. There will also be a variety of activities including workshops, screenings and critique.

Only three of the ten finalists will go through to day two (13 January).  The Pitch will arrange and pay for accommodation on Saturday 12 January for the three finalists. 

The winner will be announced on Sunday 13 January. 

The Big Prize - what the winner receives

The winner will work with a budget (which has a cash value in access of £30,000) to make their short film, of 10–20 minutes.   They will be expected to demonstrate the ability to undertake the practical production of the film but they will be offered production assistance from an established film production company.

The short film will be filmed, and completed during the first half of 2013, at dates to be agreed with the winner. This will take into account the period for pre-production and will proceed to principle photography as and when the project is ready.

The winning Pitcher will then take their film to Los Angeles when completed in 2013, where they will meet with industry professionals who will give them feedback on their film and advice. The winning Pitcher will be allowed to take one other person from their film making team with them, or a person of their choice.  The industry professionals will be people such as Ralph Winter (Producer X-Men; Fantastic Four; Wolverine) (although The Pitch retains the right to alter and amend the meetings as necessary with due regard to the availability of individuals). 

THE SMALL PRINT

The following are non-negotiable requirements of entry. By completing and submitting an official entry form, you are agreeing to be bound by terms and conditions set out below. The Pitch reserves the right to amend and alter these rules without notice.

Definitions
The following definitions shall apply in these rules:

• ‘Pitch’ a pitch submitted to The Pitch Website and accompanied by an official entry form.
• ‘Pitcher’ a person submitting a Pitch
• ‘The Pitch Team’ the individuals organizing the competition identified on The Pitch Team page
• ‘The Pitch Website’ the website located at www.enterthepitch.com

Content

• The Pitch must clearly demonstrate, both in the visual and accompanying written material, that the underlying source material is biblical.
• A completed entry form must accompany each pitch submission. Pitches not accompanied by an official entry form will not be considered.
• Any Pitch in excess of 2 minutes shall be automatically disqualified.
• Submissions must be made in English or use English subtitles.
• Any content that is deemed, at the absolute discretion of The Pitch Team, to be blasphemous, offensive, pornographic, defamatory or obscene or in any other way against the spirit of the competition shall be disqualified.

Eligibility

• The Pitch is open to film makers eligible to work in the UK. All Pitchers who are not UK residents (or currently residing in the UK) must be able to attend the Finalists Weekend on 12–13 January 2013 at Pinewood Studios, England. It is the responsibility of the Pitcher to meet all costs of travel and accommodation and to arrange all necessary visa requirements resulting from participation in the competition.
• Previous Pitchers may submit to The Pitch 2012, but no pitch previously submitted to the competition will be considered.
• Pitchers must be 18 or over.
• Employees of The Pitch Team and members of their immediate families (including any live-in partner) are ineligible to enter. Any such entries will be invalid.
• Pitchers must hold a full passport and be eligible to enter the USA.
• Pitchers’ passports must be valid for at least 12 months from April 2013.
• Pitchers must be able to attend the Finalists’ Weekend should their Pitch be shortlisted.
• Only one Pitch per Pitcher may be submitted.
• Pitchers may work in small teams to develop a series of ideas but, if selected, only one person per team will be invited to attend the Finalists’ Weekend.  Teams must nominate the individual at the time of entry.
• All Pitches must be submitted by midday on 12 October 2012.
• The winner’s film must be produced during the first half of 2013.
• All content that is not in violation of terms but is deemed unsuitable for minors will require age verification prior to viewing and voting if the Pitch is selected to participate in Round two.

Format

The Pitcher is responsible for ensuring that their Pitch is uploaded to The Pitch website in one of the formats outlined. 

• All Pitches must be in 16:9 ratio.

Please see the technical information page for more information about uploading your Pitch.

Ownership

• The Pitcher must be the producer, director, or creator/writer, of the Pitch.
• The Pitcher must be the originator/owner of the short film for which they are pitching.
• The Pitch must not be currently under consideration by another production company, investor or development consortium.
• The Pitcher must not have sold, conveyed, granted or assigned any right, title or interest in the Pitch, and the Pitcher guarantees there are no legal encumbrances on the submitted Pitch of any kind, and that the Pitcher is not subject to, nor is it aware of any matters, facts or circumstances which could lead to, any claims, proceedings or litigation or other allegation of infringement, in respect of the Pitch.
• Pitches may not contain any music or other item (including without limitation, trademarks or copyrightable material) for which the Pitcher does not have a valid and subsisting license.  It is the responsibility of the Pitcher to clear all material.  If there is any doubt, The Pitch Team will take all reasonable steps to clarify the situation with the Pitcher but may disqualify the Pitch at their discretion.
• An uploaded Pitch shall not have been previously broadcast, transmitted or commercially distributed prior to its submission to The Pitch Website, nor shall a submitted Pitch have previously received any awards or accolades from any other competition.
• The Pitcher must own all title right and interest in the submitted Pitch, including, without limitation, the worldwide copyright in the Pitch and any and all extensions and renewals of that copyright.
• The Pitcher hereby grants The Pitch Team and competition organisers a royalty-free,  non exclusive (subject to the following), worldwide license, in perpetuity, for the life of copyright, to exhibit, broadcast, transmit, display, distribute, reproduce in copies, couple with other pitches, synchronize and otherwise perform the submitted Pitch.
• All rights in and to the film made by the winning Pitcher (film to be between10-20 minutes running time and based on the Pitcher’s original Pitch and as further defined) herein shall be wholly owned by The Pitch Team.
• If shortlisted, The Pitch Team shall have the exclusive right to upload, post, transmit, display and broadcast the submitted Pitch over the Internet on The Pitch Website, or otherwise, for a period of 2 years following the submission of the uploaded Pitch, and all Pitchers shall use reasonable efforts to prevent any posting, transmission, display or broadcast of the submitted Pitch over the Internet, including, without limitation via YouTube and similar websites without the express written consent of The Pitch Team and the competition organisers. The Pitch Team and competition organisers reserve the right to broadcast or display all submitted Pitches on other websites at its sole discretion.

Prize

No matter the previous experience and background of the Pitcher, the Pitcher should have a vision for their future role in the industry as producer, director or writer. During the process, and particularly the Finalist’s Weekend, The Pitch Team and judges will, in discussion with the winner, determine the most appropriate role for the winner in the production of the winning film. In doing this, The Pitch Team will seek to build and develop a crew and cast around the Pitcher in a way that best supports and develops the gifts of the winner. The judges’ decision in these matters will be final.

The USA

The Pitch Team and competition organisers will pay for two economy class airfares between London and Los Angeles, and will provide accommodation for six nights for the winning Pitcher and one other person of their choice.  A total of $500 spending money will be given to cover food and other incidentals. 

The Pitcher shall be responsible for travel insurance and all necessary legal paperwork,  i.e. valid and subsisting passports (with at least six months before renewal is required at the time of travel), visas (where appropriate) and ESTA forms for the Pitcher and his or her selected travelling companion and proof must be provided of these prior to travel.

The prize is not transferable. No cash or credit alternatives will be offered.

The Voting - Terms and conditions

The Pitches in consideration are selected by an internal panel at The Pitch and displayed on the website for voting by the public 1-30 November 2012. The Public vote will be combined with the internal panel vote to select a shortlist for the judges (Anna Cox, Stuart Hazeldine, Martin Kiszko, Nick Park, and Nev Pierce).

All voters must be over the age of 15 before the voting commences. Each person voting will have to watch at least six pitches and vote for three. Only one set of votes is allowed per person. If evidence is found of a person multiple voting, all such votes will be disqualified. The Internal Panel has the final decision.