Amazon the Movie Studio? Yeah Right.
11/17/2010Commentary from Jesse Harris, Award Winning Filmmaker and Executive Director of NFFTY, National Film Festival for Talented Youth
On Tuesday, Amzon.com launched Amazon Studios, what they are calling “a new online business that invites filmmakers and screenwriters around the world to submit full-length movies and scripts to make money, get discovered and get their movie made”.
Amazon’s plan is to hold monthly and yearly contests where they will award Best Film and Best Script awards, giving away 2.7 million split up amongst many projects and individuals. If all you heard was this, it might sound like an interesting idea and a project that aims to support aspiring filmmakers. But it’s not. It’s a PR stunt and an insult to writers and directors everywhere.
Here’s the fine print, and what makes this so shady. First, Amazon Studios isn’t funding great ideas, they are asking for them for free. If you submit a script or “test movie” as they are calling it, you give Amazon an exclusive 18-month option for your project without any pay. Meaning you can’t pitch or sell your idea to anyone else during that 18-month period. If Amazon decides to option it, you could get up to $200,000, but most likely not. As stated in their official rules, Amazon reserves the right to divide up the cash award to multiple individuals who may have contributed to your project. Meaning if someone provided feedback on your film as part of their social feedback platform or if someone submitted a similar project, they may decide to give multiple people who weren’t the original creator, a piece of that prize, or as the rules also sate, “or, if we determine appropriate, no award money at all”. 
It gets worse. Because Amazon Studios doesn’t think their users will want to read full screenplays, they want filmmakers to submit, “test movies”. What’s a test movie you ask? This is how Amazon describes it: “An Amazon Studios test movie should be an inexpensive, full-length movie that tells the whole story of the script in a compelling way, has very good acting and sound, but that doesn’t necessarily have polished production values.” So Amazon wants you to produce a feature length film with no budget, but it must have excellent acting, music and sound? But low production values in other ways is okay? Your other choice is to create a feature length (has to be at least 70 minutes) animatic or storyboard that shows people what your movie would look like. But remember it still needs to have great acting and sound. So basically you have to create a full-length animated film or a no budget live action test movie as your pitch. What a joke.
Oh and if they like your test movie and want to re-make it into a fully funded film, they can take your project to Hollywood and kick you out as the director. They say this on their site.
Basically the goal of Amazon studios is to take original ideas from inexperienced filmmakers and pay them very little or nothing for their work, all while creating an interesting social experiment for their users and a fake PR stunt that Amazon is revolutionizing Hollywood and supporting the next generation of filmmakers.
I can tell you from experience that breaking into Hollywood is hard. I do agree that there should be far greater encouragement from the studios to seek out new talent. But this is not that. If Amazon wanted to support fledgling filmmakers, they could start by supporting the film festivals and organizations that are already working hard to support filmmakers. They do none of this now. Or they could create a real production company that seeks scripts from talented filmmakers without an exclusive option and then fund feature length independent films every month, rather than expect filmmakers to make 90-minute test movies for the fun of it. Think Project Greenlight on a bigger scale. There are plenty of talented up and coming filmmakers in the world. What the independent film world needs is more funding for their films, not an online panel of random folks to give feedback and steal their ideas.
Amazon Studios wants to make films that they can own and make money from. Don’t be tricked into thinking this is a project that aims to actually encourage and support new filmmakers. Amazon may have the power to muscle their way into Hollywood, but we as filmmakers have the power to say no.
READ MY UPDATE: http://nffty.org/explore/your-say/jesses-amazon-studios-update
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At only 24 Jesse Harris, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), is leading the next generation of young and talented filmmakers. Variety agrees, and named Jesse Harris one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment in 2009 for his work at NFFTY. At the age of 17, Jesse wrote, directed, financed and ultimately secured multi-city theatrical release for the feature length drama, Living Life. The film tells the story of a teenage boy battling cancer and how he changes other people’s lives in the process of reconciling himself to his illness.
Learn more at: www.jesseharrisfilms.com
In 2010, we have the right to own our content. Great post.
This is an AMAZING article. Thank you for sharing.
I am glad you wrote this, after reading through the fine print I new this was a terrible thing for filmmakers. The sad thing is people will still submit content, they will still try to get their movie noticed, and they will end up getting burned. This reminds me of all of the spec work competitions for the design industry, often ending with the host company stealing the best idea for a fraction of what it actually costs the designer.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thinks this is a really bad idea, except for maybe high school kids dreaming of making movies. No one who is serious about filmmaking is going to make a “test movie” or wait 18 months for some option to expire. The upside is not worth the wait. You might as well make a no-budget movie and then submit it to festivals or DIY it. This can still lead to a deal if it’s a great film – ask Robert Rodriguez.
Shame on Amazon for bottom feeding naive, aspiring filmmakers. I’m buying my books from Barnes and Noble from now on.
Is it perfect? No. Is it flawed? Probably in many ways. I just don’t get why the immediate reaction (by almost everyone I’ve heard from) is so negative. It’s like, “get your fucking fingers off my hopes and dreams you greedy bastards.”. Give it time to breathe, no? Let it linger. Does everyone really believe that the people behind this thing are sitting in a room, rapping their fingers across a glass table, laughing a nefarious laugh at all the stupid, gullible filmmakers? Is it possible that another avenue is a good thing?
check it – http://stealmyscript.com/amazon-studios-and-the-next-of-what-is-next
As the creator of TriggerStreet.com and a actual producer, I commend this article.
Between this and the James Frey thing, I’m pretty sure people have no respect for writers.
I read the terms and conditions and saw all that, but I figured what the hell. Apart from the “make a low budget movie that’s 70 minutes long” thing which I thought impossible to do, it was worth a try if you submit a decent but otherwise-unlikely-to-be-made script, to at least get some feedback, and potentially get somewhere with it that you wouldn’t if it was just left in a drawer. Between “slim chance” and “none”, in this case I take slim.
I also agree with and commend this article! However I bet all the films that are produced under this new “service” are going to SUCK. http://www.plindie.com/?p=73
Right on! I had this exact reaction when I read their terms. In an era when the technology finally exists to produce, distribute and retain ownership of your own films, these guys are trying to cling to the old middleman game of preying on the desperate. It’s out of character for Amazon, whose platform has lowered the barriers to artists self-publishing books and music.
I call for a world wide boycott of All Amazon products and services. And certainly a boycott of Amazon Studios … what a scam…
It reminds me of how all of these companies take advantage of how young people can create professional looking content by creating a contest where you “win” your payment for making them a commercial. Doritos crash the Superbowl contest is one. People submit tons of ads, then Doritos can pick which one they think is best and pay them $50,000 rather than the $250,000 they would have if they would have hired a marketing firm, director, dp, crew, actors.
If you plan on entering the Amazon Studios contest, be sure to read our blog first! We have up to date coverage and have brand new information about the contest and all of the issues and problems.
http://theauditorz.wordpress.com/
Another BIG PROBLEM @ Amazon Studios –> Their popularity ranking system is totally bogus. Anyone can learn how to game the system and create a top rated script. Scripts like Villain, Electric Sunset, Eyes of Darkness and Undesirables are perfect examples of poorly written screenplays that appear to have been gamed using the Amazon Studios ranking system. This is a poorly flawed system for representing the top ten scripts.
Another BIG PROBLEM @ Amazon Studios –> Their popularity ranking system is totally bogus. Anyone can learn how to game the system and create a top rated script. Scripts like Villain, Electric Sunset, Eyes of Darkness and Undesirables are perfect examples of poorly written screenplays that appear to have been gamed using the Amazon Studios ranking system. This is a poorly flawed system for representing the top ten scripts.
Read my update on Amazon Studios: http://nffty.org/explore/your-say/jesses-amazon-studios-update
Wait guys… they changed the rules already. An option that only you can add a revised version so, does this still mean, they’re still pricks?
Amazon Studios is shooting itself in the foot with the 18-month “free option” agreement. I am a (B-list) professional screenwriter myself, and am friends with many others from A-list to newbies and semi-pros. On the whole, savvy screenwriters are unwilling to submit anything but their “trunk scripts” to Amazon; no way are they willing to tarnish or tie up any GOOD scripts with such terms. (Besides, many of us are ethically opposed to the encroachment of “free options” — this sort of exploitation has made it impossible for most screenwriters to make a living since the late 90s.) The scripts posted on Amazon are mostly atrocious because real screenwriters are unwilling to post any of their better scripts. This is a lose-lose proposition for everyone. I will, however, point out that “free options” are not legally binding, so if you’re wiling to fight to get your script back, go for it.
Ya, that be me. That young and becoming screen writer, and eventual director.
I too bought into “Amazon’s” road to glory. Should have been wearing my 175 reading glasses the day I signed “Yes to the terms of agreement. Perhaps, bereavement would have been a better word.
We were on our way, fame and fortune awaited us. We now had the backing and support from a real movie studio.
A month into “The Amazon Studios” experiment, something got messed up with the account, which led to a three week email battle. I eventually discovered an old phone number , via “Google” search and called them. Was put On hold for a long time , but eventually got through.
Explain: something wasn’t working right.
Tech. No problem. We will just delete the account and create a new account. (Red flag) users have O control over this.
So, make new account, and just like magic, the old account reappear. But, Poof! ,(Missing are all my contact emails, and my original drafts and videos They are gone.
Ring. Tech support:
I now appear to have two accounts, and my revisions are being updated to the wrong account.
Tech; Well that shouldn’t be happening.
That’s when I hung up and did some research on the company. Blog after blog, “Avoid Amazon Studios like the plague. ”
A half an hour later, I called them back and told them to DELETE the account.
What they did was to delete my account access, ALL, everything, including ALL drafts, and test videos are still there. This happened almost ten months ago. Now we know of this companies shady practices.
Now, today, I had a chance to submit that movie, fully edited, and ready for submission… except of this little hiccup. Only it’s times two. A sequel goes with it. Because of Amazon Studio, I can’t submit either movie. How do I fight this?
Mark
To: Mr. Jesse Harris
Thank you for your comments regarding Amazon Studios. Most of us (Screenwriters) do understand the frustration that often comes with being a screenwriter–you have to have an Agent before you can get someone, anyone to look at your work, and no Agent will take you on if you don’t have a proven track record of having something produced. A catch twenty-two as it were.
Knowing this, what are companies like that of your own, doing to assist new talented writers? I hear a great deal of complaining about Amazon from many, many “Producers”, and yet nothing is being done to change the way the industry currently operates.
For many individuals, like myself, Amazon seems to be our only choice.