Pitching the Perfect Crime

The Perfect Crime Pitch

Summary

We’ve all thought we could come up with perfect crime. If only given time, we could get away with it. Well, be it murder or theft or anything else, now is your chance to do the crime and not the time. Prelude2Cinema is seeking writers to submit pitches for the first season of “Out of Darkness.” This new TV series created by Emmy winning writer and director Alex P. Michaels will be shot in Northeast Ohio during the Fall of 2004. It is a cross between “Cops and “The X-Files.” We will give you the basic premise for the series, the cast of cops and other characters you must include in the story. The criminal(s) and the crime is up to you The cost to enter is $20 (Twenty U.S. Dollars). There will be a grand prize winner who will receive a copy of Final Draft Screenwriting Software, $100 (one hundred U.S. dollars), story credit and a script based on their story will appear in the first season of “Out of Darkness.” Two runner-ups will each receive a promotional mug from the series. All who enter receive an electronic press kit of the TV Series (with posters and info on the cast and crew). The Press Kits will be available September 2004 after the contest closes.

OPEN TO ALL WRITERS FROM ANYWHERE ACROSS THE GLOBE.
CONTEST DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED

Sponsored by Final Draft

Please read all the Info on this page carefully. If you have questions, please Contact Us.

PRIZES

Grand Prize Winner

Final Draft Screenwriting Software ($239 value)
$100 (one hundred U.S. dollars)
Story credit
A script based on their story will appear in the first season of “Out of Darkness.”

First Runner Up

A promotional mug from the series

Second Runner Up

A promotional mug from the series

All who enter Receive:

An electronic press kit of the TV Series (with posters and info on the cast and crew). Available September 2004 after the contest closes.

OFFICIAL RULES

The contest begins July 19, 2004 at 12:00pm and closes September 15, 2004 at 12:00am. It is open to all writers. Contestants must complete application, story pitch and the entry fee and submit it electronically or by U.S. Mail by the contest deadline of September 15, 2004. No entries will be accepted if they do not include the application, story pitch or entry fee. No entries will be accepted after September 15, 2004. The pitch can be any length, but should be the basis for a one-hour story for the TV Series “Out of Darkness.” Scroll down for the link to the Writer’s Guidelines for more info on the Series. Only the winning pitch will be used for the Series..

WHO CAN ENTER

All writers can enter.

If two or more persons enter as a Writing Team, it must state so on the Entry Form. You will share one prize though.

The contest is not open to members of Prelude2Cinema, Prelude Productions, Inc. or their families.

WRITER’S GUIDELINES

Your story must be original. Although it can be based on a real crime, it must contain original characters and elements that make it distinctive. You must also incorporate our main characters and premise into the storyline. The crime must have some impact upon them. The crime must be resolved within the episode. That resolution does not include our cops solving the crime. The criminal can get away or the case be closed without the cops ever finding out who did it and why.

Characters are very important to the TV Series. Read the Writer’s Guidelines very carefully.

Click Here to go to the Writer’s Guideline as a Web page

Get the Writer’s Guidelines as Acrobat Document by Clicking Here

SAMPLE SCRIPT SCENE FROM TV SERIES

Get a scene from a script of “Out of Darkness”

Get the Scene as a Web Page -CLICK HERE

Get the Scene as an Acrobat Document -CLICK HERE

APPLICATION FORM

Click Here to Fill out the Form On-line

Click Here to Print out a Copy of the Form to Mail

ENTRY FEE

To Use PayPal and send in your Entry Fee securely and electronically, CLICK HERE

or send in check or money order to

Prelude Productions, Inc.

2847 Ambler Ave.

Cleveland, OH 44104-4509

All checks and/or money orders should be made out to Prelude Productions, Inc.

Do not send cash. Entry fees will not be returned or adjusted.

FORMAT FOR THE PITCH

The story must be suitable for an hour long TV Series. You can take as many pages as you like to submit your pitch. This would be known officially as a treatment. For our purposes, it will be referred to as a Pitch. Each Pitch must include the following:

The Crime
How investing the crime affects Angie and the Dark
Ideas for how the other characters interact with Angie and the crime
How is the crime resolved (not every crime will be solved successfully, but there should be an “ending” to it in the script.

Try to follow the guidelines provided. The guidelines focus on characters. While this is a cop show, it is still about people. Focus on the Crime. Create new characters. Criminals. Suspects. Have them interact with our characters. Tell a complete story. Beginning. Middle. End.

If you mail in your entry, include on a separate sheet from your Perfect Crime Pitch:

The Title of the Perfect Crime Pitch

Your Name,

Complete Address, City, State, Country and Zip

Phone Number

E-mail

We wish to base all stories on their own merit.

SUBMITTING THE PITCH

You may mail in your pitch with your application form or if you wish to submit it electronically, Contact Us and we will send you an e-mail address to submit it to. Or if you wish to use an online form to submit your pitch, CLICK HERE.

Due to an abundance of SPAM, we no longer have e-mail addresses on our site, but use Feedback Forms.

LEGAL MATTERS

Your crime may be based on a real event, but the Pitch should include unique elements. You must be the author of the Pitch.

AMMENDMENT: August 14, 2004. This does not affect the contest as a whole. Only the Pitch winners submissions will be used by Prelude2Cinema. All other pitches will not be used.

TIMELINE

AMMENDMENT

Pitches accepted July 19, 2004 from 12:00 pm to September 15, 2004 at 12:00 am

Winner Announced September 30, 2004

STEPS TO REMEMBER

1. Read rules

2. Fill out application

3. Pay entry fee

4. Send in pitch (pitch can be sent electronically or by mail). We will verify we have received your pitch. Once submitted, pitches cannot be changed, but you can submit another pitch (with a separate entry fee)

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU WIN

The staff of Prelude2Cinema will evaluate the pitches and narrow them down to the Top 10. The top ten will be judged by a host of celebrity and industry judges and a few ex-law enforcement officers. The winners will be announced September 30, 2004. After that, a team of professionals will take the story idea and create a script for the TV Series. DEPENDING ON YOUR SKILLS, THE WINNER MAY BE ASKED TO WRITE THE STORY. The contest winners will receive their prizes by October 1, 2004.

Visit the Official Site for “Out of Darkness” at

www.prelude2cinema.com/dark.htm