Kevin Spacey launches online talent hunt

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
Actor Kevin Spacey on Monday unveiled an online initiative to help aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters get their foot in the door. The Academy Award-winning star has launched a Web site called TriggerStreet.com in an effort to create an online community to shine a spotlight on lesser-known creative works. The site is hosting a festival for short films by new or relatively unknown filmmakers that will be screened strictly online. The site will also offer screenwriters a chance to submit their works for peer review. Those who want to submit scripts must read, rate and review two other works. Spacey envisions TriggerStreet "as a place where a community can be created for people who don't have access, who don't have an agent, who don't have the ability to get on a plane to knock on doors," he said in an interview. The site is partnering with RealNetworks, which will provide its Helix technology to encode the movies, and will use Yahoo Movies to distribute promotions. Movies will also be encoded in Apple Computer's QuickTime. Spacey and his business partner Dana Brunetti are hoping that the online film festival will lure film buffs and amateur directors onto the site. Viewers choose the 10 best entries, and then a winner is selected by a panel of celebrity judges, which includes actors Mike Myers and Annette Bening, and U2 lead singer Bono. Spacey and Brunetti would not reveal the prize. Using the Internet as a tool for exposing undiscovered talent has been a dream for the movie industry for some time. However, Hollywood's track record has been dismal, as evidenced by the failures of Imagine Entertainment and DreamWorks SKG's Pop.com, Digital Entertainment Network, Icebox.com and AOL Time Warner's Entertaindom. Spacey and Brunetti, however, consider their initiative different because they're not trying to make money off the Internet. The pair is not guaranteeing that the film festival winner will be picked up by a producer, but it's a way for people to watch and get input on their creative works. "We're using (the Internet) as a tool to communicate and not as a storefront," Brunetti said in an interview.
For everything Internet-related, from the latest legal and policy-related news, to domain name updates, see ZDNet UK's Internet News Section. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the ZDNet news forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

10 minutes ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

15 minutes ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

60 minutes ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

1 hour ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

2 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

2 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

2 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

5 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

6 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

6 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

7 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

8 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
Marcus Karlsson

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

10 hours ago by Marcus Karlsson via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

18 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

1 day ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
k0tcs3

Sure, that makes perfect sense. Pay wrong-doers money and thank them for breaching your security and pointing out your flaws, that would surely...

1 day ago by k0tcs3 on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
Random_Error

I think he's referring specifically to Android apps, as Apple do regulate their App Store, but Google seem to let any old crap onto the Android store!

1 day ago by Random_Error on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Paul Fezziwig

Keep the crap apps out?! How will they compete with Android and Apple's claim to fame of having so many life changing apps? I wonder if the media...

1 day ago by Paul Fezziwig via Facebook on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Aigars Mahinovs

It has been shown time after time that if there is an author store that sells the songs at even 1$ per song and gives you a high-quality digital...

1 day ago by Aigars Mahinovs via Facebook on Copyright isn't working, says European Commission
awbMaven

""As a result of Butyka's alleged conduct, researchers were unable to use the computers for more than two months while NASA removed the malicious...

1 day ago by awbMaven on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack