SUBMIT A PROJECT
Due to current financial and operational restrictions, we are accepting submissions by invitation only.
All non-invited submissions will be returned unread. If you have been invited to submit a proposal for a project, please use the following submission guidelines:
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS TO THE GENESIS INITIATIVE FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Do you have an idea for a movie that you want to submit to The Genesis Initiative?
The best approach is to present your idea by addressing all the elements outlined below, which are critical factors we will consider in deciding whether to develop your idea into a feature film.
Rights
If the story is based on one or more people or a book, then it is important that we know you have the appropriate rights and are able to provide a clear chain of title for the project.
Proposed Project Title
How does your title provide a clear sense of the theme, genre and character?
Logline: A single sentence that summarizes what the movie is about.
Pitch
A short paragraph that sells the story—remember, movies are stories. The paragraph should be concise and well-written in a conversational tone and should answer the following questions:
What is the film’s genre?
Where and when does the story take place?
What is the scope of the movie?
Who is the primary audience for whom the project is intended to reach?
What will make people want to see this movie? (For example, will it just be fun and entertaining? What universal truths and values will it convey? What will the audience learn, think or feel?)
Theme
A single, artfully written sentence that states the main theme of the story. (A sub-theme or two can be included in additional sentences.)
Arena
The unique visual world through which we will travel while watching the movie. What will it look like on the screen? How will the visuals set the tone and reinforce the theme for the movie? If it is a standard location, then describe how we will see it in a different way in this movie?
Protagonist Profile
A two or three-page summary of the leading character that includes:
Tangible characteristics such as age, social status, education level, lifestyle, quirks and unique characteristics.
Character issues such as: What is the person’s genius … or special charm? What are the person’s values and how were they uncovered? What does the person want? What does the person need? What most stands in the way … both physically and psychologically?
What are the main conflicts in the person’s life beyond the obvious ones? What are some of the deep paradoxes in the person’s life?
Who, or what, is the protagonists support system?
What is the transformational arc the protagonist experiences? What leads up to the person’s moment of grace and does the protagonist accept it … or not? How is the movie a new beginning?
Supporting Character Profiles
One or two paragraph descriptions of the two or three other key characters in the story. These descriptions should include their transformational arcs as they unfold during the story.
Synopsis
Feature films are structured in three acts. The three to five-page synopsis should provide a detailed description of how the story will be told.
Act One is the first twenty to thirty minutes of the movie. Introduce the main character, the theme and the visual imagery. Capture the audience by revealing the big question and the entertaining journey that will both intrigue and satisfy the audience. Lead us through the inciting incident that draws the protagonist into the story by making a choice. Show the various kinds of conflict that challenge the protagonist. Introduce supporting characters and subplots. Wrap with a high-stakes, visual, action or choice that launches the character into a new dilemma.
Act Two is roughly the next sixty minutes of the story. New challenges from the arena, from relationships and from the situation make the protagonist’s situation even more complicated. The protagonist must take action to drive the story. True character and values begin to show themselves. The stakes and suspense heighten. A reversal at the mid-point moves things in a different direction. By the end of Act Two, the protagonist’s situation should be as bad as it can be. Some test should be revealed and set up for the third act.
Act Three lasts from twenty to thirty minutes. The protagonist confronts the remaining sources of conflict and engages them successfully. The protagonist’s character and genius emerge full force to cause a resolution to the major challenge or question in the story. Often the protagonist is “re-born” so as to create a new beginning. That new beginning should be described.