When you think of movie studios, Paramount, Universal, or Disney come to mind. But Amazon hopes aspiring film makers will think of them too.
The company has partnered with Warner Bro's to create "Amazon Studios," a website that's sort of a cross between "Project Greenlight" and YouTube.
"The goal is to get commercial feature films made and distributed through the studio system," Amazon Studios director Roy Price told the LA Times. "That's the only way this project can make any money."
Aspiring film makers compete for cash prizes with the ultimate goal of turning their project into a feature film. Artists submit scripts, story boards, movie pilots, or full feature-length films to the "Studios" site where a panel of judges including "Top Gun" screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. and "Bottle Rocket" producer Michael Tayor will help choose a monthly winner.
Amazon plans to give its top projects to Warner Bros., who has a first-look option, according to the "Studios" website. If Warner passes, Amazon can shop them with other studios.
Amazon Studios says it will award a total of $2.7 million in prizes over the course of a year. Monthly contest winners can nab as much as $140,000 and yearly winners could earn up to $1.1 million, according to the website.
There is no charge to enter but users will have to give Amazon 18 months of exclusive rights to their projects.
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In the end, Amazon says 21st-century technology creates opportunities "to make and share movies and scripts more easily than ever," according to its website, and they hope to become a new player in the Hollywood system.
