AmEx Crowdsources Indie Films

The latest example of major brand turning to consumers for content and connection is American Express, which has entered the UGC arena with My Movie Pitch.

Watch the clip above for advice, then upload your (max.) 60-second movie pitch here through June 24th to compete for a chance to have your completed film debut as an 15-minute short film at New York's AmEx-sponsored Tribeca Film Festival in 2011.

There will be two rounds of competition with five finalists from each judged by viewers and a panel of directors from the Tribeca Festival. The winners will receive an American Express Filmmaker’s Toolkit, which includes an HD video camera, a laptop and a movie editing software package.

The director judges include Brian Hill, Dev Benegal, Julien Kemp, Mns Herngren, Tarik Saleh, Jacob Tierney, David Russo, Jac Schaeffer, Julien Nitzberg, Mat Whitecross and Josh Appignanesi. Public voting on each pitch (with a ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’) will inform their final decision.

The Grand Prize winner, who will also win free travel and accommodation plus VIP access to the Tribeca Film Festival, will be announced on December 1st. Then, an independent filmmaker will get to work turning the pitch into a professional short film, ready for the red carpet and silver screen. Good luck!