Pilot Program Rules and Regulations

 

         

 FINAL DEADLINE  MARCH  15th

Winners of the 2010 Banff International Pilots Competition will be presented June 13 – 16, 2010 at the 31st Banff World Television Festival. The Banff International Pilots Competition will divide programs into two groups, each of which has three categories.

  • Group One - “virgin” producers who have never had a show or program broadcast in any way: satellite, cable or public website.
  • Group Two -  “veteran” producers with at least one show broadcast on cable, satellite or the Internet, or with a show in full production.

There are three categories that the entrant will choose from based on the length of the pilot submission:

  • 2 to 5 minutes
  • 5 to 20 minutes
  • more than 20 minutes

Only digital video format is eligible; no concept or “paper” pilots will be accepted.

Your program is eligible to enter if:

  • The entry is truly a pilot produced in digital video form, with no prior transmission on cable, satellite, or the Internet before being submitted to our competition. One-time uploads of single videos on webcast entities such as YouTube, DailyMotion and similar social networks are allowed.
  • Entries with limited theatrical or private screening release may be considered – contact pilots@banff2010.com for details).

You Need to Know:

  • Co-production partners should confer to agree which organization will be the entrant so as to avoid duplicate entries. Duplicate entries will not be refunded.
  • It is the entrant’s responsibility to choose the correct category. Your pilot will be judged in the category you selected. Contact pilots@banff2010.com for assistance as necessary.
  • A program may only be entered in one category.
  • Entries not in English language must have English subtitles OR have dialogue dubbed in English. SUBTITLES are preferred.
  • Technical Requirements for Submission of Entries:
    • Entries are uploaded using our online video link, powered by Calamares.  This is the preferred method to submit your Pilot entry into the competition.  Our system accepts files up to 1.5 GB in size, of the following file formats: AVI, MOV, MPG (MPEG, MP4, M4V), 3GP (3G2), WMV (ASF), FLV, or VOB.  The upload video link will only appear once you have fully completed the entry form.
    • Acceptable screen size 4:3 or 16:9. Please note 16:9 widescreen aspect images should be in letterbox format so viewing on a conventional aspect (4:3) display can be shown.
    • No full commercial or long commercial blacks.
    • No burned-in time code.
    • Only final cut are eligible; no rough or fine cuts
    • Avoid copyright disclaimers beyond the start of the pilot.

Fees

Payment must be made online, by credit card ONLY. Please contact pilots@banff2010.com if you have any questions regarding payment or fees.

  • EARLY BIRD DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: March 5, 2010  - A fee of CAN $75 plus 5% Goods & Services Tax is due upon submission.

  • FINAL DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: March 15, 2010  - A fee of CAN $100 plus 5% Goods & Services Tax is due upon submission.
Fees are non-refundable, including fees paid for ineligible or duplicate entries. Please confer with co-producers prior to entering.

Deadline for completion of all video uploads is March 20, 2010.

Judging Process and Prizes

The Banff World Television Festival organizers designate Jury Hosts: organizations from around the world that underwrite and facilitate the judging of one or more categories in the Pilots competition.  The Jury Hosts appoint jury members; each jury selects nominees for their category (or categories).
One pilot program in each of the six categories will win a Rockie Award as the best in its particular category.

Announcements & Notifications

Pilots chosen as nominees will be announced in April 2010 in a live press announcement. The nominee list will be posted prominently on our website. Winners will be announced during a live awards presentation at The Banff World Television Festival in June 2010 and the list of winners will be posted prominently on our website. In both April and June, press releases will be sent to international wire services and the trades. 

All nominees will receive notification by email. It is the entrant’s responsibility to update any contact information that may change from time of entry to the time of announcement. 

All nominated programs receive ONE (1) complimentary registration to the Banff World Television Festival to facilitate attendance at the Banff World Television Awards show. All winning pilots will receive a Rockie statuette.

Catalogue

The Festival produces an online program catalogue. All online content is taken from original information filled out on the online entry form. The Festival reserves the right to edit all synopses for online catalogues. The Festival accepts no responsibility should its publications reproduce inaccuracies sourced from submitted materials.

Rights Clearance

By entering the 2010 Banff World Television Festival Pilots Competition the entrant agrees to grant the rights for:

  • the Festival to make available all Pilots entries within a secure online website for screening and judging programs and pilots entries, as well as for onsite program screenings during the Banff World Television Festival and, unless expressly prohibited, the Festival reserves the right to make copies for archival use only, with no rights whatsoever for commercial exploitation;
  • The Festival to use short clips of nominated pilots (up to a maximum length of five minutes). These clips may form part of a media announcement and/or be showcased in a conference session highlighting Rockie nominees and/or be webcast on the Banff World Television Festival website. The Festival also reserves the right to use clips of all entries submitted with the express agreement that use of same is exclusively for Festival promotion and no more than five minutes long.
  • The entrant warrants that he or she has the authority to enter the pilot and certifies that he/she has the full authority to hereby grant the rights for clip usage as stated above and authorizes worldwide, royalty-free permission for all above uses. If there are any restrictions on such use the owner or entrant must advise Banff no later than March 20, 2010 and undertakes to use best efforts to secure suitable clearances.
  •  Unless expressly prohibited, the Festival may copy any Pilot for use in non-commercial promotional exhibitions including Festival exhibition screenings and any supplemental screenings highlighting the best of the Festival. The entrant warrants that he/she has good and marketable title to the entire submitted work and has secured all music and talent rights for all Festival exhibition screenings.
  • The entrant shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Festival organizers from any and all liability, loss, costs, damage, judgment or expense including attorney fees resulting from or arising in any way out of any such claims by any third parties and/or which are based upon, or are the result of any breach of the warranties in this section.

Absolutely Independent and the Banff World Television Festival

Would you like to have the Dutch company Absolutely Independent distribute your Pilot and, when relevant, your subsequent format?

The Banff World TV Festival launched the Pilots Competition in partnership with Absolutely Independent who will offer this opportunity to entrants of the Pilots competition without a distributor.
Absolutely Independent is always interested in looking at — and evaluating — new ideas and formats.
Absolutely Independent is known throughout the television business. Since their launch in 1996, they have built a strong, worldwide network of both broadcasters and production companies. They participate in the most important international fairs, including MIP, MIPCOM, DISCOP and NATPE.  They mainly distribute produced formats. Sometimes they help co-develop a paper format to make it more successful for the market. In such situations they can either become (partial) co-owner of the format or charge an hourly fee for these extra services. They do not produce programs themselves, but rather operate as matchmakers between creative brains, producers, broadcasters and advertisers.

Are you interested in the Absolutely Independent proposal? Just tell us and we will put you in contact with the Absolutely Independent team. All that’s needed at this early stage is your consent to share an outline of your idea. Absolutely Independent will then determine whether or not it's one with which they can work. If they see promise and potential in your work, Absolutely Independent will get in touch with you.

Broadcasters and the Banff World Television Festival

Recognizing that some pilot producers want to see their work aired on a conventional broadcast channel, the Banff World Television Festival launched this Pilots Competition in partnership with TV Lab, an initiative of TV3 Holland. TV3 will offer broadcast opportunities to entrants of the Pilots Competition.

The Festival expects to provide more prospects of this kind to our winners and nominees, with other international broadcasters. Should you wish to have your Pilot broadcast, just let us know and we will inform other broadcast partners.
The Banff World Television Festival will take no part in any agreement that entrants to the Pilots Competition may sign with selected broadcasters. These agreements will be negotiated strictly between the entrant rights owner and the broadcaster.
 

FOR ANY CLARIFICATION OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PILOTS COMPETITION, PLEASE CONTACT:
pilots@banff2010.com