screenwriter19 writes, "Portalcast, Inc. announced a call for filmmakers to submit short films for showcasing on its Portalcast Entertainment Network. Filmmakers of all levels, from amateur to seasoned pros, can now take advantage of new technology to showcase their short subjects before a national audience and potentially earn big money in the process."�Big money� is a relative term, of course, but Earl Votolato, president of the Portalcast� Entertainment Network, estimates that a creative film of just three minutes or less could eventually bring its filmmaker over $5,000 per month for a run lasting six months or longer.

�Filmmakers might make a good chunk of change for three minutes of film,� Votolato said, �but this is a chance for them to showcase their work in front of large, paying audiences. Perhaps more importantly, the films will also be seen and judged by accomplished industry professionals.�

The new technology consists of high-speed broadband connections at digital portals that will be located wherever people become captive audiences � movie theater lobbies, restaurants, car washes, pizza parlors and much more.
The portals are expected to debut in California around November of 2005, expand throughout the U.S. and Canada, and eventually become a worldwide network. Portalcast has plans for over 10,000 portals in North America before expanding into Europe and beyond.

The concept is simple: conveniently located video portals offer individuals a programming menu of compelling and entertaining film selections. For a small fee, viewers can watch an original short-subject film not available anywhere else. Up to 20 films will be on the program schedule at any given time.

Filmmakers not only earn royalties from their short films being showcased on the Network, but also retain full rights to continue marketing their film in any way they wish after its Portalcast run is finished.

With the Portalcast debut fast approaching, Votolato is putting out a call for all filmmakers to submit their work before October, 2005, to have a chance at making it into Portalcast�s first program schedule lineup. There�s no risk, since the entire process is free.

�We�ll be selecting ultra-short films that we call Briefs,� Votolato said. �We�re talking between one and three minutes in length and in any genre. It could be humor, drama, animation, spoofs, almost anything. The most important thing is that we want them to have a major �wow� factor. We want films that make people want to see them again and again or move on to see another compelling film in our program lineup.�

While avant-garde or controversial films might make good content for the Portalcast Network, Votolato must keep the subject matter suitable for all ages, since the portals will be in public locations. �Our audience cuts across all ages, nationalities and cultures,� he said, �so we have to stick to good, clean, family entertainment.�

Every film submitted to Portalcast will be evaluated for its �WOW� factor. If a film passes this first round, it moves on to Portalcast�s judging panel of directors, editors, writers, agents, film company executives and filmmakers who cast their votes and ultimately select the 20 best films. These top films will be featured in the next broadcast schedule, which could run up to six months.
Extremely popular films may be held over for even longer runs, and some films could return to the programming lineup numerous times.

Portalcast is open to all filmmakers � from established veterans looking for a global audience to young artists seeking their first break. The films� content may be radically different from one another, but they�ll be linked by the fact that they are all short subjects, and they were all judged to be the best of the best.

�The rewards are spectacular,� Votolato said. �They�ll get cash, certainly, but since these films will be shown at portals placed wherever people gather, there�s an almost unlimited potential for creating buzz. Careers will be born here. We�ll also be keeping our eyes out for especially gifted short-subject filmmakers who we�ll ask to produce films specifically for Portalcast. We are very excited to be able to offer this fantastic opportunity to independent filmmakers the world over.�