"Want to see this movie made? Buy your tickets today and help us fund the movie. We'll also welcome all your creative input and your ideas on the movie, from script to casting and editing. When the movie is finished, you'll have access to all its parts -- scenes, music score, sound, special effects -- so you can remix it as you want."

That's the simple premise of The Pact Project.

>> Meet the core crew behind ThePactProject

Director Henrik Sylvén talks about the movie's story in a separate blog entry. I'll instead outline the project's ambition and what it is we want to explore.

The Pact Project came about as we tried to answer three different questions.

• Movies are often born from a single idea, ideas that then need to find their form and shape. We shape them by talking about them, bouncing them around in converations and having them questioned. Normally, movie directors' will ask their crew to develop and question the initial vision. But what if the director could ask the movie's intended audience up-front for input in the creative process?
• Loud media industry voices complain about illegal filesharing and how it is killing their business. But on the flipside, we see more people talking about movies than ever before, we are impressed by the creativity of the web's remix culture, and we see how people use various forms of social media to support artists directly, sometimes with direct financing. So what if there was a way for movie fans to support movie projects that they liked financially, and also be invited into the creative process?
• A large part of a movie's budget these days goes to marketing. Traditional movie strategies build on getting the right movie out on as many screens as possible on opening day. Gone are the days when films were allowed to build its following over time. But, assuming that the crowd thought we had a good movie, what if the crowd's audience could help spread the word - and we did this together throughout the making of the movie?

The answer to these ideas is what we explore with The Pact Project.

We are network of creative forces, primarily based in Sweden. Moviemaker Henrik Sylvén had an idea for a horror movie. Communication consultant Anders Sjöman wanted to include the remix-culture into film making, building on Open Source-ideas and Creative Commons-development. A core crew was formed. We found early corporate supporters in Swedish access provider Bredbandsbolaget. 

With the Pact Project, we are exploring three things:

1. Movie making ("crowdsourcing") The movie meets its audience long before it is finished; the crowd is invited to give input to create a better product. Naturally, the crowd can use the film and its various parts to remix the story as they want, all under Creative Commons-licenses.
2. Movie financing ("crowdfunding") If you like our movie idea, show it by donating or investing a small sum into our movie. We'll probably never get the movie fully financed this way - but your financial contribution will show traditional movie financers that this movie has an audience, and your money will be the leverage the film needs to be made. Small sums are pure donations; but large sums we will consider as investments, and you'll be part of our revenue sharing program. (Exactly what is a "small" and "large" sum still has to be decided.)
3. Movie marketing ("crowdmarketing") A committed crowd will help in financing the movie -- and also help spread the word about the film. Naturally, the movie has to be worth talking about -- you have to be remarkable to be remarked about -- so the onus is still on the movie's creative forces -- us -- to make a good one.

Already have ideas on how we should proceed with the project or would like to explore potential partnerships? Just email me at anders.sjoman@springtime.nu .

- Anders for The Pact Project team