FX Network (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, The Shield) is looking for their next hit comedy and you have the opportunity to create it for them. Make a 3 minute comedy film ? think a mini-pilot ? that is a sample of the show you would like to make. It should introduce the premise and the main characters. Along with that, you need to upload a 1-2 page brief which outlines the plot of future episodes, the main characters, and the themes.

Be sure to check out FX's current comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, to get a feel for the network's sensibility (links to Sunny's website and Sunny episodes at Hulu.com can be found on this page). They are looking for a show in a similar irreverent, over-the-top vein. Scripted, unscripted or animated shows are all acceptable. FX is not looking for dramedy, but a real, all-out half-hour comedy. They want fun and provocative, but they also want smart and clever. They want a show whose primary appeal is to young adults 18-34, but not to the exclusion of adults in older demographics.

From the competition submissions, ten semi-finalists will revise their shorts based on notes from FX and receive $1,000. The Network expects noticeable differences in response to their notes, so shoot in a manner which will allow flexibility. Be sure to get sufficient coverage of your characters (angles and takes). It may be helpful to shoot more than the minimum you expect to use in your final cut. Unlike previous Filmaka contests, winning this competition will involve interactivity and development with Filmaka and FX. You may even be asked to do reshoots, so try to use actors and locations that you may be able to use again a few weeks later.

After the shorts are revised, one winner will be chosen to receive a budget of up to $40,000 to create a 15- to 20-minute presentation. FX will then decide, based on that presentation, if they want to produce a full-length pilot and possibly order the series for production. If they do, FX will, subject to good faith negotiation, enter into an agreement with the Competition Winner with respect to production services for the series.

Click here to watch episodes of IT?S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/sunny/

Filmaka will begin accepting uploads for this competition on Monday, April 21. The deadline for submitting your film and written brief is midnight on May 1, 2008. Be sure your film file is less than 500MB and your pitch is in a PDF document (if you need a free PDF converter, try www.primopdf.com).

FX is running their own on-air and on-line promotion so competition will be no-holds-barred! Thanks for playing and good luck!

www.filmaka.com