The Optus One80 Project

The Optus One80 project is collaboration between MTV and Optus that gives aspiring local TV makers with a passion for film, TV or drama the opportunity to turn an idea or treatment into a one-hour TV drama.    

Local TV-makers are invited to upload a 180 second pilot, and accompanying treatment, to the Optus One80 Project website (www.one80project.com.au) until 5pm on Friday 12 February 2010.

The entries will then be judged - and shortlisted - by a panel that includes MTV Films veteran David Gale, actress Sophie Lowe plus actor Xavier Samuel who is not only fresh from filming the latest Twilight Saga: Eclipse but also appeared in the winning Optus One80 film ‘Dream Life’ two years ago.

The short-listed pilots will then be streamed by www.one90project.com.au and the public will be able to select their winner - The Peoples' Choice. Votes can be cast from 1 March 2010 - April 5 2010.

The finalists’ pilots will be screened at an Optus One80 Project Awards on April 18 2010, at which The Peoples' Choice Award, plus a Judges' Choice Award will be announced.

The winners of The Peoples' Choice and Judges Choice Awards will receive a prize package including $20,000 cash and a Blackberry Smartphone. 

In addition, the winner of the Judges' Choice Award will have the opportunity to tap into MTV's production expertise and will receive $250,000 worth of support to develop and shape the original pilot into a full length multi-platform drama.

The completed final TV drama is then broadcast on the Optus Zoo web and mobile portals and then broadcast on MTV Australia.

2010 will be the 4th year that MTV and Optus have collaborated on this project.  

The winning submission from 2009 is a film called Dungoona, which was produced by Rueben Field, Dean Bates and Starchild Productions. 

It stars a combination of professional actors including Darin Berlin and Logie winner Kat Stewart, as well as 17-year-old newcommer Natasha Bassett. The film, was shot in Wauchope but set in a fictional place called Dungoona, accurately captures the lives of Australian country kids on our TV screens.