Cideshow in Place FAQ
How will the process work?
You first submit your idea to us (please see the rules for this). After you get the go-ahead from us, you make the first episode.
We will then give you an upload link. You upload the episode, along with some sort of image to we can use as the poster (can be just a still from the show), a short description and an “interactive question” that you’ll propose to viewers (more on this in a bit).
We put your episode up on our platform. Viewers, who all have spending credits, will put those credits towards shows.
Creators get paid per week. We split ALL of the money earned among the creators (you get a proportional percentage to how many credits your show has received).
There are two reasons viewers will be enticed to spend credits on your series. One, every series comes with a status bar of how many credits it needs before another episode is made (all shows start by needing 100 credits before a second episode is made, but you can customize this number for future episodes).
Two, there is interactive questions posed for every show that will affect something in the following episode, along with multiple choice answers (see types of questions below). Viewers spend their credits on your show by voting for one of the multiple choice options, the one with the most votes declared the winner.
How will this work for the viewers?
Viewers sign up on our platform to start watching series/ giving credits.
Sign-ups for viewers are either $5 or free (depending on what the viewer can afford/ wants to pay). All viewers will automatically be given a few credits to start, which can be spent on any show or shows they prefer.
They can can purchase additional credits from our online store.
Can I submit more than one idea?
Sure. Just make sure to indicate in the “notes” section if more than one of your ideas gets accepted if you’re willing to make both shows, or if you would prefer to just focus on one.
I already have a completed/ ongoing series. Can I just submit that?
Please feel free to submit to our regular platform.
For this Cideshow in Place program, though, we’re looking specifically to give creators a medium to create now and to also have that interactivity between episodes with viewers. So we will need you to create fresh series for this campaign.
Will you own my show? Does my series have to be exclusive to Cideshow?
We will not own your show. It is 100% yours.
And you can feel free to distribute your episodes on any other platform. You just have to make sure to not agree to exclusive terms with any other service while it’s running on ours.
If you want us to remove your series from our platform for any reason, please let us know, and give us about five days to do so.
How much money will I receive?
Creators get paid per week. We split ALL our earnings among the creators (you get a proportional percentage to how many credits your show has received).
So the amount of money possible is dependent of how many people come to the site, spend credits. This is a group effort, and the more people we bring to this, the better it is for everyone.
If you are well financially situated and you wish to waive your payment, you can do so, and we will donate it to the Rauschenberg Emergency Grants, a nonprofit who gives grants to the artists hurt by COVID-19. Alternatively, we can also donate it to any charity of your choosing.
How soon after being renewed, do I need to make the next episode?
Ideally a quick turnaround time. The faster you can put episodes up, the more episodes you’ll be able to put up, and therefore the more $$$ you make.
What is NOT ok to have in my series?
Aside from items mentioned within the rules, make sure that you’re not doing anything illegal or stepping on any copyright infringements (you’re not using music you don’t own, you own the rights to your idea, etc.). Any violations of this are completely on you, and all your episodes will be removed from the site.
Also, including any content that is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or contains any other kind of hate speech won’t be put up.
How long will my series be up on the platform?
For the duration of our Cideshow in Place program. We will try to find a space for all of these series once the total platform is launched, but it’s still up in the air. If we can’t afford the additional bandwidth, we will possibly remove the content after the program’s conclusion.
If you want us to remove your series from our platform for any reason, please let us know, and give us about five days to do so.
I’m still a bit confused about the interactive part? I don’t know what to do.
The interactive element will encourage viewers to give credits to your series, since they will get to participate in it.
You will pose a question between the episodes, and the result of the answer should be reflected in the next episode. The question can have a major bearing on the series (ie. should Mimi the Bunny shoot Hankie the cat?), or it could be something minor and inconsequential (ie. do you want the main character to wear a t-shirt or a polo in the next episode?).
When viewers give credits to your show, they will also be voting for one of these options. The result should be revealed within the following episode (we should see that character wearing the t-shirt or polo).
Some examples of questions that work well are “choose your own adventure” type questions (should Sheila open the green or the blue door?), contest related questions (which one of these reality show contestants should move on to the next round), and show concept questions (which of these famous movies should I recreate in my kitchen next week?).
You need to supply the viewer with multiple-choice options (anywhere between 2 and infinite). We don’t have a feature for viewers to write their own answer at this time, so you will need to supply them with all of the possibilities. This is a great place to get creative with what you can do.
How is Cideshow different from Youtube or Netflix?
Cideshow is much more curated than Youtube. We feature only episodic series by talented creators. Cideshow in Place is a bit different from how our regular platform will be. Our regular platform will be a streaming service, featuring full-length shows with a full budget.
But unlike Netflix, Hulu, or any of the other streaming services, this will be far more interactive, replacing network executives with the viewers.
Also, unlike any other streaming service, this one is ran by filmmakers, and thus, great concepts stories and art are a priority far beyond anything else.
Can I have my show on Cideshow for its official launch in May?
Please submit any series here for Cideshow’s official launch.
You must have at least a pilot of your series shot to be considered for that.
I read the rules. My series idea breaks one of them. Can I still submit?
I mean, you can still submit, but you’re going to need to make a note of why the series needs this exception. It should be a really good one (and it can’t break rule #1).
Contact shows@cideshow.com if you have any questions not covered here.