Hollywood Duo Set Up Movie Pre-Launch Testing Firm

The son of movie director Oliver Stone has co-founded a new firm which provides TV and film producers with access to a database of 60 million moviegoers willing to participate in pre-launch film and TV test research.

Launched at the Toronto International Film Festival, the new firm FilmFunds is led by actor/director Sean Stone and six-time Emmy-nominated producer Shelly Palmer.

Their new web and mobile-based service offers a crowd-sourcing model through which to 'test-drive' concepts for potential movies and TV shows, prior to them being financed and produced.

Content owners/creators can upload pilot material - such as film synopses, trailers, artwork, etc - onto the FilmFunds web site, or through the firm's mobile app.

Members can then view current projects, search on keywords, surf through each day's top trailers, and choose which film or TV projects they'd like to evaluate.

The firm also provides a marketing portal where major 'blockbuster' producers can enlist members to spread the word about their projects, recruit friends, and pre-sell tickets through web sites like Fandango.

For their participation, members receive a variety of rewards such as movie tickets, merchandise, on-set visits and studio experiences, along with opportunities to 'walk the red carpet' with the stars at a film's premiere, or attend an after-party event.

Stone explains: 'If a producer has a concept, a script, a teaser and so on, they can take it directly to the marketplace and find an audience for it. As beneficial as FilmFunds will be for established filmmakers and studios, we can also be a springboard helping burgeoning filmmakers get discovered.'

Web site: www.filmfunds.com .