Everyone and their mom use IMDbPro, but there’s another in-depth resource that most aren’t sharing on a broad scale, touted by TheWrap as “the most effective way to build your career in the film business” – one even the Geek found by accident: TheGrid.
How TheGrid Benefits Filmmakers
The Scoggins Report, named after Jason Scoggins, lists exhaustive feature film project details:
- Open writing assignments (OWA)
- Open Directing Assignments (ODA)
- All feature projects and their current status (in development, pre-production, in production, post production, released, etc.)
- Feature production companies (and a full list of all of the companies’ projects – pending and released)
- Released features
- Full contact information on feature film producers and directors
Depending on their specialty, freelance filmmakers can use this information to find production crews to join, find features to direct, or find concepts to write spec screenplays for.
What’s Different?
While that sounds a lot like most other film databases, the Scoggins Report is managed by and initially meant exclusively for motion picture literary managers to keep up with all spec script projects in Hollywood in an easy searchable fashion.
The database began in 2009, listing all of the feature film projects for that year and all of 2008 as well; and continued to grow among Hollywood filmmakers as the literary managers kept the database fresh with new projects each month.
In January 2011, the database was bought by online entertainment media company The Wrap News, Inc., and is now a portal on TheWrap.com.
Literary Manager and prolific writer Ken Atchity, who posts monthly Scoggins Report updates to his blog, described it like this back in 2011:
“The Scoggins Report is a[n] analysis of the feature film development business based on information assembled from a variety of public and non-public sources…Details on every person, project and company covered by the Report can also be found at www.ItsontheGrid.com, the only place mere mortals can find listings of Hollywood’s active open writing and directing assignments, not to mention comprehensive spec market data and active film development information.”
How Filmmakers Use It
TheGrid is pretty easy to use. The search categories (Projects, Specs, People, and Companies) are on separate pages found at the top left on every page; and on each category page, you can define the search criteria with as much or as little detail as you desire on the left side of the screen.
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| The Projects Page on TheGrid |
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| The Companies Page on TheGrid |
But don’t take my word for it. TheGrid beautifully explains everything in both of their overview videos.
Heads up: when the second (and more in-depth) video ends, it automatically opens a new tab with the subscription page to make it easy for you to sign up.
ItsontheGrid.com is the key to success in Hollywood. from ItsontheGrid.com on Vimeo.
How Much Is This?
Like IMDbPro, TheGrid offers a two-week free trial period. However, unlike the ubiquitous database (which is used by 4.2 million people, according to its home page), TheGrid leverages its exclusivity.
TheGrid offers three different plans, but the optimum plan (Professional) is $27 per month, or $247 for one full year ($77 savings versus the monthly payments)
Now before you flinch or collapse, go to TheWrap.com and read up to find out the power behind the cost.
Your Geek is now using TheWrap.com as a venerable resource from now on, and trust me – we geeks take our sources very seriously.
The Next Shiny Thing Filmmakers Will Be Drooling Over
As you saw in the overview video, coming in Spring 2012 TheGrid and TheWrap.com will be launching their comprehensive industry rating system: The PowerGrid.
The PowerGrid uses a proprietary algorithm to rate the power and success of all aspects of Hollywood features: films, directors, producers, actors, and production companies all have a PowerRating based on sales, distribution, and frequency of success.
(Did you see those little red numbers to the left of the names in those database screenshots above? That’s each name’s PowerRating.)
TheWrap explains things clearly on its PowerGrid page:
“The PowerGrid ranks Hollywood’s players based on facts, not on hype. It grades the success or failure of projects in real time… Because in this crazy, mixed-up town, only numbers don’t lie.”
Learn Anything New Today?
You guys may not immediately jump on subscribing to TheGrid, but at least now you know of another way to sneak your toe into the film industry.
And if you’re anything like me, that first toe is all you need – you’ll continue to pry that opening until you fit in completely and feel right at home.
What do you guys think about TheGrid? Is it something you’d want to use? Did you know of it or TheWrap.com before this article?
Let me know your thoughts and questions below. If you enjoyed the article, please share!
Thanks for reading!
