Getting Started

Sneak On The Lot is THE filmmakers social networking website; built specifically with young filmmakers and actors in mind. Sneak On combines filmmaking skills such as writing, directing, producing and acting and places them into an online, interactive game where players compete throughout the year for their shot at producing a $20,000 short film. Installing & Starting The website requires Flash Player 9 or higher installed on your computer. It is the only plugin required and it is free from Adobe.com. If you do not have it installed, your computer will prompt you with an option to install it when navigating to the Sneak On The Lot website. Navigating the Lot Upon arriving on the lot you will automatically be given a random avatar character. Use your right and left arrow keys to make your character walk in either direction. Press the Shift key while walking and your character will run.

As you navigate through the site you may see characters of many other players on the site. Some of these players may be inside the various buildings, but you will still see their characters on the lot. If they are inside one of the buildings you will know by the character's stance.

Busy stance means the person is involved with some activity inside one of the buildings. Standing pose indicates the person is stopped and ready to communicate. Walk and Run animation cycles are used for getting around the lot. Control Panel There are 23 different characters to choose from on the lot. You can see them them by clicking the Control Panel button and using the arrow buttons to cycle through them. Once you have found the character you like, click the Character Image. Your character will disappear for a moment as the new character loads.

Chatter In the bottom right corner of the screen you will find the Chat Input Box. Typing a message in this box and clicking Send or pressing, Return, will cause your message to appear in a voice bubble above your character's head.

Often the numbers of players chatting can be difficult to follow because the chat bubbles are disappearing too quickly. The Open Chat Log button, directly below your Chat Input Box, will cause a panel to drop down containing all of the chat happening on the lot, which will be displayed in a scrolling list.

The Chat Log can get moving pretty quickly if there are a lot of people talking on the lot. You can further select certain players to listen to if the chatter remains confusing. To do this you can click the Select Players check box, which will lower a new panel with each player on the lot listed with a checkbox beside their name. Choose each of the players you would like to listen to by checking the box next to their name and the remaining players will be ignored in your chat log.

Player Info Panel You can gather more details about a player by clicking on their characte. This will cause the player into panel to appear just above their heads. From this panel you can quickly see some basic information about the person.

You can add the selected user to your chat log from the info panel by clicking Add To Chat Log. If you are currently using the Selected Players function in your chat log, this new player will be added. In the film industry you will meet a great many people. Some you will have an instant connection with and others... not so much. Still, it is important to keep track of these people because you never know who is going to make it big. This is where your rolodex will come in handy. You can follow any player's career and keep them in your rolodex by clicking the Add To My Rolodex button. Once a player is added to your rolodex you may not delete them, so choose your friends wisely. For each person you add to your rolodex you will be awarded one prestige. However, players in your rolodex may not review your uploaded films in the Critics Corner, so be careful who you choose to put in your rolodex. The players rank is the order in which the player is listed in the A List for all their skills combined. The lower the number, the more influential the person is. If you bump into someone on the lot who is #1, we suggest you put them in your Rolodex. The prestige is the amount of prestige the selected player has been able to amass. This is useful information to have because generally players who have a lot of prestige know how to play the game. These are good people to ask questions about the game. You may also block annoying players from the info panel. Blocking other players will cause their character to become partly transparent. Their text will not appear in your chat log and their chat bubbles above their heads will also be blocked. The blocking of a player only lasts as long as your session on the site.

Multiple Backlots Each backlot can hold up to 50 people at one time. This includes players who may be inside the buildings as well as those outside networking. When the 51st player enters the lot, a new backlot is dynamically created and that player is placed there.

When the next players enter they will automatically be on the second backlot unless an opening appears in the first. To switch from one backlot to another, click the Change button and select the desired lot. Communication between players from different backlots is not currently permitted. Prestige Console In the bottom center of the interface there is a counter with two buttons on it, Skills and A Lists. This is called the Prestige Console and is a quick reference for how well you are doing in the game. It will be discussed in more detail in The Game chapter of this manual. It is used to inform the player of their current prestige, their current skill ratings and the list of all the best players in each skill category.

The Backlot Buildings There are many buildings on the lot which offer various kinds of interaction. Some buildings are part of the game and others are tools you can use to help produce your films. The easiest way to familiarize yourself with Sneak On The Lot is walk around the lot and explore the various buildings and what they do. You will need to be a registered user (Drive On) for some buildings but most will allow you entrance to demo the system. To enter a building click on the text button on the building.

Obtain a Drive On (Registration) From the opening splash screen, click Drive On. If you have already snuck on the lot, click, Drive On at the top of the screen. A panel will appear that requires you to fill out your first and last name, email, username and password. With these fields entered, click, Sign Up. You then receive an email with a confirmation link embedded within. Be sure to check your junk mail filter in case it was stopped from reaching you. Click on the link within the email and your Drive On will be created. Now, return to the Sneak On The Lot website and click, Drive On and enter in your email and password. You can check the box to have your computer remember your Drive On information if you like.

The Game A large degree of "making it" in Hollywood is luck. Sneak On The Lot is a game based solely on talent. As your skills increase so to does your opportunity for being recognized in Hollywood. The players with the highest skills are ranked at the top of the A-List and are considered the most talented. Hollywood is always on the lookout for the next Steven Spielberg or Tom Cruise. Until now, you've had to go to Los Angeles or New York to be discovered. Sneak On The Lot was created by industry professionals who are bringing their network of producers, casting directors, agents and studio executives to find their next A-List talent. We thought the best and most entertaining way to do this is by recreating the real game of Hollywood on a virtual backlot. Sneak On The Lot is a game of skill and talent that spans the entire body of work of each user. You control your character, which you build into a powerful A List player by uploading films, gaining skill and prestige and helping others to do the same. The players at the top of the A List are considered the best filmmakers on the lot at that moment and are given priority when agents, managers, executives and producers are on the lot. The game is played by getting your skill level of choice to be as high as possible, ensuring a spot on the A List. The top filmmakers in each skill will have the opportunity to come to Los Angeles to make a short film with $20,000. * Note: It is important to know that the information in your profile and with your movies must be completely accurate. Also your films can not contain any copyrighted information. If inaccuracy are found in your information or if you are using copyrighted information you will be disqualified from any contests that are taking place, you will lose prestige and skill and you will run the risk of having your membership revoked. All winners information and films will be highly scrutinized for accuracy. Copy written materials will need documentation. Skill and Prestige There are two main elements to the game; Skill and Prestige. 15 different filmmaking skills are tracked for each player in the game. The additional skill of Critic is also tracked and is based on how accurate you review films. You can see them by clicking on the Skills button in the prestige console. ?A panel will slide up and indicate your current skills for all 15 categories.

Skills Producer Director Writer Director of Photography Editor Production Designer Lead Actor Supporting Actor Sound Designer Visual Effects Supervisor Costume Designer Makeup Artist Music Artist Critique These skills are increased as an uploaded film receives reviews in the Critic's Corner. After a film has had 20 reviews it is moved to the FletChet Theater, the skills for each attached crew member is calculated and prestige bonuses are awarded. Skill is calculated as an average of a player's entire body of work. For instance, if a player uploads a film and scores a director rating of 5. Then returns and uploads a second film and scores a director rating of 1 his score is calculated as an average of the two, which is 3 skill. He will have a small bonus for having uploaded more than one film, which will get him to 3.1. You can receive this bonus only 5 times. Any films uploaded after that will only serve to alter your average.

The second bonus is the age modifier. This table demonstrates the various skill bonuses each age group receives. This modifier levels the playing field between young filmmakers and more experienced filmmakers. * Note: Proof of age will be required of all winners and me be required upon request of SneakOnTheLot at other times.

You also have a genre bonus, which can range from 0 to 5, depending on your age and genre of film produced. This is included because shooting a 60 second commercial is far easier than shooting a half-hour drama.

The A-List Inside the prestige console you will find a button labeled, A-List. This button, once clicked, will bring up the current top 99 players overall in the game. You can further delineate each skill to see who is leading in each individual skill rating. To do this, click on the combobox and select your desired skill to sort.

Prestige Think of prestige as the Sneak On The Lot currency. You can earn it and spend it doing different things on the lot. Certain activities on the lot cost prestige, such as uploading a film or downloading copyright free music and sound effects. You can earn it by doing other things on the lot, like leaving reviews or putting other players in your Rolodex.

When you spend or earn prestige you will be given a visual and audio cue as your prestige counter increases or decreases. If you are a subscribing player you will receive a portion of prestige each month when your payment is made. The following chart demonstrates the various amounts.

You can purchase additional prestige from your office if you need a little extra.

What is, My Office? Everyone who is a registered member on the lot has an office. Inside that office the player controls and customizes their character along with having interaction within the game. To access the office, log in and move to the left slightly. Notice the glowing buildings in the tray at the bottom of the screen. When the, My Office, icon is glowing you are able to click on it and enter your office. Once inside you will see the interior of your office with menu items placed around the room identifying active elements. Lets walk through each active element and their functions.

Exit This item is pretty straight forward. If you click it you will exit your office and be placed back on the lot. Profile Social networking websites all have forms where you enter personal information you wish to share with those on the site. When first clicked on, the profile function displays the player's Account Information. Here players can see how long they have been a member, their account type, their next billing cycle and if they have earned free months.

In addition, players can identify themselves as particular titles in the section titled, What Are You? This list is created to help other players identify what you are in the business.

You can upload as many photos as you like in your Profile Photos. To make an image your default profile image, click the, Default Image link. This is the image that everyone will see when your profile is displayed.

Clicking on the, Change Your Password, button will bring up a panel that enables you to alter your password.

To subscribe to the site or alter your membership select, Upgrade Membership. A panel appears that requests what level of membership you would like to upgrade to. Although all the account upgrades share the same functionality on the lot, each one has a different prestige bonus associated with it. This prestige bonus is reoccurring and will be added to your current prestige with each payment. If you subscribe on a monthly basis you will receive 25 prestige per month when your payment is made. A six month subscription carries with it a 175 prestige bonus. However, if you sign up for a year you will receive 500 prestige immediately following payment and will not receive this bonus again until next year.

*NOTE: payments are made through PayPal, which will open a new window/tab where you can enter your credit card information. All subscriptions are recurring until specifically canceled. The next tab at the top of the profile panel is, Contact Info. Here, users can input their personal information for the rest of the players to see. No contact information is shared, including emails, without the permission of the player. This includes any emails that are sent via the invite Mail Box or entered during the submission process of a film. Private options are placed within the Contact Info page that will keep all of your information private if you so choose.

Only premium members will be able to view the contact information of other players. If you want certain players to see your contact information but not others, you may indicate that by clicking the, Only Show My Rolodex, checkbox. This will ensure that only those who are in your rolodex will be able to see your contact information. We have added the last tab, Parental Controls, to give parents and players the opportunity to filter out the content they do not wish to see. In this screen we have placed a series of filters which the user chooses what they would or would not like to see on the site. These filters are connected to the films within the Critic's Corner as well as the FletChet Theater. If you select, Family Friendly all the remaining boxes will be checked. This ensures the user will only see films that have been marked as Family Friendly when uploaded.

Rolodex Your Rolodex is there to organize all the players you would like to keep track of. Unlike FaceBook or other social networking sites, you do not have to be approved by the person to put them in your friends list. This function give players the ability to track other players who might be their friends but also track players who they find talented. ?You can sort your Rolodex by clicking on the Title combo-box and select the desired position.

Films Through this link you can see the films you have uploaded or been attached to by other players who have uploaded films. You can see how many reviews that film has and their current overall review rating.

Uploading and Reviewing a Film Films can be uploaded from two different buildings, the FletChet Theater or the Critic's Corner. Go to either building and click on the large green button titled, Upload Your Film.

This will open the upload panel. You will need the names and emails of the film's producer, director, writer, director of photography and editor. There are 14 skills tracked throughout the site but only these four are used on every type of film regardless of it's genre.

Attaching Crew Members When additional positions are added to the crew list, such as Sound Designer, there is an additional review slider added to the film. This means that other players reviewing your film will now have a Sound Design slider in addition to the required four. There can be up to one slider for each skill, for a total of 14 review sliders. Multiple people can be attached to the same tile. For example: If you had player1 and players2 who were both producers on the film and you wanted to add them both. You would enter one player1 in the Producer field and then add player2 as a producer using the, Add Another Position, menu. * Note: It's important to add as many crew members as possible to give them a chance to gain prestige and skill even though they may not be members of the site as described below. If they ever join they will automatically be recognized as having received credit for their involvement in the film. Emails entered here for additonal crew members are not shared or displayed anywhere on the site.

IMPORTANT: It is important that the crew data be accurate and contain correct email addresses. Players are attached to films through their email addresses and if mistyped or improper the crew members will not be correctly added in the review sliders. Players who worked on a film that was uploaded before they joined Sneak On The Lot will be automatically attached if they register with the email that was included during the upload process. Often you will need unique names for various crew positions for your credits such as, Young Man #1. In the Add Another Position combo-box you will find the option, Custom, which will allow you to create what ever title credit you like. As you add people to your crew list you will see them appear in the Positions Added list on the middle of the screen.

Film Description The film description is an important part to getting audiences to watch your film. It should be a short synopsis of your film and include the main plot, characters and setting. Make it interesting and something audiences would like to watch after reading. The description must be at least 100 characters in length.

File Name The file name is the title of your film. What you enter in this box is how it will appear in the theater. Categories The combo-box lists all of the various genres that your film can fall under. Select the one that best represents your film.

Film File Click, Browse and locate the file on your computer through the browse window. When you have found it, click the file and then click, Select.

Posters You can add a poster for your film at this point or later from your office on the lot. The poster should be 217x324 pixels and one of the following formats; jpg, png, gif. Parental Controls Panel The final step is to check the boxes to indicate what your film contains. This feature is included to ensure a safe environment for families and children while on the lot. If your personal settings are family friendly then films with any of the other elements selected will be excluded from your viewing. This also means that the family friendly films will have a larger audience.

Final Step The last step in the process of uploading a film is to click the Submit button. Make sure all other steps are complete. Pay special attention to your crew list, does it have everyone on it that you want to include? Leaving someone out at this point can cause serious problems if that person wanted to be included. After the submit button is pressed the progress bar will appear and gradually increase as your film is uploaded. When the progress bar is complete, it will disappear and take you back to the theater or critic's corner, whichever you uploaded from. A placeholder will be immediately added to the list of other films in the Critic's Corner. Your film will then take a moment to transcode before it will be viewable. It is typically done in five to seven minutes, depending on the length of the film. After being uploaded the film will first be placed in the Critic's Corner and await 20 reviews. Only subscribing members are able to leave reviews in the Critic's Corner. Reviewing a Film This is the brainstem of the game system. Here is where skill points are awarded and the A List begins. Filmmakers are awarded prestige and skills in their respective areas based on the first 20 reviews. There are two different buildings in which you can review films. The first location is inside the Critic's Corner and it is for subscribing members only. The films in the Critic's Corner are newly uploaded and are awaiting their first 20 reviews. After these 20 reviews are completed the film will automatically be moved to the FletChet Theater for all audiences. This is the only review building which allows players the opportunity to earn prestige for film reviews.

The other building is the FletChet Theater, which is open to all visitors and players on the lot. Guests will not be allowed to review the films but they can watch them from this building.

Selecting a Film to Review Once inside either the FletChet Theater or the Critic's Corner, you need to select a film to review. The films are placed in order of the most reviews to the least, running left to right. This is done to assist the films in reaching the FletChet Theater as quickly as possible. The Genre drop down menu will sort the films by your desired genre. Click the Genre combobox and simply select the genre you like.

The Review Screen The review screen is separated into three different areas. The Player, where the actual film is viewed and controlled. The Film Review, where a text review is input which tells the filmmakers your opinion of their film. If you have questions about what to write here, a Tips For Writing A Good Review will appear in the Player following the film. Lastly, the Review Criteria is where various crew members who have been attached to the film can be reviewed. The Review Sliders There are four crew positions that are required to be fill out during the film upload process; directing, writing, cinematography and editing. These four are required because no matter the type of film, music video, drama, documentary, etc., these four basic positions will always be involved on a film. Because these four are required you will see them on every film you review.

You may have noticed that the Producer title is not a required slider. This is because the producer's skill points are awarded by how the picture does as a whole. It is determined by the result of all the other sliders combined. If you would like to have other areas of your film reviewed, such as Makeup, Production Design, Sound Design, Visual Effects and so on, you need to include those crew members during the film upload process. A slider will be generated for each crew position added which corresponds to one of the 14 different skill ratings tracked in the game.