questions and answers
Our extensive list below should help you out with hopefully all of the questions. If something’s not on there and you’d like to ask us a question, please send us an email and we’ll get back to you.
about biracy
what is the biracy project™?
the biracy project™ is a social experiment in crowdfunded filmmaking where film fans have input into the development, production and distribution of a movie. Members of the biracy project™ that choose to vote on the project processes will be rewarded for their participation. In addition fans can earn income by building a word-of-mouth referral network.
why did you build this?
The founders were concerned that piracy was going to have the same destructive effect on the movie industry that it was having on the music industry. Further, we believed the current film funding model for independents was broken and there was going to be a negative impact on the industry in the near future. We felt that independent filmmakers could use the crowd as a market indicator to see if they should actually make the films for the budgets they presented. If the crowd liked the idea and the filmmaker…they would support the film, and provide the creative team with the financing needed to make their projects without the typical hurdles and middlemen that currently plug up the system.
how does the system work?
the biracy project™ gives fans the platform to participate in the creation of a movie and earn income by referring and encouraging others to become members. You create a member account by paying your membership fee and then you get access to the Member’s Only web pages where you will get a say in the movie making process by voting for your preferences, where you will earn game points for your participation and where you can send invitations to your friends and associates to join using your referral code.
During the development, production and distribution of the movie you will have many opportunities to vote for your preferences and discuss those preferences with other Members. You will also have the opportunity to provide direct input into the process by submitting your ideas – which if selected will get you a job on the film to implement your ideas. By participating you earn points which may win you the prizes but will earn you payment, from the financial returns of the movie, for your time and effort.
Referral fees are paid to you based upon your efforts. By building a good word of mouth network you will be paid for your direct referrals plus multiple levels of downline referrals. See the biracy tour for more details.
isn’t the biracy project™ a pyramid investment scheme?
No. the biracy project™ is delivering real products to its members. As a member you will receive a copy of the finished movie, you receive value by participating in the development and production process through your votes and other submissions and you will be reimbursed for the time you commit to this project. In addition, certain contracts and jobs have been reserved for members only to submit their plan to the membership for approval. Members receive excellent value for the $25 membership fee.
Although you can earn income from building a word-of-mouth referral network, you DO NOT HAVE TO REFER to receive the membership benefits mentioned above. In Pyramid Schemes, the money is made through recruitment only, while the product or service has no real value. At biracy, the product is a transmedia participatory experience that solves a global problem within the world of independent film.
isn’t the biracy project™ just a multi-level marketing program?
Nope. In a typical multi-level program, the program is more concerned about making money from recruits than from sales/services. We want to make a movie and we want you to participate in the process. Our product is the process – well worth the membership fee price.
And, you do not have to sell. You are not obliged to be a salesman to receive benefits – You do not have inventory of questionable products to buy. Participation in the process will have its’ rewards when you receive the credit for your participation.
is the biracy project™ a movie studio?
the biracy project™ is not owned by a studio nor is it run by a studio. the biracy project™ is a social utility platform that allows independent film producers to fund their films in such a manner that removes a lot of the restrictions that studios need to put on films. Studios could use the the biracy project™ if they agreed to work with the members on their films. “Could” is a strong word for studios, and requires a lot of billable hours and professional consulting resources to figure out the legal ramifications of the potential damaging results that “could” result in applying an application to a process that uses the nomenclature of “could” in its practices.
memberships
can anyone become a member of the biracy project™
Anyone over 18 years of age that is referred to the biracy project™ can become a member. Because the the biracy project™ is about building a community of members from around the world you must be referred by someone within the community.
who can buy a membership? are there restrictions on where the members live and who can get involved?
This project is a global film project and is open to any person over the age of 18 years of age, anywhere in the world that our transaction processors see fit. There may be some countries that are restricted for specific reasons and it is best to try first and see if there is an issue. If you do have a problem with connecting, send us an email with your details and we will do our best to accommodate you in a timely manner through another method. Currently we only accept members that are 18 years of age; however, if you want a membership and are under 18 years of age…have your parents buy you the membership as they are authorized to purchase one on your behalf. Just make sure that your referral Biracy ID is in your name so that your friends will know who the information is coming from.
do I have to pay to become a member of the biracy project™?
YES! Put some skin in the game! This is the film industry and films cost money to make. If you want free go hang out at a torrent site or watch some of the quality films on Youtube.
why isn’t the biracy project™ membership free?
Films cost money, just like gas, food, electricity, and other consumables. It takes people to make films. Those people have bills to pay like gas, food, electricity, and other consumables. If you don’t understand this…perhaps the biracy project™ is not for you.
why do you have different membership levels?
People have individual goals in their personal and business lives. By providing different membership levels Members can participate in ways that meet those individual goals. At $25, for a moderate price you can participate in the creation of the movie and if you want to earn from your word-of-mouth referral network; or, you can pay $1,000 to be a Titan Member because you want to earn more referral fees and can build a deeper downline referral network.
what happens to the money from membership fees?
Your membership fee is allocated as follows:
60% goes directly toward the cost the biracy project™ motion picture. In the event insufficient membership levels are attained to allow for a reasonable movie budget, this percentage of membership fees will be refunded.
40% goes to payment of the referral fees and administration. 32% is allocated for payment of referral fees and 8% is allocated to pay administration contract costs such as project marketing, project development costs and administration salaries and overhead. In the event insufficient membership levels are attained to allow for a reasonable movie budget, this percentage of your membership fee will NOT be refunded to you – the majority of these funds will have been paid out as referral fees.
how many members will be admitted to the biracy project™?
A maximum of 1,000,000 referred members will be allowed. This level of membership will ensure diverse input into the movie development and production, and provide a great base for marketing the finished film. It will also ensure that a good budget is available to make a quality film that will ensure all cast, crew and support staff are paid a fair living wage for their time.
can I purchase more than one membership?
Sure, but we’re not sure why you would. You get all the benefits from your single membership by building your network, voting and promoting the finished film. This requires one membership. If you still feel that you need to be represented more than once within one project… then yes… buy another membership.
my biracy account
can we get paid our referral fees as my referral sign-up?
You will be paid referral fees in cash. You will see your Cash Account grow as referral fees are credited to your account. Referral fees are credited to your account as your referrals sign-up and as your friends’ referrals sign up based the membership you buy. However, no payment of referral fees will be made until a 100 day hold period expires. This hold period has been established to protect both you and us. It is based upon the maximum possible charge-back period on credit-card payments. Once the hold back period expires you cannot be charged-back for membership fees that are cancelled by a member of your referral network.
can I lose money in the biracy project™?
You are not investing in the biracy project™ you are buying a membership to participate in a unique process to create a movie. If the biracy project™ attracts enough people to fund the project at the minimum budget level you will receive a copy of the finished movie and be able to participate in its creation. Even if the Project is unable to proceed, for financial or other reasons, you will receive payment for referral fees earned plus receive a refund of 60% of your membership fee.
why can’t I see my other affiliates in my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc tiers?
Your account on the biracy project™ holds sensitive information that we feel people outside your network really don’t need to know about. It’s a matter of privacy and for that reason you will be able to see the number of people in your networks; however, you will not be able to contact them directly. You can make contact with any member within the forums on the site. Please read our privacy policy for more information on this matter.
cash, krill and kaps – what are they in layman’s terms?
Cash is what you receive for referring people to the site and from growing your network. You can request your cash and we will send you your funds or you can use your cash to buy other memberships that will soon be available for other projects on the site as well as use it for buying products from our online store that is coming shortly.
Krill are the points that you receive for getting involved in challenges, voting, and submissions within the project. The more Krill you have the more of the project’s revenue you are entitled to. In addition to this Krill is the unit of value that determines the winner of the overall biracy project challenge™. The person with the most points will win fantastic stuff! Krill is not redeemable as it is merely a points system.
Kaps are what you earn in your account from how well the film does when it is released. These are the redeemable units of currency that members can use to buy other memberships on the site, as well as other media products that are listed on the site through the biracy project™ or any of its future affiliates. Kaps are not redeemable for cash. The reason for this is that we are trying to keep media money within a media economy. This helps more great projects get made and ensures that filmmakers and artists get paid!
promote and earn
what can we do to entice our friends to become members?
Ultimately we want to have 1,000,000 members on our site and prove that this type of funding model is sustainable and scalable across other projects. We’re doing this to provide a solution but we know that there are other reasons as to why people will engage with the project. The Biracy Project is a way for film fans to engage in the filmmaking process, have fun, and make some money while doing it. We think that 1,000,000 people can build a great film that can do really well in the box office and provide a solution. We think that’s enough incentive for anyone to join.
the motion picture
can I get a job on the biracy project™?
Members will be given opportunities to work on this member driven film project. Once you become a member and once we reach our membership goal we will begin putting jobs out to tender for the members of The Biracy Project. We will also be giving members tools to assist them in creating their own social media biracy campaigns for helping us drive the membership which provides those members that wish to do so with additional income for helping us reach our membership goal.
will the biracy project™ members have any say in the content produced?
Through our democratic process, members will be given voting options on project related items as the project develops. These voting processes will be put to the members by creative department heads that are key crew members of the film. Whether your vote is a majority or a minority you will be rewarded for your efforts with points towards winning the The Biracy Challenge™. The member with the most points overall will win a prize.
who will manage the biracy project™?
The film itself will be managed by a bondable and reputable supervising producer. In addition to this the film will have a completion bond attached, and third party production accountants to ensure accountability of funds spent within the process.
The project as a whole will be managed by the management team of the the biracy project™
what happens if not enough members sign-up for the biracy project™?
If the production funds allocated from membership fees do not reach the minimum requirement after one year, we will refund 60% of your membership. In addition you will be able to keep any referral fees that you earned while assisting in the membership drive. This comprises of 32% of the membership cost. The management will also be entitled to keep the 8% allocated for administration of which 3% is already allocated to payment transaction services. We are using 500,000 Canadian Dollars as the minimum requirement.
what happens when the biracy project™ is completed?
Once the project is complete all members will be given an opportunity to ask to have the film played at a theatre in their neighbourhood by using our geo-mapping tools that will be available on the site later in the project. In addition all members will be able to download the film from the site or have it sent to them on DVD if they so choose for a cost of shipping and handling. Biracy members can also sell the film and earn additional revenue. All revenue that is generated by the films performance will be allocated to the members and management and members can use this revenue to sign up for other projects listed on the site. Those projects will be listed after the pilot project and will be made up of selected projects from producers all over the world.
For more info visit our Terms of Use.
