Been checking out Doc Sniper, a new site aimed at helping wannabe film-makers break into the world of film and television.

The site was founded by Australian film and television veteran David Simpson. It was “born from several years of research and development” and “ is backed by an experienced team of entertainment professionals”

The site is pretty simple in how it tries to help its budding Baz Luhrmanns …it holds a bunch of film-making competitions that members can compete in.The idea is that winning one of these competitions will bring you fame and glory.

There’s more to the site – you can build a portfolio of your work (by uploading videos or linking videos from youtube or other video sites) and chat with other film makers. They’re also planning to offer a comprehensive education section for subscribers, but the sales pitch at the moment is all about the competitions – each with a guaranteed prize-money of $1000 + a % of entry fees.

While entering competitions is free for a month, the sting comes from a $20/month subscription fee, which allows you to compete in unlimited competitions and access their educational tools.

I don’t really get the subscription model. There’s nothing on the site that makes me think that it’s worth $20/month at the moment. I know they have to cover the costs of hosting the videos actually uploaded, rather than linked to, but still, it seems a little steep.

What’s more, it seems a little exploitative and, for such a creative site, a really uncreative way of trying to monetise the value they’re creating.

That having been said, if the education side is done right and they’re able to help people launch careers, then that $20/month might end up being excellent value for money. On top of that, the team tells me they had over 70,000 hits in July, so maybe there’s something there.

If you’re into film-making, jump on the site, have a look around and let me know if you think it’s going to work. I’d love nothing more than to hear I’ve got it wrong and this Aussie site has the potential to be something huge…but only if it really does.