Fame The Musical
Rules and Regulations
The Series
"Fame The Musical" (working title) is a television series ("The Series") which will comprise the recording of a competition to identify cast members to perform in "Fame The Musical" "The Stage Show" a live stage show based on the well-known film and TV series which will be opening in Dublin in July / August 2010. The television series will be produced by Screentime Shinawil Limited ("the Production Company") and will comprise initial auditions of musical performers from whom a selection will be made to go forward to and two day workshop followed by further rounds of elimination until the winners are identified. The Series is being recorded over a period from February to June of 2010 and the prizes will be awarded in the last episode of the Series.
Eligibility and Qualification
1 Each individual performer who auditions for the Series must be not less than 18 years of age, on or before the 1st February 2010. The participant must be a citizen of Ireland or any other country of the European Union, or must have a visa entitling the participant to enter and work in Ireland for the full period of production of the Series as well as the period of work envisaged by the Prize. All participants must bring a valid form of photographic identification showing compliance with the eligibility criteria just referred to. Any participant who refuses at any time to show photographic identification when requested and given reasonable time to do so may be removed from the Series.
2 The following persons may be disqualified from taking part in the Series:
2.1 Any persons who are involved in the production of the Series and their immediate family members, including employees, shareholders, directors and agents or representatives of production personnel for the Series, employees of RTE and their immediate family members and employees or immediate family members of any advertising agencies or corporate sponsors involved in the production of the Series, or immediate family members of any of the judging or administration personnel involved in the Series. Immediate family members shall include all children including step-children, all the parents and grandparents including step-parents and step-grandparents and any legal guardians or their wards.
2.2 Any person who has within the previous ten years been the subject matter of a criminal conviction (other than in respect of a road traffic offence where that offence did not involve culpability for the death or serious injury of a person) or any person given the Probation Act in respect of any such criminal offences.
2.3 Any person who is party to an exclusive and/or long term exclusive management agreement, exclusive recording agreement, music publishing/songwriting agreement, exclusive performing or merchandising services agreement in the entertainment industries which in the opinion of the Production Company would impede the participant from participating fully in the Series in the manner envisaged in these Rules and Regulations.
2.4 Any person who in the opinion of the Production Company would not be capable of or in a position to fulfil the obligations expected to be undertaken by the participant in respect of the Series in a professional manner
2.5 Any person whom in the opinion of the Production Company arising from their conduct either before or during the Series cannot be relied upon to participate in a responsible manner in the Series.
2.6 Any person who in the opinion of the Production Company and given the high profile within the entertainment business likely to be achieved by the participant, and the fact that the participant will be seen as a role model by young people, is likely to bring either the participant or the Series into disrepute. Included in the matters which the Production Company may give consideration to are the use of illegal drugs, excessive consumption of alcohol, persistently rowdy or irresponsible behaviour or taking part in any form of inappropriate audio-visual recording or publicity whether prior to or during the Series
2.7 If the participant suffers any illness, injury, damage or physical condition which in the opinion of the Production Company would prevent the participant from fully taking part in the Series, including illnesses, injuries giving rise to vocal difficulty or any other difficulties.
3 The Production Company's decision in respect of the eligibility and qualification criteria set out above shall be final and conclusive and the Production Company may exercise the right to remove any participant in the Series at any time during the Series if in the opinion of the Production Company the eligibility and qualification criteria or any of them is not complied with.
Paperwork
Each participant will be required to fill out, sign and agree to all the terms and conditions in the Release Form presented to the participant by the Production Company. The Release Form will be available at the audition locations. As the participant advances through the Series, the participant will be expected to enter into further contracts in respect of their audiovisual services as performers in the Series and in relation to the prizes for the Series.
The Initial Auditions
Auditions will take place at locations to be advised on such dates and times as the Production Company shall identify. The auditions may or may not be filmed. The Production Company reserves the right to invite persons to auditions and also to hold auditions of pre-selected participants. All participants in auditions will be expected to sign a release form in the form attached as Schedule A.
At the auditions the participants will be asked to perform in front of a judging panel. Participants will be expected to perform a song or performance of their choice with piano accompaniment. If the number seeking to audition at public auditions is excessive the Production Company reserves the right to limit the number of participants at any particular location. Participants may then try other locations. Participants in the public auditions may audition at more than one location.
The Production Company anticipates that approximately 50 participants from the auditions will be selected to go forward to the next stage. Each of selected participants will be required to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement in relation to their participation in the Fame School.
THE FAME SCHOOL
Arising from the auditions contestants will be selected to progress to the Fame School. The Fame School will be at a secret location and the participants will be required to attend there for three to four days to undertake rehearsals, training and other activities as directed by the Production Company. The participants in the Fame School will then be asked to give performances before a panel of judges. The panel of judges will then select the final participants to go forward to the live studio show in April 2010.
The auditions and the performances at the Fame School may be recorded by the Production Company (whose decisions in all these matters will be final) and will be included in the relevant episode of the Series before the live show as part of the Series.
At the end of the Fame School, the final participants selected by the judges for going forward to the Live Studio Show, may be required to submit to an interview to check whether the participant selected fulfils the qualification criteria outlined above. The Production Company reserves the right to remove any participant from amongst the final selected and replace them in the event that they are of the opinion that the participant does not fulfil the eligibility and qualification criteria outlined above.
At the end of the Fame School process the final participants (approximately 12 in number) ("the Finalists") will be advised that they are being offered the opportunity of going forward to the next stage. They will be provided with a form of agreement to be signed by them covering their participation in the final part of the television series and also confirming their agreement that if they are one of the winners of the Prize, they will undertake the obligations required of them in order to avail of the Prize. If one or more of the Finalists declines to enter into the Agreement the Production Company reserves the right in its discretion to offer one or more of the other participants from the Fame School the agreement and so on until all the Finalists for the Studio Show have entered into the relevant contractual arrangements.
The Live Studio Show
The Finalists must make themselves available in Dublin in early April 2010 until such time as the last show is broadcast in June 2010, unless earlier eliminated from the Series by the public vote or arising out of non-compliance with the eligibility and qualification criteria referred to above. The Production Company will use all reasonable endeavours to allow a time for the final participants to go home to where they live during this period but cannot guarantee whether this is possible and/or what times (if any) will be available to do this.
Each of the approximately 12 Finalists will be competing against each other before the viewing public in each of the live studio shows which are expected to be broadcast on Sunday night at 6.30pm. At the end of each of the Live Studio Shows the phone lines will be opened and the public will be able to vote in a manner to be decided upon by the Production Company in relation to the participants who participated in the Live Studio Show that evening.
The phone lines will be open for a limited period after the completion of each of the Live Studio Shows and the results as to the participant and/or participants who have received the least amount of votes from the public will be announced. If the Production Company so decides the two participants with the least amount of votes shall compete with each other before the judging panel and the judging panel will decide who is to be eliminated. The Production Company reserves the right to choose the mechanism by which these persons will be eliminated from each Live Studio Show, and so on through the series of live studio final shows until all but two of the participants have been eliminated. The Production Company may decide that one or more participant may be eliminated during any one studio final show at their discretion. All arrangements for participation in the Live Studio Shows and the voting arrangements for same, will be decided by the Production Company in their absolute discretion and in the event that there is any tie of votes, or any dispute or doubt about the voting arrangements, or the participant to be eliminated, the Production Company's decision shall be final and conclusive. There shall be no appeal.
Conduct during the recording of auditions, THE FAME SCHOOL or live studio shows
All participants taking part in the auditions or in the Live Studio Shows shall conduct themselves in accordance with the directions of the Production Company or the persons appointed by the Production Company including the director of the Series. If in the opinion of the Production Company a participant is conducting themselves in any way which adversely affect the recording of the Series, or are unwilling or unable to carry out the instructions of the Production Company or the director of the Series, the Production Company shall be entitled to remove that participant from the audition shows or the live studio shows and the participant so removed, shall if the Production Company so decides, be eliminated from any further consideration as part of the competition comprising the Series. Due to the exigencies of production of the Series and the tight schedule for the recording of the Series, the Production Company shall be entitled to remove a participant from the Series without prior warning, if in the opinion of the Production Company, the participant may adversely affect or interfere with the ongoing production of the Series. The decision of the Production Company in this regard shall be final and binding and there shall be no appeal.
The Production Company shall be entitled to require any participant taking part in the Series to refrain from wearing any items of clothing which involve trademarks, logos or the name, image or likeness of a person living or dead and will also be entitled to require persons to leave at the door any possessions including any weapons, liquid substances, alcohol, illegal drugs or any other materials which in the opinion of the Production Company should not be carried or be in the possession of persons participating in the Series.
Any participant who in the opinion of the Production Company attempts to tamper with or influence any part of the process comprising the Series, whether involving any approach to any judges participating in the Series, or in any way interfering or manipulating any of the voting procedures being undertaken in connection with the Series, may be removed from the Series by the Production Company. The Production Company's decision in this regard shall be final and conclusive and there shall be no appeal.
4 Prizes
The Prizes will be that the two winning contestants one male and one female will be offered a leading part in the live stage show The Stage Show to be staged on tour in Ireland during the period of July 2010 to January 2011. The contractual arrangements for the Prizes will be entered into at the time that the Finalists are identified before the Live Studio Show.
General Conditions
By participating in the auditions and the ongoing Series, participants agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the Production Company, and any arrangements made by the Production Company including the appointment of panels of judges, the voting of the audiences and the decisions of the audiences and the panel of judges and the participants fully accepts that by taking part, any decision by the Production Company in respect of any of these arrangements will be final and conclusive.
The Production Company shall be entitled to use all or any material recorded as part of the Series, including any and all material recorded of the participant in all media now known or hereafter to be invented worldwide and in perpetuity, and in particular without limitation of the foregoing for the publicity and promotion of the Series and to use the name and likeness of the participants and any of their friends, families, supporters or other persons accompanying them as part of the publicity and promotion of the Series and otherwise without remuneration. The participants participating in the Series with agree to grant all performers rights whether under Part III of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 as same may be amended and extended ("the Act") or otherwise to the Company worldwide in all media now known or to be invented for the full period of such rights and to the extent possible in perpetuity. The participants participating in the Series with them also agree to waive irrevocably, unconditionally and in perpetuity any moral rights vested in them whether under Part IV of the Act or otherwise and acknowledge that the opportunity to participate in the Series is full and adequate consideration including equitable remuneration for rental and lending rights, any rights of communication to the public by cable and satellite for all services and participation of the participants and any and all of them and the participants and each of them accept that no monies, residual fees or repeats fees are due to them in respect of any and all forms of uses and exploitation of the Series or any part of the Series in all media now known or to be invented worldwide in perpetuity.
The Production Company cannot be responsible in any way if a participant encounters any difficulty in attending the auditions, the Fame School or the Live Studio Shows, as a result of any difficulties of transportation, inadequate or mistaken directions given by the Production Company, or any arrangements made by the Production Company with the participants of any of them. The Production Company cannot also be responsible for participants not be able to take part in the Series because of any illnesses, injuries or other damage suffered by any of the participants.
Each of the participants waive any claim they may have for loss of an opportunity to enhance their reputation, arising from any of the eventualities referred to above or any other difficulties they may have in taking part in the Series or if for any reason the Production Company decides that the participant does not comply with the eligibility or qualification criteria of any of them or otherwise should not continue to participate in the Series.
The Production Company, RTE, their subcontractors and agents do not accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem in any telephone network or line, system, server, provider, or otherwise which may result in any votes being lost or not properly registered or recorded and each of the participants hereby waives any claim whatsoever the participants may have for any losses, costs, damages and expenses arising from any such problems, it being acknowledged that the decision of the Production Company and RTE in respect of all voting and counting will be final.
The Production Company and RTE may use the participants name, likeness, photograph and biographical information in any programme or production and in ancillary advertising and publicity including, but not limited to a soundtrack album, the RTE Guide (or equivalent) or the RTE website. The participants agree to co-operate fully in this regard without any additional payment to the participants.