For those of you who haven’t yet gotten involved with the site, here is the skinny.  Their filmmakers create a short video clip or “Rootclip” to start the story. Then filmmakers and film enthusiasts watch the video, then shoot their own video of what they think happens next. The fun is that people who make the films, and the viewers like us get to vote on the best entries and basically direct the story.  It’s a lot like those choose-your-own-adventure books when I was a kid.

Today they unveiled the new Rootclip Contest – Chance Encounter.

Chance Encounter seems to be a fun story line, but it can go absolutely anywhere.

Every day, Ryan Brown and his friend KC walk the same path to the same bus stop on their way to the same job. Not today. An incredible event forever changes the mundane lives of Ryan, KC, and an unknown news reporter waiting at the bus stop. Where will their journey lead? Only you can determine their path.

For this contest, Rootclip is giving away a $2,000.00 Cash Grand Prize, and each chapter winner will receive a $250 VISA Gift Card, a really Balance Beam from Trig Industries, a “Video for the Web” training DVD by VASST, and The DV Rebel’s Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap by Stu Maschwitz,

The final round of this contest is here. Come vote for the grand prize winner today!

The Grand Prize Winner gets an all expense paid trip to the Traverse City Film Festival on August 1-3, 2008 where you’ll meet with award-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore (yes, that Michael Moore) and see the debut of the full Rootclip film.

Help out my buddies and visit rootclip.com to vote on the winner of the next round!

Videomaker managing editor VideoChick found the site:

Did you ever play that summer camp game where someone starts a story and the next person has to continue the next chapter, followed by another storyteller, etc. until everyone has a chance to make up a chapter? Well, now you can do it with video, and maybe win a prize for your effort.

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We at Rootclip produce the first chapter (a.k.a. The “root clip”) and users create chapters 2 through 6. The final chapter (chapter 6) is only eligible for submissions by the winners of chapters 2-5. I also hope to see some of your work on our site. We’re really trying to create a collaborative community and build up the excitement for a new generation of filmmakers.

What it seems to me is that Rootclip is Hollywood 2.0.  It is the beginning of the tipping point where big studios are overtaken by student filmmakers and dedicated enthusiasts, much like sites like ModelMayhem.com have empowered smaller photographers and lesser known models to play at the professional level.  

Who knows what kind of quality a concept like this will produce, but it is a step in the right direction.  I’m sure it will take them a try or two to get it right, but the idea of empowering the users with the ability to create the stories is something I can get behind.

As we move into the 2008 presidential elections, neither the Democrats or Republicans seem to have a plan to bring our troops home while at the same time leaving the region with some stability.  

What do you think?  Who is the best presidential candidate when it comes to the issue of Iraq?

Now, I understand that oil companies are raking in record oil profits.  But, why is the fault of the oil companies?  They are setup to make a profit, and their profits are what allow them to build the infrastructure that fuels this country.  

The real culprit in gas prices in the American consumer.  We have been ignoring the reality of the oil situation for over 30 years.  As consumers we are selfish and irresponsible, and are not changing our buying habits.  That is not the fault of the oil companies.  That responsibility rests on our own shoulders.  

We want to go fast, we want the hemi engine, we want the 4×4 that we drive in the city only.  We scorn the smart cars and Honda Civics.  

We brought this upon ourselves.

So buy a responsible car that actually fits your needs, take public transport, and stop feeding big oil your hard earned dollars.  Either that, or stop bitching.