A video sharing website that offers cash prizes for creative clips made by budding filmmakers has been announced for those pursuing a career in film and television – in direct competition to YouTube‘s own Project Direct.

Doc Sniper (which already runs in the US) has been established in Australia by film and television veteran David Simpson, who indicates that he’s aiming to offer ordinary people an ‘extraordinary opportunity for widespread exposure’.

“Telling a story, communicating with an audience and encapsulating a set of characters and plots into a video is challenging, but I believe anyone with a video camera has the potential to create something special,” explained Simpson.

Video production enthusiasts can join Doc Sniper for a monthly subscription fee, enabling them to have unlimited entries into competitions and submit their own creative footage for the chance to win monthly cash prizes, as well as rate their favourite videos and use interactive education tools to perfect their craft.

“Doc Sniper will also offer subscribers a range of interactive tools to perfect their skill; whether they are interested in producing a 30-second clip, a seven minute short or a feature film. Doc Sniper will also offer a comprehensive education section for subscribers to access relevant industry information to aid their journey to become excellent filmmakers,” said Simpson.

The online filmmaker site also has plans to launch an annual Reel Awards, a global online-only film festival to recognise the creative excellence of its members, similar to YouTube’s own initiative Project Direct which has been running since 2007.