Wait. Do I have to animate my own couch gag? What if I can’t draw?

No, you don’t have to animate anything. This contest is to find the best original LIVE ACTION couch gag.

Wait. What is live action?

The opposite of animation. Real people, on camera.

Wait. What’s a couch gag?

You know in the opening sequence, when the family runs into the living room and does something with their couch? That.

Could I recreate an existing The Simpsons couch gag in live action?

You could, but you would need to add some sort of twist to make it original. The key here is to show us your own ideas.

Do I have to use the theme song?

No, you don’t have to. You can use the theme we provide or no music at all. You can edit the theme into the clip itself, or simply have it playing in the background as you record your couch gag.

Should I edit the opening sequence into my clip so it starts with Marge almost running over Homer in the garage?

No thanks. All we are looking for is a live action version of the couch gag.

Do I have to be a MySpace member to participate?

Yes, but it’s free to join. And once you’ve joined, you have to become a friend of The Simpsons to enter. http://www.myspace.com/thesimpsons

When does the contest run?

It begins on April 6^th, 2009 at 12:00pm PT and ends on May 18, 2009 at 11:59pm PT. The producers will judge Grand Prize winners from May 19 – June 14.

Fan Favorite voting will run May 19 – June 1

The winners will be announced on June 22.

How long can my clip be and how big can the file be?

Clips must be 45 seconds or less and files must be under 100MB.

What formats will you accept?

asf, .wmv, .mov, .qt, .3g2, .3gp, .3gp2, .3gpp, .gsm, .mpg, .mpeg, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .cmp, .divx, .xvid, .264, .rm, .rmvb, .flv

What CAN’T I do for my couch gag?

Nothing obscene, discriminatory, illegal, copyrighted or derogatory. No music except for the theme we’ve provided, not even original music you wrote yourself. Oh, and you can’t show any third-party logos or signs, even on your clothing. Especially on your clothing, in fact. See the official rules for a full list of restrictions.

What if I win? How will I know?

We’ll find you. You can check the official rules for more info on that.