Studio handbook
How to Play & About the Game
Draft eight film professionals under a salary cap, shape a coherent production, and release it into a simulated box office and awards season.
The four-minute version
Step 1
Choose the production
Select a genre and difficulty. Easy gives a $300M budget, Normal $250M, and Hard $200M. Choose Standard to see ratings or Blind to draft on names and instinct alone.
Step 2
Draft eight people
Fill Lead Actor, Lead Actress, both supporting roles, Director, Writer, Composer, and Cinematographer. Every round offers five candidates priced from $50M to $10M.
Step 3
Lock the final cut
Once all eight roles are filled, review the crew and give the movie a title. The game always protects enough budget to complete the draft.
Step 4
Release and compare
See critics, audience, worldwide box office, Golden Frame nominations and wins, and the Final Movie Score—the main number used to compare movies.
Read the draft board
Skill
Role-specific craft and performance ability. It has the strongest individual influence and determines salary tier.
Star Power
Recognition and audience draw. It can lift reception and commercial potential, but fame alone cannot carry a weak production.
Genre Fit
How naturally that person fits your chosen genre in that role. Its individual weight is smaller, but specialized teams unlock synergy.
Prices are based on Skill bands: $50M for elite talent, then $40M, $30M, $20M, and $10M. A cheaper pick can still be outstanding value through Star Power, Fit, or chemistry.
Build a movie, not a spreadsheet
Collaboration chemistry
Confirmed shared film credits create chemistry between key creative pairings. Repeated collaborations can add up to +6 to reception. Standard mode previews the change before you pick.
Genre synergy
People with Genre Fit above 88 count as specialists. Three specialists earn +5, five earn +8, seven earn +12, and a complete eight-person genre team earns +16.
Modes, luck, and replayability
Budget and rerolls
A costly star may force cheaper later picks. Choose 0, 1, 3, or unlimited rerolls before starting; rerolling replaces the entire current slate.
Daily and shared drafts
Daily Challenge gives everyone the same setup and options, then ranks your verified score. A draft code lets friends replay the same roles, candidates, and random outcome.
Awards night
Strong work can earn nominations, but winning is deliberately difficult. Skip the ceremony when you want the final report immediately.
Perfect Runs
Exceptional eligible productions can reach the maximum score of 100. Quality opens the door, while a rare stroke of luck decides the moment.
Studio notes
Three useful drafting habits
- • Spend where role impact and candidate quality justify it; the most expensive option is not automatically the best pick.
- • Watch the next genre-synergy threshold. One specialist can be worth more when they unlock a team bonus.
- • Treat chemistry as an advantage, not a requirement. A new pairing with elite Skill can still outperform familiar collaborators.
About the game
An unofficial career-peak fantasy
Real people, gameplay ratings
Movie Draft uses 600 real film professionals and 950 role-specific rating records. Skill, Star Power, and Genre Fit come from the project’s supplied database, while salaries and outcomes are fictional game values.
A cinematic simulation
Reception, box office, and awards respond to talent, fame, genre suitability, budget choices, collaboration history, team cohesion, and controlled randomness. Outstanding crews can produce extraordinary films, but no result is guaranteed.
Important disclaimer
This is an independent, unofficial entertainment project. Names of real film professionals are used solely for identification and factual reference. All ratings, prices, simulated movie results and awards shown in the game are fictional and created exclusively for gameplay purposes. They do not represent actual compensation, professional evaluations, predictions or endorsements. This game is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any person, studio, distributor or award organization referenced within it.
All professionals are represented as fictional career-peak versions for fantasy gameplay purposes.