ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

9 years, 4 months ago - Andrew Morgan

Of course - people use Kickstarter to fund pre/production/post although it's generally better to have your pre-production done so you have something to sell your project with besides your past work/reputation.

If your Kickstarter's for funding a movie then how that money's spent is up to the filmmakers but it's considered good practice (and makes it more likely you'll attract backers) if you show your budget breakdown so that supporters know where the cash is being spent.

Don't forget to budget for post-production.

9 years, 4 months ago - Marlom Tander

Can you? Yes.

You can also climb Mount Everest.

But the key is your preparation. You have to know why total strangers will give you money for your project. The starting point for which is simple - "Are there LOTS of people who will think that your project is one that MUST be made". Then "Can you show them that you can make it, properly, to final delivery".

The usual answer to the first, for fiction, is NO, UNLESS you own/ can access some stonking IP. As for the second, for fiction, also usually NO UNLESS you have track record.

For docu projects I think if your personal story shows that it's a subject close to your heart and likely to be reported accurately, and everyone can see it's not a technical shoot, a shooting track record is less important.

9 years, 4 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

You may find little traction for a campaign where you buy some kit, rent instead. It's cheaper in most cases and frankly more backable. If I read a campaign where someone wanted to buy kit I'd walk away - why am I buying someone else a camera?

9 years, 4 months ago - Andrew Morgan

Actually Paddy, buying kit can sometimes be cheaper than renting if you sell it off or *cough* return it for a refund immediately after the shoot...

9 years, 4 months ago - Elisar Cabrera

Heres my question to you. Why should I fund you to buy equipment. Its not related to the project you want to make, buying equipment is funding a business. In which case go get a business loan. A campaign for a film works because you are not funding a business you are making a piece of art and asking fans to join you and help. Its a different pitch.

9 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

Every film project needs to use equipment. It's perfectly legitimate to include an equipment budget in your crowd funding proposal. Whether or not the project is more cost effective buying or renting depends on a number of variables; more often than not however renting is cheaper. What one can do quite ethically and legitimately is to calculate the equipment rental budget and put that money towards buying kit using your own money to fund the difference. If are able to raise a proper budget there ought to be a fee payable to you as producer and/or any other role you perform, perhaps that might cover the difference.

Current technical advances are having a seismic effect on equipment in terms of quality over costs. We can now buy damned good 4K broadcast spec cameras for as little as £5K and there's even one that's as near as damned it for less than £2K. Other kit in the sound, lights and grips departments can also be rigged up much more cheaply than in the past. The quality of a film is now far more about content and craft skill than it's about mega buck kit.

9 years, 4 months ago - Matthew Prince

I like your response, Elisar, but can you really get a business loan for film equipment? Thanks to everyone else for their responses!

9 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

Unless one has a brilliant business plan most loans from commercial finance, such as banks, need to be backed with security, which in most cases means fixed assets or most probably, your house! Credit cards have traditionally been the main source of credit for many film makers who've been able to build up sufficient credit limits with two or more creditors over time. For the young, naive, poor and innocent though some of the commentary here might be less than practical. I think Marlom's observations above nail some fundamental points about crowd funding. Unless one already has an inner crowd of friends and family, why the heck would complete strangers give their money for what often is really only to be a vanity project? Very few low budget drama fictions have much to offer a crowd of strangers unless one has the sort of intellectual property and quality attachments that would not normally require crowd funding, or a prove previous substantial success. There are entities that purport to support ultra low budget crowd funding projects and shorts. I've questioned their underlying purpose before and suggested that, at best, they're for beginners needing a few bucks to practice or demonstrate their skills, because beyond that there seems no other worthwhile purpose. There's few things less useless than a time consuming wind up.

The most likely reason for gaining a crowd is where a film has ethical and empathetic aspirations which might, rarely, be satisfied by a dramatic fiction but far more likely by a factual production, with or without dramatic portrayals.

Low budget Marshal Arts, Zombie Horrors and Gangster films, unsupported by star provenance or significant track record, must be at the very bottom of genres likely to attract the funds of complete strangers.

9 years, 4 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Yes you can get a business loan to buy business equipment, but be aware it comes with terms which may not make it your first option - such as proving you have sufficient cash to cover the loan value already!

9 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

They only only loan umbrellas on sunny days!

9 years, 3 months ago - Garry Clarkson

that's true. Try borrowing equipment from like minded filmmakers. I made my first documentary showcase piece by just asking a guy I met at film school if we could borrow his Betacam camera (in those days they were in the region of £30,000 prohibitive to anyone.. He liked the project so lent it. I couldn't believe it but sometimes if people like the idea they want to get involved.

I have just raised a (admittedly small) amount of money on go fund me - spent it on microphone equipment and digitising some archive hi 8 footage. It depends on the idea and how that's attractive to strangers.

G