ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

7 years, 11 months ago - John Lubran

Two days and no response Simret.

Do you have a budget available for the skilled and demanding service you seek?

7 years, 11 months ago - Simret Cheema-Innis

Hi John,

Yes it seems so.

I don't have a budget at the moment for this, but I would like to offer the interested/experienced PR company perhaps 10% of what I raise from a successful crowd fund.

This is how I've been advised to approach those PR companies recognised for working with independent film companies/films. I just have to find those companies and of course most of the time it's good to go by recommendation.

7 years, 11 months ago - John Lubran

And there's the rub Simret. We have two projects ongoing that are to be crowd funded. They'll our fifth and sixth using this model. How best to proceed depends on the scale and nature of the project.

In terms of scale not only how much money is required but what if any, links and attachments are already in place with regard to distribution? What are the odds of it?

In terms of nature, which is the primary factor, the first concideration is why would anyone want to give money to the project? If a film is purely an entertainment without any social, political, ethical etc., etc., element then attracting significant funding from a general public will need a campaign of exceptional creative energy. That energy includes a website that reveals through a series of trailers the inherent quality of the film and those involved in it. Footage from behind the scenes that allows the viewer to feel an engagement emotionally and socially with the team.

The website ought to be an extended mirror of the pages set up on any crowd funding facilitaters site such as Kickstarter or Indigogo. It's always best to forge an initial starter crowd ahead of launch. Any campaign ought not be ham strung by specific time limited rules, so that fund raising can continue after a 40 day campaign. Costs for rewards and percentages to facilitaters of between thirteen and twenty percent ought to be factored in. During the campaign operate an online forum and engage daily with it. Moderate that forum to prevent unreasonable, libelous and false trolls from getting traction.

If you can produce a good film you can do all of the above too.

Crowd funding a purely entertainment movie without any emotional social purpose can be an uphill struggle, so make it emotional! Find a ressenance with people's aspirations.

Either that or have fabulous attachments of well loved actors etc.

It can and has been done. I was impressed with the campaign on Indigogo for Con Man.

7 years, 11 months ago - John Lubran

Oops! Another accidental double entry.

7 years, 9 months ago - Gerard Corvin

Hi Simret- still on the lookout? I've worked on acampaigns for film and TV, as well as being PR for a number filmmakers. I've recently gone freelance. Up for chat?

7 years, 9 months ago - Simret Cheema-Innis

Hi Gerard,

Thanks for your response.

I've now got someone on board however it'd be great to have a chat either way if you're OK with this?

All the best

Simret

7 years, 9 months ago - Matt Turner

Hi Simret,

Glad you've got this sorted. Do send us details about your project if you are planning to use Kickstarter. We have a partnership with them, connecting filmmakers with their (very useful and dedicated) film outreach team.

matt @ shootingpeople dot org if of interest.

Matt
SP

7 years, 9 months ago - Simret Cheema-Innis

Hi Matt,

Apologies for the delay in response.

I will certainly need help if I decide to go the Kickstarter route. I was thinking of going via Indiegogo, but I'm unsure which is best really at this stage or for my project.

First thing is first, I really need to build my following and presence on social media.

7 years, 9 months ago - John Lubran

Amongst the constantly evolving realities is the fact of there being more realities than there are pundits and agendas. I've not looked into Kickstarter's current rules but the last time I looked they were still cloven to the time limited all or nothing format. Indigogo proved for graduated funding programmes that allow producers to keep money raised even if targets are not met. There's no law of physics that says one can't run multiple consecutive campaigns or even simultaneous ones without any time limits. It's afterall how most films come to manifestation. One only needs to keep pursuing a budget until it's a cheated. These corporate entities that achieve a cap doffing respect because of their success within a given methodology are not definitive.

There's many ways to get syndicated funding, which is what we used to call it before the buzz word of crowd funding came on the back of the Internet.

The bottom line is always; why would anyone want to give money to a project that is unlikely to return a profit commensurate with risk? Usually the answer is that they need something else from their investment, something that makes them feel good. There's no singular circumstance that can define what might do that, but examples are easily recognised when one sees them.

A common pitfall is to over estimate how other people might regard ones pet project, particularly with fiction dramas without any compelling ethos or attachments.

7 years, 9 months ago - John Lubran

I'd just like to add Simret; I'm sure you'll crack this nut. It's all a kind of magic and you're a creative magician. The old saying "where there's a will there's a way " is true.