ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

6 years, 9 months ago - Jane Sanger

I have to be honest crowdfunding is not my forte but I have 2 friends who are great at it. One has raised £70,000 through it and made a feature film. So for him I know the motivation to support is purely because he is young and the subject of the film was about the homeless. So people backed it for its content rather than any perk. Personally I feel the same .. there are so many “asks” I give only to someone with content that interests me. I couldn’t care less about perks.

The only time I thought the perks were great was when a famous graphic artist had designed t shirts and merchandise and they were worth having.

As far as raising money for a festival run. I am about to do the same so interested to see how you do. I think the pre build for the film and info about it you have publicised and continue to do so will help on social media to peak interest and therefore encourage people to help you get it to festival. I know also personal messages to followers on eg fb are much more effective than a generic post on your page. Good luck. Also unfortunately shooting people don’t allow picture uploads but a good poster always catches my eye and might make me donate.

6 years, 9 months ago - Ray Brady

In my own personal experience I have found that if you first submit to and get accepted into competition at a prestigious film festival and then screen favorably or even win an award of some kind, it is very likely that word of mouth will travel instantly globally around other international film festivals and you will find your film being quite quickly invited for free by other international festivals without incurring any further submission fees, sometimes they even offer to cover flights and accommodation to and at the festival for two people. So....choose your first festival extremely carefully. Secondly...this could be the reason why crowdfunding for festival fees often isn't well supported in that, if a film is really good it only really needs the one submission fee.
Wishing you the very best of luck with your film festival submissions.
Regards Ray
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002916/awards?ref_=nm_awd

6 years, 9 months ago - Richard Anthony Dunford

I wouldn't personally say the fact a film is already done means people have no incentive to back its crowd funding campaign. If anything it takes away the backers risk of never seeing anything for their donation as the piece is already something tangible and not just something speculative.

Crowd funding is really tough as there's so many people doing it and although you see some really successful campaigns I expect the majority never hit their target. I've backed quite a lot over the past few years but that's usually based on what it's about rather than the perks in return.

6 years, 9 months ago - John Lubran

Why do complete strangers want to fund some one trying to do something that is not rewarding to funders beyond trinkets and spurious credits? They don't. Complete strangers do however fund things that support or contribute to stuff they care about. Zombies, marshall arts and just about every other genre is being churned out by the big studios and television, some of it is trite but they are also producing some amazing productions of all kinds and genres. It's clear that crowd funders are more interested in not so much the satisfaction of fine cut dramatic artistry in itself but the message, ethic and effect that it might have on issues they care about. Such projects can also benifit from a broader set of distribution possibilities and creative business models that might include variations of the 'long tail business model'

It's just announced that the digital gaming industry is now bigger than film and music combined. I recently watched some of these games being plaid. The near photo realistic player and or multiplayer involved action reveals where it's leading.

Most Crowd Funders want more than just the entirely vicarious entertainment offerings from projects that are essentially and wholly just someone's artistic expression seeking nothing other than to vicariously entertain . They might not get active participation in an ethically inspired film but they want to see it expressed as widely as possible. It's that aspiration and anticipation that can raise bigger budgets..

Just a few rambling thoughts on the subject. Other paths to consciousness are also available.

6 years, 6 months ago - Kristopher Williams

Thanks so much for your replies, this is very helpful and encouraging to hear that so many people give money because they genuinely want to help bring a project to life that they’re interested in.
As a little update, while my crowdfunding campaign hit about 7% of its target i was very grateful to receive anything and it all helped with the cost of entry into festivals.

New York Cinekink accepted my short and it will be showing in Manhattan on Saurday night, 6th April and Ive booked my flight!
First time in NY, cant wait!!!

6 years, 6 months ago - Paul W Franklin

Hi,

I think in the early days of Kickstarter etc, getting a signed script or to spend a day on set (as part of the reward) was new and exciting to many non-filmmakers. Nowadays it's not. So people don't really do it for the perks... unless they're paying £500 and want an Executive Producer credit on a film that might be something big.

I think people do it:
- For something they want to support, e.g. homelessness or mental health;
- Because the project genuinely sounds cool (AND because the filmmaker comes across as cool/funny/etc in the fundraising video);
- Karma.

Myself, I’ve backed 2 or 3 films. 1 of those was about mental health, and frankly it was terrible and I want my money back :p So yeah I do it for the karma, and the fact they were people I kinda know.

I am actually planning a fundraiser based on a film I’ve already shot. I didn’t do one beforehand because I wanted to film in winter and I’d already delayed it a year and I just wanted to shoot it. So I plan to make a Teaser Trailer and say “I’d like some money to finish this properly and pay the crew something”. (It needs a bit of CGI and sound mix.) And, as people have said above, at least if you’ve actually shot it you can show some footage and a teaser.

Regarding yours:

I think your page should start with a synopsis of the film.

I am aware of this kink (I’ve done a fetish show for C4), so I know the sort of thing it’ll be about… but I guarantee you 99% of the audience won’t. So I think you need to give us an idea. And I don’t think the trailer tells us enough… I can’t make out any kind of story, and the bit at the very end is perhaps a bit too weird (for the average viewer).
So I would strongly suggest redoing the trailer. Happy to take a look for you.
Although it may do well and you may not need the funding, in which case great!

(Also, £20-90 isn't really an average. Just say £50, makes it less confusing!)

P.