Crowdfunding A Case Study

[El Gato Negro]

Hello DVXusers. I wanted to have an open dialogue with filmmakers thinking about raising the majority of their budget by using crowdfunding as their main source of funds via Kickstarter or IndieGoGo for producing an independent project.

Would love for this post to be a place where users can test their pitch and project before launching. Where the community can give input on campaigns. Any successful filmmakers who have reached their funding goals input would be a major contribution on the forum.

I would like to start of by using my unsuccessful campaign that I had on IndieGoGo for my indiefilm "Driving Without Brakes" http://www.indiegogo.com/drivingwithoutbrakesmovie . All information is unedited and is posted exactly as I had displayed it on my user page. Feel free to tear it a part. The experience was soul crushing and I devoted an average of 5 -8 hours a day for 120 days. But I'm a strong believer that we can learn from our mistakes.

My insights on why I failed.

Lack of traffic to my page, Small personal network, weak video pitch (I was clearly nervous and stumbled on my delivery) no campaign pre-production (huge mistake I would suggest 1-3 months of pre-production) no team (most crew were reluctant about crowdfunding) and weak perks.

Here are the Analytics of the project

Summary
[TABLE="class: minimized"]
[TR]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid"]Visitors[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid hCtr"]1,134[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell80"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid"]Views[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid hCtr"]2,104[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell80"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid"]Funders[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid hCtr"]18[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell80"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid"]Contributions[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid hCtr"]$545[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell80"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid"]Favorites[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid hCtr"]25[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell80"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid"]Referrals*[/TD]
[TD="class: agCell10 vMid hCtr"]599[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]



So from the stats I estimated that on an average, I was getting contributions at every 63 page views. Out of the 18 funders - 7 were females and 11 were males. Out of the 18 funders 2 were family members, 3 personal friends, 1 colleague, 2 actor acquaintance (at the time) and 10 strangers.

Another interesting stat was that my target audience (people who I think would want to see the movie 18-35 females) were not the funders. Finding a target demographic for fundraising is different from finding an audience for your movie. Might be to low of a number to get a real number but it was enough to get me thinking.

The film is currently going on it's 3rd Draft and looking for traditional investment. Maybe another shot at crowdfunding via Kickstarter this time but putting 1-3 months of campaign pre-production.

Looking forward to hearing everybody's input. Wish you the best on your campaigns!

Pitch Video

Pitch

Tagline: You cant outrun your past.

Synopsis: Driving Without Brakes is an intense drama about three best friends Monica, Courtney & Debbie each with their own beautiful and violent hue. The summer drives them towards a head on collision as they crash into the ancient ceremony of youth, love and unrestricted freedom.



Writer/Director - Mr. Sifuentes
210-980-8173
mistersifuentes@gmail.com



The film's starring role,Monica, will be played by up and coming Latina actress Brandi Seguin from San Antonio, Texas. Brandi, brings a honesty in her that is both captivating and compelling. She always brings an optimistic discipline when we do test shots for the film. I'm excited to work with such a raw talent.

Driving Without Brakes will be shot entirely in San Antonio, Texas. It's a story of the ancient ceremony of youth and unrestricted freedom. It's about my neighborhood, the 78211 zip code. It's an industrial blue collar part of town. We have more junkyards, bars and cantinas than you can count. Statistics state that people from this area are destine to never reach their highest potential. In the mist of all this rumble there is music, family and loyalty.



The film centers around Monica and her two best friends Courtney and Debbie. Each one has a beautiful and violent hue. Here are the character breakdowns for the main roles.

• MONICA GUERRA: Mexican/Latina Female 21. Raw & Sensual with a stunning urban prowess. Monica does classic street racing illegally to pay for college. Monica is extremely intelligent but has a violent temper. Her father has been in prison every since she was a little girl and she grew up with her uncle and cousin Luisa. Monica owns a ruby 64 Ford Galaxie 500. Violent Hue: RED

• COURTNEY GALLAGHER: White Female 21. Sexy, Impulsive & Wild. Dirty blonde hair. One of the few white girls in all Mexican South Side neighborhood. Her parents own a hole in the wall music venue on the St. Mary strip where shes a bartender. Owns a charming beat up 66 Dodge Dart convertible Violent Hue: PURPLE.

• DEBBIE ORTEGA: Mexican/Latina Female 20. Rugged and Beautiful. Morena. Short butch hair style. A cross between chola/rockabilly lesbian. She is randomly homeless because of the domestic violence at home with her addict mother. Violent Hue: TEAL

• PAUL VEGA: Mexican/Latino Male 26. Comes from a strong family lineage of musicians. Passionate and laid back. Paul is the lead singer for a a popular local band. Never one to be in a monogamous relationship he falls deeply in love and is torn between two women Monica and Lupe. Paul randomly goes into periods of manic depression and his recreational coke habit quickly escalates into an addiction. Violent Hue: TURQUOISE

The film is being directed and written by me, Jesus Sifuentes. I have been working in the film industry for over 8 years and currently work in the industry as a UPM, 1st AD and 2nd AD. I have always had a passion for story telling and visual arts. It all started when I was introduced to theater art in high school and the passion has never ended.. I've been an actor, grip, PA, extra, techie, stage manager for plays, short films and never think twice about pay if I am passionate about a project or it's theme.



Some of the projects I have been most proud to work on were;


The Return of Johnny V - Grind House style film where I was the UPM. 2010
The Killing Strain - Zombie Horror film where I was the 2nd AD 2009
Eva Longoria - HEB Commercial -2nd AD 2008
Shooters - Comedy Pilot where I was the 1st AD 2008


I have worked extremely hard for 8 years now to acquire the discipline, the knowledge, the contacts and the experience to shoot my first feature film. I will make the most of every single cent I get from funding.

The film will use local talent and crew. We will also incorporate the amazing music scene of San Antonio to create a kinetic soundtrack.

The majority of the funds we seek to raise will be to shoot the film, feed cast/crew and rent equipment. Funds will also pay for official website, equipment rentals, attorney fees, promotional merchandise and post production. So please donate now! If you have an questions, comments or need more info about donating to the film or how you can help please call me or email me!



Writer/Director - Mr. Sifuentes
210-980-8173
mistersifuentes@gmail.com

 

[Plotless]

You said you spent 5 to 8 hours per day promoting this. What did you spend that time doing?

 

[El Gato Negro]

You said you spent 5 to 8 hours per day promoting this. What did you spend that time doing?

Mostly on social media interaction. Had the highest ratio of funding from Twitter. Maybe 3 funders from Facebook and 1 via email. One of the marketing test I did was making 1000 flyers that I placed in venues that I felt funders would be at. The downtown art community, restaurants, coffee shops, vintage store, local theatres and music ventures. I didn't get a single contribution from the flyers.

 

[Zak Forsman]

I think the biggest lesson i learned during ours was that people weren't backing the movie (at all), they were backing me and the other people involved.

http://kck.st/qB45dd

so we were fortunate that the campaign had been designed around our personal connection to the movie we wanted to make: inspired by my dad, that i wanted to continue to grow as a storyteller, etc. trying to sell them on the movie itself turned out to be a waste of energy. nobody who donated to our campaign ever said anything like "I don't know you but I love crime thrillers so i'm backing you."

I've written a bunch about my experience here...

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/10/the-microbudget-conversation-down-and-dangerous/

 

[El Gato Negro]

I think the biggest lesson i learned during ours was that people weren't backing the movie (at all), they were backing me and the other people involved.

http://kck.st/qB45dd

so we were fortunate that the campaign had been designed around our personal connection to the movie we wanted to make: inspired by my dad, that i wanted to continue to grow as a storyteller, etc. trying to sell them on the movie itself turned out to be a waste of energy. nobody who donated to our campaign ever said anything like "I don't know you but I love crime thrillers so i'm backing you."

I've written a bunch about my experience here...

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/10/the-microbudget-conversation-down-and-dangerous/

Thank you for your input Zak. Read the article last night and it triggered this post. Have to admit both Brandi and I are naturally introverted and that we weren't in our element in the pitch video. I have no problem taking charge when I, 1st AD on a national spot and have a crew of 30+ with actors, extras, clients etc but when it comes to being "me". That's a different story. Self-assessment is what I've been doing for the last few months.

I'm still adamant about funding the majority of my budget via crowdfunding for the sole reason of the freedom it would give. Haven't lost faith just changing my perspective on it.

 

[Brian_Rice]

I'm going to go with Zak on this one as it pertains to more personal, character stories. In the end it's going to be all about the people who are actually associated with the film. Zak is probably the most successful indie I've ever actually dealt with personally who has been able to successfully market personal story films. He's a rockstar.

I think my obvious contribution would be genre stuff and its relation to having a built-in audience, but especially if there's any sort of online social following. Things like Freddiew's Video Game Highschool (275K raised), Joker Blogs (20K raised), Superman: Requiem (15K raised), Video Game Nerd (215K raised), Theatre of the Dead (20K raised), Kholi raised around 18k for Superseeds, and I've had a couple friends from comic books Disco Frankenstien and Vigilante Project raise their required funds (each around 2K), these all have built-in audiences. Yeah, Kholi is going to have to push harder than, say, Joker Blogs, but the audience is still available.

Personally I only do genre stuff, so I'm not sure how exactly one might market more traditional stories unless, like I said, the people involved have a strong following. Some of the religious films seem to do okay in funding (and distro).

I know you're trying your best to exploit (nothing wrong with that) your female latina lead, but maybe making an effort to exploit her to the right audience (e.g. hispanics?) might serve you? Maybe finding spanish-speaking blogs, latino-sentric websites who might be willing to promote your fundraiser? Hell, even George Lucas is using the race factor in his promotions of Red Tails. You could spin it like a "Latino actress can't find amazing roles in Hollywood," etc, etc. Nothing wrong with it if it's vaguely true. You might be able to find some additional backing if people felt like they're donating to a *purpose* and a *message* rather than just a film.

I guess if your film has a specific message and you can also market via Youtube and Facebook those particular messages -- if you can use that as a hook, maybe that would help? I've been enjoying using Facebook's Connection Ads lately. Basically people who are fans of your page, their friends will see the ad with something saying "So and so likes this page." And then once you have your page up, it's imperative that you post *something* every couple of days. Since what I'm doing currently is an animated series, I like to go out and find other indie animated series online and post them for my audience. Gives me a reason to connect to them every few days while also giving a shout out to other indies. www.facebook.com/OPAJAMAS

Not sure if that helps! Pretty much "Do genre films and you might have an audience." and "Play the race card" lol Then I'll tell you something you don't know, right? Everything's fair in war and marketing. Good luck!

 

[Gary Huff]

I've written a bunch about my experience here...

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/10/the-microbudget-conversation-down-and-dangerous/

Funny. I was totally inspired by that Ira Glass video as well.

 

[Screenforme]

Here's my campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/enemyofthemind

I think it has almost everything to do with who you are and who you know. And to some extent, where you are and timing.
I've seen your posts so I know you're in San Antonio, and I'm in Austin, and to be honest, there are so many crowdfund campaigns that pop up on my twitter
and Facebook feed, it's ridiculous. The people who post these things even say initially, "I know you see these all the time but..."
People turn off immediately.

Plus, you have to post about this **** nonstop and I know the majority of the people on my FB/Twitter don't even actually KNOW me so why would they give me MONEY? I've found even if I do KNOW them, they don't even know I've made a film or posted about funding, because Social Media is sometimes so convoluted with other **** that how does yours get through!?
Even some of the lead actors in the film haven't even liked the FB page or couldn't tell people about the project!

Honestly, I get it, because I myself have been a part of many INDIE projects that never finish or show up so why invest in the FB page or donate, when the film may never even see the light of day?

I went and trolled Austin Film Festival, with tons of postercards. I hit up everyone, celebs included.
I made some great contacts, press people, producers, blah blah, but out of a thousand cards/flyers given out, I got exactly ZERO donations, or even new Fans or follows on Twitter.

I was inspired by Zak's campaign and started one to try and raise money to pay the people who haven't been paid yet on my own film, we've raised around 1300 out of 27,500.
Yes, that was ambitious but I thought if we'd make it that far, I could then give the money to the people who deserve it, didn't pan out.

I'd like to hear some critiques on my campaign as well, though I'm pretty sure it's just that my vid isn't all that great, among other things definitely, and the particular film I made isn't a personal story that's a masterpiece.
I'll be the first to admit that the film itself isn't even that original, maybe that has something to do with, and I shot it because it's my first and I wanted to do it without a budget and actually finish it, within in a year. Well, I accomplished that.

Good luck on your film when you get it going.

 

[Zak Forsman]

My advice would be...

A) this is hard for me to say because i have friends who work there, but get off of IndieGoGo. I know you can do timed campaigns there now, but it still has the stigma of "filmmakers keep the money even if they dont hit their goal". I know too many people who refuse to donate to IndieGoGo campaigns because they assume they aren't "all or nothing". And frankly, no one wants to have their money go to waste if you cant raise what you said you needed to make the movie.

B) your pitch video should demonstrate a strong command of your filmmaking ability. inspire confidence. show them you can make a movie that looks like a movie. that means putting the same effort into it that you would into the making of the movie. you are a filmmaker, there is NO excuse for bad sound, wonky edits, bad lighting, noisy footage, etc. if you and your team are sitting down to record your pitch video and you or someone on your team says "the mic on the camera will be good enough"... you are not ready.

C) don't waste your time spamming people you don't know. focus on your core audience, the people who care. that is family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, etc. when someone donates, thank them publicly on their facebook profile and INCLUDE THE LINK TO YOUR CAMPAIGN. they will likely respond with a comment saying why they donated: "I believe in you" or "it's looks awesome!". now you have a public testimonial that all THEIR friends can see. this is how we were able to run our campaign without randomly spamming facebook and twitter.

D) if you fail to find support, consider it a test or "filter" for what you're putting out there and take a good hard look at it as you reassess. why did you fail to connect? people generally don't donate for the perks.

E) this is the thing i stressed over for weeks before we launched: what am i offering people who back us? perks? blah. who really wants a poster of a movie that doesn't even exist yet? no one. think about what has inspired you to donate to someone's campaign (and if you haven't, you have bigger issues). what was it that motivated you to part with some dough? was it because of the movie they were making? or was it something about them and their personal story and perhaps seeing yourself in their goals and ambitions? for me, the campaigns I donate to always seem to touch something inside of me that connects with my own aspirations and ideas about moviemaking. but it's not that the film is personal, it's because the filmmaker shared something personal that i could relate to. I think, "I like what this person is doing, where their head is at, I want to help." then i click the donate button. I've never said "okay, their pitch video was too long, it was edited weird, their poster looks bad, but damn it i love horror comedies! I'm donating!!!"

F) as Mr Sifuentes did, be prepared to be at it every day. during our campaign, I spent nearly every waking hour either at the computer fostering the campaign, or shooting and editing video content to release as updates. probably averaged no less than 14 hours a day on it for 30 days.

G) do a short campaign. Kickstarter's statistics show no benefit to running a campaign longer than 30 days. 30 days is the sweet spot. Use it to your advantage to create a sense of urgency. and use milestones and minigoals. it's easier to motivate people to help you reach 25% funded by this friday, rather than 100% funded by the end of the month. plus, you can publicly salute the people who brought you to each milestone! "So and so gave us our first $100 donation!" or "So and so's pledge brought us to the 10% funded mark!"

H) at every step, don't think like a filmmaker trying to raise money, think like a backer coming across your campaign for the first time. if you got an unsolicited email or postcard from someone you didn't know, would you give them $25? $100? doubtful. when people send you facebook invites to 'like' something, do you ignore them? I do. so why would i expect others to react differently to my requests? look to your own behavior. what moves you to take action? how many times must you hear about something before you check it out? who in your social media circles is recommending the random youtube videos you watch each day and why do you trust their "recommendation"? is it because you share interests? or because you admire them? I am not a salesman. it's not in my personality. but i found a lot of answers by looking at my own habits and behavior online.

I) Last one. Talking AT people is not as effective as talk WITH them. I was able to keep a dialogue going about the project on twitter and facebook by releasing more videos about the project, posting audio recordings that inspired different aspects of the story and engaging in a public conversation with anybody who showed interest. But to have something to talk about, you need to be producing new content throughout the campaign. I liken the running of a campaign to producing a web series. And as filmmakers, producing quality, engaging content is what we're good at. So use it to your advantage.

J) Okay, this really is the last one. Be a part of the community. Get on twitter. Search for relevant keywords and follow the people who are part of that discussion and join it. Meet people, make friends, support THEIR projects, write blog posts, comment on theirs, give give give, be a decent human being and participate in the indie film community and you will be rewarded. Because these are the people who will support you in kind when you launch your crowdfunding campaign. This is your social media army who will be tweeting on your behalf and spreading the word. If you approach it as networking, you're doing it wrong. The filmmakers, actors, producers, composers and others I've met on dvxuser and twitter, many have become lifelong friends. If you find yourself making genuine friendships, you're doing it right.

 

[arniepix]

B) your pitch video should demonstrate a strong command of your filmmaking ability. inspire confidence. show them you can make a movie that looks like a movie. that means putting the same effort into it that you would into the making of the movie. you are a filmmaker, there is NO excuse for bad sound, wonky edits, bad lighting, noisy footage, etc. if you and your team are sitting down to record your pitch video and you or someone on your team says "the mic on the camera will be good enough"... you are not ready.

I don't want to sound crass, but the pitch video in the original post is little better than the typical youtube video or local law office commercial. Bad sound, mediocre lighting, an unenthusiastic presence on screen. It tells me that the final product of "Driving Without Brakes" is likely to be of the same quality. Your pitch video should show that you can produce a film to Hollywood standards, not youtube standards.

 

[Zak Forsman]

but when it comes to being "me". That's a different story..

I know the feeling. I spent four hours and did dozens of takes of my part of the pitch video until I got something that didn't completely embarrass me. it's hard. I have no business on that side of the camera.

 

[Zak Forsman]

Thought of another...

Build your team out of people who run in different social circles. You will need help, but if you and your team only know the same people, you're only multiplying the annoyance factor for your friends and followers by the number of people in your team.

 

[El Gato Negro]

Thought of another...

Build your team out of people who run in different social circles. You will need help, but if you and your team only know the same people, you're only multiplying the annoyance factor for your friends and followers by the number of people in your team.

That advice really sticks out. So it would be a combination of graphic designer, web designer, venders, non-profits and media?

When you were casting, did you let the actors and crew know that their additional support in spreading the word was important to the campaign?

 

[El Gato Negro]

*quote*

Here's my campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/enemyofthemind

I think it has almost everything to do with who you are and who you know. And to some extent, where you are and timing.
I've seen your posts so I know you're in San Antonio, and I'm in Austin, and to be honest, there are so many crowdfund campaigns that pop up on my twitter
and Facebook feed, it's ridiculous. The people who post these things even say initially, "I know you see these all the time but..."
People turn off immediately.

Plus, you have to post about this s**t nonstop and I know the majority of the people on my FB/Twitter don't even actually KNOW me so why would they give me MONEY? I've found even if I do KNOW them, they don't even know I've made a film or posted about funding, because Social Media is sometimes so convoluted with other s**t that how does yours get through!?
Even some of the lead actors in the film haven't even liked the FB page or couldn't tell people about the project!

Honestly, I get it, because I myself have been a part of many INDIE projects that never finish or show up so why invest in the FB page or donate, when the film may never even see the light of day?

I went and trolled Austin Film Festival, with tons of postercards. I hit up everyone, celebs included.
I made some great contacts, press people, producers, blah blah, but out of a thousand cards/flyers given out, I got exactly ZERO donations, or even new Fans or follows on Twitter.

I was inspired by Zak's campaign and started one to try and raise money to pay the people who haven't been paid yet on my own film, we've raised around 1300 out of 27,500.
Yes, that was ambitious but I thought if we'd make it that far, I could then give the money to the people who deserve it, didn't pan out.

I'd like to hear some critiques on my campaign as well, though I'm pretty sure it's just that my vid isn't all that great, among other things definitely, and the particular film I made isn't a personal story that's a masterpiece.
I'll be the first to admit that the film itself isn't even that original, maybe that has something to do with, and I shot it because it's my first and I wanted to do it without a budget and actually finish it, within in a year. Well, I accomplished that.

Good luck on your film when you get it going.

*quote*

I realize this now and I say this totally objectively. I feel that non-profits and documentaries do extremely well on IndieGoGo with campaign goals of under $10k and feature films do better on Kickstarter. Especially in the $15k to $75k bracket.

*Give me a few to give my full attention to your campaign and I will give you my opinion. Thanks for sharing bro. I hear you.

 

[El Gato Negro]

I don't want to sound crass, but the pitch video in the original post is little better than the typical youtube video or local law office commercial. Bad sound, mediocre lighting, an unenthusiastic presence on screen. It tells me that the final product of "Driving Without Brakes" is likely to be of the same quality. Your pitch video should show that you can produce a film to Hollywood standards, not youtube standards.

Thank you for your complete honesty. I definitely don't take it personal. The quality of the video goes back to rushing the campaign without having an detailed plan. Major regret.

Now, did the test photography remotely grab your interest? Was it like "Ok the pitch video sucks but at least he has a vision and texture for how this movie will be shot?" Was there a remote promise of a potential film? Or was the video so untouching that you didn't bother to keep on reading the rest of the pitch and look at the promo photography? Once again, I appreciate your feedback.

 

[Brian_Rice]

Zak! We're totally on different sides of the Indiegogo/Kickstarter debate. But I think it's because I hang with mostly web content developers and comics folks. For them, the project is going to get done, it's just how well it's going to get done, ya know? I usually tell them that kickstarter is for things that *cannot* be done without a specific budget. Indiegogo is for things that can be done on a zero budget, but would be a heck of a lot nicer and be finished a heck of a lot faster if they had one. lol

Most of my comics and web people use indiegogo. Film is a tough one. Like, if it was just finishing work, effects, etc? I dunno, Indiegogo might be the better route. I've just seen the big ouchie when someone raises like 60% of their goal and are left with nothing when their kickstarter campaign fails. Especially if you're in comics, you want every single pre-purchased book you can get out of your campaign, ya know?

I was actually being pushed to crowdfund for my current project. A kind of "Just see what happens! Couldn't hurt!", but I really think you have to prove ALOT before you can start asking people to crowdfund your stuff. Yeah, maybe if you're a sick marketing person and have your fingers in a lot of different social networks (and especially if those social networks extend to folks with lots of disposable income) it might work. But let's be real -- most people who have successful (creative) crowdfunding campaigns have a *body of work* and often times an audience who appreciates that body of work. The only way I could consider crowdfunding at this stage of my career would be to utilize NONE of my social network or personal connections. I think you get one chance for people you know to really take a chance on you. I don't want to go for that until I literally have no options left and I have proven myself again and again that what I make can be successful and worthwhile.

Nothing that's worthwhile is ever easy. People might disagree with me, but I think you get ONE chance at crowdfunding. That's it. After that, you better be able to find actual investors, which means you'd had better make that crowdfunded film a success. One chance -- if you're lucky and people actually give enough of a **** about you and the work that you do to give you their dollars.

 

[Zak Forsman]

I understand that from the creators' point of view. But as someone who also donates frequently to all kinds of projects, I don't want you to take my money if you can't raise what you need to do it right. If your goal is $10,000 and you raise $700 of which I donated $100, where does that money go? I'm not interested in kicking money in to something that is going to be half-assed. And the "all or nothing" method gives me that assurance that I'm not throwing money away.

As for how many times you can return to the well, I think you have to deliver a great movie/comic/widget on your first one. But i know a guy who has crowdfunded three movies now in the $20,000 to $35,000 range each time (roughly once per year). But I think that's because he delivers solid work and people like being a part of what he's doing each time out.

 

[Brian_Rice]

I understand that from the creators' point of view. But as someone who also donates frequently to all kinds of projects, I don't want you to take my money if you can't raise what you need to do it right. If your goal is $10,000 and you raise $700 of which I donated $100, where does that money go? I'm not interested in kicking money in to something that is going to be half-assed. And the "all or nothing" method gives me that assurance that I'm not throwing money away.As for how many times you can return to the well, I think you have to deliver a great movie/comic/widget on your first one. But i know a guy who has crowdfunded three movies now in the $20,000 to $35,000 range each time (roughly once per year). But I think that's because he delivers solid work and people like being a part of what he's doing each time out.

Hoof! That's crazy to me. I'm giving myself one chance to crowd fund via networks. I want to make sure I have a body of work and a following before going to that well. But who knows, my girl is really encouraging me to crowd fund as is one of my buddies who's helping out on the project. But I keep telling them that I can do everything myself, I don't *need* the money in order to get it done. But they're position is just because I'm able to, doesn't mean I should. Hell I'm even having trouble just brining myself to outsource 15 seconds of a cut scene! lol But I know it's the right thing to do. I think I just always want to always farm everything on my own. And I think opprotunities in life (even the ones you manifest) are so extremely limited, I just want to make the absolute most of them. Also, lol, I told some of my comic book friends who have crowd funded that I *don't want to fail*. Right now I succeed based on effort. So long as the effort is there, I'm a success. But once you go out and have a specific goal youve now opened the doors to failing. I've been extremely ill for the last four years, only recently have I been able to actually work more than a couple hours per day, and that feeling of success is so amazing to be experiencing, I dot want to expose myself to the possibility of failure. It's crowd funding. To me there is literally nothing more serious in the indie venture than is crowd funding. This is someone's dinner, their kids Christmas present, a tank of gas, credit card debt. You have to be someone worth believing in. You are holding, on some small level, the dreams of other people. You can't fail that. You must succeed. You have to do more than just give it your all and do your best. You must win at achieving whatever goal you have for that project and, in essence, yourself. Big, big stuff.

 

[gonzo_entertainment]

I'm in pre-production right now on a kickstarter for a web series.
We've been in pre-pro for over a month with about three weeks left to go until we kick it off. Here's a couple of things I hope will make it a success.
1. It's aimed directly at a target audience, a particular horror sub-genre. That audience has websites and forums devoted to it. I know the web masters of a couple of those sites and can count on some pretty decent promotion there. I'll also pound the genre forums with it.
2. I'm spending about $500 in expenses next Sunday on an all day shoot for a 30 second teaser. I have already cast the lead and hired the key crew, so we'll try to get very high production values on the teaser.
3. I'm recording the pitch portion later this week. I come from an acting background so very comfortable in front of the camera. It is scripted and will be shot with coverage and edited, not a one angle talking head video.
4. I'm the announcer for the local roller derby team. I get paid with a sponsorship. That means I'll be able to pimp it on the mic at at least one bout with an audience of about 2000 people.
5. I have my previous film in a well attended film festival about a week before the kickoff, so should be able to do some good promotion there as well.

No guarantees, but we'll see how it goes.

 

[Gary Huff]

I'm recording the pitch portion later this week. I come from an acting background so very comfortable in front of the camera. It is scripted and will be shot with coverage and edited, not a one angle talking head video.

This is a really huge deal, in my opinion. There are too many Kickstarter projects with terrible intro videos that show no talent in shooting a decent "talking head" and with no other footage/examples to boot.