KIckstarter Question - How to attach a name actor before raising the money?

S

sb2012

Member
I'm sure there may be some people here who have experience with using Kickstarter.

I'm trying to plan out my kickstarter campaign for a feature length film I'm doing, it's low budget (200k-500k range). I was going to use non-union actors as well as myself (I'm union) but since I see so many of those kickstarter productions with some name actors attached to them (i.e. Julia Stiles, Malcolm McDowell, and countless others) I'm considering this route (i.e. using one or two name actors in the cast outside of the non-union actors). Especially since you pretty much have like 30 days to raise the money, seems like it might help a bit.

I'm wondering how exactly does one go about attaching a name star before they even have the money upfront yet? I tried doing some research and I've learned that SAGAFTRA lets you sign what's called a Schedule G form (I think) which pays the actor a flat fee of about $65k. But beyond that I don't know.

I realize that you have to go through the actor's agent first. Anyone have any idea how this whole procedure works if you want to hire them for a Kickstarter production?

On a slightly separate note.... since this is my first kickstarter, maybe I'm getting too ahead of myself and should just stick to using myself and non-union actors?
 
your best bet is to probably find someone who knows a known actor... or with a great script approach their manager...

An actor's agent will want you to do a pay or play deal most likely... you'll have put up 10% of their pay... which they'll keep if you don't raise the funds...

You have to think... you're using their name to secure funds and what guarantee do they have of once those funds are raised that you won't recast the part with another actor...
 
Agents and managers don't like their clients to be used to raise money. They mostly want firm offers, with money ready to change hands.

Of course it's a different situation if you know a star personally.

Of course you can get plenty of D-listers and low level celebrities and tv-actors of yesteryear to sign you LOI's if your script is decent, but these people won't help you get any sort of financing.

How much are you looking to raise through Kickstarter?

What kind of a track record do you have in producing? Do you have a fanbase? Youtube subscribers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, e-mail list?
 
That's a massive amount of money. You need a HUGE network and HUGE identified market you can tap into. Make sure you know HOW you're going to reach them all before you start anything. If you aren't pre-selling a tangible good that people want (a device) or have an existing franchise/work you're expanding on which already has a fan base I don't see how you're going to raise that level of money. I just raised $2900 of my $7500 goal for a short film (40%). I did it 99.9% by calling on friends and family and acquaintances. My campaign was through RocketHub/Fractured Atlas and the donations are tax-deductible so that partially helped motivate people I'm sure. Of the 72 funders I contacted personally over 500 people. It took a massive amount of energy and I did it all by myself without a support group, etc. RocketHub isn't all-or-nothing like Kickstarter so I have enough to shoot the short. I just have to personally take on liability and extra costs that I wouldn't have had to if I reached my target budget.
 
Yeah I don't have a fanbase just yet. So perhaps I should just wait and stick to funding short films through kickstarter like $3000-$6000 range perhaps, build up some fans that way. As for this particular feature film, I guess the only other option I can look into for funding is through a indie production company, right?
 
Some people work in phases. Get enough resources together to shoot a great teaser/trailer. Use that to fundraise money for production. Cut enough of that to launch another crowdfunding campaign to raise money for post-production. This is a really honest way to make a movie because if you can't find the audience before you shoot how do you think you'll find it after? If you can't find it, you don't get the money to shoot it. Nobody markets indie films except the people who made them, so you're a step ahead of everyone else if you can find audience to begin with.
 
I suspect most of those 'big name' projects are ones where the big name already knew the project people and perhaps was even involved in developing the concept, and told them "I'd like to make this if you guys can raise the money". There's very little chance they'd be interested doing the same for a project from a complete stranger - from their perspective, it's even less appealing than the usual pile of spec scripts they're offered.
 
Som bigger projects today over here in Europe use crowd-funding as a means to create a fan-base before principal shooting starts. They may not really need the money but think it's a great way to find people who will identify with that project and they learn in advance something about the possible structure of their future audience. So they can have well known actors attached attached at times.
 
sb2012 said:
Yeah I don't have a fanbase just yet. So perhaps I should just wait and stick to funding short films through kickstarter like $3000-$6000 range perhaps, build up some fans that way. As for this particular feature film, I guess the only other option I can look into for funding is through a indie production company, right?
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Unless you've got A.) rich friends, or B.) a reel full of excellent work you've done, and preferably a short or two in the genre you're looking to make your next short in, or C.) a dedicated fanbase, it's very unlikely that even a $3,000 KS campaign won't fall flat on its face. If I were you, I'd try to do some work on your own before even thinking about trying to crowdfund. From what you've said, it sounds like you're under the assumption you can throw together a campaign with a good pitch video and get $3k-$6k, not once but several times, and that's simply not realistic. Maybe I inferred that incorrectly from your posts, and if I did, my bad; carry on, and all that jazz.

In any case, I'd look at 10 failed Kickstarter campaigns for every successful campaign you study. You can do everything right, and one little thing (typo in your title, sound bug in your pitch vid, unbalanced pledge levels (i.e., jumping from $15 to $50), etc.) can totally f--k you.
 
Just for fun, I took a quick look at the KS campaigns you mentioned (Julia Stiles, Malcolm McDowell). The Between Us campaign (Stiles) wasn't bad. Dan Mirvish is a little-known filmmaker, but I still recognized the name, and the script is based on an off-Broadway play. Bereave, the McDowell campaign, on the other hand, is just mundanely bad, and sans a last-minute angel investor to the tune of probably $40k, the campaign is not likely to be successful when it wraps in two weeks.

-EMB
 
Eric Boellner said:
Unless you've got A.) rich friends, or B.) a reel full of excellent work you've done, and preferably a short or two in the genre you're looking to make your next short in, or C.) a dedicated fanbase, it's very unlikely that even a $3,000 KS campaign won't fall flat on its face. If I were you, I'd try to do some work on your own before even thinking about trying to crowdfund. From what you've said, it sounds like you're under the assumption you can throw together a campaign with a good pitch video and get $3k-$6k, not once but several times, and that's simply not realistic. Maybe I inferred that incorrectly from your posts, and if I did, my bad; carry on, and all that jazz.

In any case, I'd look at 10 failed Kickstarter campaigns for every successful campaign you study. You can do everything right, and one little thing (typo in your title, sound bug in your pitch vid, unbalanced pledge levels (i.e., jumping from $15 to $50), etc.) can totally f--k you.
Click to expand...

Good points there, Eric. Well, as one of the other posters above said, what if I use KS to fund a portion of that $3000? I mean if a number like $3000 is likely to fail on KS (as you say), then surely there must be some reasonable "low" amount that ppl would be comfortable with funding? $500? $1000? I mean for a guy like me who's never done a KS campaign before.

I'd like to remake my first short film, which has a great concept, since a lot of things didnt go as planned due to me trying to rush it into a festival (dumb mistake on my part). I estimate a budget of $3k for this, so would it be reasonable trying to fund $1000 out of that on KS?

I mean if not, then what are some other methods you guys use to cough up the money for your feature/short films? Of course saving a cut of your paycheck is the obvious option, but that takes months depending on the type of project you want to do. I don't mind paying actors and crew nothing (I'll cover food and transit of course) but the problem with that is I've had to deal with people backing out last minute or a week before just because they found a paying gig.
 
sb2012 said:
Good points there, Eric. Well, as one of the other posters above said, what if I use KS to fund a portion of that $3000? I mean if a number like $3000 is likely to fail on KS (as you say), then surely there must be some reasonable "low" amount that ppl would be comfortable with funding? $500? $1000? I mean for a guy like me who's never done a KS campaign before.

I'd like to remake my first short film, which has a great concept, since a lot of things didnt go as planned due to me trying to rush it into a festival (dumb mistake on my part). I estimate a budget of $3k for this, so would it be reasonable trying to fund $1000 out of that on KS?

I mean if not, then what are some other methods you guys use to cough up the money for your feature/short films? Of course saving a cut of your paycheck is the obvious option, but that takes months depending on the type of project you want to do. I don't mind paying actors and crew nothing (I'll cover food and transit of course) but the problem with that is I've had to deal with people backing out last minute or a week before just because they found a paying gig.
Click to expand...

The trick with crowdfunding is that unless you have something with a broad audience and the potential to go "niche viral," or you have the aforementioned fanbase, OR you are capable of creating a pitch video & project that are so unique and exciting that people other than you will champion the project to their friends and associates without you asking them to...

...then it's really not about asking how much you need, it's about asking how much you have access to. I don't know you personally, I don't know if you have 64 friends on Facebook or if you're constantly having to delete old friends just to add new friends and stay under the FB friend limit. You could be the guy (like me) who's got 20 followers on Twitter, and most of them are just follow-backs, or you could be the guy everyone RT's.

The trick is to look at your own social media network (this is key since most crowdfunding happens through social media, not "brick and mortar" friends), and try to figure out how much you could squeeze out of your personal friend pool. How many of your friends will repost your KS campaign to their own Facebook page? Do those people have friends? And would those friends even click the link? The thing is, unless you have the aforementioned prerequisites for success (fanbase, niche project, etc.), 90% of the money you raise through Kickstarter will come from people you know directly.

Me, personally? I don't know for sure, but I think I'd be hard pressed to get $1,000 out of my social network. Most of my friends are as broke as me. I know this has been a long-winded post, and kind of rambling, but the point is, some people can raise $1,000 from their social network with the snap of their fingers. Others can raise $5k in a couple days. The only point of looking at KS campaigns is to figure out how to present your project in a way that leads to people wanting to support it and share it with their friends. NOT to see how much they made with their project and figure you can raise the same. The variables involved are infinite.

TL;DR version: Figure out how much you could actually raise from your existing social media network, and set the bar around that amount (sometimes a little higher works, sometimes a little lower; it's really a gut thing). If I were you, I'd take the time before starting the project to gauge the levels of interest from your friends and family who have money to donate. Maybe even ask people directly. Give them the pitch, say "Hey, I've got this short film I really want to start production on. Here's the story. And here's why I need to make it. And here's why it's going to be a good project, and a good film. And here's why I need your help. If I launched a fundraising campaign for this, does it sound like something you'd be interested in supporting? Would you share it with your friends? Would you donate, and if so, how much?" Be succinct, don't ramble like I do, and DON'T send out a mass email blast, or a 2,000-word Facebook message. Don't spam people. But talk to people you know and figure out how much you can raise, and then figure out how to make the film for that amount, plus whatever else you can scrounge up on the side.

Hope that helped.

-EMB

Also, it SERIOUSLY helps a crowdfunding campaign if you have OTHER PEOPLE involved. For instance, get your lead actors attached to and excited about the project (if it's not something they seem excited to tell their friends about, lose them fast - they're not going to be around for the first day of filming, and they're certainly not going to help raise funds for the KS campaign). Get a cinematographer who knows his/her s--t, and is also excited about the creative direction you're going in. Not only do these people add LEGITIMACY to your project, having four or five people involved spider-webs the social media network that your project has access to.
 
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