Not all of us are as cute as three British teen boys (awww...they're making a movie...isn't that darling?), but we can learn a lot from them anyway. Check out this New York Times article on how they are raising funds for their film.
NYT: Movie Makers Appeal to the Crowd, for Money
Don't let their freshly-scrubbed teenage hipness fool you -- these young filmmakers are on to something that the older kids can learn from.
These guys have used a social-networking Web 2.0 approach to film-funding. They literally have asked people to each donate a British pound (about $1.50, depending on the exchange rate) or more to help them get their movie made -- and have raised $15,000 that way alone.
This is not a passing fad. This approach to fundraising, basically getting people to make small donations in exchange for getting their name in the credits, is something we did on Quality of Life (though our lowest level started at $75, not $1.50). We'll be launching it for In-World War shortly.
Visit their excellent website and maybe leave them a pound or two along the way to put your name in their film.
Note that they have a separate website promoting the "buy a credit" offer, distinct from the main website for the film. This is a great way to make it feel like a special campaign and not just a small feature on the main website.
If you're making an indie or DIY film, you'd be an idiot and a masochist to not raise additional funds this way.
Once again, UK youth culture is leading the way.
Cool post and congrats on your crowdfunding efforts. If you're looking for a platform with built-in fundraising and social media tools (like widgets, twitter, facebook app, etc.) to help reach out to your niche audiences, check out IndieGoGo. You post a project and use the tools to start audience-building and crowdfunding. Happy to answer any questions. Keep on keeping on. Cheers! GoGoDanae
Posted by: GoGoDanae | May 01, 2009 at 01:00 AM