Need Funding for my first short film! [indiegogo]

Hi Everyone, my names Tom and like many of you I'm an aspiring film director! I've finally decided to come up with my first official short film named Chloe! It follows the life of two girls who are secretly lovers, yet everyone else believes they're just best friends. But the story is not a happy ending as "where there is love, there is pain"... So basically, what I need is contributions from generous people who can help me make my film into a reality! I've setup a campaign on Indiegogo and just looking at it and spreading the word would mean millions to me! As I so desperately want to make this film and take this first step in film making after 6 years of practising at school and in my free time! A million thank you's to everyone who helps as I'm sure you too know how it was to first start off.

link: http://www.indiegogo.com/chloethefilm

Thanks to you all that helps in some way,
Tom!

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More detailed description of the film:
The film follows the life of two teenage girls who are secretly in love, their names are Chloe and Kat (Katherine - her name meaning "pure/virginal"). The film starts off with the quotation "where there is love, there is pain" and then everything fades but the word "pain" which then fades into the first scene which is of an unknown girl standing on some train tracks with a train speeding towards her. Just as the train is about to hit her we cut to the second scene. We see Chloe and Kat at Chloes house, both lying next to each other in bed. And from there we grow more atttached to the two characters as the film progresses, creating an emotional bomb. They both go out for the day and end up fishing with nets in the river, after Kat catches a fish she trips, spilling the bucket of water she placed it in over Chloe. Chloe then chases Kat across the field (in a playful way but this scene is important as it mirrors a scene later on in the film). Anyway, skipping ahead a bit... they're then walking home before they get stopped by a "chavy" teenage boy who tries to rape Chloe. Theres obvious struggle between the three characters and in the end Kat's shot by the teenage boy. He then tries to flee the scene but Chloe in her upset mindset goes after him and chases him (this is the scene that mirrors the scene of Chloe chasing Kat). After catching up to him, Chloe jumps on top of him and they stuggle before she kicks him in the groin and they both fall to the ground, Chloe grabs a large rock and smashes it agaisnt the teenage boy's face repeatedly... with each blow to his face causing her to cry more and more. The realisation of everything that has just happened causes her to get upset and to start crying on top of the boy. A passer-by then comes across Chloe and the body and Chloe flees the scene. She appears in a large field with a train track running through it and she slowly walks towards the tracks. Upon getting to the tracks she sits down and takes out a picture from her jacket pocket and then looks at it on her blood covered hands. A light comes from her left (a train) and she stands up, open armed as the train ploughs into her. The photo then floats down and when the train has left, the photo lands on the track to reveal the two girls happy together. The quotation "where there is love, there is pain" then fades onto screen and the rest of the screen fades to black.
 
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As I so desperately want to make this film and take this first step in film making after 6 years of practising at school and in my free time!

People normally want to see samples of your previous work. So... Where do we find samples of your previous work?

Second, you're after $500. Why are there $1k, $5k and $10k options there when you're making a cheap short?

Good luck, you're going to need it. I'm sure you're going to make a better love story than Twilight ;)
 
I always find it hilarious when people ask for funding for a short film.

Or asking for funding from other filmmakers... :weird:


Your funding should be coming from your target audience, that the movie us intended for. That way you will test the waters to see if the movie will generate enough interest as well for it to be seen.

Who are your target audience??
 
Your funding should be coming from your target audience, that the movie us intended for.

Who are your target audience??
And how come they're resistant to donating?


You're not making a short film JUST to make a short film.

Art is a product like anything you'll see on a store shelf no matter how large or small the cost.

If no one buys MIKE'S RAT TURD BREATH MINTS... there might be a reason for that.
If no one buys BOTTLED CHERNOBYL WATER... there might be a reason for that.
If no one donates to FATHER CHESTER'S HOME FOR VERY NAUGHTY BOYS... there might be a reason for that.
If no one donates to A FILM I WANNA MAKE... there might be a reason for that.
 
Why? Short films are just as meaningful as feature-length films. Just because they're shorter in length doesn't mean they're less in terms of content quality or meaning.
I don't think mussonman was speaking of the content quality or
meaning of a short film. Most people finance their own first official
short film especially when the needed amount is only $500. We
filmmakers sacrifice to find the funding for our movies so I find it
interesting (not "hilarious") when a filmmaker hopes other people,
complete strangers, will pay for their project.

Short films can be of very high quality and quite meaningful. I'll
be following your campaign. I hope you find people who are willing
to donate their hard earned money to you.

Have you ever donated money to a filmmaker you don't know?
 
People normally want to see samples of your previous work. So... Where do we find samples of your previous work?

Second, you're after $500. Why are there $1k, $5k and $10k options there when you're making a cheap short?

Good luck, you're going to need it. I'm sure you're going to make a better love story than Twilight ;)

The reason I'm asking for $500 is because that was the lowest I could make the short film for at a basic price. However, the reason I included the other higher options is so that if someone did donate more I'd be able to buy better equipment for the short film, including further short films to come and then eventually a feature length film after I've done some successful shorts.
 
I don't think mussonman was speaking of the content quality or
meaning of a short film. Most people finance their own first official
short film especially when the needed amount is only $500. We
filmmakers sacrifice to find the funding for our movies so I find it
interesting (not "hilarious") when a filmmaker hopes other people,
complete strangers, will pay for their project.

Short films can be of very high quality and quite meaningful. I'll
be following your campaign. I hope you find people who are willing
to donate their hard earned money to you.

Have you ever donated money to a filmmaker you don't know?

Well the reason I'm unable to afford it is due to myself being an unemployed student. How did you afford your first film venture? Thanks, I hope people will donate too. And I haven't donated to people I don't know (but that's mainly to not having means to pay people on crowdfunding websites until recently), however I have donated to people I know.
 
Well the reason I'm unable to afford it is due to myself being an unemployed student. How did you afford your first film venture? Thanks, I hope people will donate too. And I haven't donated to people I don't know (but that's mainly to not having means to pay people on crowdfunding websites until recently), however I have donated to people I know.

How I made my first short? I begged, borrowed and stole whatever I needed and made something that was within the confines of my finances. If I needed something I couldn't afford, I found a way to talk my way into somehow getting it for free (actors, equipment, locations etc) or found something else to shoot. It's as simple as that. If you're not doing it that way, you're living outside your means.

Although... there are a couple of other alternative methods.

1). Look for a financier. Tell them your plan on how you're going to earn a profit for their investment. This one doesn't work as shorts virtually never make money.

2). Get a job or find a way to make money. If it makes you feel better, you can call this self financing.

3). Do what you already said. Get money from people you already know. They are the people who are most likely to help you, even if they're not going to fund you.
 
How did you afford your first film venture?
I quit writing pie-in-the-sky short screenplays and wrote one I COULD afford.

Don't waste time writing screenplays requiring resources you DON'T have access to.
Look around at the common household things you do have + think of the locations you can get for free + the cast & crew talent you do have THEN WRITE a story according to THOSE resources.


A guy in his car with a cell phone.
A guy and a girl with a gym bag of...
Two guys in a parking tower stair well.
What's in the fridge?
An argument/conversation over laundry/photo frame/where-the-f#ck-are-my-shoes?

Don't write "An urban SWAT team overtakes jewelery store robbers" or "Zombie horde attacks the White House."
Or at least write it and shelve it for some other day.
 
I quit writing pie-in-the-sky short screenplays and wrote one I COULD afford.

Don't waste time writing screenplays requiring resources you DON'T have access to.
Look around at the common household things you do have + think of the locations you can get for free + the cast & crew talent you do have THEN WRITE a story according to THOSE resources.


A guy in his car with a cell phone.
A guy and a girl with a gym bag of...
Two guys in a parking tower stair well.
What's in the fridge?
An argument/conversation over laundry/photo frame/where-the-f#ck-are-my-shoes?

Don't write "An urban SWAT team overtakes jewelery store robbers" or "Zombie horde attacks the White House."
Or at least write it and shelve it for some other day.

What he said.
 
Well the reason I'm unable to afford it is due to myself being an unemployed student. How did you afford your first film venture?
I was an unemployed 16 year old student when I made my first official short
film. And I had to shoot on film. I didn’t ask a single stranger to give me money.
I offered to do work for people I knew. I saved money from birthdays and
Christmas. I made great personal sacrifices including not buying snack food
and selling off some things that were important to me. My mom would give
me $5 for lunch and I would go without - putting that money into my film fund.
I put together a “pitch” and got some money from people who knew me and
believed in me. I worked harder finding the $800 than making the film. Are you
saying you can't find a way to come up with even $250 (£155) on your own?

$500 (£310) isn’t really much money. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask for
donations from strangers, but you need to understand that those of us here
who sacrificed for our first official short films and didn’t ask for donations from
strangers on a messageboard will have something to say.

Let me ask you; what happens if you don’t get the $500 you need? Will you
give up? Or will you earn the money yourself and make this movie? Just how
dedicated are you to this movie?
Thanks, I hope people will donate too.
Where are your family and friends? If you got £6 ($10) from ten of them you
could at least show $100 on your page. What about people you have donated
to in the past?
 
Well the reason I'm unable to afford it is due to myself being an unemployed student. How did you afford your first film venture? Thanks, I hope people will donate too. And I haven't donated to people I don't know (but that's mainly to not having means to pay people on crowdfunding websites until recently), however I have donated to people I know.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way as I'm trying to be helpful, not harsh. However, it's generally accepted to be bad etiquette to beg for money so you can buy new equipment. Crowdfunding, if you choose to go that route, should only be for the project your are trying to make. Do we all want a new computer to edit on? Or a better camera? Or a nice set of lights? Yes, of course, and absolutely. But you need to focus on making your film with what you have and what you get get for free or through volunteering hours.

On a more general note re: getting your funding. I've got a couple questions and some advice.

Can you tell us exactly, dollar for dollar, what you need $500 for? I'm asking because I would venture a guess if you can make the film for $500, you can make it for $150.

Right off the bat, from your description of where the money will be spent, I can tell you you can cut 90% of that budget.

1. Don't buy equipment. Renting is much cheaper and you'll have more options. Or better yet, you say you've been making films in school, so find a friend that already owns a kit and ask him/her to volunteer as DP.

2. Find actors willing to work for credit, copy and meals. They are out there and you can find them. It's even easier if you can show them that you have an amazing script.

3. What do you mean by pay for special effects? Make-up and costumes can cost money sometimes, but you say your film is about two teenage girls who fall in love. What kind of special effects and costumes/make-up do you need for that? I'm sure your actors own clothing as it's not common to go around naked all the time. As for special effects, anyone with time and a copy of after effects can do that. I bet you can find someone on this board who wants to build their reel and is willing to work for credit.

My last problem with your "What we need/What you get" section is this whole, I'll tell you later what we spent it on part. I'm sure you mean well, but this kind of language raises serious red flags. At best it seems like you haven't done enough pre-prod planning with your budget, at worst it makes you look shady and dishonest. Like I said, I'm sure that's not what you meant but that's how it could be perceived.


So, taking all what I just said into account, what do you need to spend money on to get your film made?

Food. You have to feed everyone and in a zero-budget short (which I'm sure you can pull off based on your very brief description of the film) this will be the majority of your budget, if not the only thing you spend money on.


Bottom line, ask your parents to 'cater' the shoot, it's easier than asking for cash. But also, ask for cash if you really need it for a key prop. There really is very little you can't get for free or almost nothing if you are resourceful.

Best of luck with getting your film made. I hope you can pull it together. And do keep us posted.
 
I like everything that Dreadylocks said, and she knows what she's talking about. Addressing the original question of finding funding, your short is about lesbians, pitch your idea on gay and lesbian forums and link your signature to your indiegogo campaign. Before you go running off and joining every G/L/T forum on the internet, make sure that you have a solid screenplay and a workable, detailed, budget. When you ask strangers/people for money, they want to know what you are going to spend THEIR money on. Do not tell people "hey, if give me $XXX.XX, I'm going to buy a kick ass camera/lights/tripod/follow focus/whatever so that I can make this awesome movie that I want to make.

People have gotten surprisingly decent results using an iPhone as their camera. You should get somebody else to do the audio, it is that important. Being in school, you should have no trouble finding somebody with decent audio gear that would be willing to trade their time on your film for your time on their film. You don't live near Harmonica44 do you? I'm just kidding about H44, but there should be people like him (guys with gear looking for others to work with them) near you. You have options, so don't get stuck in the "I have to do it all myself" mindset. Best of luck to you.
 
Hey @Tomp. Get on Twitter mate! Also, make you indiegogo more appealing. Shoot a video with whatever equipment you can find or borrorow about the film, about you, why are you making it, etc. It really does help to have some sort of past experience, even if it's school videos or whatever. I just got done shooting a short called "Masked," that we raised $4,000 for on indiegogo. Check out the campaign here.

Use your phone, or someone else's or someone's camera and shoot a real quick short film. Have trouble with ideas? Go to filmfights.com and make a film for one of their fights. "Masked" was our first big short film (sort of) but we had done plenty of little things before.

We also did our film EPIDEMIC for almost no money. Maybe $200.

As an indie filmmaker you have this special power of being poor that big hollwood producers don't have. You know how to cut corners, ask for stuff for free or trade, and basically make a thousand dollar movie on a $50 budget.

One thing I have to say about your campaign is that you have a definite audience. Even if other people are interested in the film, a large portion of the LGBT community will support it. Start going to forums or Reddit pages that are LGBT specific and pitching the film.

I wish you the best of luck and if I can come up with a little scratch before your campaign is over I'll put a bit in. It's a good idea and I love supporting indie filmmakers, especially ones that are brave enough to ask strangers for money. ;)
 
I like everything that Dreadylocks said, and she knows what she's talking about. Addressing the original question of finding funding, your short is about lesbians, pitch your idea on gay and lesbian forums and link your signature to your indiegogo campaign. Before you go running off and joining every G/L/T forum on the internet, make sure that you have a solid screenplay and a workable, detailed, budget. When you ask strangers/people for money, they want to know what you are going to spend THEIR money on. Do not tell people "hey, if give me $XXX.XX, I'm going to buy a kick ass camera/lights/tripod/follow focus/whatever so that I can make this awesome movie that I want to make.

People have gotten surprisingly decent results using an iPhone as their camera. You should get somebody else to do the audio, it is that important. Being in school, you should have no trouble finding somebody with decent audio gear that would be willing to trade their time on your film for your time on their film. You don't live near Harmonica44 do you? I'm just kidding about H44, but there should be people like him (guys with gear looking for others to work with them) near you. You have options, so don't get stuck in the "I have to do it all myself" mindset. Best of luck to you.

I agree with this whole post. Lol. :yes:
 
You agree with your own post?

Edit: Damn, I must have been tired. I thought you wrote the post, quoted it and said you liked it. Never mind, nothing to see here, move along...
 
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I just want to add, find crew people with their own equipment who also pay the insurance on their own equipment.


Rent is a curse word for independent filmmakers because you must have a substantial credit line to rent equipment and low paid crew people tend to abuse rented equipment. So, when you go to return it, you are left holding the bag getting charged on your charge card for what a crew person did to the equipment.

I have personal experience with this and stuck with a no rental policy ever since.

Crew people only take proper care of their own equipment.
 
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