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Best Kickstarter campaign videos?

Not sure if there were any particular Kickstarter videos you've come across that really worked for you and for the filmmaker, but if so, which ones were they? What are the dos and don'ts of creating a "successful" campaign video for funding a short or feature film? Or maybe the best ones aren't even film related?

Just doing some research before launching one and thought I'd field some opinions from the IT think tank.

Yo.
 
1.) Show your face. Get the principal crew all to contribute short, snappy interviews explaining their involvement in the project. Kickstarter is based on the human element and you need to show that you're a confident/competent human being.

2.) Keep it short. If I'm browsing on Kickstarter I'll give a campaign video about two or three minutes maximum to catch my attention. Remember that this is not your filmmaking manifesto, it is not documenting what you'll do with the money and it is certainly not a condensed version of your film. The point of the video is to attract investors and generate excitement about the project.

3.) Show some footage. Even if it's footage from previous productions which are in no way related to the one you're trying to sell, I want to see some footage that convinces me you aren't just a twelve year old with an iPhone trying to raise $20,000 to buy the RED. Personally I think that shooting teaser footage can work quite nicely but all you really need to show peoplemis that you know how to light and shoot. The rest can be explained in interviews.

4.) Be humble. You have to balance inspiring your investors with not coming across as arrogant or overly confident. Don't make promises you can't keep, don't over exaggerate anything about the film and certainly don't claim to be a better filmmaker than you are. People respond positively to honest, amusing requests rather than self involved pleas. Which brings me on to my last point...

5.) Be funny. No one wants to see your poker face in a campaign video. If you were pitching to a major studio you would want to be serious, but crowdfunding's a different game altogether. If you want casual investors, outside of your circle of friends and family, to invest then you need to come across as an appealing human being. 10,20 or 30 dollars isn't a huge amount of money so don't feel like you're convincing people to part with a huge amount of money- you're simply trying to get them to donate a small portion of their hard earned cash to your project. A smile and a well scripted joke can go a lot further than the best business plan. I would extend this point to say that your campaign video need not reflect the project. If there is a teaser trailer element then the tone should be the same as the finished film but even if you're makig a film about teenage abortion in flood victims you still need to come across as a decent person- just because the movie's depressing doesn't mean that everything you do in relation to the project needs to be a real downer.

These are just some thoughts I have :)
 
Another question: are Kickstarter campaigns primarily geared toward just ONE project or can you pitch a few at the same time with the same video? I'm guessing it's best to create individual campaigns for each project, but since I have a handful of short scripts on deck I was wondering about making a catchall video and then letting people choose which project they want to fund.

Any thoughts?
 
Another question: are Kickstarter campaigns primarily geared toward just ONE project or can you pitch a few at the same time with the same video? I'm guessing it's best to create individual campaigns for each project, but since I have a handful of short scripts on deck I was wondering about making a catchall video and then letting people choose which project they want to fund.

Any thoughts?

Hmmm, that's a tough ask, Jeff.

I would advise you to do one campaign at a time, rather than a collective. Purely because, there are hundreds of other folk pitching passionately for a solitary project, if i where to see a pitch for three projects, I'd immediately ask, "Who does this guy think he is, Superman? What is he pitching for three projects at a time, has he got eight pairs of hands?"

It also belittles the biggest selling point of all. Sentiment. One project oozes sentiment, because that's all it's about, you see the guy talking passionately about this project, and you get excited...but with three, I wouldn't feel connected. It's too much of an ask.
 
.... I was wondering about making a catchall video and then letting people choose which project they want to fund.

Any thoughts?
I actually think this would be a good experiment, but only if you've (the artist) a record of , previous, successful works (which you DO have) to showcase your abilities. I like the idea of having a catalog of projects with which to choose from. I think this approach may be tailored for you, Jeff.
 
Good points, PTP. That's kinda what I figured and will probably stick with creating individual campaigns. Thanks for the feedback.

* and to answer your questions... No, not Superman, more SpongeBob Squarepants. And yes, I actually did have eight pair of hands at birth, but my parents thought it best to have me grow up with just one pair. You know, like all you normal humans. ;)
 
No problem at all, bud.

There was a podcast that was extremely helpful that I can't seem to find. If I do, I'll post it here, or Tweet you the link.

Go through the T&C's of both Kickstarter, and Indiegogo, see what best fits your needs. Alot of people just think they're two of the same, and forget that they are competing businesses, they're constantly reworking and rejigging their policies to best fit the bill.
 
All of these are awesome, hence the reason they've all smashed their targets...

I need some joulies... I wonder if they work with tea (aka boiled pennies)...

I believe they do. They react to heat, not substance. Whether or not Coffee stays warmer than Tea given the consistency, I'm not so sure.

The campaigns are great. I think the musician's pitch was extremely clever, emphasising my point of "People invest in people, not ideas" her character really comes across, and it works. Plus, if you check out her "Giveaways", they're real neat.

P.S Tea does taste of wet pennies, and you know it.
 
P.S Tea does taste of wet pennies, and you know it.

You're speaking to someone who drinks about 15 cups of tea a day...

tea_1857786c.jpg
 
Hi Flicker,

New to the forums, I'm branching out now that I'm pretty well in post on my first feature. Saw this Kickstarter question, while my video is far from the best I did have to do two videos to reign in my goal on the feature film KS. This is actually a sub-par example, but it pertains to raising money for narrative content, versus products or music.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099062204/superseeds-a-super-powered-action-comedy

Learned some very valuable things going forward, would be happy to share them if anyone cares but I'll leave it out of the thread for now, as not to pollute it.
 
Hi Flicker,

New to the forums, I'm branching out now that I'm pretty well in post on my first feature. Saw this Kickstarter question, while my video is far from the best I did have to do two videos to reign in my goal on the feature film KS. This is actually a sub-par example, but it pertains to raising money for narrative content, versus products or music.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099062204/superseeds-a-super-powered-action-comedy

Learned some very valuable things going forward, would be happy to share them if anyone cares but I'll leave it out of the thread for now, as not to pollute it.

Your production looks great and that's a really cool video (although I assume that this is not the one you used at the start of the campaign?).

Did I hear correctly that you got an individual person investing $10,000 in your film??? If so, that's amazing, whoever they are...
 
Your production looks great and that's a really cool video (although I assume that this is not the one you used at the start of the campaign?).

Did I hear correctly that you got an individual person investing $10,000 in your film??? If so, that's amazing, whoever they are...

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the compliments. Indeed, that was not the original video. Here is the original, in all of its horridness:

http://vimeo.com/15151674?ab

As you can see, it was definitely a very very low quality effort, and no matter which excuse I can dig up... I should've stepped out a bit cleaner.

The next time I do it, I'll probably have already shot some material to post on the kickstarter and really have a stronger go at it.

Also, yes, there was one person that kicked in ten thousand for an EP credit. It was very generous and it helped out tremendously, obviously. As of today, we're in post production and making every dime count.
 
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