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Blog: Case studies about innovative content monetisation

L

Luci

Hi,

I'm here for two main reasons.

I'm looking for:
A) Projects I can profile on my blog (do you have one that meets the specs?)
B) People who want to learn from the case studies on my blog.

My blog is primarily about indie content creators who are harnessing the power of the web to finance, promote, distribute, and/or monetise their content in innovative ways. Also looking at business models / strategies, to help people find the balance between art and commerce, where the creator is in control, and also gets fed.

If you've got a project you think might be right, please first check the blog for an idea of what I'm looking for in a project, and let me know:
- type of project
- links to images, trailers, etc
- initial business goals
- strategy & techniques to meet goals
- dates / time line
- results by milestone or to date (ballpark figures, $ earned, audience size reached, etc)

The blog isn't about how to be a great filmmaker - there are enough websites about that - but rather, how to earn a living from your art when the traditional way doesn't achieve that.

Some things touched on so far include the freemium business model, where you make money from a secondary source such as fulfilment mechandising (eg CafePress, Zazzle), and building an audience for your project in advance of making it.

Hope to hear from you soon :)
http://yetanotherstrugglingwriter.blogspot.com
 
fandom

We're working on a project that's using crowdsourcing to gain momentum for our film project! By crowdsourcing, we hope to create a fully interactive feature film, where the audience can see every minute detail of the production from start to finish. The audience will also be given a voice in key production decisions, effectively making the film their own. They will also be able to interact directly with the film crew as the feature is being made, which we're hoping will knock down the doors behind which most studio and even independent movies get made. We're opening to get 250K members by the end of the year, with production wrapping up in about 12 months.

Right now we're just using social media (facebook.com/experiencefandom) and twitter (twitter.com/fandommovie) to get people talking and interested in the project, as well as creating some behind the scenes content for our members.

Our first live event will be happening in about 34 days.

http://experiencefandom.com
 
What if this actually works? What if you get 200 people?
What if you get half of your wish - 125,000 people?

Do you really give each of those people a voice in key
production decisions? Script? Casting? Who directs? If
you rent a crane for that one really cool shot of use a
dolly?

And seriously? You're hoping to get 250,000 people
signed up in 20 days (the end of the year)? Is this social
networking really drawing more than 15,000 new people
per day to your site?

I've bookmarked your page. I look forward to watching
your progress. Good luck!
 
Hi James,

Fandom certainly looks like an interesting project I'd love to blog about and follow. Can you please answer some of the points I mentioned in my original post - I need to be able to write about something more detailed than just what is on your website. Eg. Your business plan / strategy, launch date of your online strategy, how many people you've got signed up, and image urls etc. You can email me details if you'd rather not post here luci(a)templefilms.com.au

Thanks,
Luci
 
Here are the answers to your questions!

- type of project: We are aiming to use crowdsourcing (note: vastly different from crowdfunding) to create a fully interactive feature film. We are going to make the production as transparent as possible, so the audience can see every minute detail of the filmmaking process. Members will be able to interact directly with the film crew, creating an open environment.

- links to images, trailers, etc: http://experiencefandom.com/ is where you can find the trailer for the experience. http://www.facebook.com/ExperienceFandom#/album.php?aid=128728&id=176411643478&ref=mf is where you can find some images of the behind the scenes of a commercial we have shot. twitter.com/fandommovie is where our Twitter page can be found.

- initial business goals: We want to try to get as many members to join as possible, and to get as many people interested in the project as possible. We have a Facebook fan page set up as well as a Twitter account for people to see our progress to date, as well as the website where we will be posting all the content (video or otherwise) we've created. We are going to be giving the audience an inside look of everything we do, from location scouting and casting to editing and post-production work.

- strategy & techniques to meet goals: We are using social media networks to get a grassroots interest in the project. We are using Twitter to start discussions about our project and to get people interested in what we're doing.

- dates / time line: Our first live event happens in 32 days, which means we'll be streaming in real time of what is going on in the studio. Until then, we'll be creating video content of the pre-production that will be happening. In about 12 months we hope to be completed the feature length film. The script has already been written, and we'll be posting it on the site soon. The commercial should be completed today (Monday) and uploaded to the site and posted on Facebook.

- results by milestone or to date (ballpark figures, $ earned, audience size reached, etc): As of right now, we have about 15 members on the site, 295 fans on Facebook and 184 followers on Twitter. We are hoping these numbers will grow as more content is produced and as more people hear about us.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
 
directorik said:
What if this actually works? What if you get 200 people?
What if you get half of your wish - 125,000 people?

Do you really give each of those people a voice in key
production decisions? Script? Casting? Who directs? If
you rent a crane for that one really cool shot of use a
dolly?

And seriously? You're hoping to get 250,000 people
signed up in 20 days (the end of the year)? Is this social
networking really drawing more than 15,000 new people
per day to your site?

I've bookmarked your page. I look forward to watching
your progress. Good luck!
Click to expand...

The script has already been written, and we have a director. We have the funds to produce our movie, so we're not relying on people for funding (also know as crowdfunding). We're crowdsourcing to get an interactive feel for this movie. So it will be disappointing if we only get 200 members, but they will still see a finished movie in 12 months.

The members will be able to use a message board to interact with the various crew members (there will be a section for the director, editor, etc.).

And sorry, I wasn't that clear: we're hoping to get 250,000 members by the end of 12 months. We're still in the beginning stages, and only have 15 members signed up so far. But we're hoping that as we gain traction and interest, these numbers will start to increase.

Thanks for your well wishes!
 
Fandom

Hi James,

Thanks so much for the additional information :) Great for you to clarify that you already have the funding in place (different strategy to The Age of Stupid). Is it possible for you to reveal how you gained funding? Film budget? How many members do you need in order to break even? And do you have any additional revenue streams beyond the membership fee? E.g. secondary merchandising, sponsorship, product placement? How did you come up with this idea of crowdsourcing? At what point did you develop/acquire the script, and was this done in a similar fashion?

Do you have a logline what the film is about? Will you be doing additional marketing specifically to the target audience of the film, not just crowdsourcing to filmmakers? Do you have additional exhibition / distribution plans other than what is included in membership?

Sorry for all the questions! Want to do a detailed blog post and ensure I've got the facts right :)

By the way - really great concept - $19.95 and they get the dvd and comic in addition to the online interactive content! Hope it strikes a chord, and I'll enjoy tracking your progress.

Thanks, Luci
 
Okay - just signed up to your fb fanpage - saw the synopsis there :) Couldn't find it on your primary website though ?

thanks
 
The Biracy Project

There is another interesting site that has just started that IS all about crowdfunding, its called the Biracy Project, it only just began about a week ago, and is basically crowd-sourced funding of producing movies in which you get to help decide on all aspects of the movies creation, and at the end get to share in the revenue made from movie sales at the box office and everywhere else.

The suspicious questions I had were "does it only pay in reward money, and not actual physical cash" but I read the fine print and it says:

4.82 Cash Account: Members may allocate the funds in their Cash Account at their sole discretion. Cash Account amounts may either be withdrawn by the Member by direct transfer, to the Member’s bank account, PayPal account or other similar payment processor, by cheque issued to the Member or by transfer to the Member’s Rewards Point Account.

Members get paid to participate. When you buy a membership and refer people, you make money while at the same time financing a feature film that you get a say in democratically.

The idea is to try and turn the person who pirates films into the buyer, creator and beneficiary, therefore making it more sustainable.

You have to be referred to get in (to encourage viral marketing), and as I have already taken the plunge (all of CAD$25), my referral id is ELUSIV if anybody is interested.

I think it is a fantastic idea and it looks like this crowdfunding is set to grow in popularity.

www.biracy.com
 
Have you had a look at Leo Laporte from TWIT.tv ? He's got a small webTV network and makes over 1 mio $ a year from advertisement in his shows, that he releases online for free! It's very interesting what he does.
 
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