What is the most important factor in finding investors? Industry connections, critical response to your films, how much money they're making, how you present yourself on the internet?
Getting Funding
- Thread starter rschwartz33
- Start date
I think he's inviting you to a toga party. Probably nudity at some point will be involved. Butt I could be wrong.I'm sorry I still don't understand saying...
This is a bit long but it is my 'lessons learned' (horror story) on how to get funding OR not get funding.
First. It is tough. I know. Like many 99%ers, I am not rich. I am also not famous (probably have a lot of negative names thrown at me over the years too). I have been dumped on by many but always push my self forward... For better or worse -- I really love creating an idea, putting it on paper and trying to make it a reality on the screen (to the best of my determined abilities while laughing at myself).
Make something. Finish it, even if it is 'bad'. You owe the cast and crew SOMETHING.
My first attempt at a feature was haunt, (great title -- very bad movie). Large cast of 'bad' actors and a few diamonds in the rough. Two hours and seven minutes long, (wanted to give every cast member a shot or two in front of the camera). I learned soooooo much and FINISHED it. Put it on DVD, broke my bank, gave the cast copies spending $10,000.00 (still have a garage full of haunt DVDs left over). Many say I was crazy at the time...
To my wife's nightmare disdain, I kept the best actors of haunt, best location footage, added much better actors, got my foot in the door to more fantastic locations, rewrote the whole script and came up with The Haunted Movie. I learned even more about acting, improv, writing, editing, camera work, etc. FINISHED IT. 96 minutes of fast paced, complex story with great acting and editing but far from perfect. FAR, FAR from PERFECT.
I didn't stop in 2004 at the conclusion of 'The Haunted Movie', (could not afford to make DVDs -- so cast got free DVD-Rs, I still had a garage of haunt DVDs, thus still in debt). I started playing with 26 minute horror shorts like In A Vacant Building. Still making movies with non-pro actors, but in 24 hour shoots, in locations without electricity or heat or plumbing... but free locations.
After a long trail of work, my weakness, according to everyone, was the writing. From 2006 to 2011, I concentrated exclusively on writing. Read every book, networked, whatever I could do to improve.
Today, for better or worse, I have a trail of work out there for any and all to see. I am not in debt now while having a reputation for finishing what I start, while trying to make it fun for all involved. There are fantastic places to network, like Indietalk.com, (I have met and learned so much from so many here). AND there are Internet sites like KICKSTARTER.
I am going to give sites like Kickstarter a shot. I may not get to first base. But I WILL TRY. Give it 100%, while continuing to learn, (the more I know, the more I find out how much I do not know).
I may never become financially successful, but I am having a blast at trying. So. If you have a dream... go for it. Funding may come easier with having a portfolio of work. It may not. Yes, FUNDING will come easier if you have money or rich friends or a foot in the door. But having the PASSION & DESIRE is also a factor. I hope so. I go up on Kickstarter soon...
I wish you the best of luck.
First. It is tough. I know. Like many 99%ers, I am not rich. I am also not famous (probably have a lot of negative names thrown at me over the years too). I have been dumped on by many but always push my self forward... For better or worse -- I really love creating an idea, putting it on paper and trying to make it a reality on the screen (to the best of my determined abilities while laughing at myself).
Make something. Finish it, even if it is 'bad'. You owe the cast and crew SOMETHING.
My first attempt at a feature was haunt, (great title -- very bad movie). Large cast of 'bad' actors and a few diamonds in the rough. Two hours and seven minutes long, (wanted to give every cast member a shot or two in front of the camera). I learned soooooo much and FINISHED it. Put it on DVD, broke my bank, gave the cast copies spending $10,000.00 (still have a garage full of haunt DVDs left over). Many say I was crazy at the time...
To my wife's nightmare disdain, I kept the best actors of haunt, best location footage, added much better actors, got my foot in the door to more fantastic locations, rewrote the whole script and came up with The Haunted Movie. I learned even more about acting, improv, writing, editing, camera work, etc. FINISHED IT. 96 minutes of fast paced, complex story with great acting and editing but far from perfect. FAR, FAR from PERFECT.
I didn't stop in 2004 at the conclusion of 'The Haunted Movie', (could not afford to make DVDs -- so cast got free DVD-Rs, I still had a garage of haunt DVDs, thus still in debt). I started playing with 26 minute horror shorts like In A Vacant Building. Still making movies with non-pro actors, but in 24 hour shoots, in locations without electricity or heat or plumbing... but free locations.
After a long trail of work, my weakness, according to everyone, was the writing. From 2006 to 2011, I concentrated exclusively on writing. Read every book, networked, whatever I could do to improve.
Today, for better or worse, I have a trail of work out there for any and all to see. I am not in debt now while having a reputation for finishing what I start, while trying to make it fun for all involved. There are fantastic places to network, like Indietalk.com, (I have met and learned so much from so many here). AND there are Internet sites like KICKSTARTER.
I am going to give sites like Kickstarter a shot. I may not get to first base. But I WILL TRY. Give it 100%, while continuing to learn, (the more I know, the more I find out how much I do not know).
I may never become financially successful, but I am having a blast at trying. So. If you have a dream... go for it. Funding may come easier with having a portfolio of work. It may not. Yes, FUNDING will come easier if you have money or rich friends or a foot in the door. But having the PASSION & DESIRE is also a factor. I hope so. I go up on Kickstarter soon...
I wish you the best of luck.
Yes, that is 3 instances! Good job for posting that. I know a few more where the filmmaker was able to get $100,000+ based on randoms and fans.
Search: THANKSKILLING
I even pledged and I don't know the filmmakers.
However, those are rare occasions. For the common, average indie filmmaker on kickstarter, the majority of their pledges will be from family/friends.
It's only true for bands and pre-established artists.
@DeJager: You put together a solid campaign and you reached your goal. That's great. Obviously your experience was that most funders were friends and family and that's fair enough. Obviously everyone who does a campaign will look to friends and family first, because that's where the word reaches.
Obviously it's rare to be able to raise serious money from strangers. If it was easy everyone would do it and everyone would succeed. But the point that I would stress about crowd funding is to not be cynical about it. I know that some people on here have had good experiences with it, whilst others have had a really bad go at it. It's important to remember that it's not the system's fault if you fail to make your target, but the fault of the campaign.
Yes, there's an element of luck but all the successful campaigns market their products in a very similar way and they all have a massive social presence. I've donated to campaigns of people I know on Indietalk and people I know on Twitter. Imaginary friends who've convinced me to part with my cash just by being interesting.
It can be done
Okay, so you agree that it's not impossible.
That was my only point.
@DeJager: You put together a solid campaign and you reached your goal. That's great. Obviously your experience was that most funders were friends and family and that's fair enough. Obviously everyone who does a campaign will look to friends and family first, because that's where the word reaches.
Obviously it's rare to be able to raise serious money from strangers. If it was easy everyone would do it and everyone would succeed. But the point that I would stress about crowd funding is to not be cynical about it. I know that some people on here have had good experiences with it, whilst others have had a really bad go at it. It's important to remember that it's not the system's fault if you fail to make your target, but the fault of the campaign.
Yes, there's an element of luck but all the successful campaigns market their products in a very similar way and they all have a massive social presence. I've donated to campaigns of people I know on Indietalk and people I know on Twitter. Imaginary friends who've convinced me to part with my cash just by being interesting.
It can be done
Couldn't agree more, on all fronts aside from luck. But that's more a personal thing anyway, I don't think luck has anything to do with anyone's failure or success, only a presence of or lack of preparation and hard work, etc., and making a strong push to go where you're more likely to meet people who can help you go where your talent and work ethic alone can't get you.
Do good work, meet people, money will come eventually as long as you stick it out.
We barely made our 17.5K kickstarter. My work isn't good yet. It's "decent". I hadn't met enough people yet, and I still have a lot to do. I don't blame luck, the system, lack of rich friends or anything else for the fact that I am, at best "decent" at what I do right now.
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Yep, I'm with Nick and Kholi --
The fact that a few people have done it is all the proof you need that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rAHnwWfsaY
The fact that a few people have done it is all the proof you need that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rAHnwWfsaY
This is what I heard from Gareth Edwards, director of Monsters. It's probably been said before but I think it's a neat soundbite:
'You should never invest your own money in the film, but always be willing to.'
Or words to that extent. He worded it better but I can't remember.
The long and short of it is that you should always look for an investment in your film but first you should believe in it enough to commit your own resources.
EDIT: I've really bollocksed that up but I hope you get the point.
Sorry, this is like a side note. I heard Indiegogo.com lets you keep part of the money pledged if you miss your funding goal but with kickstarter.com you get $0 if you miss it by a buck. Anyone have an experience with this?
INdieGogo is good for projects sub 5K. Where that 5K probably isn't gonna make or break it, anyway.
Above 5K I feel like IndieGogo is the wrong platform to go with, because of the fact that if you don't raise your goal you still get to keep the money? Not a good incentive for those pledging.
Yeah maybe, but i've seen $78,000 and $14,000 raised for films on Indiegogo.com so who knows. Maybe we can just try them all. 
+1
I agree with Kholi with the added extra that anyone outside the US can use indiegogo in a non-shady way because Kickstarter is only funds US based projects.
I'm sure it sucks to raise $9842 of your $10,000 goal and not have your project funded, but in reality if you're close you can usually tip those scales yourself to get it funded and keep the donations. You could probably still get it made and shave $150 somewhere. The reality is that most projects that don't get funded raise a much smaller fraction of their goal (like $350 of $10,000). What can you do with that $350 towards the project? You'll probably never be able to even print the t-shirt or DVD you promised at my pledge level. Kickstarter feels a lot more honest in that sense, and it's easier to donate. I'm not risking my money on something that will never get made.
Granted, even a successful campaign may never finish, but it's nice to think they do haha.
THis is exactly how most pledgers, no matter if they're filmmakers, family, strangers, demons (halloween spirit here) feel and that's why Kickstarter is more successful at the basic level.
Also, doing more than one campaign on multiple sites is pretty much shooting yourself in the foot to begin with.
Anyway, just my advice from having done a successful (but bad) one.
Good points here. It would suck raising a small part of the funds and having to send out gifts. So there is some advantage the "all or nothing" rule.
Been deep in this for many years. How do you get investors? If you're working on your first feature film then it is up to who do you know that has money or know people that have money. That is it. Business plans? Hah. PPMs? Hah. Slick portfolio? Clear presentation with plan for monetization? None of that really matter unless you have a long track record or have already made a bunch of money on your films. Seriously, make your first film for the money you have in your pocket. Make your second film on the money you made on your first. At some point, if you're making money, an agent will want to rep you and then the money and jobs will come.
BTW I've make 150 short projects for clients, 2 feature documentaries, and 2 feature films- all profitable. How did I raise money for my current movie? 75% was from people I knew bundled with tax incentives they'd receive because of their investments. The rest were from people that someone else knew that was involved in the project. 33 investors and ya know what- I'm still doing a Kickstarter campaign to finish the film.
BTW I've make 150 short projects for clients, 2 feature documentaries, and 2 feature films- all profitable. How did I raise money for my current movie? 75% was from people I knew bundled with tax incentives they'd receive because of their investments. The rest were from people that someone else knew that was involved in the project. 33 investors and ya know what- I'm still doing a Kickstarter campaign to finish the film.
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