Filmmaking / Directing : Kickstarter by S.G. Golden

From the research I have read up on on Kickstarter is that it works with any idea just have to have that video and some sort of gifts for the donations. If you dont have these two items then its not going to work!

http://rooftopfilms.com/blog/2010/07/10-crowdfunding-tips-from-kickstart...

Hey Ray, thanks for the link. I'm going to check it out first thing in the a.m. :)

I tried and failed. It's hard.

Don't like kickstarter. We've had way better luck with indiegogo. Study other film campaigns and adjust yours accordingly. Then, you need to market the heck out of it via social media...

Yeah I agree with Calvin, I am about to launch on Indiegogo.. one main point is if you do not reach your goal my your date on Indiegogo you can still keep the funds you have made... they take a bigger percentage but you can still recieve funds from it....

You have to reach your goal on "Kickstarter" in order to receive the funds for your project. However, if you don't reach your goal on "Indiegogo", they take a fee and you do receive whatever funds have been donated. I have another comment coming up.

Check out Mark Litwak, Esq. - law2@marklitwak.com He explains the new laws for Crowd Funding. You can register to receive his newsletter for free. He shares a lot of good legal info.

If anyone's interested here's a link to look at. http://HollywoodNetworkingBreakfast.com/

Sometime this group has seminars that address Crowd Funding. They are very reasonable. http://www.filmfinancing.org/

D'accord, here's one more to check out. I'm not personally involved with any of these sites. I just do a lot of research and belong to several groups who share info so I'd like to share it with you. Below is a Webinar that's being held next Thursday, September 27th. Hope this helps. http://engage.vevent.com/rt/411_publishing~092712

John, would you elaborate on the other ways?

John's advice is solid. You gotta surround yourself with the best people who are professionals and have experience. Collaboration... collaboration... collaboration...

John, please elaborate on the other ways to raise funds.

and surround yourself with rich people ha

I just started my second attempt at a Kickstarter campaign (first one failed) - aiming to get funding for my time-travel comedy, "Present Tense" http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/701650549/present-tense It is hard work, with a lot of the groundwork seeming to lay in having an existing social network to rely upon. Pros: - You start building an audience for the project in the funding/pre-production phase - Get a good reflection of strong and weak points of your project - If successful, you get money to do your project and an audience to follow you through production to release Cons: - It's a project unto itself, which could divert attention and energy from making your actual project the best it can be - Lets the whole world see the barebones of your project in its development

We are also gearing up to do our fist campaign. I've been researching it, there is so much information out there and so much good advice. It seems that if you do your homework and have a creative campaign and work it like a full time job, you can succeed, even if your goal is upwards of $100,000.00. If you have the drive, time and determination then give it a go. Do your homework, watch other campaigns and study them. Consider your campaign a production, and every good production needs a pre-production phase in order to run smoothly. We've decided on Indiegogo. Here are a few sites to look into. Best of luck. http://www.nathanielhansen.com/film-fundraising/the-ultimate-crowdfundin... http://nofilmschool.com/2011/08/ten-must-read-posts-embarking-crowdfunding/ http://www.quora.com/Crowdfunding/What-are-some-great-crowdfunding-websi...

Really solid info from Renovatio Movies. The links that are provided are VERY good examples of info and final product. Having other people post and blog about the project or that they donated is also I think a big part of it.

love your energy john but your not going to get money from a bank for a movie....no don't think so

We managed to raise 20% (and over 100% of our crowdfunding ask) of our financing through Indiegogo for a 1 hour documentary we produced earlier this year. It helps if you have a marketable 'hook' that people can easily understand and want to support. There are thousands of films looking for crowdfunding assistance on Kickstarter and Indiegogo these days and in order to attract $ you have to have an idea and content that stands apart from the crowd. You also need to publicize your campaign - work with a publicist if you can. We were lucky enough to have our distributor on board early on and they were able to help us get press (bloggers, online news, trade newsletters) that sent readers (and potential audience for the doc) to our Indiegogo campaign. That translated into many donations. A publicity plan right from the development stage is critical.

If you get in on the front end of these things, it can be great. Many great ideas are killed by their success. I don't know if this is the case here, but when an industry grows up around helping you become successful at crowd funding, it makes me wonder. At this point it seem that you need managers and publicists for the campaign that needs to be a full time job. You have to spend a lot of time chasing fewer dollars. The relative success rate is falling. Like the "search engine optimization" consultants, we have people who offer to help you game the system. It occurs to me that "crowd funding" may have "jumped the shark" :-).

Great advice Renovatio Movies, love all the links, and agree 100% with the emphasis in development, research and pre-production phases, not just for funding but for the sake of your project. Jaz Garewal, sorry that your first project didn't meet it's funding, but it's great to see you get back up again and try a second time. I think that's what you have to do in order to get the funding you need. I certainly understand everyone's points for liking or not liking Kickstarter or similar sites, but in these days you have to get creative if you don't have the funds available for your project or have rich friends ready to dole out cash. The idea seems foreign to me, but it's smart, and although not always successful, those failures can at least be learned from in the pre-planning stages, all the way back to conceptual phase. Carole, you're absolutely right when you said your idea has to stand out from the crowd. Unless you're making a film or whichever kind of project for just you than it can be anything you want but if you want others to like it, want to see, especially pay to see if when it's complete than you need to keep in mind, Is this something I'd pay to see in the theater? or buy in a store? or climb the walls every week waiting to watch the next episode of on TV, if not than how can you ask others to fund it? There are some pretty amazing projects out there, some with seriously seasoned pro's I'm shocked to see on Kickstarter, and there are other projects that put minimal effort in content, quality and style of pitch. I think it's all about what you put into your project, and hey... if you're beyond limited with funds to even pitch on Kickstarter, it's still impressive to show just how creative you can get in your presentation. Because that's where the passion for the project shines the most.

We did a Kickstarter and succeeded mostly through the help of friends and family. You have to be very visible on social media and like someone else said, it takes time. The hardest part for us was knowing that the people that contributed the most could afford it the least and the people that didn't contribute anything could have spared at least a few dollars (In most cases). You find out who your true friends are so be prepared for that. Most of the projects on Kickstarter now seem to be presales. If you are going to have a physical product, that people want, it becomes easier, but trying to sell a film or a tv pilot is a tough thing to do, unless you just happen have a subject that has a broad or cult appeal, such as The Steampunk Hipster from Portland. :) Also, begging for money from friends and family, (because that is what you end up doing in most cases) really feels crumby. When we actually made our goal, I felt pretty awful about it.

Hey Becky, Sorry to hear your Kickstarter didn't go as smoothly as you had hoped, but in the end at least you made your goal, it sounds like a great lesson learned on the front end of prep/pitching and broadcasting your project.

Thanks Stephanie, I just realized you are from Portland. Whoops. : ) Ya gotta admit Portland is a hot topic these days. :) I don't mean to be down on Kickstarter. A lot of people are pursuing their dreams because of it, us included. Let us know when you begin your project and we'll say some prayers!

(Re: Becky) Awe, no worries, lol. I'm not from Portlandia, I'm from New York, just been here for a few years. It's a weird place, so I already know what you're saying, Oregonians know it too, that's why they rock the "Keep Portland Weird" bumper stickers. As far as Kickstarter, you have every right to voice your experiences, it sounds like a very stressful process, 24/7 from what everyone says, of constantly checking, and updating, blogging and promoting. But that's what it takes to make your goal. I'll let you know when I begin my campaign, just prepping in the mean time. :) Thanks for the request, just added you back.

and here is what I learned... just went live... "and away we go" http://www.indiegogo.com/THE-ROAD-LESS-TRAVELED?a=1007074

Victor, GREAT CAMPAIGN VIDEO. Wow, you put a lot of heart and soul into The Road Less Traveled. I will certainly pass it on. I have no doubt that you will reach your goal. Congrats on winning first place for Best Screenplay. And you've got Shirley freakin' Jones on your team of developmental allies, Oklahoooooma (Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I've got a beautiful feeling everything's going my way)--haha couldn't forget that if I tried, my mom used to sing it, every and I mean EVERY morning.

thanks Steph... best in all to everything you are doing!

looks great... did a Great job on the video.. having the heart and sharing the insight and passion... Good luck with it!

Hi Guys. We have been running ours on Indiegogo for about 25 days and it is almost a full time job. I agree with most people on here that film is a hard one to push unless you have the networks. Between me and the producer, we have a lot of friends but even getting $10.00 out of them has been impossible. My advice is to plan a lot. Have back up plans to your back up plans. You may find like us that what we thought would get people interested didn't. Well, that's not entirely true. People love what we are doing and saying we are running a great campaign on facebook etc. but turning that into dollars has been hard. One of our mistakes is not having all the cast selected as that would have broadened our network. We actually have social angle to it as well. Forced Adoption that is a hot topic here in Australia and that still has been a hard sell. Personally I think getting someone well known would also help. Like a well known actor. Just my thoughts so far. Maybe by the end I'll be able to part with some amazing wisdom. http://www.indiegogo.com/FindRuby

thanks Matt, the ones that really make the $ are the ones that have a social relevance... Good job on the video... as a trailer for the film... I would post some video from you folks the film makers. On why the film is important... why you want to make it etc... just keep putting it out there.... They recommend on INDIEGOGO not to have a campaign run longer then 40 days because you have to build the momentum... Good luck with it!

thanks Jason.... It's what I do.... or part of what I do...

Thanks Victor and Jason. Yeah I found the 60 days thing.. wow!!! I feel like I'm in a marathon. And I think Victor you made a valid point. Having enough content to run the amount of days of the campaign. But you just gave me some fantastic ideas to put videos up of the film makers talking as well. We did have one where we introduced the film but I think something very personal works as well. Good luck with yours as well Jason. Looks great!! Now Im jealous ;-) Matt

Best of luck Jason. We just tweeted it.

I have yet to launch a Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign(s), but I'm curious how many people have launched different campaigns on different platforms for the same project. I do like IndieGoGo's approach of still getting whatever funds are raised. At the same time, I'm under the assumption that Kickstarter has a larger audience (correct me if I'm wrong).

Not sure about the audience base... but I heard that starting in JAN of next year kickstarter will allow you to keep funds even if you dont make it in time... something like Indiegogo... i ma not sure of the details.

Yeah.. all good.info... appreciate it Ngozi.. I might have stepped into a couple of these traps... but I am on board... and the coaster is out and rolling..... http://www.indiegogo.com/THE-ROAD-LESS-TRAVELED?a=1007074

Jaz, My favorite line in your Kickstarter is, "You'll also walk away with that warm feeling you get when you support an awesome project."

Jason, Great Kickstarter promo video, love that you included a teaser/trailer and especially love the character and costume design sketches. Although it's live action, it shows that you've put a ton of time into your project to include the cartoon stills. Great touch.

Matt, Find Ruby looks great. You did a great job with casting from what I can tell, when it's a silent short and so much emotion is conveyed you know you've done a great job. I hope you all surpass your budget goals.

Renovatio Movies, thanks again for all of the links. It's amazing how many incredible blogs and sites there are out there, and so many of them aren't easily stumbled upon. My fave is nofilmschool.com it's got so much offer.

Jason, Yeah I think in person promotion is a big help. The first time I ever heard about Kickstarter was through a girl I just met who just went right in to telling me about it once she'd heard I was a screenwriter and animator. I told her to send me the site, her video looked so incredible that I couldn't help but shell out $20 and I posted it everywhere I could. Not that I can shell out $20 all the time, I have budgets of my own, but face to face is a big help, if you have the link ready to send. Like just ask for their email on the spot, or have a little notebook for them to write their info to, like this girl did and send it within 24 hours. She just barely made her goal, but at least she made it. She also would send a follow up email on her campaign every 5-7 days. You look like you're good at public speaking and one on one humor, so it should be a breeze for you. :)

Stephanie - Thanks! The line and/or video seems to be working so far - our campaign got printed in the virtual pages of Gawker's io9 blog: http://io9.com/5947661/crowdfund-tim-russ-star-trek-pilot-an-arctic-docu... And we're past the 60% funded mark! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/701650549/present-tense We still have a ways to go and it's still nerve wracking!

Jason, I scrolled up through the discussion to check and see if there was a Jay here, and didn't see one, so I'm guessing it was a typo and you meant me (not being sarcastic, just wanted to make sure I wasn't jumping in on a question meant for someone else - and no worries on the typo - I accepted the hazards when I dropped the second "z"! ) We were a staff pick in the short film section pretty early on (probably two days in) and that did help a decent amount. What I learned from my first (unsuccessful) campaign, and am seeing again in this one, is that being a staff pick, or making it in the popular charts aren't actually make-it-or-break-it moments for a campaign. Between being a staff pick, being in the "popular" section of the video page and being in an article on io9.com has led to about two-thirds of our backers being people we don't know, while that one-third we do know are providing about more than half the backed funds. The staff pick section and popular charts are more reactionary than predictive - if you have some momentum going, you'll make it in there (I see you have 176 FB likes for your campaign, which is a good sign, but the hardest part is converting those likes into backers - one way to do that is to put a $1 reward on your KS with something along the lines of "Every dollar counts!"). But, to end a longwinded reply, what we've found in both our campaigns is that you just need to maintain a momentum - at first you create it (posting on FB, tweeting, emailing bloggers, calling friends and family (probably the hardest part in my opinion), etc) and then the rest starts falling in line, but you have to keep it going by then tweeting and FB'ing all those moments too. The biggest benefit from being a staff pick and on the popular chart is it allows us to change our FB posts and tweets from "back our Kickstarter!" to "Our Kickstarter is a Staff Pick, so back us!"

Yeah... EVERY person you know... have known... sat with and had coffee... the barista who served you ... Like the $1 idea.. yeah I seem to remember someone recommending to add perks during the campaign.... all good... just keep the candle burning at both ends... and keep getting the word out...

I feel this way ... and I am sure in a lot of ways its the same for you... for all of us trying... Like in anything in this game.. you are doing everything you can... spend every minute putting the next piece together... and then.... that unexplainable moment... luck... a synchronistic moment... happens in art ... and in life.. all you can do is stay the course... there has to be a reason.. why you are doing what you are doing... why you've been led to the corners of your finical and creative world.... otherwise... why?....

Hello I was wondering about kickstarter too it is a great site but hard to set up right,I was thinking this site says it has 70,000 members why not start our own kickstart on this site if everybody donates $1 we would raise $70,000 and that would be a great way for members here to help with projects right here and not on kickstart.

Bonsoir Anthony, Good idea. I'll donate $1. :-)

hello Bonsoir to you this would be a great idea we need to get the word out and thank you I would like to add you to my network

You know Anthony I was thinking same thing but it would be like a million ants rushing to sugar each wanting some of that yummy sticky stuff for them selves.

So Anthony I got it. A lottery. All the people interested promise to get behind the person who wins the lotto. In 6 months do it again.

Just saw this... had to post it... http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2012/10/kingdom-come.html

i think it works , but you must be ready to donate to other compaigns other wise , offering gifts to donors is not the only way through , why ? because if you could look deeper into it , then you can realize that most of the people that browse into such sites , have on going projects and they are looking for funds as well , so then they go there when they need to check on their traficsor editting theirs' plus a few that need to spend but i doubt if there is still tose people that spend with out business interest in this world . . a few days ago , i read a post on indie go face book page , some body posted "if you give me a dollar i will return it" . but in the beginning , i didn't understand what he meant after all he opened the compaign to get the money , then why to say that he will return it , but that's not the logic , if you can invest a dollor into those site on daily basis for 10 days , imagine how many people you would have attracted in 10 days ,after all every one who donates is public on gift claiming list , the contact you get from the people you donate to , don't you think you can even write to those contact and tell them , you know what i have my compaign on, support me please ,for me it would be a shame to refuse returning your dollar , even if i don't have it at the moment , but atleast i can ask a friend to support you in any way or the other . so then my conclusion is , kickstarter or indiego , and other crowd funding sites , they can only work if you're ready to help back . i wish you luck .

I just launched a kickstarter campaign for "The Locksmith" -- a graphic novel based on my screenplay. We are just in the first 24 hours (made the staff pick first page) but still have a mountain ahead of us. After deciding to adapt the script into this new medium, I spent several months tracking other graphic novel projects and of course supporting their campaigns. It appears that the key to success is all about the snowball effect of word of mouth. If you already have a following... Then great! If not, it takes a lot of work -- My freelance activity has been put on hold for the past month or so as I've been building to the launch date. I don't think kickstarter has peaked yet... I do think that the business is giving a serious listen to this and other crowdsourced sites out there. Creator-owned content is really upon us (check the music biz) and studios/prod companies are trolling for pre-made/tested audiences and content to add to their roster. Note: I was contacted by a production company with serious creds just yesterday who stumbled across my project by accident. They've already got script in hand and are reading. If anyone has an interest, have a look and share or comment: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1621377037/the-locksmith-graphic-novel

It's really great.. part of what you also have going for you is that for 25 or 30 you get an actual copy of the book. Part of makes this is the fact it is very clear what you get for what you give...This genre is also a great for studios etc. The following you can also generate with the book itself will also build the following. Great idea... GOOD JOB! http://www.indiegogo.com/THE-ROAD-LESS-TRAVELED?a=1007074

This is a great and timely thread. There are many creative business professionals here to listen to. I am prepping to launch my indiegogo campaign. My goal is to create story central VFX rich films that will play in all theatrical windows. Check below! Thank you again. Ang http://www.thelightthatnevergoesout.com

Jason, thanx!

If you already have a following, you will be very successful. If nobody knows you, then no one will care. Friends and family will have to create a Kickstarter account, a Amazon account, link their bank account to Amazon, etc. It's a lot of work unless you have a strong following. You need to make the "hot list" within 48 hours or forget it. Making the "hot list" will give you the exposure to a national if not global audience. I have been both unsuccessful at reaching a mere $6k and successful at surpassing $15k by more than $100k. You need to research successful campaigns and figure out why they were successful. Examples include having stretch goals and cool incentives. Keep your project under 30 days and include goals that are time sensitive not dollar sensitive. You'll want to stress urgency.

I think it should be noted a lot fail. I'm struggling with mine. I've chatted to other film makers. They too have said that they lucked out and probably wont try again. We have done a lot to promote ours. Videos, also exclusive content. I get told all the time "gee, your running a good campaign" But sadly not resulting in lots of dollars. I think a lot comes down to networks. It may come down that if you get enough, shoot, then produce something decent, you have started to build your network. So, the next time round (or post production) you have more of a following. That's my theory. Let you know how it pans out ;-)

I'm going to try both Kickstarter, Indigogo and other resources using social media, etc to do our project. One recent success story with Kickstarter was tthe Documentary "Burn" about Detroit Firefighters. The producers raised half of their money to make the movie using that platform.

Hey Victor... Good luck on the campaign. You got my attention... Thoughtful, caring... A story I'd like to see. Support indie creators, folks!

http://www.moreofit.com/similar-to/www.kickstarter.com/Top_10_Sites_Like...

Good luck with your campaign Henry.

Thanks Terrance!.... Went to another info seminar last night... A lot of information. All really great speakers... all vets of their fields... SOCIAL MEDIA, INTERVIEW TACTICS, LEAGAL IMPLICATIONS TO CROWD FUNDING, and JAM STUDIOS on CROWD FUNDING ... sponsored ANGEL LAUNCH.. they have something going on the 18th. http://cars2013.eventbrite.com/ I am not affiliated with them in anyway... so some key things I took away from it... Really know who your target is for your campaign.. your outreach. if it's a sci-fi go to those blogger sites... Several projects have been fully funded through a specific blog that led to clicks. Thanks again Terrance for the support! http://www.indiegogo.com/THE-ROAD-LESS-TRAVELED?c=home&a=1007074

Also... the JOBS ACT is going to change things a lot when it goes into place in Jan of 2013... It is going to allow ways to actually purchase shares of a company or project on line. There are some restrictions but you will be able to solicit funds and investors no longer need to be accredited. So a lot of the main Blue sky laws will not be affective.

I had a Kickstarter project, and even though I liked the site, one thing I learned is that you must have a built in audience first to reach your goal! It's tough because it seems that everyone is doing these crowd-funding sites. My project failed and didn't reach its goal, even though in my humble opinion, it was very well done, with news articles, posters, a smart and witty video, locations, actors, a crew, and great prizes. In the end though, it all comes down to who you know!

You do not need to tack on 8-10%. Inflating numbers is the worst thing you can do to your Kickstarter campaign. You need to have and use VERY acurate numbers. I would actually recommend taking OFF 8-10% of what you actually need. If you need to raide $15k, you should actually ask for $12k. You'd be suprised to see that by asking less you'll more than likely surpass your expectations. If you tack on 8-10%, your project will fail. There are a lot of intelligent consumers out there, and they want the biggest bang for their buck; not to get ripped off by someone inflating prices. My successful Kickstarter campaign has raised over $110k. We needed $30k. We asked for $15k. Here's the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/336486938/mr-card-game?ref=live

Justin, great job!

It always does.

Justin, I am very interested to see that you raised so much. Iwonder if it is because you did something that already has a huge audience. Could that be the case? What if you are an unknown, doing something as ordinary as trying to build a new theater? Could that possible raise over a hundred thousand dollars like you did?

Creating a frenzy by lowballing the budget can work... It can also backfire if you lowball it too much and are not prepared to fill in the gap, yourself. Kickstarter or Indiegogo and other crowdsourcing sites are not as transparent as actual production - pre/post. You'd be fired as a PM if you knowingly lowballed something and it somehow slipped through the cracks, ending up jeopardizing other people's investments. I've never ever not added a contingency line item. But that's just me. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1621377037/the-locksmith-graphic-novel

I have been staying out of this.. but Terrance is right. You do your crowd funding and add in the contingency for tee-shirts etc ...and the 4% or 9% to the site. There are also the charges on KICKSTARTER for using Amazon as well as on INDIEGOGO for Paypal. NO matter what the amount it is all about getting a group behind what you are doing. That's all pre-production. As I just posted on FB Quoting a producer friend today... talking about our relationship.... All the people trying to get a movie made... "it's a fellowship of understanding like no other" Knowledge is king... choices are what we have... we create to make something happen.

Terrance this new world is so new and confusing and it seems everyone gets money or shoots projects without solid plans and budgets I used to make used cars ads for what these folks want to make long shorts for.

Ok, lowballing is risky, and I would expect to be fired if I didn't do my homework, but only if you execute your plan poorly. I, for one, knew my audience, knew how large it was, and was able to determine that I could offer more as my campaign grew. I don't think inflating prices is a good idea. I think discounting prices is the key to success. For example: If you offer your investors a dvd as an incentive on Kickstarter, it may cost you $4 a dvd to make if you order 1,000, however, it may cost you $2 a dvd to make if you order 10,000. There's no 8% inflation if your savings grows as your project grows. I look at Kickstarter projects as "help me out in funding my project;" not "pay for my project cuz I'm not contributing a dime." I think a lot of people add on ridiculous incentives. These items cost money and are distracting from your goal of funding your film. T-shirts make for a great Kickstarter incentive. If you cannot creatively figure out a way to re-coup your costs more efficiently, then by all means mark up your investors. I completely agree. The last thing you want is to go negative. Most people fall into this category. Hence, why most projects fail.

@Sandra I'm no expert by any means, and any project can always fail. Even mine, but I would be happy to look over your Kickstarter campaign and offer advice. =)

@Terrance I love your Kickstarter video for "The Locksmith!" Well done! You'll want your campaign to have momentum. You have a lot of rewards for dollar amounts and very little when it comes to time. I would seriously consider adding some kind of stretch goal along the lines of "if you donate in the next 48 hours you'll get this." Urgency is just as important as money. And I'm sure you've already plotted out your stretch goal targets. Just make sure that there's something new on the horizon CONSTANTLY. It looks like it's put together quite nice though.

Hey Justin -- I really appreciate that. That's a very good idea about time-limited goals. Thinking... With these campaigns, it's always great to have some new tidbit every day -- Gives you something to tweet about! My battle is trying to balance my overwhelming load of freelance work that all seemed to happen at the same time. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1621377037/the-locksmith-graphic-novel

A place to gain possible traction that was just mentioned to me is pinterest. I am beginning to check it out...

@Terrance We share the same busy schedule. Time is the only resource that is precious to me. Your Kickstarter page is pretty dynamo! I hope it delivers. @Sandra I do like the opening picture in red. There are areas for improvement. The one I would focus on is a "what can I do for you" approach; not a "what can you do for me" approach. Everyone knows you need money. I wouldn't spend ANY time explaining "why Kickstarter." Inspire people is actually... EXACTLY what you want to do. Whoever said that was spot on! Use your video to tell people what you're doing, why it's important, and how they can help. @Victor I LOVE Pinterest! Absolutely love it!

Pinterest... Yeah... finding my way through it... Did you see on IMDB PRO today..." David Fincher Leads a Kickstarter Campaign for 'Goon' Animated Movie (Video)"... Also something else I just started playing around with and have gotten a bit of traction.. is doing a FB ad for the campaign. Not a lot of money... you can set the figure.. have gotten some hits.. no $... but Terrance it might be something you might try... you have GREAT images and I think focused on the right target audience you could find something...

Justin - thanks to you I came up with this original commission idea for backer referrals... Warren, I've been running FB ads and have gotten a number of clicks and possibly a couple of pledges but the bulk of the pledges are coming directly through people already passing through kickstarter. So far, outside ads have not turned clickers into pledgers but it does give you major visibility to people who might return to the campaign at a later time.

There have been some really great suggestions here, not to mention some great leads and links. The over all message I am getting is that it takes a lot of time, effort and money to have a shot at getting some money. It occurred to me that if might be more efficient to take a part time job, even a low paying one. One might offer to paint or help paint a house or apartment. One might offer to clean or help clean a house. One might sign up with a temp agency. One might put a recurring ad on Craig's list explaining that you are a film maker trying to earn money to make a film and looking for some part time work to finance it. I bet if you stated a certain amount you needed to make in a certain time and what skill you had and offered the same "Kickstarter" type perks, you could get some traction. For the three film makers who don't use drugs :-), one might learn to drive a big rig, they are alway looking for non-druggies to drive and it pays well. There are quite a few road construction jobs one could do on a seasonal basis. All of this "extra" money would go into a film making account to be used only for your film making needs. I funded my film making set up by working seasonally as a tour bus driver and flagger for road construction. Point here is, if it takes all this time, effort and money, we should reevaluate if this is the best way to get the money we need. Also keep in mind that every dollar you can figure out how to save is one you don't have to raise. Time spent on learning to reduce your cost will keep paying for all your films for years to come. Maybe your time would be better spent in study. This is my approach. Judging from the number of people who work hard, and spend money and then have to pay various people to help them to get money, getting lots of money from these efforts seems more like a wet dream. Just a thought.

Question, On INDIEGOGO they offer Paypal as well as credit cards. I had Paypal for a bit but I did not like the fact they take a percentage off the top and the money goes right into my account as cash.. no waiting period... So I stopped it.. but now I am thinking some people like the security and ease of Paypal.. All thoughts welcome... http://www.indiegogo.com/THE-ROAD-LESS-TRAVELED?c=pledges&a=1007074

Hey Mark, I've removed your last comment. Please keep the comments respectful. Thanks.

I did two rounds on Kickstarter and one on Indiegogo. There was some interest on them, but not enough to get the funding level I requested ($5k). There is so much interest around here of the project I'm doing, but not the funds to get it done. Like I had told some people around here, if I had a dollar for everyone that said it was interesting... Yeah.. It's still being filmed but it's quite difficult with no money in the account.

I had the video but was turned down due to my marketing concept which was to sell original signed sketches used in my webseries and autographed by the cast....I think they prefer autographed DVDs of the video. However since it was such a low budget webseries it was cheaper for me to just go ahead and do it all on my own because buying the DVD covers would pay for props or something for my set or for a PA during the shoot...but don't do as I did.....go for it and I wish you great success..

I just had a failed Kickstarter campaign. Tried to raise $40K and could barely break $3K. It helps to have lots of friends with money, a very unique product, or be famous to begin with.

They canceled my campaign because somebody told them that I was going to repair my car with the money I was raising. I needed the car to get to location, so what was the big deal? Transportation isn't part of a production budget? Sometimes it's best not to belong to certain user groups. We're supposed to help each other with information, not try to hurt each other. Anyway, I use IndieGoGo now. They have a much better way of doing the campaigns; everything is on the table and the fees they charge are extremely fair.

Repair your car with the money? Wow. I mean I get your intentions, but Kickstarter has policies. If you're going to bend the rules, at least know the rules. And whatever you do, impress your audience don't scare them away. Kickstarter is held to a higher standard. I would've reported you to. Everything you say and do is weighed and measured by those investing in you. They trust and believe in your idea. We all want to help one another, but we also have to be honest with one another. I mean, you can see why saying that would be a problem, right? Kickstarter is not just a place to grab money. These people want to support your project, and by that... they have to believe in it. I'm not a fan of Indie GoGo. Their standards are a lot lower. It has its advantages, and they might be better suited to your tastes. You won't find me investing there frequently.

It's true we have to be honest and play by the rules or be upfront about the car issue and ask if they'll fund a charity that gets and gives away used cars donated by people...it won't work if we say we have project x but we are really building a house with it or buying a car but I totally see where both Justin and Vic are coming from...transportation is part of your budget for any film...but getting you a car...that is stretching it a bit.

I just helped a friend successfully fund the rest of his album/corresponding novel release. You have to be very creative, very realistic, and very crafty. We had a friend from my former production company film and edit the initial video. I kept making video clips of the soundbites set to stock still images, releasing them online on a slow feed. We promoted from every angle on every network, orchestrating more perks to be donated by others in the local community . . . . it took a whole team working creatively behind it, but we got it done. It's all a matter of how you do it.

I started a indiegogo project ( www.indiegogo.com/composethesilence ) since Iheard great things on it. I am starting to realize that you have to plan your launch/funding just as much if not more than you plan out your actual project. I think indiegogo is great so far though, better than kickstarter.

@Shanika Yes, I found this out too. I posted short stories from the collection I was trying to fund, and that didn't do the trick. You have to have a video rich campaign for potential funding folks to take notice. And the amount of 'PR' you have to do (not just on Facebook, twitter or Linked-In) has to be every single day, blogging about it, posting on every imaginable sm site you can find, and driving attention to your campaign. I did Indiegogo because I received every dollar (minus the paypal transaction fee). I would not have received a penny from a Kickstarter campaign.

Just had this article posted... am looking to find the right blogs spot... any ideas welcome... http://popularnotions.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/the-road-less-traveled-or...

Used it twice for my ship building project (www.theonrust.com) and was successful both times.

I plan on using both Kickstarter and Indiegogo for my feature film fundraising goals. These tips are invaluable.

Make sure you have a few good rewards for your donors.

Keep your marketing plan simple...I did not do that...I thought we could market the original drawings in my web series autographed by cast and crew...but that was not accepted. Friends told me a simple DVD signed and autographed by cast & crew would have been better...but that would have cost me money...since I do the drawings and they cost me zero. Don't take anything personally and keep moving ahead...there are many ways to raise money and this is only one way. Wish you success.

Hello Stephanie, I have been working with filmmakers as a fundraiser and specifically on Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns. If you have any questions email me at: info@traceyquezadaproductions.com . View my website here: http://www.traceyquezadaproductions.com/index.html

It was the scary all-or-nothing set-up of Kickstarter which made us choose Indiegogo for our first crowdfund. We didn't raise enough to make the full film, but we did have enough to make a three-minute teaser plus three mini dialogued teaser scenes. We're now setting up our next crowdfunding campaign using the teasers to prove we can make backers money work hard and that we have a very talented team. If we'd gone with Kickstarter we would have been left with nothing and could never have made the teaser, which would have been very demoralising! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw3StNd67dI&list=HL1366515006 You have to have an engaged and sizeable following on Twitter, Facebook etc well before you attempt to crowdfund and once it's up and running it's a 24/7 job to keep promoting the campaign. We've learnt it's better to run several low-target campaigns than one big one. We won't ask for more than £5k this time around. To slightly contradict the previous post most of our backers weren't friends and family, they all came from Twitter. But we'd spent months building online relationships with them first. Best of luck! :)

Suzie - how did you address the perks that backers were expecting when they contributed to your Indiegogo campaign? Perks included copies of the film, tickets, to screenings, etc., but you obviously weren't able to supply those despite taking the backers' money.

I enjoyed your video and wish you success in your campaign.

Hi Eric! So we used the money to produce four teaser trailers (one main one and three mini scenes), keeping our backers fully-informed along the way and they have been completely supportive of our use of the money. We are now using the trailers to showcase the team's high level of skill and will be launching our second criwdfund on the 28th on this month. Our backers have all been tweeting for us and showing incredible support and excitement for the next stage. So rather than "taking" their money we've used what was donated to push the film forward to the next stage :)

Eric - in case you haven't seen the trailers this is the main teaser - we shot all of them in a day for just under £800. We'll be looking to raise £5K in our next crowdfund to cover a five day shoot for the full film. I think our backers were delighted with the result http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXYNgreM65M The key is to keep them fully informed, which we have done with regular updates, videos, photos etc... so they know where the film is heading

Oh - and we also managed to squeeze this Making Of featurette out of our lovely behind the scenes photographer so that we could show how we work as a team, including our Bafta-winning DOP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IQRq-jtARo so we made the money go a long way to promoting the next stage :)

Crowdfunding is an amazing tool, but it is a pain in the ass. It is 2 full time jobs to run the campaign. I ran two last year and I am so appreciative to the people that donated, yet was left frustrated after both despite surpassing our budget goals.

Looks great Suzie, but you still haven't addressed how you handled the promised perks...

Most of the perks were immediately fulfilled Thankyous, shoutouts, video'd love sonnets, anything that wasn't tied into the completion of the film. We had several people donate individual amounts of money (these were our larger sums) and they didn't ask for a Perk, simply wanted to support. The only perks that can't be fulfilled yet are obviously the DVD and screening related perks. But our backers are completely happy with how we used their money, they've been emailed every step of the way as to our progress, they've seen the product we can create and they're all ready for the next stage and excited to see us launch the next crowdfund. So, as long as they're happy, we're happy!

Good answer Suzie!

Thanks Denise ;P

I had some kickstarter experience. But it was totally useless for me. Because I tried using it with no advertising the project among my friends and closies. That is normally done by every successful foundrisers)

Yes. Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Neither was successful. I learned that it totally wasted my time setting up the accounts required IF it got funded. There seems to be only pockets of interest in the film I'm making, yet everyone wants to see it when it's done. Those pockets have not been deep and most are empty.

Here's a tip that worked for us on a film project: We also used Kickstarter in an attempt to raise post-production funds for a film, did not meet our funding goal and so, got nothing via the crowd-funding donation route. However, we made sure to announce in our daily blog on Kickstarter that we were also open to investors as well as donations and we ultimately got more than we were asking for because several investors saw our page and decided to fund our project. So, if nothing else, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo can act as good advertising.

Hello Thomas nice to meet you perhaps we can work together some day, I love drama & action.. Sincerely Cindy

A friend of mine did this, and it went well and he reached his goal before the deadline. Another friend used it to pay for self publishing a book, and she reached her goal also. But the key is networking, getting others involved and to go to the kickstarter page.

Post, tweet, share, email- every day. Seriously. Every day. Update at least every other day- and in the update, encourage people to repost, tweet, share, etc. I used Kickstarter to start a movie, got way more than goal. Now, using Indiegogo to get finishing funds for short- to see more, go here: http://igg.me/at/strongtea/x/3385268

Robert how did you market the page?

My first Kickstarter was a disaster. I wasn't focused enough in my campaign, my presentation was too long, and I failed to reach my goal. The second time I was much more focused and kept my presentation clear, direct and simple. I was funded, and the result was that my entire oil painting project for a book cover was financed. It was well worth the extra work to reward the backers. It was also a market test to see if anyone cared about that type of project. I've learned that projects with a simple clear goal and loads of confidence have the best chance. Kickstarter isn't a platform to beg, it's an exciting marketplace where dynamic people gather -- artists pitch ideas, investors of the arts select favorites to back. It's important to remember that crowdsourcing has become an indie connection that people enjoy. It's not about asking for money. It's about engaging people into supporting and interacting with artists. If you can tap into that vibe you'll be able to fund your projects. My daughter has successfully (over) funded three Kickstarter projects and an indiegogo project. She has expanded her fan base through crowdsourcing.

Hi, There's a couple of different issues that people run into on Kickstarter, here's a couple of the most common ones: Not having a clear video explainer: having a video that stands along as a campaign message and doesn't require the user to read the entire campaign page to get it is vital. Your video sells you both on Kickstarter but also in other places too, like Facebook and Youtube, so if you fail to put in the big "ask" into your video than you've missed the value of having an explainer video on your campaign in the first place. Asking for too much at once: A lot of first timers ask for a multitude of things from their audience simply by cluttering their messaging with too many messages. Stick to the one thing you want to tell your audience and then continue to focus on that key message. Don't get distracted or sidelined into talking about anything other than the project and what you're asking from your audience. The easier it is for them to understand what you're asking for, the more likely they'll invest. Tone of voice: Being authentic and not just moaning about needing cash is crucial. Too many Kickstarter first timers think that Kickstarter is just a free pot of cash they just need to ask for. Its not, just like asking an investor or bank, you need to clearly demonstrate the benefits and the reasons why anyone should invest or support you. Building an audience: The single most common issue that occurs most often is people posting their Kickstarter campaign without first identifying their target audience and laying out a strategy to reach out to their audience outside of Kickstarter. Just because you've posted a campaign doesn't mean that the entire population of Kickstarter is just going to suddenly discover your project. They need to be told about it and you need to be the one stimulating that conversation. Hope this is still relevant for you given that you posted your question a long time ago now :)

Kickstarter is good if you have friends and family that can contribute.

About 5% of our funds came from friends and family the rest from complete strangers internationally who found us on twitter and facebook and via Kickstarter. we were backed generously by a fairly low number of people, but these included industry people with influence and that made all the difference. You need "influencers" behind you to give your campaign and film credibility and a sense of consumer confidence. I think it depends on how you market your film as to who you attract as funders. We just exceeded our target quite significantly, but we put a huge amount of work into it, it was our third crowdfund and we kept the target low. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/199016142/three-days-a-short-film-ab...

I succeeded at Kickstarter in April, read my blog. The Light and Darkside of Doing Kickstarter, A Confession. I hope it gives you some insight. http://www.thomaschapinfilm.com/2/post/2013/04/the-light-and-darkside-of...

Read your blog. It's so inspiring. Merci for sharing.

I'mBianca Drakes an actress from London . Looking forward to see what occurs on this site.

It is a lot of work, it is like a full-time job, it really affects you emotionally and psychologically unless you're a cold, unfeeling fish. But to raise $50,000 in 45-days??? It's a great shot, but you have to do the prep work. I spent a year test driving it by backing K projects, got my website up, built my social network, created my video and smaller trailers to post on Facebook, got some press, prepared a Constant Contact mailing list -- it's endless what you could do before you launch. I also was fairly sure I had some big money that would probably come in. Read my blog, I succeeded but it was hellish and not sure I would do it again. I did shoot my first round of film, thanks to Kickstarter backers, and got further down the road to making my film had I not done Kickstarter. Wish you well if you go for it!! http://www.thomaschapinfilm.com/2/post/2013/04/the-light-and-darkside-of...

Bravo such an interesting article. You gave me to confidence to plan my own Kickstarter a.s.a.p.

I think you've very brave Victor. I applaud your courage. Go for it with all your heart and will and work it! It's hard work but the victory Victor is worth it!!

Be prepared. Have everything ready. Make sure you look smart and strategize your promotional campaign. Don't try to raise more money than is reasonably. Small campaigns are successful far more often than major campaigns. Makes sure your perks are interesting and reasonable. Remember that you MUST deliver them. Don't let them cost more than the donations did! Plan on spending many hours a day working on the project and then you have to update constantly. It's a challenge but it can be done.

Kickstarter is a great way to raise funding towards a flowering project however if you dont meet your goals you do not get the partial funds raised. Look into Rockethub they are pretty great as well

Get your funders ready in advance - minimum 40%. Make the campaign short - 10 days is good. 30 day max. You need a good video appeal. The same rule applies to every platform.

You have to be ready to drive people to your ks project. preparing your social media campaign in advance is important. KS site will generate about 20% of your pledges the rest will have to come through your efforts

Consider Indiegogo, you keep what you raise.

May I ask "And in Kickstarter one doesn't"?

hi my best friend. You r in my network now. I add you as a friend..stage 32..

Dusty tell me about your project

Great link, did not know about it all. Thank you.

Just a reminder, that if you have any projects based in South Florida that we are an NPO that will do what we can to help gratis. Contact me for details.

Here is the link, you can check out the trailer as well as the campaign http://igg.me/at/HumanGod

We just launched our finishing funds campaign on Kickstarter (our fourth crowdfund) and reached our goal in the first 24 hours. We're now aiming for a stretch goal. However, these are all repeat backers from previous campaigns giving significantly more money each and we have nearly two years of pre-production/production promo under our belts. Our first Indiegogo campaign was much less successful! But it might give you an idea of one way to approach it :) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/199016142/finishing-funds-for-briti...

Bravo, even the amount is minimal compared to many Kickstarts. But in movies like in many other medias every penny counts so it's NOT negligible! Congrats

It may not always fund, 40% are currently funded, but it gets your promotional video the attention of potential investors and a place to point folks to from other Social Media, ie Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. The main point in getting CrowdFunded is viral attention to your project on the Interwebs. A kid with an iPhone movie had over 1-million hits on YouTube. So 'story' first, then your pitch, then the eyeballs will do your promotion for you. Respectfully, Nicholas Chase - producer / director / writer - SF Bay Area, CA

Very interesting.

I actually love IndieGoGo. I've tried both sites but it's great to be able to keep any funds raised, even if we can't make our goal. Plus IndieGoGo has multiple options to receiving payment and even will allow you to partner up with a fiscal sponsor like Fractured Atlas to give your contributors a nonprofit tax write-off for supporting the arts. We ended up with far more donations that way and we were locked in at only a 6% fee (total, including transaction fees!) no matter whether we reached our goal or not. Pretty sweeeeet. :-)

Our company (Media 64 Entertainment Group) is about to launch our first film, Basilio, on Kickstarter in the next two week, so I appreciate the helpful comments from everyone. Deciding whether to begin with Indiegogo or Kickstarter has been difficult. One thought was that if you didn't reach your goal on Kickstarter you could direct those who did support you to Indiegogo. I'm not sure about that. Anyone have experiences that way?

Gary, if you research the Kickstarter site it will tell you if this is possible. There is a lot of information that they provide. Also, Indiegogo has meet and greets from time to time. I attended one in Los Angeles and it was quite informative. Hope this helps. Bon Chance!

Thanks Stephanie I'll check it out. We are really working hard on putting together our social media lists, plus just completing our video as we approach out projected launch date, mid-March. I appreciate your comments.

Thanks Jason for your information. I can see how important it is to market... market... market throughout the 30 day campaign on social media.

Goldie! What ever happened to your looking into Kickstarter? I'm curious to know. Thank! -Saint-

I've been involved with various Kickstarter / Indiegogo campaigns although I haven't run my own.. yet. The one thing that stood out for me between the various campaigns was that the difference in success and failure seemed to be timing of requests. No one that I know achieved any contacts of merit through the process, they did however, achieve their funding goals. One mentioned that keeping up with the premiums and making sure that the premium doesn't cost you more than the donation seems to be a theme I hear everywhere from those folks I know that "succeeded". I do know one person who barely broke even. I took that as a lesson learned.

Sandra, are you referring to the premiums as what you are giving in exchange for the donations?

Yes, many people don't keep in mind that they have to ship the premiums. Many folks don't have enough product to get the cheapie bulk rate and they also don't know to ask for the glacially slow but inexpensive "book rate" when they can use that. One of my friend's had a premium that was: Cute , related directly to the project. She was customizing some inexpensive house slippers to resemble a character. What wound up happening was that the slippers were so popular that she almost had to spend everything she "made" at that level to provide enough of the premiums. She hadn't accounted correctly for the shipping nor for the fact that she had to go to a different vendor to get the premiums made due to the volume.

You are so right on this. We keep re-evaluating our rewards program before our launch for that very reason. Good stuff!!!

If you're just starting out with the Crowdfunding process Stephanie, go with Indiegogo: Whatever you raise, you get (minus 9%). With Kickstarter, if you don't raise your full amount, you get nothing. Also, It's a process that takes a while to get all of the updates ready for. And you need to have not only a full team in place, but preferably at least 10-20 % of your goal already in place as well. You will need to 'front end load' your campaign and back end it as well.

Stephanie's question was 2 years ago. I wonder if she created a Kickstarter campaign. I wonder if she made a movie.

Me too.

I did and mine is funded but we have 5 days left! http://bit.ly/BnBRPG