The project is hoping to raise an ambitious $30,000 goal in 90 days. The funds will go to the cost of audition/dance rehearsal space, cast and crew, film equipment, locations, editing, music, marketing materials, DVD replication and film festival fees. “Having shot a few feature films with a DIY approach, I am aware of what I can do for a certain amount of money. I set a very lofty goal, but considered very carefully the ideal amount so that everyone involved in the project is not working for free. One major goal of the campaign is to raise funds so that the people involved can dedicate their time to make the film happen -- so they are not preoccupied with day jobs. They'd basically be paid bare minimum for living expenses but I hope to support them in this way since they will be contributing their talent to this musical. Perks were determined from surveying other film projects on Kickstarter and from what I would like to see offered as a reward being a film fan myself. I then shared the rewards options with several peers and narrowed down the choices. The good thing with Kickstarter is I believe you can adjust the rewards or add new options should you need to” said King. Perks range from a copy of the film and a signed poster at the $35 range to a walk on role in the film (transportation and accommodation not included if needed) at the $5,000 range.
King believes the deadline can both motivate and stress you out. “I take it in stride, though. It's definitely fair and part of the game. I think people need a compelling reason to contribute more than just the project and this extra factor can really aid in that belief system. The campaign has forced me to spend a little more time promoting and talking about it, but I don't mind since I need people to know about the film and no one else is going to be a bigger champion for this than me since it is a passion project. I just hope to express to people that my enthusiasm and excitement for this film is limitless and their help supports not only getting the film made, but also my childhood dream of making a musical film.”
His advice for anyone thinking about using Kickstarter for fundraising is make sure it is a project you really believe in and are passionate about. “It has to be a project you really stand behind. Show that you care about it. People need to see that you are in it to win it. Do not treat your presentation and updates lightly. If you lose your enthusiasm for the campaign, then why should anyone else care? Kickstarter has been successful for plenty of amazing projects. Even though it is an incredible tool, there are other options so always have a backup plan because if you truly believe in what you want, then you'll succeed no matter what.”
One thing to note about Kickstarter is you may only use the platform by invitation. “We see it less as a walled garden than a screen door. There are invites that can be had like Google Wave has, but we are a creative marketplace. We want these to be creative projects with a community element and tangible rewards. The rewards keep it from being a donation, keeps it different. I ask questions on what the project is and whether the person understands how to carry out the project and we try to educate people on how to carry it out from a marketing perspective. If we don’t feel that the person is receptive to advice or has no clear goal of what they want to do ultimately, we don’t feel we can help them,” said Strickler.
“This is a site in development, new things will be added, but we launched with the essence of enabling an easy way to support ideas. We would like to grow it more, make it easy to discover projects say based on where you live, or on the type of project. We think there is tremendous potential, the opportunity to have a stronger say in things that are developed for the market instead of having those things decided for us. The invitation only will continue a bit longer just so it can be positive and fun and really establish the brand. A site like this can easily turn into just a whole lot of people in need, like a charity site and we are really focused on the creativity aspect. The people who are using it just want to stay out of the traditional funding model or have great ideas but lack the means to get started. This is even a site for people at the top of the food chain too. For say a Hollywood film, there is more focus on ideas that only make money, little appreciation for creativity. But what about someone who wants to make a short film, or an animated film or wants to make a 36 hour film? What if Tarantino wants to make a short about sock puppets? I think Kickstarter is a good platform for that. Your creativity doesn’t need to be sacrificed because you are at the whim of studio money or investors and you get to keep anything your project brings in, we don’t touch rights or take a stake in your idea. We all agree that it is a weird philosophy that you have to give up rights to your work in exchange for getting money to even make it,” said Strickler. You may contact the Kickstarter team at projects@kickstarter.com to talk about projects and get an invitation.
Please consider supporting the above filmmakers on their Kickstarter pages or just check out the site for more projects in development that you would like to be a part of. www.kickstarter.com
