Why Crowdsource Funding Is Essential For Independent Producing

Buzz. Trailers. Cast Interviews. Behind the Scenes Featurettes. Seeing A-list talent answer random yet strangely personal questions while playing with puppies. Producers have gone to great lengths to convince audiences to watch their finished films. But, is it worth it?

Putting aside for a moment the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to market a film, the process of planning and executing a marketing strategy for a film or series takes just as much teamwork, strategy, and creativity as film production - if not more so. Film production is daunting, no doubt. Simply having a finished product, however, is not enough to sell it.

Engaging your audience before they’ve decided to see your film is the ultimate goal of the film business. Independent producers, like small business owners with little room for error, must be intentional about how they approach their audience. This is where crowdsource funding comes in - for marketing, customer support, and sales.

On today’s blog, I’ll be sharing what I’ve been learning from other campaigns (and the resources I’ve used) as an independent producer on my recent EPIC proof-of-concept short film, “Sanctuary”. And when I say “epic”, I mean eh-PIC! Car chases, fight scenes, two cameras - both RED Komodo, filming on location, filming in studio, building a set, working with SAG talent, working with named talent, working with child actors, AND abiding by COVID compliance guidelines. EPIC! To say the least, we are well prepared to make the feature. You know where to find me if you want to join the team!

While our process hasn’t been textbook, we’ve learned a TON about what works and what battles are worth fighting.

Why Crowdsource?

Any creative endeavor, if more than a hobby, and thus meant to satisfy more than the artists’ fancy, requires an audience. While we are creating our masterpieces, we often focus on “what do _I_ want to say”. This is an incredibly valuable first step, but in order for it to become a consumable good for audiences, we have to switch to “what do I want my audience to experience” before we roll cameras.

After reading RB Botto’s Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, I realized that engaging with one’s audience is a natural connection! As creatives, we somehow feel shame around asking for money for our projects from individuals, yet we have no problem taking money from one big company attempting to greenlight it. We don’t necessarily see how that company makes its money by selling it to those same individuals. So, aren’t we just offering early access? Early and DIRECT access! That’s a huge value!

So, why crowdsource funds? This is your first BIG opportunity to find out from your audience, directly from your audience, what they like and what they want to see. Just like adding team members to your cast and crew, each new person that hears about your project “fills in the gaps”. What do they see when they do that? What do they like about what’s there? What do they wish they could see more of?

Sure, crowdsource funding is about making a bottom-line amount of money to greenlight (or finish) your project. It is also, however, about getting more people involved to ensure someone will experience what you’ve made. If you can shift your focus to see it as an invitation and not an “ask”, then you’ll show your early audience that you are offering something of value. You are not asking something of them, but giving them something. Something they are gonna love!

When we did the “Sanctuary: More than a Short Film” Kickstarter campaign, we worked with a consultant from The Kickstarter Guy, Melissa Center. As a filmmaker herself, she emphasized the importance of nailing the pitch video. Visitors to the campaign page may never read a word, but they will watch your video! We work in a visual medium, after all, so if the video isn’t up to our standards, then the audience will still see it as an example of what we can deliver. Suddenly, it dawned on us - the crowdsource funding campaign was our way to have our audience watch something of ours before they could watch something else of ours!

Recently, I’ve been assisting a friend with her feature film funding campaign. Debra De Liso, actress, stage director, and beloved Scream Queen has been working on this feature film script for years, and she’s finally committed to bringing it to the big screen. When chatting with her about what she learned, she said, “the process has prepared us for investors. [The effort] has made us more professional in our presentation. We even started a TikTok Vlog, and it’s really taking off!”

And here’s the lesson I hope you take away from this - if you are an independent producer, a crowdsource funding campaign shows your ability to successfully execute a production because that’s what a campaign is - a marketing campaign is a video production.

What Do You Have That Big Productions Don't?

In a word, engagement. Independent projects have to have a lot of love for them to move forward. Love for the themes, the characters, the story, and even love for those who are making it. Especially for those who are making it. People are far more likely to check out the campaign and support your efforts if they know you and want to see you succeed. You’ll notice I didn’t say “like”. You’d be surprised how much further “respect” goes in the entertainment industry. The hearts you are trying to reach have more to do with our mutual love of what we’re trying to put on the screen.

For example, for our Sanctuary campaign, we totally understood that this was an action film as well as a drama. Dramas are harder to sell, but if we could tap into our audience’s love of car chases and shootouts, then they would get excited as well! On the flip side, not everyone watches films for the spectacle, so we wanted to make sure they also knew why it was important to us. If you watch our pitch video, we make it clear - thematically, this film is about generational trauma and how we develop from it. Finally, we set our intentions as filmmakers, speaking to how we made the film, and how we hope it shapes the future of independent filmmaking.

By connecting to the heart of the story and the impact the project will have on audiences and filmmakers, we increase engagement with our crowdfunders. HEART + IMPACT = ENGAGEMENT

GET CREATIVE WITH ENGAGEMENT! Yes, you can post updates and offer polls, but you can do so much more! For our final fundraising day, we did a LIVE gaming telethon to help raise funds. Not only did we get to meet some of our incredible contributors, but we also alleviated our team’s anxiety by playing games all day!

What To Expect When Funding

From our Production Triangle above, here is the essential equation: the more time you have already invested in building your “crowd” (phone numbers, email lists, social media contacts, and followers), the less time you need to build those relationships for the campaign. Six months is the minimum for anyone without a following, but you can start a campaign in as little as 30 days if you already have contacts.

After working on the short film “The Meal” with Emily Skye of Shewolf Films, I met an incredible filmmaker creating her first feature film, Carolina Alverez. The efforts of her and her producing partner have been akin to small, frequent meals - they crowd-funded in development, they crowd-funded in pre-production, and they have one final round of funding going on NOW through their post-production! Talk about perseverance! For more inspiration on perseverance, check out my last blog.

When catching up with Carolina, she mentioned her biggest lesson was, “how much preparation and planning goes into launching a campaign. You should give yourself at least two months and build yourself a dedicated team!” Agreed, Carolina!

For our team, it took more like six months, but part of that was getting used to putting content out to show our value - production stills, behind-the-scenes stills, and video, interviews with cast and crew, and even sharing what we had learned to give back to the community. Carolina has already been contributing to the community at large through her Femme Regard Podcast. By showing up and giving something of value before the campaign starts, you establish trust with your audience that you’ll deliver.

The Best Campaigns Have...

Commitment. Building a “crowd” isn’t the only thing you’ll need to prepare. You’ll also need to show your work… your best work! This includes professional updates and timely delivery of your perks. It also requires a committed team. Make sure they’re attached to your campaign so anyone who sees the page can see how many people you’re working with.

Vision. Don’t limit yourself to just your minimum. Your production company does not begin and end with one project. Keep your focus on the goal BEYOND the fundraising minimum to continue to grow.

Cool Perks. Think about what your audience would enjoy, and find a way to give it to them sooner than later. Sanctuary’s director and main executive producer, Garrett, worked on cars to raise the majority of the production funds. So, when it came time to raise finishing funds via Kickstarter, he reached out to his Izusu community with a special offer on parts if they contributed.

Follow-through. One of my favorite campaigns that I’ve contributed to was Morning Steep by Stage 32 member Landis Stokes. It’s been a year, but I still get beautifully crafted, personalized updates via MailChimp.

Our campaign has ended, but you can still follow our post-production, film festival, and distribution journey by following us on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to check out our website as you can still purchase certain perks to support the feature film: www.SanctuaryFilm.Net

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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