Crowdfunding films and books has been a hot topic of late with high profile projects from James Franco, Gary Goldstein and of course the wild success of the Veronica Mars campaign all vying for a slice of the donation pie.
Regardless of what side of the debate you are on, fact of the matter is this is a part of the new reality of ‘proof of concept’ for material.
For me it all comes down to, what is the person asking doing for the money? In simplistic terms it’s like two hobos: hobo #1 holds up a sign that says ‘will work for food,’ hobo #2 holds up a sign that says ‘hungry, please give,’ – I feel for both of them, but fact of the matter is I’m going to choose the guy that’s willing to work for it.
A lot can be learned from the base model of how these campaigns are structured in crafting your pitch for your own material. They have a concise video that introduces (the creators) or for your pitch that would be you – and in some cases actually shows a short tease of what the project is going to be (once bought or funded). Then the perks are like the layers of your story each one grows in intensity, upping the ante and making it irresistible and finally the details are your Q&A that seals the deal.
If you’re one of the struggling creators that balks at the notion of already deep pockets asking for money, I’ve got two very different but very cool projects that you can feel good about – if you can’t afford to throw them a buck, sharing the links also goes to the good karma they create. But first notice the elements I mentioned above and consider this structure when talking about your creations. Oh, and these guys are working their collective arses off for useful, game-changing creations.
1st up is ART STORY. If you are sick and tired of the glut of formulaic animated features and licensing tie-ins. Take a look at what two former Disney animation vets are creating – a heartwarming story that is visually groundbreaking AND will expose audiences to famous works of art they’d otherwise have to go to a museum to learn about.
Next is ComixWriter a script writing software product for comic books and graphic novels (primarily). I’m a final draft lover, but I’ve always wished there was a way to incorporate storyboards or thumbnails when the project requires. I also see huge potential here for DP’s and script supervisors (or animated films for that matter).
Thanks for looking and please share or contribute if you can. (I am not affiliated with either of these campaigns)
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