$5K

My plan had been to post for every 1K we passed on our way to raising $5K on Kickstarter. So much for plans.

Anyway, we raised our money! And we did it because:

1) We have amazing friends and family who contributed and/or helped spread the word, and
2) Kickstarter works.

As a fundraising tool, Kickstarter integrates your project into a community of like-minded creators, protects the contributors by releasing funds only AFTER the goal amount has been raised on deadline, and it affords an air of legitimacy to your fundraising. I can't count the number of people who told us they were skeptical about giving to an online fundraiser UNTIL they encountered Kickstarter for the first time.

I also think our success had something to do with our circumstances: we had a completed movie so we could put clips in our video as a sort of proof-of-concept, we were asking for "only" 5K, and we set a deadline of 31 days from the establishment of the fundraising so our campaigning wouldn't drone on forever.

And I think that's the key to utilizing any online tool for independent filmmaking. You can't expect any tool to work miracles be it Kickstarter, IndieGoGo or even Facebook. You have to know HOW to use the tool properly for it to do your project any good.

That and a lot of loving, generous people working on your behalf.

Thank you to all 103 of our backers on Kickstarter (to date).

"south loop" Passes the $1K Mark

Barely over one week into our fundraising effort on Kickstarter and "south loop" has raised over $1,000 on its way to a goal of $5,000.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the movie.

And for those of you thinking about supporting the movie, I think you should do it. Really. Just saying. You'll feel better.

And thank you in advance.

south loop on Kickstarter

We have launched a Kickstarter page to raise money for the distribution of the movie. Please support south loop and spread the word.

Film Festivals Today

We recently applied to the Chicago International and the DIY film festivals and that process brought me to this post.

south loop is a DIY film and we're looking to start selling the film as soon as we can. We're not averse to being acquired but only with the right deal (ie no "all rights" deals). Still, we're essentially distributing this film ourselves and looking to use the festival circuit as a means of creating audience for sales of the film.

That said, in beginning the application process for film festivals, I have to read the guidelines a little differently. Some festivals have already been scratched from my list because they do not accept films that are "widely available on DVD or VOD". This isn't all that bad because I'm not needing the film to be acquired. And it doesn't really shorten the list by that much.

Again, if you're looking to use the festival circuit to create audience for your DIY film, keep a close on eye on those rules and regulations. Don't waste your $40 if you don't have to.

Sound is Done!

Yesterday we finished the mix on south loop. On to creating the master files.

So close, I can smell it!

A Little Luck Never Hurt

Having talent helps. Access to shitloads of money is great. Dedicated collaborators are a blessing. But, for filmmakers, nothing may be more important than the support of family and friends.

And nobody has been more supportive than my wife Lynn. She encouraged me to take a screenwriting class while I was working in the corporate world. She encouraged me to go to film school. She did craft services on a number of my projects. She is always willing to honestly critique my work. She always listens when I need to vent.

As of today we have been married for ten years and I owe all of my filmmaking efforts to her. If only every filmmaker could be so lucky.

Thank you, Lynn.

To Make "Little" Movies You Need Free Shit

I've seen a number of articles where filmmakers are giving their top ten tips for "micro-budget" filmmaking. And, for at least the articles I've read, there's a glaring omission.

If you want to produce a feature-length movie for next to nothing you have to start with a list of your resources - the things you KNOW you have for free. That includes equipment, props, costumes, food sources, vehicles, locations, virtually anything that can contribute to your production for NO DAMN MONEY.

Once you have that list you need to write and produce TO that list. Otherwise, you're speculating too much and your budget will bloat in a hurry.

You probably noticed I didn't include cast and crew as possible sources of free labor. Take advantage of that if you want/need to, but I would always advise paying people at least $50/day. Now, even $50 is a bit of an insult, but at this budget level you're usually hiring people who have other means of income or live with their parents or both. Still, pay them something.

Otherwise, get a list of your free shit and utilize it. Just make sure everyone gets thanked in the credits, a copy of the movie and an invite to the premiere.