It also helped that Rae had an existing product. “People had already seen the show. They had decided they liked the series. They wanted to see the show continue.†So, Rae and her producer made a strategic move not to release the eighth episode. “We did a cliffhanger and advertised the campaign, basically saying if you want to see more please donate, otherwise we may have to end the series here.†The season finale, episode 12, will be released Jan. 12, 2012. Rae is now looking to monetize the Web series via advertising and sponsorship.
Top 3 crowd funding sites:
-Â Â Â Kickstarter.com
– Â Â Â IndieGoGo.com
– Â Â Â RocketHub.com
Top 3 components of a successful campaign:
1. Have a good pitch, which means engaging video and copy plus perks such as exclusives
or discounts.
2. Be proactive by sending out e-mails, using social media, and targeting influencers in organizations, on YouTube, and in the blogosphere.
3. Have an audience that cares–an inner circle of friends, family, and fans.
Crowd funding sites aren’t free:
-Â Kickstarter.com charges 5% plus a payment processing fee; you must
meet your goal before the money
changes hands.
-Â Â Â IndieGoGo.com charges 4% (9% if you don’t meet your goal) plus a processing fee.
-Â Â Â RocketHub.com charges a flat 8%.
Besides the networking, parties, travel, and goody bags, there are several benefits to playing the film festival circuit. Big name distributors tap big festivals such as Sundance and Cannes for properties. After its world’s premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, writer-director Dee Rees’ film Pariah and a second script were acquired by Focus Features (owned by NBC Universal) for a reported “high six-figures.â€
It’s a project that has come full circle. When Rees’ 2007 film short Pariah got picked out of thousands of entries to show at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, she figured she would fly to Utah for 10 days, promote the movie, hang out with her crew, and book it back to Brooklyn, New York. But the 34-year-old filmmaker’s coming-of-age drama about a teenage lesbian was so well received that the Sundance Institute (which offers development programs for filmmakers and playwrights) asked about a feature script.
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