Wednesday, September 26, 2012

From The Smalls Film Festival 2012 - session on Crowd Funding


he Smalls Film Festival 2012 got off to a roaring start with two packed Monday sessions at the legendary creative arts venue The Hospital Club in Covent Garden, London.

Create Crowdfunding Campaigns and Generate Exposure

Crowdfunding Master ClassIndiegogo
So, you know you want to launch and run a crowdfunding campaign to finance your next film project – but how do you draw attention to your ideas and succeed in your efforts to drum up those dollars?
At The Smalls Film Festival 2012, Producer Sylvia Wroblewska spoke to Adam Chapnick from Indiegogo (via Skype, all the way from LA!) and Katharine Round, Producer/ Director behind the successfully crowdfunded documentary The Spirit Level about how to launch, grow and maintain a healthy, two-way relationship with your contributor audience.
Watch the full session here on The Smalls soon. Until then, below are a few quick bites for takeaway!
Inspirational & educational links
Nuggets of wisdom
  • Crowdfunding is shared enthusiasm, not static collection
  • Crowdfunding is about building an audience and a community around your work
  • We are all artists in some way or another, invite people into your creative process and engage them according to their passion for your work
  • What is your biggest asset? What or who will sell your idea & be the biggest draw for people to engage? What is your greatest news hook?
  • Map out and build up activities our before you go live, so that you are ready to raise money on day 1. Line up news, press releases, video updates – be prepared!
  • Identify your community – organizations, individuals, social media, and other interest groups, and make sure you have a simple ask when you reach out and prepare them for your campaign going live
  • Ask for support, don’t beg for money
  • Reach out and engage, don’t pester
  • Your video is really important! Keep it short and complete, and include your ask
  • Communication is not a one-shot deal! Build community – thank people, ask for advice as your project evolves, and provide updates to your following often (every 5 days doubles expected funding on Indiegogo)
  • Producer credits count, as do $25 perks (on Indiegogo these tend to raise 35% more than those without)
  • Introduce your team to your audience, the power of teamwork is pretty incredible
  • Complement your campaign page with links to your own website, your Facebook page or Twitter feed, or your profile or film pages on The Smalls – it builds credibility and engagement
  • Remember that crowdfunding is NOT just about money, but about building an audience who can also support you throughout the journey of your current project and future ones!
PERK: To get your hands on Adam’s brilliant crowdfunding presentation, emailinfo@thesmalls.com or simply click here to download a copy!
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Documentary Filmmaking: Live and Kicking

Alive and Kicking
Too many festival sessions bemoan the death of the traditional documentary, right? Right! We wanted to open up a dialogue with some of the industry’s leading creators, curators, and decision makers in documentary filmmaking, to run a health check and see what is really going on.
At The Smalls Film Festival 2012 Jane Mote, former MD of Current TV UK sat down with Hussain Currimbhoy from Sheffield Doc/Fest, Derek Thorne from One World Media and Lina Prestwood from C4 for a discussion designed to advise documentary creators on how to get commissioned, how to navigate the festival circuit, and how to get noticed – regardless of platform. 
The full session video will shortly be available here on The Smalls. Below we air a selection of highlights for now!
Inspirational & Educational links
Nuggets of wisdom
  • Documentary commissioners today look to invest in the individual, not the film – they are often looking for great, confident directors to attach to new series or other future projects
  • You don’t have to have come through a “traditional route” to get picked up by a channel, but you have to love TV if you submit your film to C4 (or any other network)
  • Always showcase your passion and your own voice – as a short filmmaker you are totally free – dare to show who you are
  • Documentary filmmaking today is about telling stories
  • Be bold, innovative, surprise your audience, and always try to go all the way
  • To do well on the festival circuit, research festivals before you submit to see how your film may resonate with that festival. Look at strands and previous winners, judges – do your homework before you choose where to submit
  • In documentaries, a cinematic eye is as important as a respectful, honest relationship between filmmaker and subject
  • Innovate when possible, never rehash
  • If you can, keep your short film short (15 minutes or less)
  • Access is key when making a documentary, to avoid it becoming purely observational
  • When you develop your documentary ideas it is easy to get stuck on issues that feel important – but remember that people are not interested in issues, they are interested in STORIES (great characters are important)
  • Many doc filmmakers take the NGO route. If you do, remember that people still need real stories to connect to – the cause or the work of an organization is great, but when it comes to building an audience you need to tell a good story
  • Ad-funded docs can be great as many brands are simply looking to make films that reflect their brand values, and not to plug a product or service
  • There IS an audience for documentary short films – from broadcast to festivals
Do you have thoughts or questions on our first sessions? Feel free to emailinfo@thesmalls.com - we'd love to hear from you.
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THANK YOU to all our panelists and contributors who made Day 1 such a wonderful success!
And, of course, a special thank you also to all the incredible sponsors of The Smalls Film Festival 2012:
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