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Independant Movie on Kickstarter


Abdullah AbuMahfouz

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I went to school for film (also audio production as well), worked several IATSE gigs, started my own production company, was in a film festival, and have current corporate commercial productions going as well as wrote and produced a crowdfunding campaign recently.

 

Someone should start taking advice from me.

Cool!

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Well to kind of answer my original questions: I found a good strategy to help spread the word of the kickstarter and to get it popular on the website. What we did was take our crew and have them tagged (on facebook) in a video we made, that includes the majority of them. What this does is that it allows the video to be seen by thousands of friends and family of the crew. In the video, we only ask for one dollar, and a share. Eventually, the small amount does build up and people who are inclined to donate more end up doing it anyway once the word is spread. Check it out, and let me know what you think of the plan.

 

The Power of a Dollar Video: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=661023527241829

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Oh sh!t, can't IMAGINE with that Gung Ho attitude why in the world YOU would fail. BTW Film London is the UK film market. It's small but networking is the most effective way to get your film moved forward. BUT of course THAT'S NOT what YOU want to hear . Look, I'll tell you exactly what you want to hear, IT'S HOPELESS, GIVE UP, QUIT SCREW IT CAUSE it's NEVER gonna happen. Feel better now? No point in dealing with ya Phil, people get what they want and you already decided you want to fail, so be it

 

I don't think you mean Film London although ironically theres probably some truth within that slip! ;)

 

I think you have found some great and really interesting links James, especially the first one, but I have a much more straightforward answer. It's called air travel and it may not be that trendy these days what with the environment and all but sometimes these things are necessary. All this stuff about the UK is totally true and a whole lot more but that's the UK for you. The UK is just a little Island though. Well a few Islands and a little bit on the side, but you get the idea.

 

Freya

Edited by Freya Black
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Well to kind of answer my original questions: I found a good strategy to help spread the word of the kickstarter and to get it popular on the website. What we did was take our crew and have them tagged (on facebook) in a video we made, that includes the majority of them. What this does is that it allows the video to be seen by thousands of friends and family of the crew. In the video, we only ask for one dollar, and a share. Eventually, the small amount does build up and people who are inclined to donate more end up doing it anyway once the word is spread. Check it out, and let me know what you think of the plan.

 

The Power of a Dollar Video: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=661023527241829

 

Hey Abdullah! Thanks for popping back and posting a follow up posting! Always good to hear some follow up on the way things are going! :)

 

Freya

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I don't think you mean Film London although ironically theres probably some truth within that slip! ;)

 

I think you have found some great and really interesting links James, especially the first one, but I have a much more straightforward answer. It's called air travel and it may not be that trendy these days what with the environment and all but sometimes these things are necessary. All this stuff about the UK is totally true and a whole lot more but that's the UK for you. The UK is just a little Island though. Well a few Islands and a little bit on the side, but you get the idea.

 

Freya

Air travel? Don't you guys have the "Chunnel" and like the best train travel on the freakin' planet? Europe is your oyster and there is a LOT of money in Europe as well as access to Eastern Europe like the Czech Republic (Mexico without daily gangster murders squads) that you can get things done for pennies on the dollar or in your frame of reference, pence on the pound. At the equivalent of 10 bucks a gallon, I'd go with the train, and look for investors at the Berlin Film Market and Cannes. Look, Freya, there's always a reason to fail. The people who win are the ones that never quite. You need to expand your horizons beyond your beautiful, rain drenched island empire. The world is a very small place in these times and you need to start thinking globally. I'm an American that lives relatively close to Hollywood (2 hr. or 300 bucks by air). and I'M more concerned about the global market than the US market at this point. The guys I'm working with on getting funding for "The Hunted" are in China right now looking for money. To quote the Beatles: "Ssit back relax and float downstream". Find those who are intrigued in your vision and get them on-board the 'Freya Express" and ride that train till the wheels fall off. That's what I'M doing. To quote one of my favorite movies of all time,"Galaxy Quest": Never give up, Never surrender!!"find whatever works and go with it and don't let anything get in your way. THAT'S how you get a movie made!!

Edited by James Steven Beverly
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Air travel? Don't you guys have the "Chunnel" and like the best train travel on the freakin' planet? Europe is your oyster and there is a LOT of money in Europe as well as access to Eastern Europe like the Czech Republic (Mexico without daily gangster murders squads) that you can get things done for pennies on the dollar or in your frame of reference, pence on the pound. At the equivalent of 10 bucks a gallon, I'd go with the train, and look for investors at the Berlin Film Market and Cannes.

 

In the UK? No the train travel is a bit rubbish here mostly and very expensive. I've been lucky lately as I've been blessed to use the East Coast Mainline but a lot of it is very grim. On the mainland things tend to be way better with train travel. The chunnel is also very expensive although not as bad as it once was. I'd just fly out to Berlin, it's way, way cheaper.

 

I think you missed my point, which was EXACTLY that it is necessary to think outside of this septic isle.

 

Freya

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In the UK? No the train travel is a bit rubbish here mostly and very expensive. I've been lucky lately as I've been blessed to use the East Coast Mainline but a lot of it is very grim. On the mainland things tend to be way better with train travel. The chunnel is also very expensive although not as bad as it once was. I'd just fly out to Berlin, it's way, way cheaper.

 

I think you missed my point, which was EXACTLY that it is necessary to think outside of this septic isle.

 

Freya

Yeah, I do that a lot. (miss the point) but I'm glad to hear we're both on the same page. So flying out to Berlin!! Cool!! Well you'll need hotel or maybe you could crash in a nearby hostel. What is it, a week? 10 days? Ah, here ya go:

 

http://www.berlinale.de/en/HomePage.html

 

February 6th through the 16th.....Freakin' early FEBRUARY in GERMANY!! Better bring some coats, sweaters and a snow shovel! See THIS is why I like AFM, It's held in Santa Monica RIGHT on at the beach at the beginning of November while it's still warm but not too hot.

 

Food, hey it's Germany, Blintzes, sausages and beer all the way, I say!!

 

Walkin' around cash, air and cab or bus fair, clothes.......6 and a half months....if you start now, you got time, Get over there, network, pitch some script ideas, show your shorts and promo material, let people know you're there and ready to make magic!!

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Fantastic idea, let's all go to Germany and ask them for money to make movies!

 

And when they've stopped laughing?

 

 

Heh heh! Again this comes down to being an unknown quantity.

 

So you do stuff first and then you can have something to show or something.

It's my experience that doing things tends to lead to opening doors.

 

From my last two cobbled together short video's I made, the first one shot in less than an hour, and the second cobbled together over a couple of hours, the first led to some interest from an agency in possibly working for them. The second bought some interest from a not very well known UK actor but who had a very, very minor part in "Game of Thrones", (which you have to understand makes him miles above the level I'm presently working at). He seemed nice and to have interests in acting which strike a chord with the kind of thing I'm into as well.

 

Sadly so far whenever I get so far with things, something steps in to set me back severely (often the government, although more recently what I would have once called "the bad people", anyway...)

 

I think the best way to go forward tho is through growth.

 

If you do things then there will be people out there who are into the thing you are doing. That's my experience anyway.

If you don't do things then there won't be.

 

Freya

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Fantastic idea, let's all go to Germany and ask them for money to make movies!

 

And when they've stopped laughing?

 

For the record, I'm going to give it a try.

Not flying out to Germany necessarily (although I'm always up for a trip out there!) but trying to get to that higher level where I could be considered more of a known quantity or would have the required level of status.

I'm up for giving it a go, and ready to die on my sword if need be.

 

If you like I can let you know how I get on.

 

I've just put the deposit down on my new space! 250sq ft whoop whoop! ;)

 

Freya

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Fantastic idea, let's all go to Germany and ask them for money to make movies!

 

And when they've stopped laughing?

And when they stop laughing, you pitch 'em a great story idea over and over, again and again until you get someone interested in it instead of sitting on your ass, whining about how impossible it is to do. Get off the bleachers and into the game or leave the stadium, go home and tell everyone who will listen what might have been. A guy I know lost a co=production deal because a group of German investors came in and funded the entire production and they didn't need his money any more. BTW, Berlin in an international film market so you may be able to pitch people from all over the world. I'm pretty sure at least ONE of them has money to spend on a film....your just gotta find him. When I was doing sales, we didn't care about the 100 people that turned you down, we were looking for the 1 that didn't. Dude, who ever told you this business was going to be EASY to break into?

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I'm up for giving it a go, and ready to die on my sword if need be.

 

If you like I can let you know how I get on.

 

I've just put the deposit down on my new space! 250sq ft whoop whoop! ;)

 

Freya

Well, lets hope there's no need for such drastic actions, I'm pretty sure "Blood-soaked" isn't your color. Congrat's on your new studio. Paint it all croma-key green and shoot an epic!!

 

Now, Why NOT, Germany? That's where the buyers and distributors are. That's where the investors are. That's where your contacts are. You shot a movie in an hour that garnered agency interest and a movie shot in a few hours that got an working actor interested in you. Last year I spent time hanging with Carl Weathers and later Fred Williamson and after that Lloyd Kaufman (VERY FUNNY guy. He reminded me of Mel Brooks, too bad his movies didn't BUT he's very cool) my point is THAT"S where the people you need to meet are. Write a script, shoot a teaser, make up some promotional materials and get out there and let the people who have the money to make it happen SEE THEM. Plan on pitching ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE, then do it again. Go up to strangers at the festival and ask then what they do. Start a conversation, get a dialog happening, get their business cards then give them yours. Look for people that can help you then let them help you. N-E-T-W-O-R-K. This isn't brain surgery, it's just a lot of work.

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Ah yes, networking!

 

Hey dude, whatever works but generally speaking, , I generally like the people I network with and usually have skills and attributes that is of some value for them. You seem to forget, they people you need to network with, need to network with people. If you need funding for a film, they need to invest money in a film, if you have a finished product, they need product to distribute, If you need to make a film, they need to get a job on a film. You know Phil, you really need to try adjusting that negative knob on your attitude to to positive every once in a while, 'course, you'll probably just turn it to the "positive you'll fail" setting but what the Hell, any movement would be a start.

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