SHE LOVES ME NOT #2 (crowdfunding solves murder?)

 

So the problem for many people with big ideas is coming up with the money to implement the plan, to build the invention, to stock the merchandise for the business, to get the financing for the film.  For filmmakers you had to find investors willing to take a great risk, and that process is not only daunting in terms of salesmanship, it is also strictly governed by the SEC and it all gets very legally complicated.  I managed to dodge that bullet with my first feature, THE GREATER GOOD, because the concept was designed to dodge that bullet.  The bulk of the story occurs in one interior location - it's a tabletop discussion amongst mafiosi - and it reads like a play.  With two cameras, I was able to cover the entire feature-length script over the course of a long weekend.  I was working for a production company at the time, and they supplied a lot of the camera and lighting gear.  The D.P., and quite a few people from the production community - mostly friends of mine - were also willing to donate a few days of their time and energy.  I bought some donuts and coffee and a few pizzas and we got it done.  No investment required, just a little out-of-pocket stuff. 

SHE LOVES ME is a different story on several levels.  The production is scheduled for 35 days shooting at 17 locations with 13 crew members and 25 cast members and a helicopter and a SWAT team, and I figure I'm going to need about $450,000, which is still very low budget, but quite a chunk of change for me.  I don't happen to have that amount of money just laying around.  So based on the aforementioned funding challenges, why bother? 

 

Because I heard about a new website called Kickstarter.com.  It's a place where creative people go to get funding for their projects, and for people interested in funding projects to donate their money.  DONATE their money - there's the gamechanger right there.  It's not an investment scenario and therefore not subject to the complicated rules of the SEC - at least not yet.  There are high level governmental forces working to get in on the action, but nothing has been implemented yet, so I'm going to try to sneak in before it all gets mucked up.

Now Kickstarter does have a few of its own requirements, as it rightfully should.  People asking for funding are required to set donation levels at various amounts and are to provide rewards for donors based on their level of contribution, and that all gets a bit complicated as well in terms of what kind of rewards to offer and how to expense it.  Kickstarter also takes a cut of the budget, but only if the project reaches its funding goal.  If the project does not reach its funding goal, the project is scrapped and the donors get their money back.  I must admit this caused some concern, because my budget was really high compared to other projects on the site, but I still regarded the whole Kickstarter concept as a wonderful opportunity and my best option to obtain financing.

So then I heard about another "crowdfunding" site called IndieGoGo.  With IndieGoGo, they take a higher percentage of your budget, but you get to keep as much money as you can raise.  This has greater appeal to me, because I've worked so hard on the development of this project that I'd hate to scrap it all in the event that I don't reach my funding goal by a few dollars - which is what could possibly happen with Kickstarter.  Also, even if I don't get the full budget, I'll still be able to make a great film - I'll just have to cut some corners and adapt the production accordingly.  (That is as long as the budget is within reason - I can't do this one based on favors and freebies.)  So my plan is to get the word out about my IndieGoGo campaign, and see if the magic of the internet and its access to the world population will result in getting this movie made!
Mike Bizzarri
http://shelovesmefilm.com