Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
PICK ANY TWO...
I've posted previously about Crowdfunding in general, related to short film productions.
The Coward is a technically complex film - period costumes, crowd of extras, working muskets, stunts, post VFX, 2 cameras...even if the narrative is relatively straightforward. Complex = Expensive and in film we have a great saying:
“Cheap, Fast or Good - pick any two.”
I’ll take Cheap & Good for 2 x years of production and $75,000, please!
I have split the production into three stages to mitigate the potential production pitfalls and spread out the financial costs:
- Stage 1: Day 1 (Canada - Flight to the river) 2025
- Stage 2: Day 2 (Ireland - Childhood flashback) 2005/26
- Stage 3: Days 3,4,5 (Canada - Battle) 2026
Day 1 is now in the can and we can move ahead to Stage 2: Day 2 (Ireland) and, crucially, beginning prosthetics research and development the Battle scenes
I will run a short, limited Kickstarter to fund Stage 2, then building on both Stage 1 & 2 will runa second Kickstarter for Stage 3 - the Battle!
FIRST CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
Some of you might remember our original Kickstarter campaign, way back in the mists of time, in…2023! We raised just over $41k of the $50k ask. So close…
We’ve applied twice to the CCA - refused both times but the 2nd attempt apparently got right to the very final selection stage. But grants, man - grants are a grind. So much is out of your control.
The best analogy is looking for a job and that whole horrible desperate search for an interview. The mind-numbing drudgery of write, review, revise, apply, submit, send, follow-up, apply again somewhere else.
Meanwhile, in tandem, you’re going through a psychological and emotional rollercoaster - you get a call back! But no interview. Then a call back and an interview! But it doesn’t go great. Then you somehow get another interview! And it goes great! But - “we decided to hire internally”. And you’re back to square one, all - over - again.
Crushing.
Grants are the same basic process: first apply. Cross your fingers. Wait for the emails. Eventually, ding! OMG An email! You’ve advanced into the next stage. More waiting. Ding! Another email! You’re into the final selection stage! More waiting. Crew and cast are fading off - life goes on, careers progress. Completely understandable. Ding! The last email! THIS IS IT!!
“Thank you for your application. However, we regret…”
Blah, blah, blah.
Fundamentally, I not waiting on grant programs to get this done. I appreciate their existence and the real impact they can have but I'm using my own funds, crowdfunding campaigns and eventually direct private funding to move forward.
I will again apply for CCA, OAC grants but it's not something I'm going to rely on or wait for. If I get a Grant then yay us! If not I will still proceed forwards anyway.
FOWARDS TO GLORY
So, I’ve paid for Day 1 out-of-pocket, to get things going. Funding for Days 2, 3, 4, 5 and Post will be via 2 x Kickstarter campaigns, each funding the next stage.
I've built a decent (and growing) mailing list and have a marketing campaign constantly running. Lessons were learnt from the last Kickstarter campaign and they were learnt hard.
Going back to that pithy phrase above, and applying it to Crowdfunding campaigns:
“Fast, Cheap or Funded - pick any two.”
I’m going with Cheap & Funded. I have the time and its sensible to spread the cost of marketing over a longer, 12 month period. This also gives me time to reach out to as many interested people as possible, before I run the Kickstarter campaigns.
A critical lesson from the previous campaign was that everything, and I mean everything, must be ready to go and perfectly set up. Otherwise we run the real risk of another failure. This is not something I’m willing to even come near.
Onwards, my friends, onwards!