come onboard that it just set the tone for everything early on and really made it a great experience. Sidney: Yes, very fortunate. We had a core group of “key” players that we had worked with in the past, and we knew that we wanted them on “Reboot.” They included our DP (Curt Apduhan), Composer (Riad Qabandi), VFX Supervisor (Adel Gandomikal), VFX Lead (Aleem Parkar), and Supervising Sound Editor (Roland Thai). It seems to me there is never a shortage of wonderful talented artists to collaborate with, it is raising the money to make your films that is always the challenge. GS: You used Kickstarter to fund the project and were successful. Would you use this method as a means for funding all your future projects? Joe: I think it can be specific in its use, and as interesting and wonderful as our experience was with crowd-sourcing, I’m not sure if I would personally want to go that route again on something bigger. It’s a lot of work. I mean, I know there are filmmakers out there who are quite involved with all this, and can be found tweeting while they shoot, or are neckdeep in pre-pro and sharing it with a “fanbase”, but honestly… not my cup of tea. As much as I’m into a lot of tech, and am a diehard sci-fi/cyberpunk/fantasy fan, I’m also quite old school; and the idea of being connected with the public 24/7 thru our devices and platforms is not something I necessarily embrace. I mean, I definitely need my disconnect times where I will
disappear off the grid – making a film is definitely one of them.
Geek Syndicate
your goal and getting funded. If you just sit back and think you will wake up one morning and you will have raised your goal amount, you are mistaken.
Sidney: Kickstarter is great for certain types of projects. If you are making a short like we did, and the amount you are seeking to raise is not too much, it is a wonderful resource and tool for the indie filmmaker. If you are looking to make a $30 million action film, then Kickstarter would not be the place to do it. At least not for now…LOL. GS: For every Kickstarter success story there are many projects that do not hit their goal. What do you think were the key ingredients to the success your Kickstarter project? Joe: We had a great network of friends and families to start off with, and that certainly was key in our success. But on a general view, it always helps to have a good pitch video, and a concept or idea that can resonate with enough folks to get the support you need. Sidney: Make no mistake, Kickstarter is work. You need to spend several hours a day campaigning and getting the word out to friends, work colleagues, and extending your own network via Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. Also, it is very important to keep updating your current backers on Kickstarter and letting them know what you are doing vis a vis the film (i.e. casting, location scouting, etc.) while you are trying to raise the money. The more things you can share about your process that make your film sound like it is really happening, the better chance you have of actually reaching
GS: For someone wanting to put together a Kickstarter project, what are some of the key factors that you think need to be taken into account? Joe: Faith and the willingness to put it out there in some form – and to present it clearly and concisely. From there, it’s really about networking and keeping up on informing and posting so that everyone can feel a part of the process, for whatever project you may be developing. If you can get a crowd to be excited about what you plan on doing, then half the battle is done. Sidney: Without a doubt, the video you create and post on your Kickstarter page is crucial to succeeding. It is the first introduction of your project and in some cases to who you are, and it needs to be great. We had a lot of backers that Joe and I did not know personally, and I attribute that to the strength of the video Joe created to help sell people on backing our film. I could discuss things to do on Kickstarter for hours as there is an entire strategy about how and when to launch a campaign to increase your chances of success. There is a great blog by filmmaker Ryan Koo who wrote an excellent blowby-blow account of what he learned raising $125K on Kickstarter. It is mandatory reading as far as I’m concerned if you are seriously considering a Kickstarter campaign.
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