How we got funded: We have a Recondo
As opinionated as I am, and I’m quite opinionated at times, I don’t give advice to people unless it’s asked for. A number of people asked how we made our goal on the Kickstarter campaign for G.I. Joe INITIATE and if I could write up a post.
Not one to let people down, here’s some bullet points that you can swear by. 20 of them in fact.
- There is no proven method. If anyone tells you there’s a formula in this every changing tech web world…they’re bullshitting you.
- It’s not something that can be done by one person. If and when it does happen it’s a complete fluke. Don’t let it discourage you. When you’ve got 10 days left and still down a good percentage, there’s still hope. If after those ten days you don’t reach your goal…don’t let it discourage you. Find another way to make it happen.
- Be social and interact. That’s why it’s called social media. If you’re just tweeting or posting something endlessly on social networks 1 – 1,000 via Owlblast then nothing is going to happen. Absolutely nothing. Make yourself known without being obnoxious. It’s a fine line we all walk. You want to scream to the rafters about how awesome your idea is but if that’s all you talk about then people will just zone you out. Avatars are a blessing and a curse and once you make a bad impression people will just pass you by once they see you.Over the years you will or should have formed a network. Doors will open. People will read or view your work and you will have not only fans of your work, but genuine professional friends more than willing to help you out.
- Be yourself and be honest. To reference the above paragraph, never do anything for the sake of to get somewhere. If you’re trying to get money for the sake of getting money people will see right through the bullshit. Don’t tell me you need five thousand dollars to do something all by yourself, in your own spare time, on a property you own, without the need of anything when I already know all that going in. Reputations are built on trust, both good and bad. In our case we needed the money for a few props we didn’t already have and we needed to gas up the cars of our actors to get around locations as well as feed them. We’re not making a dime of this particular project and we all have families. We told people going in we’re doing this thing but if you help us out it will be that much better.
- 90% of your followers, if not more, will look and never leap. It’s just the sad fact of social media. For every one of your broadcasts they may be matching one for their own project, vying for the same people, and completely missing yours. For as many people as your social with, that will donate, there are even more who think your project is amazing but will never say so let alone help you in some form. It’s something I’ve had many conversations about over the years with other website owners and the like. There’s no proven method or reason. People will bitch before they praise or help.
- Funding is (almost) a full time job. You have to keep at plugging away. Social media is international and across a myriad of timezones. All bets are off and there’s no guarantee. Some people still don’t know I write comics, or have writing here available for free, and have followed me for literal years. I talk about them frequently but that doesn’t mean anything. Don’t assume because you tweet or post once you did your job. Don’t think when you post the spotlight shifts from POPCORN MILLION DOLLAR SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER to YOU before you signed on.
- Most of your grunt work will be done behind the scenes. Count on making some calls and sending emails as well. Not everyone is on Twitter or Facebook or anything else. Your grandmother may want to be an executive producer but if you don’t tell her you’re doing the project then she’s not going to know. Replace grandmother with anyone in all industries be it print or film and festivals or conventions.
- Know your audience. Our particular project is for G.I. Joe. So sites that focus on that property be it the comics, action figures, movies, cartoons, etc. were contacted in some form about what we’re doing. Many helped us out and even blessed the script. Some had Fred on podcasts to help promote the project.
- Thick of the crossover aspects. Sure you’re doing a movie but so what. Make a comic book tie-in. You’re doing a comic book? Make a poster. If you think the run of the mill then that’s the reaction you’ll get in return. To get people interested we made some promotional photographs. No footage or anything complex. A little elbow graphics grease and we had something to show potential donors what we were capable of.
- It’s obvious but you need a place to send people to. A place where they can find all of your information in case they’re on the fence of whether or not they want to fund you. Then when it’s done you can use the same page and or site for updates. HOWEVER, and yes there’s a big capital however, you need to conform to your target audience and where they frequent. See point 8. If it’s not a part of their daily routine they’re not going to make the extra effort, unless they really like you, to go off the beaten path to find you. Just assume they don’t give a damn and don’t want to make any kind of effort except for visiting their top five favorites and maybe picking up their cup of coffee. Most social networks have a wall with updates force fed voluntarily down their throats. Go where the people are.
- We have a Recondo. If you watched the trailer for The Avengers…well they have a Hulk. But we have a Recondo and Recondo beats Hulk. Paper, rock, scissors, smash you in the face. You need a hook. A marketing campaign, or at least a cohesive plan, to promote your work. Not everyone is a designer. See point 2. Make them drool and make them NEED, not want, to fund you. Excite them. Even if it’s watching paint dry. If you tell me there’s alternate universes in that paint and anything else of X-Files or Fringe like persuasions…you’ve got my attention. If it’s just paint drying then give up now. This isn’t just about action movies. It’s anything. You need to find your hook and you need to make people want it.
- Set a reasonable funding goal and do your research before you decide if Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, or Paypal best suits your needs. They each have their positives and negatives and legal stipulations both financially and otherwise. Sure it would be nice to ask for the $10,000 you THINK you need, but figure out what you do NEED and ask for that. See point number 4. If you can get by with $4,000 and not blow up those two extra tanks then do that and make other parts of your project better.
- Make a video. Connect with your backers. Fred shot ours in his garage and edited it with moviemaker software. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It’s not a trailer for footage you don’t have yet based on funds you also don’t have. It just needs to set you up as a person who needs help. Be honest. Point number 4 once again.
- Exploit your resources. If you have an actor in your project who had a couple speaking lines in a big film or tv series, put it out there. If you can get those kind of people to help you, do so. Seeing the name of a big film in your description makes the project look more respectable. It’s as much about the marketing as it is the talent involved. Get them to take on point 13, especially if you’re not great in front of the camera, and you just doubled expectations.
- Be appreciative and say thank you. I’m just as appreciative to the person who retweets/shares something of mine as much as the person or donate a dollar or a hundred. It’s that mentality of saying hello to everyone from the CEO to the person who picks up your trash. A little thank you goes a long way, especially when it’s genuine. Send EVERYONE a message on Kickstarter (or other sites you use) and thank them for their donation, They don’t have to give you anything. People who are friends and family will ignore your project and a random stranger will give you $1.24 (actual pledge we got). That $1.24 is a show of support and if everyone I’ve met through social media would have coughed in that much in the beginning, we would have been totally funded in a day. It’s easy to thank people who give you $100 or $374 and it’s easy to forget people who give you $1, but those folks are just as important. Point number 4 is quite popular but it’s the honest truth. If you’re a jerk or a total d-bag, don’t expect much in general including life.
- Barter. On a side note to Kickstarter, we’ve received a ton of support by promising exposure to folks that might help us. We’ve had donations of funds, gear and services from some pretty cool places, just because we went out and asked or we knew people who knew people. Reach out to those who can help and tell them what you can do for them. The key word here folks is people and they may need as much help and or exposure as you do. Your phone call or email could be a blessing to them as much as their part is to you. Point 2 applies here.
- In the beginning think exposure over financial gain. Not to sound artsy but it’s about the project first and foremost. In our specific case, we all love G.I. Joe. We had a lot of resources (people, equipment, locations) at our disposal to make a cool G.I. Joe movie. We could have done something else and tried to make a profit, but our fan film has such a bigger level of exposure. G.I. Joe has an existing fanbase (like us) and those fans will watch our film that may have ignored just a regular military short. Likewise, siding with a charity or cause you believe in rather than worrying about making a buck can gain you so much more positive exposure and be much more beneficial to your future, plus we’re getting to do something awesome and help good people. Win, win! But, yes, I know you’re not doing G.I. Joe. You’re doing your own work. Your own property and you’re not doing a fan film. But the same thing applies. You’re not going to become a millionaire on your first venture, your second, or maybe even your tenth. You do it for the exposure and networking build which will eventually lead to that. It’s more so a mentality you need to have more so than anything you need to do. This goes back to point 3.
- Offer cool rewards! Producer credit is somewhat taboo, but it works. We had a lot of people stoked about Associate Producer credit for an affordable price. Also, rewards at lower dollar amounts (even if its just a sticker or something) is very important. People need to get something out of it. They want to feel involved. Make sure you are rewarding them with something cool. Could be that or it could be a t-shirt, sticker, poster, signed copy of the original script. Make them feel like they’re a part of your production because ultimately if they didn’t fund you there wouldn’t be a project to produce. Then when your project reaches it’s goal, it drops on Vimeotube those people will tell everyone how they helped make it happen. They’ll be just as proud as you are for any number of reasons. The next time you create something you’ll not only have them as backers but the people they tell. See points 3 and 8.
- Deliver the goods. Remember this isn’t your money per se. The only reason your project is happening, to a certain extent, is because people had faith enough in your or the project to fund you. You hyped the project. Now you need to make sure it’s as close to that hype, or better, than it can be. I’ve been told already…just make it good and don’t make me feel stupid for backing this. Let’s back up a second though. It’s G.I. Joe. There’s a history of it being hokey at times. So the comment was warranted and I take it to heart in a good way.
- Aim high. The only thing stopping yourself, your creativity, and anything I wrote above, is yourself. See point number 2.
That will be a hundred dollars each for this HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK crash course. Maybe I should set up the Paypal account….
Or you can just give us a few more dollars on INITIATE. We’ve still got a few days left. And there’s a Paypal link there definitely.
