CARUSO AND THE SWORD (C.A.T.S.) a feature film in development just finished a run on the crowdfunding site IndieGoGo.  It was not a success in that we raised some funds but did not meet our goal.

Most people do a “What Went Wrong (WWW)” analysis at the end of their crowdfunding campaign.  I say most because very few campaigns are actually successful in raising the funds they set out to raise.  I personally know several filmmakers who raised nothing in their crowdfunding campaign and several others who raised very little.

The WWW analysis I’m doing pertains to the C.A.T.S. project which is in the development stage (a film in development is in the raising funds stage).  A campaign for funds for a project in production has a whole different set of issues.

In my quest to do things right in the area of IndieGoGo crowdfunding, I read all the IndieGoGo blogs and I also read the IndieGoGo suggestions on Facebook.  IndieGoGo has numerous statistics such as “those fundraising campaigns that have 11 or more updates on average raise 137% more funds.” And “those campaigns that set a funding deadline of 60-70 days raise on average 141% more funds.”

I believe it’s more than just a large number of updates and a deadline of 2 months.  A brief regurgitation of comments I’ve read and my own insights are that there needs to be a perfect storm of crucial factors including the team, the concept, the planning, the updates, the presentation and a whole lot more. 

I’ll start with “The Team.”

Numbers

One article I read ( Lessons Learned Blog ) said that 10 team members were needed to mount a successful campaign.  I believe it is more complicated than just shear numbers in the team.  Factors such as the hours the members have available to spend on the project, strengths, and the diversity of strengths and interests are all crucial factors.

One benefit of a bigger team is more resources such as time.  Most Indie filmmakers also have a day job.  So, if the project has 80 hours a week worth of tasks to be done and the team consists of 4 people, each person is going to have to contribute 20 hours per week.  For a 20-something who is not married, has no kids, eats dinner in front of the computer, and lives in mom’s basement, that is probably not a big issue.  But add a spouse, a house, a kid or two, pets, a lawn that needs to be mowed, a garage that needs to be cleaned, etc. and time becomes more precious.  Now instead of 20 hours of free time you are looking at maybe 2 hours of free time.  So, you need that bigger team. If you have 10 team members who each can contribute 2 hours a week on the project, for example, then you have 20 hours and the equivalent of a part-time person.   

I know I was pulled in several directions and the marketing team also was pulled in too many directions.  There are only so many hours in a day and some tasks will suffer because you chose to concentrate on one task instead of the other.

Experience and Charisma

People want to be impressed by the experience and personality of the team.  One of the most crucial positions in the development stage is the director.  The director is the person who is going to be on set every day getting the best performance out of the actors.  It is the director who is going to be the one to say to the lead actor “I’m just not feeling the angst.  Could you do the scene with more angst?”  It is the director who says to the director of photography “This is a happy scene, so we’ll need happy lighting.”  I’m being somewhat flippant, but the director is crucial. 

Being able to show potential funders what the director has done before is important.  Successful IndieGoGo campaigns had directors who were charismatic, had previous experience, were excited about the project, and could convey their vision and excitement for the project to potential funders.  I’m excited about the project but I’m not the person to have in front of the camera.  The video I created about the film was as exciting as a lecture to a kindergarten class about the economics of the world banking system.  I didn’t like it so I never added it to the IndieGoGo page.

Another crucial position is the DP – director of photography.  You need to be able to show your funders that the DP creates a professional looking film.  People have seen so many videos on youtube that were shot on a phone that people want to see a sample.  What is this finished film going to look like?

A team that has a couple of outgoing, charismatic team members is important.  Filmmaking is very often political.  You need the number-crunchers, but the extroverts who can work a room and are comfortable getting out and talking to people are a major component.

Tasks and Interests

Mounting a successful fundraising campaign is not just standing on the street corner holding out a tin cup although that has been done by many a filmmaker.  It’s also a good-looking website, sending out the updates every week, updating Facebook, Twitter, contacting potential collaborators, and a host of other tasks.

If you have a team of 12 individuals but they are all only interested in designing a website, for instance, this is not as helpful if you have someone interested in directing, someone interested in updating social media, someone interested in writing press releases, someone interested in music, etc.

Social Media & Contacts

Filmmaking currently is very dependent on social media.  As important as having a lot of team members is, the size of their Facebook following is even more important.  As with anything, the larger number of contacts you have the more likely it is that you will be able to meet your fundraising goals.  There are filmmakers I know who add dozens of Facebook fans on a daily basis.  They realize the importance of “fans” to future endeavors such as fundraising, selling DVDs, selling downloads of the film, etc.  But, that team member also needs to be able and willing to tap into the Facebook friends.  Having 4,000 fans won’t do any good if they aren’t approached and asked to donate to the fundraising campaign.  Not everyone who is asked to contribute will do so, so large numbers help.    Perks offered to those fans are important and will be covered later.

Being able to interact with the fencing community is one of the tasks I fell behind on.  I see this as a position needing to devote a few hours a week to.  Updating the newsletter, contacting clubs, working with the Advisory Committee, and going to tournaments all take time and commitment.  It’s something that needs an individual spending a few hours a week cultivating those relationships.

Passion

A large studio with a full team of paid professionals doesn’t need people with passion to perform necessary duties.  It’s nice, but not crucial as the large studio has the advantage of giving out paychecks.

Numerous people have contacted me looking to work on C.A.T.S. for a paycheck.  C.A.T.S. is in development and not at the point of being able to hand out paychecks.  What C.A.T.S is looking for at this point is passion.  Those individuals who want to work on this project because they are passionate about it.   Will there eventually be pay?  I hope so.  But when an Indie film is in development no one gets paid.

After having received so many emails from individuals wanting to work on the project for a paycheck I’ve come to realize another crucial aspect.  And that’s the passion.  I did not actively pursue a director because I wanted to have funds to show.  But, I’ve since changed my thinking.  I want a director to get on board because they love the concept of C.A.T.S. and they are willing to donate a few hours a week of their time and passion in helping to get the project into production.

What Went Right

I would be remiss if I didn’t also do a WWR (What Went Right) analysis.  We have 3 individuals on the marketing team that I have the utmost respect for.  They have passion, skills, and ideas.  It was totally unfair to them to not have a full team in place as I know many times they were overworked and pulled in too many directions.

Another WWR is the number of friends and acquaintances who really want to see C.A.T.S get made and showing at a theatre near them.  I really like these people.  They have intelligence and passion. 

Obviously, the C.A.T.S. campaign needed a bigger team for all the reasons above and more.

So, a crucial next step is to build a bigger team before the next crowdfunding campaign gets under way.

(Other factors such as promoting the concept, professional website, promotional materials, perks offered to funders, etc. are crucial items which I hope to address in a future blog.)

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