Thanks all for coming out to join at DIYDAY Boston and joining live online. As promised, you can find the presentation for the, "Show Me The Money" talk below. To find more content from DIYDAY Boston and other events check out DIYDAYs.com. Video coming soon...
Fund, Create, Distribute, Sustain. DIYDAYs is a wealth of FREE
information and networking. Boston is the next city in the
educational tour, set for this Saturday Oct 4th (speakers and schedule). The previous events in LA, SF, and NYC have been a big success and you can find the notes and videos here if you missed it.
I will be delivering a talk called, "Show Me The Money"
(details below) and IndieGoGo will be supporting Lance, Arin, and Company throughout the day.
Trustees Room, 11th Floor Tower Building
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
621 Huntington Avenue, Boston
See you there!
SHOW ME THE MONEY
As today’s global financial markets struggle, the U.S. presidential
candidates are raising over $1,000,000 a day online in sub $1,000
contributions from individuals. In other industries, companies like
Prosper, Kiva and Sellaband are eliminating the middlemen and
democratizing fundraising as well. The secret is crowdfunding and fan
participation. Through a direct connection (i.e. social networks,
email, distribution outlets, blogs, house parties, twitter, chat) and a
call to action, each case study is converting niche audiences into
their fundraising and promotional base. “Show Me The Money” discusses
the trends, the tools, and the companies pioneering DIWO
(Do-It-With-Others) Funding and Filmmaking. From widgets to VIP perks,
this presentation is for the independent artist interested in engaging
their audience to raise money.
Lance Hammer, the writer, producer, director, of Ballast kicked off his self-distribution campaign on Friday at Film Forum in NYC. With support from IFP and their new First Weekend Series, the Sundance gem was watched by a full house of independent film enthusiasts. As I talked with Steven Raphael from Required Viewing, who is helping to promote the film, he mentioned, "The work has just started. Now we need to get this film to the audiences". Keep an eye out for a theater near you. Trailer
What makes a video go viral? Or what makes viewers or a video take action? 3 things.... read on.
As filmmakers with video clips and rough cut footage at your fingertips, the proliferation of the video-sharing sites like YouTube, Revver and Vimeo have never made it easier for you to use your chosen art form (filmmaking) to entertain, educate and enlist your fan base to take action in support of your work.
At IndieGoGo's "Where Film & Internet Collide" party during Independent Film Week a few weeks ago, I met a producer who specializes in short videos that entertain and educate. I asked him what are the key elements that make a good viral video. He said:
1 surprise factor
2 different emotions within the same piece
Separately, for a video to evoke action among its viewers, it has to have exactly that:
A clear "Call To Action"
So if you combine these three elements into one, you got a great promotional tool (using the medium you know all too well as filmmakers) to not just build your audience but to also get your viewers to take action (i.e. join your community, contribute, endorse, share, etc.). Take advantage of this and use videos to work for you!
For a wonderfully simple example of a video that combines all three elements, watch "5 Friends Uncensored" below.
There are so many tools on the Internet to help you drive fundraising
efforts. Leslie Poston wrote
on Mashable about creative ways to use social media to fundraise for a
cause. With the rise of the Internet and social networks, it is become much
easier to connect with people. This includes filmmakers and their audiences,
too. Poston wrote about several ways to connect with your audiences and
Do-It-With-Others.
One way is to use social media and connect it with an offline event, such as
a fundraising party. Michaelene Risley organized a benefit concert for her
documentary, Tapestries of Hope. The
charity event was a success and helped her raise over $20,000 on IndieGoGo.
Your blog, Twitter, Facebook profile, MySpace, and IndieGoGo profile are places
on the Internet where you can spread the word and get people to attend your
offline event
You can also create a fundraising effort that's exclusively on the Internet.
Leverage your network and raise money with events online. Some examples
include:
The most effective way to fundraise, says Poston, is to leverage people who
are already using the Internet and get them to access their offline network.
Have them find friends of friends who will contribute. By doing this, you can
connect with more people to build your audience and raise money for your film.
It's DIWO filmmaking at its best.
Here's a diagram that shows how social media can help your raise funds for
your project. Use your network online to create more networks offline. Be creative and find other ways to use social media to raise
money for your film!
Come to the Mill Valley Film Festival this Saturday. I'll be joining a great panel of industry veterans to discuss how to navigate the changing times in independent film. See you there.
Synopsis: In the current economic environment, it is harder than ever to finance, produce and distribute independent film. An expert panel of industry professionals discuss ways to ensure independent cinema’s continued productivity.
Panelists: Jonathan Dana | Veteran distributor, producer and consultant. Producer, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Ballet Russes Ron Yerxa | Producer, Election, Cold Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine Danae Ringelmann | Founder, Chief of Finance and Customer Development, IndieGoGo Ehud Bleiberg | Producer, Love & Dance, A Bands Visit, Adam Resurrected
Moderator: Richard Idell | Entertainment Attorney, Idell and Seitel, LLP
Quick reminder about "DIWO Live!" - IndieGoGo's weekly forum for members to:
* See the site in action
* Ask questions
* Get tips from the founders
* Learn from other members
"DIWO Live!" happens every Friday from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Pacific Time. Next one is September 26th. All IndieGoGo members are welcome to join the conference call. Details are:
* Dial-in: 1-218-339-7800
* Access Code: 837745
Can't make it this Friday? No worries. Catch "DIWO Live!" the following week. Same time. Same dial-in.
Imagine instead of spending a large promotional budget, you were able to turn your fans into your own marketing army. Well, two 30-year olds, Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben, have been able to build their Maimi based documentary production house using interactive techniques. With tools like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr the duo is able to get each fan personally involved in the production process and the overall conversation.
A recent BusinessWeek article highlights their documentary success, including being the youngest filmmakers accepted to Sundance with Raw Deal: A Question of Consent.
Below are 5 tips to turn viewers into promoters:
Dialogue - Create a dialogue. Film tends to be one way communication. Try to make the entire process (from funding to distribution) a two way conversation.
Tools - Use the tools your audience is already using. Study usage patterns for your core audience and try facebook, myspace, youtube, twitter, flickr, iphone, blogs, events, newspapers, etc.
Brand - Develop a brand bigger than any one movie. No reason to have to start from scratch with every new movie.
Perks - Get your audience special access to productions, events, parties, etc. Give away content, time, or schwag to get your fans more invested.
Fresh - Keep the content unique. Love it or hate it, the content needs to stir reaction. More importantly share the information in unique ways. If Obama can use text to announce his VP, you can be fresh too!
