This is the Story of a Girl

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away...

Well, maybe not too far away. But the creative mind of Sandrene Mathews tends to reside in a galaxy of its own.

That's right! The person who brought you stories such as the 101 Dalmatians-inspired "Choo Choo and Cha Cha" (from the mind of a fourth grader) and poetry gems like "Half an Hour Shower" (based on a true story) is making a web series!

Less Than Super is a show about superheroes. But not your average better-than-everything-but-a-rock type of superhero. Our heroes are flawed. Sometimes they're downright ordinary. They don't always make the right choices. They don't all look good in tights. But they all strive to tip the scale of good vs. evil. 

I'm better at showing than describing. So if you haven't already watched our pilot, check it out here!:

I know I'm biased, but our pilot is really good. And we have plans to do that bigger, better, faster ten more times. And that's just for season 1! But in order to make that happen, we need your help. 

Why So Serious?

Making any type of art costs money. We could go super low budget and make it for next to nothing. But that's the equivalent of buying a car for $500 instead of $10k. Sure, you're free of the burden of loans and have the bragging rights of buying a car with a McKinley but then you're stuck making constant repairs and risk not always being able to make it to your destination. And who wants to do that?

We created an excellent pilot all because of the hard work of my exceptional cast and crew. They believed in me and believe in what this show can become. Not only did they sacrifice their time to shoot the pilot, many turned down paid gigs and some traveled many miles on no sleep.

We have a very ambitious plan for season 1, which means at least two days of shooting per episode. Paying our cast and crew a fair rate means we can lock in their availability on shoot days and ask more of them than if they were volunteering their time. It's basically the difference between having a fun, action packed series or a show where everyone sits around Alice's house playing drinking games. 

Here's a breakdown of what it would have cost to shoot the 5 minute pilot in one 18 hour day (including all overtime). These numbers include what I actually spent and what I would have spent had it not been donated. They don't include any of our pre-production costs (casting and 7 weeks worth of meetings) or equipment rental fees. All costs are based on fair day rates in Tennessee:

• Above the line (producers, directors and actors): $5200
  
• Below the line crew: $5130
  
• Locations: $200
  
• Crafty and catering: $700
  
• Insurance: $300
  
• Post production: $3500
  

Total: $15,530

Production is really expensive! (For a better idea of just how expensive, the wonderful folks at RocketJump created an amazing breakdown of how much it cost to shoot each of their three seasons).

The Head and the Heart

Our goal is not to just have a strong team on set but also for you to be part of the creative process. As I become better at this showrunner thing and the process becomes more streamlined, we'll be reaching out to our backers for input on various creative decisions. And once the show grows in popularity, we have plans for perks that will only be available to those who supported us from the beginning.

Less Than Super is more to me than just a fun show. I want to support women without making a show about feminism. I want to support diversity without making a character's race, gender, sexual preference or disability merely a plot point. I also strongly believe in showcasing the local talent in Nashville. So while we have members of our writing team from all over the world and a few of my out of town friends will make an appearance in this and the following season, our core cast and crew all live and work in Nashville. Because it's important to dream big where you're at.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

When you do a Google search for "how to make money with a web series" all articles say one of two things: they mention YouTube ads (currently we've made $1.20 from them) and merchandising, or they're just articles about how to raise money to make your series, not how to profit. 

I would love for this to be the only season we need to do crowdfunding for. Heck, I would love to raise enough to completely fund this season (you don't have to be good at math to figure out our initial goal is way below what we'll need to shoot 10 episodes). But the fact is, like any other form of filmmaking, there's no guarantee on a return on investment. That makes the investor route difficult, especially for talented but unknown filmmakers. What I can promise is a high quality production that will hopefully keep you entertained for hours. And, well, if you want to write to Hulu or Netflix and tell them you want to see us streaming, I'll provide the pens! Except it's 2016 and no one writes real letters anymore, so that's a silly promise.

Be a Hero

So, Less Than Super may be your new favorite show but you just can't afford any extravagances until 18 June. I totally get it. Or maybe you've already given us your life savings but the waiting list to sell your kidney is too long so you want to know how to give more. Well, you're in luck, because there are lots of additional ways you can support us!

1. Share the campaign! Simple enough, right? In fact, we are currently cooking up ideas for a referral contest, so get a head start and tell all your friends to join the team! Make sure to use the share buttons on this page instead of copying and pasting. Lots of traffic to the campaign also increases our chances of being featured by Indiegogo.
2. Follow us on social media. As much as I love making a homegrown project, we also want to have all the success we can muster, and that means reaching out to sponsors, advertisers and investors. And they want to know that people are going to watch. Numbers matter! So make sure to follow us on all the platforms you can! And make sure to use the hashtag #LessThanSuper so we can find you and say thanks!
3. Tweet to blogs and notable people. If you have a favorite blog or website that you think would love our story, let them know! Or any of your favorite celebrities. Anyone who might think what we're doing is cool and would want to boost the signal a little.
4. Watch our videos and subscribe on YouTube. More views equal more pennies in YouTube ad revenue but, more importantly, also shows that you enjoy our content and want to see more.
5. Like and rate us on IMDb. Ratings not only show that you're watching, but that you like what you see! And if you're feeling so inclined to go the extra mile, go on and write a review!