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Release Wakefield Poole Documentary on VOD & More

Distribute acclaimed documentary about pioneering gay filmmaker Wakefield Poole on VOD and more

Release Wakefield Poole Documentary on VOD & More

Distribute acclaimed documentary about pioneering gay filmmaker Wakefield Poole on VOD and more

1 Campaign |

Palm Springs, United States

$3,662 USD 38 backers

16% of $22,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 9

Comments 5

I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole is a fiscally sponsored project of The San Francisco Film Society, a non-profit arts organization. Contributions to I Always Said Yes are paid to The San Francisco Film Society and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Hi, I'm Jim Tushinski, director and producer of the feature documentary I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole, which tells the story of an overlooked gay liberation and independent filmmaking pioneer. Poole's life as dancer, choreographer, director, independent filmmaker, artist, pornographer, and chef intertwines with American and LGBT history in remarkable ways.

For the last two years, the documentary has screened at film festivals around the world -- from Israel to New Zealand -- playing to delighted and moved audiences.

But the number of people who can see I Always Said Yes at a film festival are just a small part of the potential international audience.

I want to take the next step and make the documentary available through major Video on Demand platforms such as ITunes, Netflix, Google+, Hulu, Vimeo on Demand, and Amazon, and on Blu Ray and DVD. And I want to donate copies of the DVD/Blu Ray to any libraries, archives, and non-profits who request it and sell the remaining copies online. All this will bring I Always Said Yes and Wakefield Poole's remarkable story to everyone who wants to see it.

But I can't do it without your help. Please consider making a tax deductible donation during this fundraising drive. Non-US donors are also very welcome. Some of our most passionate audiences for the documentary have been outside the US.

This is the final fundraising push for I Always Said Yes. Reaching our goal means the documentary can be widely available just ahead of Wakefield Poole's 80th birthday in early 2016.

Through the process of making my previous documentary, That Man: Peter Berlin, I met and spent time with Wakefield Poole and realized his remarkable story and his cultural and artistic accomplishments were largely ignored or, worse, completely unknown by the general public.

I wanted to try and change that. In the midst of production of I Always Said Yes, I also facilitated the restoration and re-distribution of Poole's films. Then I screened the documentary at festivals. Now you can help me achieve the next goal - making the documentary widely available.

Yet if we don't raise at least $22,000 by the end of this campaign, I Always Said Yes will no longer be available for screenings and can't be released on VOD or DVD/Blu Ray. Licensing and technical issues would make it impossible. It will have to be shelved. So, I'm placing the future of this documentary and of Wakefield's story in your hands.

Audiences and critics think I Always Said Yes is entertaining, enlightening, and essential.

"Wakefield Poole...gets the reverential treatment he deserves in this incredibly well-reported, riveting documentary. Poole's life of personal and professional invention and reinvention is staggering in its own right, but his shrewd insights into the radical political and social significance of early gay porn prove him a formidable queer theorist and activist in his own right."

Ed Hardy, LA Weekly

"The aging Poole proves a feisty and unabashedly emotional guide to his own creative highs and private lows, acknowledging the wayward nature of his career path without a trace of self-pity. [I Always Said Yes] is cinema as archive—an impulse that remains essential even in the era where sophisticated documentary/fiction hybrids and self-reflective non-fiction practice gains much of the spotlight."

Matthew Connolly, Film Comment

"One of the best character studies I have ever seen... When you hear it deals with a subject like pornography, the mind tends to take the naughty route, dismissing the film as a fluff piece. But in the hands of director Jim Tushinski...Poole’s life is enriching and fascinating."

Kevin Thomas, Progressive Pulse

"Excellent...I Always Said Yes is not only a tribute to a life fully lived, but a testament to a truly talented individual who remained true to his artistic side."

Steve Weinstein, Edge

My previous documentary, That Man: Peter Berlin, opened at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival and was successfully released theatrically, on cable TV, and on DVD around the world.

Wakefield Poole and I have also appeared on two great podcasts talking about his life, his films, and the documentary. Check out The Projection Booth and The Rialto Report episodes.

ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE IN THE U.S.

Most of the funds raised up to $22,000 go to:

Upgrade licensing of several key archival clips ($8000)

Errors and Omissions Insurance ($6000)

The remaining funds are for

Video on Demand Aggregator fees and deliverables (including closed captioning) - basically the entry fee to get on the major platforms ($1500)
Experienced publicist to get the word out on initial release ($2000)
Final modifications to the documentary ($3500)

replace some unlicensed music
upgrade Poole film clips to HD
incorporate new and restored footage
[I recently found some wonderful vintage footage that I want to include. In addition, after discussion with Wakefield, I'd like to return a deleted sequence to its place in the documentary.]
revise end credits to include new donors and others
miscellaneous color grading and other finishing

Campaign fees, cost of perks, and miscellaneous fees ($1000)

Stretch Goal - Limited Edition Blu Ray/DVD combo

If we raise $27,000, the additional $5000 goes to:

Limited Edition Blu Ray/DVD combination pack

contains 1 Blu-Ray and 1 DVD of the documentary
Region Free
subtitles in French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese
strictly limited run of 1000 copies
replicated - no BD-Rs or DVD-Rs

If we raise more than $27,000, the additional funds will go toward adding more languages to the list of subtitles on the Blu Ray/DVD.

Everyone who donates $20 or more will receive a Thank You credit at the end of the documentary.

Plus, depending on your donation level, you get

!!PERKS!!

As all our previous donors can attest, we deliver on our perks.

This campaign's perks include:

Hot Flash of America logo T-Shirt
Postcards and posters of the official I Always Said Yes poster - original artwork by Robert Hullinger
High Definition downloadable .mp4 files of I Always Said Yes and That Man: Peter Berlin with your choice of one set of non-removable Spanish, English, French, German, or Portuguese subtitles...or no subtitles at all.
Limited Edition Blu Rays of Wakefield Poole's restored films Boys in the Sand, Bijou, or Bible - including all the special features available on the commercial DVDs plus new content - only available as Donor Thank You gifts! These Blu Rays feature the 2K High Definition restored masters created by Vinegar Syndrome - the first time these films have ever been available in full High Definition on home video. These Special Edition Blu Rays are MOD (Manufactured on Demand) Region Free BD-R discs made with the highest quality media to ensure long lasting, error-free playability.
Vinegar Syndrome's beautiful restorations of those same three films on DVD.

STRETCH GOAL PERK

Limited Edition Region Free Blu Ray/DVD combo pack of I Always Said Yes featuring new scenes; deleted scenes; audio commentaries; photo galleries; removable subtitles in English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese; and more. Strictly limited to 1000 copies. (Stretch Goal Only)

Please note that the Limited Edition Blu Ray/DVD combo of I Always Said Yes can only be sent as a Thank You gift if we make the stretch goal and raise the entire $27,000.

If we raise more than $27,000, all additional funds will be used to add more language subtitles on the Blu Ray/DVD, including Italian and Japanese.

Risks

Since I Always Said Yes is already complete and has been screening at film festivals, the risks are minimal. As long as we raise at least $22,000, the documentary will be available on major Video on Demand platforms. If we raise the entire $27,000, the commercial Blu Ray/DVD combos will be manufactured and distributed. It really is that simple if we have the funds.

If we do not raise the minimum funding goal, then I Always Said Yes will no longer be available for screening or public viewing. Poole's story and his historic contributions to filmmaking and American social history will continue to fade away and eventually be forgotten.

If we do not raise at least $22,000, any monies collected from this campaign will be used to pay crew members for time and expertise donated in order to complete I Always Said Yes. These crew members took no payment because they believed in the project. If we can't release the documentary, then at least these folks can be compensated.

Challenges

Crowdfunding overload is rampant. Everyone seems to want your money.

Why are we different?

The documentary has already raised tens of thousands of dollars through donations in order to complete production and post-production. In other words, we do what we say we're going to do. We have a network of donors and an email and social media network of potential donors. But we need many more contacts and more donors to make this work.

The film festivals and audiences we have already screened for are helping us get the word out as well.

You'll be helping ensure an important part of filmmaking and gay history is preserved and widely available for years come.

You say you're flat broke? Not even $5 to your name? I've been there. But if you think this is a worthy project, you can still help:

Make some noise about our campaign. Share this campaign link on Facebook, Twitter, and so on. Encourage people to donate. Anyone with an interest in independent film, gay history, classic Broadway, or dance would be very interested in this project. Tell them about it! And tell them how important it is that I Always Said Yes becomes widely available.
Use the IndieGoGo share tools to help us get the message out about the campaign.

Why do you need a publicist?

Just because a documentary is available to the public doesn't mean anyone knows about it. Hundreds of movies are released every week. Without a publicist working to get reviews, interviews, mentions on prominent blogs, and so on, we would never be able to reach a large part of our potential audience. I Always Said Yes would just get lost in the shuffle.

How can a commercial release also be tax deductible?

My plan all along has been to make this documentary not-for-profit. Part of this decision was pragmatic - it's very difficult for documentaries, especially documentaries about LGBT artists, to make money. They usually don't. But I didn't create I Always Said Yes to make money. I wanted Wakefield Poole's story and his achievements to take their place in LGBT history and in the history of independent film. So I partnered with the San Francisco Film Society, who provided this project with fiscal sponsorship. The rules of fiscal sponsorship do not forbid making a profit. In fact, I have to pay taxes on all donations I receive through the SFFS. If we are lucky enough to see any profit from this commercial release, that money will go directly to paying back some of the crew who donated their time and expertise, as well as to pay for the maintenance of the web store and project web sites.

What is Errors and Omissions insurance?

E&O Insurance is vital for a documentary release. It protects the filmmakers and distributors from legal action if something in the documentary was not properly licensed. I've made every effort to ensure all music, film clips, interviews, and so on are licensed, but there is always a chance that something was overlooked or a previously unknown rights holder comes forward. Considering the sheer amount of material we used to create I Always Said Yes, there is always a chance a mistake was made. Errors and Omissions insurance protects us and allows us to handle any legal issues that may arise.

What makes you think you can release this without a traditional distributor?

Because I've done it before. My production company, Gorilla Factory Productions, has successfully released three DVDs on our own (two separate Peter Berlin films and a double feature of Wakefield Poole films). We've also negotiated VOD deals and foreign DVD deals for my previous documentary That Man: Peter Berlin and for Peter Berlin's films. I know what needs to happen and how to get the word out. These days, for niche releases, an individual or small production company can do everything a traditional distributor does - only better.

Can't you just cut the clips that aren't currently licensed?

If it were that easy, I would consider it. Unfortunately, the clips that need additional commercial licensing are key parts of the documentary - particularly the footage of Wakefield Poole dancing with Gwen Verdon on TV and some of the amazing footage of the Castro in the mid-1970s. Deleting this footage would hurt the documentary immeasurably. Remember that the vast majority of clips HAVE been properly licensed. The clips that have not been licensed for commercial release were licensed for Festival Only and the remaining commercial rights were more than we could pay at the time. It's a common practice for documentary filmmakers who are working with limited budgets.

Why bother with DVD/Blu Ray? No one buys them anymore.