‘Urn’ is a short film being made by a team of film makers who met at the Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass last year, headed up by actress, and now producer, Francesca De Luca… Their IndieGoGo campaign ends in the next few days and I asked her to share what she has learned on her crowdfudning journey…

Here are a few of her points which she sent me in between pushing her movie…

1. Research before you jump in! Indiegogo have a wealth of information on their website. Ask people who have done it before for their advice. Learn from others successes and most importantly their mistakes. I also asked Graham Inman to help us with the campaign as I knew he had the experience of working on a few and knew how it worked. Graham has proved an invaluable asset. (Podcast about IndieGoGo here)

2. Don’t be shy! Get out there, network and chat to fellow filmmakers online with twitter and Facebook as well as at real world film events.You never know how you can help each other. I met fellow production crew Graham, Craig, Jack and Vanessa all at the Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass.

3. Plan ahead as much as you can. Get as much of your campaign pre production out of the way BEFORE you get going! It is inevitable that problems will arise or that you will underestimate the importance of something. Prep means you will have confronted many problems before they become a crisis. Don’t moan or play the blame game!

4. Look after yourself! When your mind is racing and you are focused, it’s amazing how you can forget to drink or eat well! And remember to exercise, go for a walk to clear your head and get some fresh air. A change of scenery, a walk in your local park, can help. Don’t become chained to your computer.

5. Value your backers!  They are the people who are helping you achieve your dream.  They are part of it, in essence they are your executive producer. Keep your promises. If you say you are going to do something ,do it. And stay in touch.

6. Your Indiegogo video is of upmost importance!  This is the first impression someone will get of you and your film. Make it professional in quality with good sound, no camera phone footage (although I have to say that is good for updates). If you are presenting it, give of yourself, speak from the heart, be authentic and enjoy yourself!  Make simple points and don’t over explain.

7. Organise your Paypal account in advance! Our Paypal took a couple of days to sort out before it was ready and the campaign had already started.

Have fun and remember why you are doing it. In trying times this is what will pull you through!

Francesca De Luca

Our Indiegogo Page: http://www.indiegogo.com/Urn-The-Movie
Our Twitter: @urn_the_movie
Francesca’s Twitter:@francesca_film
Twitter stream: #URNMovie
Website: urnthemovie.com

PS – Remember tickets for the Guerilla Film Makers Masterclass are still on sale for Feb 18th / 19th – get £50 off with discount code CHRISJONES – get your pass here… http://www.guerillamasterclass.com

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspiritgroup.com 
www.ProductionOffice.org
e: mail@livingspirit.com