CROWDFUNDING FOR FILM HANDBOOK

2Inside this handbook3 INTRODUCTION

4 Meet Indiegogo

6 CROWDFUNDING7 What is crowdfunding?

8 Why Indiegogo?

9 HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR CAMPAIGN10 Preparing your campaign

12 Creating your campaign

21 Launching your campaign and keeping momentum

25 Wrapping it up

26 DOS AND DONTS

28 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

3INTRODUCTION

4Meet Indiegogo

In January 2008, Slava Rubin, Danae

Ringelmann and Eric Schell traveled to the

Sundance Film Festival. Frustrated by their

own inability to raise capital through traditional

means, their arrival at the noted independent

festival heralded a new, democratic era of film

finance. There, while camped out at the Red

Banjo on Main Street, the trio of entrepreneurs

launched the very first crowdfunding platform

Indiegogo.

Six years later, Indiegogo remains a truly open

and global platform, enabling projects to run and

raise funds in over 200 countries and territories

around the world. During that time, Indiegogos

platform has helped thousands of films earn

funding. Were available in four languages

(English, French, German and Spanish) and

capable of funding in five currencies (US

dollars, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars,

euros and pound sterling), making Indiegogo

more accessible than any other platform of its

5kind. We also retain offices in New York and

Los Angeles, in addition to our San Francisco

headquarters.

Through the power of our film community,

filmmakers have premiered projects at

Sundance, TIFF, SXSW, Cannes, Tribeca, Hot

Docs, LA Film Fest and dozens more festivals

around the world. Weve seen campaigners win

an Oscar and Best Documentary at Sundance,

named a Director to Watch by Variety, and

receive Audience Awards at SXSW several times

over. Even more were picked up for distribution

by Magnolia, IFC, HBO, CNN, Tribeca Film and

Lionsgate the latter providing the largest

release for a crowdfunded film, Dear White

People.

This is Indiegogo. Now lets get started.

6CROWDFUNDING

7What is crowdfunding?Crowdfunding is the process of raising money

online through contributions made by many

different people who share the same passion

for your project. Crowdfunding may also often

involve a perk in exchange for contributing.

THE BENEFITS OF RAISING FUNDS THIS WAY INCLUDE:

Increased access to social networks

Repeated engagement with fans amplifies awareness

Feedback from early customers and followers

Access to insightful data

Retention of creative control

8Why Indiegogo? Keep what you raise with Flexible Funding.

Low fees (just 4% when you hit your goal).

Breadth of payment options (PayPal; credit cards).

Receive PayPal contributions right away.

Accessibility (224 countries and territories; 5 currencies; 4 languages).

A Trust & Safety team.

More than 9 million unique monthly visitors.

Comprehensive educational materials and an exceptional Customer Happiness Team.

9HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR CAMPAIGN

10

Preparing Your CampaignThe best way to start is to see what other

successful film campaigns have done. For

inspiration, you can browse current film projects

here.

Have a blog of your own? Write your thoughts

on the latest camera technology, or post a

compelling list of movies that inspired you on

your own filmmaking path. Anything that could

potentially open doors will help once youre

ready to launch on Indiegogo.

Tap into various film communities, especially

on Twitter. Two of the most supportive groups

for crowdfunding are #supportindiefilm and

our very own #gogofilm. You can also find really

awesome filmmakers to follow and tweet with by

searching for #indiefilm, #filmmaking, and other

relevant hashtags.

Be positive and personable with your online

persona. Remember, youre building social

bridges that will lead those filmmakers and

enthusiasts to fund your next project.

Gathering a following takes time. As they say,

Rome wasnt built in a day and theyre right.

Set aside a few months. It will pay off in the long

run. We promise!

11

Putting Together Your Team

The Team of We Love Paleo, a feature documentary exploring why the Paleo diet is believed the best for optimal human health.

As with putting together the right film crew,

having a proper campaign team is key.

Interestingly, teams of two or more people

typically generate 94% more funding than

projects run by a single campaigner. Find

people who can help you with specific aspects

of the campaign for example, a friend who

specializes in social media or graphic design.

Its also important to make sure your Indiegogo

profiles are up-to-date and complete with

photos, bios, Facebook and email verification,

and contact info. The more transparent you are,

the more the crowd will trust you to use their

money wisely.

For even more before the campaign advice,

check out the Indiegogo Playbook.

12

Creating Your CampaignOnce you establish your community and team,

its time to take the next step and create a

campaign. While it may seem daunting, fear not!

The process is simple.

AN INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN HAS THREE MAIN COMPONENTS:

1. The Pitch Video

2. The Pitch Text

3. The Perks

Lets start with the video.

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Creating Your Pitch VideoThe pitch video is the single most important

element of your film campaign. Its essentially

the elevator pitch youd give to Harvey Weinstein

while traveling from the lobby to the penthouse.

Youve got that much time to get across who

you are, what your film idea is, and why people

should care about your project enough to help

you fund it.

The truth is that not many people will give

money if you only post a set photograph or a

film trailer. A trailer is a sales tool, not a pitch

tool. Its designed to make people want to see

your film, not fund it. In other words, Do Not Use

A Film Trailer or Scene as your video.

People give to other people, not necessarily to

projects. Many filmmakers make the mistake of

not appearing in their pitch videos. Be. In. Your.

Pitch. Video. Say a few words to your potential

funders, be as personable as possible, and

chances are youll be rewarded.

Looking for statistics? Campaigns with a pitch

video raise an average of 114% more than

campaigns that dont. In other words, have a

pitch video. And dont make it too long! Its a

pitch, not a dissertation. Keep your video fun,

loose, informative, and from 2 to 3 minutes in

length.

WHAT A COMPELLING PITCH VIDEO SHOULD INCLUDE:

1. Introduction

Tell us about yourself.

2. Pitch

Tell us about your film project, and include the

following:

Logline Whats your story in one

sentence? Be succinct here, and feel free to

add details later.

Purpose Whats the point of the

campaign? Is it for production? Post-

production? Theatrical distribution?

Perks Whats something unique youre

offering in return? Entice your funders.

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3. Showcase

Show us what you can do as a filmmaker. Maybe

share a few clips of your past work, or some

footage from the project at hand.

4. Call to Action

Dont leave your crowd hanging. You need to tell

them what to do next and thats to contribute.

15

Writing Your Pitch Text

Wong Fu Productions First Feature Film, a campaign financing the first movie based on the filmmakers popular YouTube channel, shows its plans to use funding.

The pitch textthe area of text below your pitch

videois where youll fill in additional details

about the project, such as a breakdown of the

budget, a synopsis, and cast/crew bios.

Keep it concise and clear and answer a few

simple questions: Who are you? What are you

raising these funds for? How else can people

support your project? Yes, we know you covered

much of this in the pitch video, but sometimes

the best bears repeating. Now is also the time

for details. Before, you were pitching to Harvey

Weinstein in an elevator. Now hes reading the

script. Ok not really. Hes reading coverage on

your script. Either way, he needs to know more.

As crowdfunding has gained in popularity, more

campaigns are creating dynamic campaign

experiences to make the pitch text more

visually pleasing. Custom headers, infographics,

and additional embedded video content tell a

more complete and exciting campaign narrative.

Whether you go the visual or verbal route, strive

to make your pitch text as personal as possible.

Tell a compelling story of why youre passionate

about your film project, and present it in a way

that makes others want to be a part of the story,

too.

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Building Your Perks

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

1. Standard Definition (SD)

The Mandatories

Social Media Shout Out

($5 - $10 to start)

Digital Download of the Film

($10 - $20)

DVD/Blu-ray of the Film

($25 - $50)

2. Hi-Definition (HD)

The Unique Experience

Livestream a Film Festival Premier

(Life Itself, $25)

Skype/Google Hangout with the

Director/Cast

($100+)

Associate/Executive Producer Credit

($1,000 - $5,000+)

As with televisions varied picture quality,

perks the rewards offered in exchange for a

contributors support also vary in quality.

3. Three-Dimensional (3-D)

The Personal Touch

A One-off Ukulele Song for the Funder

(Around Here, $20)

Postcards written from Paris

(The Last Beat, $100)

Call Action on Set!

($500+)

Perks, small and large, are a great incentive for funders to support your project with a set contribution.

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SettingYour GoalFirst, make sure you understand the main

difference between Indiegogos two fundraising

models you wont be able to switch once your

campaign goes live:

Flexible You keep your contributions whether or not you hit your goal.

Fixed You only keep your contributions if you hit your goal.

Now, just because your film will cost $50,000 to

shoot doesnt mean that $50,000 should be the

amount you set as your goal.

ASK YOURSELF THESE THREE QUESTIONS FIRST:

1. How big is your email and social media in-

fluence? If you have a wide following, all the

better.

2. Do you know how youll collect the first 30%

of your funds? Ideally, this portion should

come from your friends, family, and inner

circle.

3. If so, can you get that 30% within two to

three days of launch? Youll need momen-

tum early on. Strangers, on average, do not

contribute to your campaign until they see

its reached the 30% mark. In the same way

no one enters an empty restaurant, no one

contributes to an empty campaign.

Based on your answers, you should set your goal

to a number youre confident you can hit. For

instance, if you know you can get $15,000 from

your immediate family, friends, and supporters,

and youre relatively certain you can convince

them to contribute within the first couple of

days, setting a $50,000 goal should be all right.

If theres any doubt, though, then lower that

amount to a number youre sure you can get

30% of from the people you know.

A key thing to remember is that you can

always overfund, and many do! In fact, 89%

of campaigns on Indiegogo do just that, and

by an average of 30%. The philosophy is

simple: Shoot low, aim high set a goal at an

achievable amount, look to hit that number in

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half the time, and then aim high and surpass it

by the time the campaign closes.

But before all of this, be sure to research the

expenses associated with making and/or

finishing your film. Also, take into account any

physical perks youre offering, their costs (plus

domestic and international shipping), and any

fees associated with Indiegogo and payment

processing. Add it all into the amount youre

setting as your goal.

For larger film projects, you might want to

consider funding in stages and running multiple

campaigns, each with a modest goal. Or, you can

fund various separate aspects of the film, the

way the Austin filmmakers did for Zero Charisma

and Yakona. Each won Audience Awards at

SXSW in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

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Building a HostCommitteeA host committee is a group of people you are

certain will contribute to your Indiegogo film

campaign. Most likely, this group will primarily

include your closest friends, family members,

and any supporters of your prior work.

About a week in advance, reach out to these

individuals. Let them know youre launching an

Indiegogo campaign to help fund your next film,

and you want them to be among the first to join

the team.

Notice, there was no mention of making a

contribution. Thats for the launch date. By

having these people on board, they will be an

extension of your team and could prove your

strongest advocates as share your campaign

with others.

20

Setting the Duration ofYour CampaignLonger campaigns dont necessarily mean youll

raise more money. The longer the campaign, the

harder it is to sustain the needed momentum.

Statistically speaking, campaigns that run

between thirty and forty days raise the most

money.

Be sure to leave about three weeks between

the end of your film campaign and the date

you need your funds by, since processing and

disbursement can take up to that long.

For even more campaign creation advice, check

out the Indiegogo Playbook.

21

Launching Your Campaign And Keeping MomentumLaunching a campaign is just the beginning. The

next step is maintaining your campaign, and to

do that you need to keep momentum going for

the duration of its lifecycle.

The First ActAct one of any film is always the same its the

set up. We are introduced to the main character

with whom well spend the next two hours of

our lives, and we get a sense of the dramatic

question. That question is: will you get the

funding for your film? Heres how you answer

yes.

SOFT LAUNCH VS. HARD LAUNCH

A soft launch is when you launch your

Indiegogo film campaign by quietly reaching

out to your inner circle and securing their

contributions within the first 48 hours. This

is done so that when you announce a hard

launch (telling EVERYONE you know, article

and blog placement, etc.) people will see your

campaigns existing momentum and be quick to

contribute.

The Second ActAct Two of an Indiegogo film campaign is when

the real hustle and flow begins. Gone are the

opening night jitters. Here you execute your

planned strategy.

First, activate your outer network. All the Twitter

followers whose lives your tweets have enriched;

every Facebook friend you regularly interact

with; that email list of contacts youve compiled

over the years. Get to them and get to them

BIG!

Start with email outreach. Instead of sending

out a single email blast to your contacts,

compose a more personal and direct message

(or use a mail merge). It should explain the

project succinctly and not necessarily solicit a

contribution, but rather elicit a reaction in your

reader to want to be a part of your team and

make this film with you.

Always include the link to your campaign at the

end, but focus on the invitation, not the ask. You

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will quickly see the impact.

Keep being social. How do you do this?

HERE ARE A FEW QUICK TIPS FOR A MORE SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE:

Find a balance between sharing your campaign and other informative content.

Tweet and post photos and videos as some of your promotional material.

Always include your Indiegogo link.

Dont go nuts with hashtags Nothing spells #newb like #hashtageverything.

And again, do not spam people. Screaming the word help in your posts is desperation.

No one supports desperation.

Try to land traditional press and PR. Youll want

to draft a press release and compile a list of

bloggers and influencers in the film space who

have an audience that might be interested in

your story and your film campaign. You can also

reach out to newspapers, TV and radio. Please

note: press only gets you more attention, and

should not be relied on to convert page views to

contributions. Thats your job.

PRESS WILL WANT TO SEE TWO THINGS:

1. Theres a certain amount of money already

raised (momentum).

2. Theres a story to tell besides filmmaker

launches a campaign.

This is why its important to seek out press and

PR at the proper time in a campaigns lifespan,

usually once the 30% mark is hit.

Try to bring your campaign offline. Think of

ways to spread the word in the real world. You

could attend meetups or other events armed

with a pocketful of campaign cards to hand out,

each complete with your campaigns short URL.

Always start a conversation first, then share

your campaigns information.

Another way to further engage your crowd is

a referral contest, where each of your funders

shares your campaign to their networks either

through tweets, a short link, or the Indiegogo

Share tool. Whoever brings in the most people

or, better yet, the most funding, is awarded a

perk.

23

TWO REMINDERS FOR A REFERRAL CONTEST:

1. The referrer must be logged into their Indi-

egogo account.

2. They need to use the campaigns short link

or the Share tools below your pitch video.

The Third ActA films third act is when we start to question

whether or not our hero will overcome.

The same holds true with an Indiegogo film

campaign. People are watching. To convert

those who havent contributed, try creating a

sense of urgency. This should occur when you

have one week or less left in the campaign. If you

push urgency with over a week remaining, you

may be crying wolf.

Its also in your best interest to add new perks.

Twenty percent of repeat contributions are for

perks that were added after the campaign went

live. You can also remove old perks that havent

sold to help keep the campaign looking fresh.

Dont forget to use the update feature on your

campaign. On average you should update

every THREE days. Otherwise, you risk people

forgetting about your project. Feed the beast!

Updates get posted to your campaign and

are emailed to everyone who has already

contributed or is currently following your

campaign. Post about campaign progress,

new videos anything your audience might

be interested in. Be sure to call out any major

funding milestone: $25K, $50K . . . $100K!

Always think outside the box. Running a

routine campaign is boring. Dont be boring!

Try a stunt in the closing days or hours of your

campaign, such as dance-a-thons, live streams,

or event parties. Often, spending a little extra

for an event will deliver many times over. The

Young Turks raised nearly 100K in their 24-hour

stream-a-thon. Maybe you can, too!

What do you do when you hit your goal? If youve

played your cards right, youll hit your goal

quickly. When you do, its good to have stretch

goals ready. These are additional goals detailing

what you can do with more funding, which will

entice your crowd to continue contributing.

Be modest, though. Hitting $50,000 and

then stating you want to go for $200,000 to

complete the film doesnt work. Instead, after

you hit $50,000, set your first stretch goal at

an easily reachable number like $60,000. Then

24

set the next one at $75,000, and with your third

one, go long and go for $100,0000. Of course,

this all depends on how many days you have left

in your campaign.

For even more advice on running a campaign,

check out the Indiegogo Playbook.

25

ROLL CREDITS

This is the end. Your campaign has ideally

reached its goal. If not, regardless of your

funding model, you should update your crowd

and thank them again. Remember, people get

excited about perks. If you believe there will

be delays in fulfillment, let them know. People

are surprisingly patient as long as they know

theyre going to have to wait and that youre

making progress. Its of paramount importance

to continue nurturing the relationships youve

established with your contributors and followers

through email and social media, as theyre

now your community. Indiegogo is all about

community.

Wrapping it up

26

DOS AND DONTS

27

Do have a $25 perk.

Its the most claimed perk level.

Do your research.

Search the site. Find films similar to yours, and

look at their results. Figure out what they did

right, and what they did wrong. Keep in mind

that well-funded campaigns take many funders,

not just a high amount of funds raised. $50,000

raised from only 4 funders is not a well-run

campaign.

Do host online events.

Reddit AMAs, Tweetchats, Google Hangouts on

Air, or even a YouTube live stream hosted by the

Indiegogo video player.

Do seek out potential large, sponsor-

driven contributors.

Think of a brand or business that might go in for

that 10K+ executive producer perk just to have

their name mentioned.

Do keep updating your campaign page.

It exists in perpetuity and will allow you to

continue updating your contributors all the way

to the films release.

Dont overuse the words help and money.

Remember, no panhandling! You dont want to

come across as desperate.

Dont spam via email, social media, or

updates.

The more you nag, the less you bag.

Dont forget to encourage your crowd to

share, tweet, post, and email.

Dont send passive messages.

Each tweet or Facebook post should either

inform or be a direct call to action. Ambiguity

breeds nothing worthwhile.

Dont be a stranger.

Stay in touch with Indiegogo. Were here to

support you through the full lifecycle of your

project. We also want to hear your success

stories!

Do Dont

28

ADDITIONALRESOURCES

29

AdditionalResourcesPartnersINDIEGOGO HAS MANY GREAT FILM PARTNERS:

IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project)

IDA (International Documentary Association)

Austin Film Society / Twitch Film

Columbia University

Indiereign

Partnering with one of these groups BEFORE

YOU LAUNCH YOUR CAMPAIGN gets you

a source of added promotion and support,

thanks to their branded pages on Indiegogo.

You can either be a current member of these

organizations, or an alumnus. If the organization

is a 501c3, you will receive a 25% discount on

your fees. If its a standard partner, you will

receive a 10% discount on fees.

Keep VHX and Slated in mind.

VHX is a self-distribution site that offers free

digital download fulfillment, among many other

services. In other words, if you have a digital

download perk for $25, someone would be able

to download it using VHX on your own website.

Slated is a partner that introduces filmmakers to

angel equity investors. The majority of feature

filmmakers on Indiegogo should only seek 10-

25% of their overall budget through a campaign.

Successfully raising these lower amounts on

Indiegogo while gaining creative validation is

what will afford you the opportunity to raise the

rest of your budget via traditional equity.

30

Crowdfunding News Resources A growing variety of film and digital news sites

have created their own crowdfunding columns.

When reaching out to these sites, keep in mind

that youre not the only one. Be direct and

personable, and make the sites editor realize

your project is special.

Twitch Film

Indiewire (see their Project of the Day/Week/Month/Year)

Tubefilter

Bloody Disgusting

io9

Pitch Video Examples The Body

Coatwolf

Dr. Professors Thesis of Evil

Indiegogo Resources Indiegogo.com

Playbook

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Start your campaign

Browse film campaigns

START YOUR CAMPAIGN TODAY. INDIEGOGO.COM