"Lost in Bloom" - Senior Film Project

[plorr]

So my friends and I have been working the script and pre production for our senior thesis film for the past 4 months, and we're going into production this summer. Its going to be a short feature film (45ish minutes). Its about a guy named Ethan who lives an isolated life due to a severe social anxiety disorder that causes him to have frequent panic attacks. But when he is given the opportunity to undergo an experimental procedure that can cure the disorder, his life turns around and he is able to function in society, form friendships, and fall in love. The treatment might not last forever though...

I'm posting this here because we need help funding the project. We launched a Kickstarter campaign a few days ago. We've already reached about 20% of our goal, but we still have over $6000 to go.

I co-wrote the script and I'm going to be Director of Photography on the project. I'm super excited about making this film and it's going to be the focus of most of my time and energy for the next year. So if you can afford to donate $5, or even take a second to share it on Facebook, I'd really appreciate it.

Our FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/LostInBloom

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/491149561/lost-in-bloom

**This thread was edited on May 5th 2014 at 12:50:45pm

 

[KellyK]

Let me start by saying good for you for chasing your dream and good luck to you.

Now. Kickstarter pisses me off. Why do you think that random people should hand you money so that you and your college buddies can chase your artistic vision? Is that what they teach you in film school? Set an expensive budget ($8k on the dot? please.), then smile and tell strangers you need their money or your vision will never be complete? Equipment rentals are expensive. Fine. But to say that $5 will "pay for a meal for a cast/crew member," or that $10 will "pay for parking.." is garbage. What makes you think that people should give you money for that shit? Learn to do this the hard way and then you'll be going somewhere. Don't just play the "starving artist" looking for a handout.

And your plot sounds like Flowers for Algernon.

/rant

 

[plorr]

Let me start by saying good for you for chasing your dream and good luck to you.

Now. Kickstarter pisses me off. Why do you think that random people should hand you money so that you and your college buddies can chase your artistic vision? Is that what they teach you in film school? Set an expensive budget ($8k on the dot? please.), then smile and tell strangers you need their money or your vision will never be complete? Equipment rentals are expensive. Fine. But to say that $5 will "pay for a meal for a cast/crew member," or that $10 will "pay for parking.." is garbage. What makes you think that people should give you money for that shit? Learn to do this the hard way and then you'll be going somewhere. Don't just play the "starving artist" looking for a handout.

And your plot sounds like Flowers for Algernon.

/rant

$8000 is not an expensive budget. It actually wouldn't be considered a budget at all in professional terms. And we are matching that with contributions out of our pockets. We're not spending all of the money on equipment rentals. We want to pay our actors SOMETHING for their time(still WAY below actual wages for union actors), some locations require us to have insurance and/or charge fees, we need to pay for studio time for ADR sessions, studio time for auditions, food/lodging for our actors, build props, buy costumes, probably hire a composer, etc. Making a film is much more expensive than you would imagine.

And yes, that is in many ways how the film industry works, except on a much larger scale. Filmmakers plan a film and smile as they pitch it to a Producer who may or may not give them hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to make it.

But we're college students and this is a student film. We don't have a Producer nor do we have enough money lying around to fund the film by ourselves. We're not asking for handouts, we're asking people who are interested in the film getting made right to financially back the project. And we are offering them physical rewards in exchange for their financial assistance.

Admittedly, the vast majority of our contributions will come from friends and family who want to see us succeed. If strangers contribute as well, that's great. But I wouldn't even consider M&A a group of strangers. I look at what everyone else in this forum is doing and I want them to succeed. The whole point of this forum is for people to show off what they're working on in the Film/Photo/Art world, and to help each other out via feedback and criticism or other info about gear, etc. Most people on here are making ski edits or photos though, which doesn't require a lot of the financial backing that a narrative production does. If even one person on here donates $5, I'll be stoked. But mostly I just wanted to share the project on here because I've learned a lot from this forum and its a big reason I ended up at film school in the first place.

If you don't want to give any of your money to us then don't. But don't patronize us for using crowdfunding.

 

[KellyK]

First, don't act like you posted this here looking for constructive criticism. Read through your OP. It's nothing but a pitch and you asking for money. I agree, this forum is a great place to learn and to share your ideas and projects, and that's exactly why I get irked by someone looking for a handout.

Call me an idealist, call me naive, call me an asshole.. The way I was raised and the way I've gotten to where I am today was if you can't afford to do something, find another way to do it. That is why I disagree with you asking for charity. If your friends and family want to help you out financially because they see your potential, then that's great. Appreciate that. Not everyone gets that. But passing the collection plate around the internet is the cheap, easy way out.

Yes you are college students and this is a student film so you shouldn't have the budget to do it yourselves. Does that mean you shouldn't be able to do it? No. It means you should either reevaluate your budget or find another way of funding it. I have no respect for asking for generous contributions and offering VERY little in return.