To Crowdfund or Not to Crowdfund...

Mouse is a new British SciFi short film about a man who finds himself trapped in a giant human experiment where he is only one of a thousand clones of himself.

It is innovative and mysterious but, beyond this, tells an even more intriguing tale of the future.

The future of film financing.

This is the first time I have ever embarked on a crowdfunding campaign and it's already very hard work. Crowdfunding is the principle of gaining a little bit of funding from a lot of people and is born out of the lack of normal funding for Arts projects. Film funding does exist, but there is not a lot to go around (Creative England have tabled no short film funding for 2011/12) and crowdfunding is about being proactive and accessing funds held in your own social networks. It has opened up the possibility for anybody to f*ck the system and take matters into their own hands.
 

 
But is it sustainable? Could I crowdfund a project next year after doing this one? I'd feel uncomfortable about it, unless I had built up new networks, which people do. But when run well it can help put the decision on 'what's worth watching' back in an audiences hands. And it can mean something VERY important, anybody that dislikes the same old recycled rubbish in the cinema can take a proactive step to FUND a new cinematic voice. 

Let's say this is a transitionary step in the funding model. 

Old models had a hierachy which put funding bodies at the top of both the money tree and the 'taste' tree. A few people decided what we all wanted based on personal taste and previous box office success. Is it culturally right? Will it support the community and will it make a solid investment? 

New models do not mean good films are no longer good, they just mean that smaller more niché productions can get funds directly from their audience which they may never have had the opportunity to find before. And those without pedigree can find a trapdoor in to the industry that may not have existed before.

But, as with reality TV shows, this gives an unrealistic view of who can make it. Grabbing a camcorder from Comet and asking your friends for money is an opportunity which now seems available to many, but does not replace the need for a gripping story.

Those that really want it and have tenacity and a vision will find SOME way to get their work seen. And then, over time, they'll learn, they'll hone their craft. That's always been true. Whether it be crowdfunding or some other way, it is less the medium and more the 'need' in the filmmaker. 

For me?  It is about getting back to a love. I found myself with a lot of reasons not to do it and finally reached a point where I realised none of these reasons compared to the one reason I had for wanting to do something. Because I desperately want to affect culture with story.