In an IDA interview with filmmaker Linda Goldstein Knowlton, she discusses the making of her most recent film, Somewhere Between. Like many filmmakers over the past few years, Goldstein Knowlton used a Kickstarter campaign as part of her fundraising strategy. She shares her experience with us -- not to mention giving the Fiscal Sponsorship Program a shout out! Here is an excerpt from the interview:
IDA: What was your experience like using Kickstarter to help finance your film?
Linda Goldstein Knowlton: First, a huge shout-out for the IDA's Fiscal Sponsorship Program, without which I would not be talking to you right now; having that fiscal sponsorship made the film possible, so I'm truly, truly grateful for the sponsorship program through the IDA. We used Kickstarter to raise money for theatrical distribution, which starts August 24 in New York and September 14 in Los Angeles. Kickstarter was also a godsend, with the sense of community that I felt of people spreading the word and commenting and strangers commenting to strangers and saying thank you. We had an angel come in before the 11th hour who helped us reach our goal. I was asleep when that happened, so I woke up to all of these e-mails and alerts from Kickstarter because all of these people on the East Coast had seen that this angel had brought us over the top. All of these strangers e-mailed messages of thank you to this person and that was awesome, just such a great feeling. It made the process fantastic.
As she points out, using a targeted Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds that support a specific stage of your film can be advantageous. You might run a campaign for the production phase, and/or a separate campaign for distribution like Linda did. Although this isn't the best strategy for everyone, it's worth giving some thought, as it may make things seem more achievable -- for you, and your donors.
Read the whole interview and find out more about Somewhere Between.