The second the Internet came online is the second everything
about the entertainment industry changed. People were able to share information
about all types of projects in various stages of development. You could
download the script to your favorite movie and not have to wait to go to the
movies to see trailers. Then in 2005 a little site entitled YouTube changed the
game again. Now a days people from all over the world are creating new and
entertaining content every second of the day and uploading so millions of
people can enjoy it.
However, sometimes creating that content isn’t cheep and
people need to find new and interesting ways to fund their projects. This is
where Kickstarter and Indiegogo come in. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are
crowd funding sites that allow anyone and everyone the opportunity to donate
money towards a project they like. Anything from a $1 to $5,000 can be given to
a project to help it meet its goal.
The reason these crowd funding sites are changing the game
is because they are doing what YouTube did and that is changing the Hollywood
system. Typically if you wanted to fund your project you would have to either
beg for money from a studio or max out your credit cards just to finance your
idea.
Of course, most people aren’t just going to donate. Both
sites allow you give rewards for specific donation levels such as thank you or
producer credits, props or stills from the project to even walk-on roles. Think
of it as a way of giving back and saying THANK YOU for helping my project out.
The one thing I love about these sites is that they give
people the chance to create something that they normally wouldn’t have been
able to on their own. By helping them pay for extra props, a real editor or
special effects these projects can become something more than just another
D-rated movie or short. Plus, if you really enjoy the idea it could also catch
the eye of someone in the Hollywood system and give that creator a chance to
continuously entertain you.
I asked my friend Traycee King why she chose Indiegogo to
help fund the second season of her webseries 8.13.
Indiegogo is a great way to get the community involved and to make them feel like they helped make a film. I also chose it because whether or not I make my goal; I want to finish as much as I can! With Indiegogo, I can keep the funds whether I make my goal or not.
As you can see some people in the system want to give back
and get people involved with their projects. Yes, it’s nice to reward fans with
cool features on DVDs and Blu-Rays, but lets face it those are old news. With
these crowd funding sites you can get people more involved and give them a
sense of being part of the project.
I will honestly think about using Kickstarter or Indiegogo
to finance one of my future projects.
