#NerdsUnite: Confessions of an Indie Filmmaker(Why Indie Artists Need to Bite the Bullet and Get a Twitter Page)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Meg. She's an indie filmmaker here in LA and is here to talk about her experiences and challenges in filmmaking. Dudes, Hollywood in a recession is nooooo fun! But here's what's working and isn't working for Meg. Hit it lady!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Meg Pinsonneault

Long gone are the days of indulging only in creativity. Specifically for an indie filmmaker like myself, you must be versed in all aspects of the process. And I’m beginning to realize that no skill is more important than social networking. There are so many contests, polls, and competitions based solely on a voting system. The bigger your social net, the better chance you have of prevailing. But you have to be engaging too. It’s about making friends and supporting each other. It’s about community and family. I hear a lot filmmakers complaining that social networking is too time consuming. But I think they’re looking at it all the wrong way. It may feel like you’re whoring yourself around, but there’s a lot more to it than just a cheap date. (Just remember, it never hurts to ask. You’ll be surprised how fast relationships can grow.) 

Twitter, Facebook, and the like are wonderful platforms for which to engage and interactive with your audience. We’ve all watched the resurgence of indie film fueled by cheap and accessible technology. But it’s also a direct cause from the rise of social networking. I believe that indie filmmakers are some of the most passionate people on Earth. Up until a few years ago, most of us didn’t have a chance in hell of telling our stories. Social networking platforms gave independent artists of all kind the ability to scream from the rooftops and the audience a chance to listen. Fine, I’ll admit it. Up until 9 months ago, I thought online relationships were a joke too. But I was very wrong. To all those naysayers out there, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s time to bite the bullet. Social networking isn't going away. If you’re an indie artist and you don’t have a Twitter page, you’re simply not competitive. 

Case and point: I’m currently working on a feature documentary, Gwapa (Beautiful), about a poor Filipino family’s struggle to help their 3 kids with facial deformities. It’s been a very exciting process and I can safely saw that most of this project’s success to date is due it’s heavy social presence online. Back in November, we ran a kickass crowd-funding campaign to fund the completion of this film. We didn’t reach our goal, but $12,411 our of our $16,500 goal ain’t bad! The real commodity we gained was massive support for our cause and a wide audience excited to see our film. Once the word got out, people from all over the world came to our aid andGwapa (Beautiful) spread like wildfire. It’s truly special to see so many wonderful people step to support this wonderful cause. But the good news doesn’t stop there. Because of tremendous support from our online family, we also won indieWIRE’s “Project of the Week” contest in early December. And best of all, we’ve had major interest in the film from sales agencies, all because of our social marketing for the project.

 

Fast forward to present day to where we’re now vying to win indieWIRE’s “Project of the Month” contest! (This is where the whoring comes in.) Ring the year in right by helping to bring awareness to Filipino kids with cleft deformities. Winning a consultation with Sundance Institute only solidifies the importance of this film. Be a part of the movement! Please consider voting forGwapa Beautiful for indieWIRE’s “Project of the Month” contest. The competition runs through a Facebook poll from January 2 - 6, ending at 10am EST. You must have a Facebook account to vote. Help save lives forever and help spread the word about this important issue! Click HERE to vote this film.

If you’re running a crowd-funding campaign right now, I suggest you consider submitting to these contest. Each week, indieWIRE readers can vote for their favorite in-the-works film project using a Facebook-based polling system. Each weekly winning project will also be voted on for the best project of the month; the winner with the most votes will score an in-depth consultation with a senior member of Sundance Institute’s program staff.The projects are selected by indieWIRE editors from filmmaker-submitted applications, documentaries or online video. Digital distribution is a rapidly changing industry. According to IndieWire blog, this is what filmmakers can expect to get out of the consultation: 

• Discussion of new platforms and devices, including iPad and other tablets, smart phones, and connected TV platforms -- and how they can become part of your distribution strategy
• How theatrical and digital releases can work together
• The promotional and financial value of theatrical distribution vs. digital distribution 
• How to get the most out of digital-distribution platforms.

 If you want to submit your film for consideration as “Project of the Day,” click here.

#nerdsunite

click here to follow meg on twitter!

#NerdsUnite: Confessions of an Indie Filmmaker

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Meg. She's an indie filmmaker here in LA and is here to talk about her experiences and challenges in filmmaking. Dudes, Hollywood in a recession is nooooo fun! But here's what's working and isn't working for Meg. Hit it lady!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Meg Pinsonneault

Have you heard about this crazy thing called “crowd-funding?” In case you haven't, allow me to elaborate. Crowd-funding is a way to get friends, family, and strangers alike to donate to the endeavor of your choice. I use this platform to fund my films, but there campaigns for all kinds of stuff out there, like small businesses, non-profits, and inventions. Crowd-funding is so many things. It’s wonderful, difficult, inspirational, time consuming, exciting, painful, and everything in between. It offers a way for a filmmaker to get their films made without having to pay investors back. This is a huge deal. The most widely used sites are Indiegogo and Kickstarter. With Kickstarter, they use a fixed funding system which means that you must hit your goal to get your money. On the other hand, Indiegogo uses flexible funding which allows you to keep the money earned, even if you don’t reach your goal. However, Indiegogo just recently added fixed funding to their platform, so now users have the option to use either. Indiegogo charges 4% of your earnings if you reach your goal and 9% if you don’t. I’m currently on my second crowd-funding to finish a feature documentary called Gwapa (Beautiful) about a poor Filipino family’s remarkable journey to help their three kids with cleft deformities. I prefer to use Indiegogo for one main reason, their platform is internationally based, meaning anyone anywhere can donate. Kickstarter is limited to the US only, meaning you must have an US based bank account in order to donate to a campaign. I think that’s very limiting, especially dealing with a cause related project like Gwapa (Beautiful) that’s based in the Philippines.

But let’s start from the beginning here. Last March, I jumped into my first crowd-funding campaign for a short period thriller called “Feast of the Foolish,” about a Depression Era outlaw who seeks answers about his future from a dark enchantress. I launched that project without knowing what I was getting myself into. It’s easy, right? Free money, right? Wrong. I’m here to warn you that crowd-funding is very time consuming and takes a lot of work. If you’re the kind of person that thinks social networking is silly and trite, then this platform isn’t for you. Crowd-funding relies almost entirely on your social network and how far it can reach. If you have a large network, then it’ll make your crowd-funding experience a lot easier. As you can guess, it’s also important that you use both Facebook and Twitter, as well as other services like Stumbleupon, Tumlr, and Vimeo. But aren’t Twitter and Facebook the same? Nope. The difference is great: Facebook is for people you know and Twitter is for people you don’t know who share common interests. Both of these networks are very crucial during an online campaign, like winning a nomination or crowd funding. I hear a lot of filmmakers complaining about how time consuming social networking can be. But I say that you’re looking at it in the wrong way. Social networking is just part of the indie filmmakers’ repertoire now. If you don’t have that skill, them you’ll surely drown! They didn’t teach me this in film school, but they taught me to be flexible and keep an open mind. I believe it’s a very exciting time for filmmakers right now, if you can adapt quickly enough.

Luckily, my “Feast of the Foolish” campaign was successful and we raised $7,550 to make an awesome film. I’ve since written and spoken publicly about my experiences crowd-funding. We’ve garnished lots of wonderful feedback on “Feast of the Foolish” and we haven’t even gone to festivals yet. I’m currently working on completing the feature adaptation of this short film. However, I really wish I had done my research before launching the crowd-funding campaign, so I knew what I was getting into. If you’re contemplating a fundraising campaign for your next project, do your homework first. It’s extremely competitive and dedication is key. Over 20% of all campaigns never get passed $0! If you get over 50% funding, then you have a 90% of reaching your goal. Of those who were successful, every filmmaker was highly accessible in the social networking world. First and foremost, make sure this route is for you. It’s incredibly time consuming and tedious. It’s an endless ocean of updating and promoting. Don’t attempt a massive campaign unless you have a slew of people willing to help you consistently spread the word through their social networks too. I’d also suggest doing a crowd-funding campaign sooner than later. I’ve noticed that some people seem burned out or tapped out from crowd funding. Especially since indie filmmakers are competing against small businesses, non-profits, and pretty much anyone who needs a buck, I predict that crowd funding may become even more competitive in the near future. 

All that being said, I truly love crowd-funding. It’s given me a very viable platform for which to fund my projects. My experience with “Feast of the Foolish” was very exciting and we found a lot of support in the indie film community, which is quite rare for short film. That alone was one of the main reasons we decided to crowd-fund the budget for Gwapa (Beautiful). Beyond that, it’s a documentary that’s dedicated to bringing awareness to the great issue of children born with cleft deformities in the Philippines. We’re hoping that the cause will create a viral buzz about the project. Ultimately, we hope this project will reach people who care about issues like this and  who want to help change lives for many generations of Filipino kids to come. If you’re interested in participating in this project, please visit www.indiegogo.com/gwapa-film.

#nerdsunite

click here to follow meg on twitter!