How do you fund your equipment and productions?

[ChrisG]

I should have also said: I made The Lost Sock, a full length feature (1hr 27 min) for a total of less than £500, including data storage, tapes, props and heaven knows what . . . We probably could have done with far better and more expensive sound kit, and alot better lighting rig, but went ahead anyway. It's had a theatrical showing to an audience of 400 (via vid projector in local theatre, and we've sold over 120 DVDs locally. It still gets lots of website showings in episode form, too. A satellite channel would like to show it, but we're now holding out for someone who might give us some money for the priviledge!

So money, who needs money . . . ? What you need is commitment!

[Mark W]

Chris, repsect in bucket loads to you for doing the lost sock and more. I am always shooting my mouth off about making this film or that film and rarely do I ever follow through, let alone an a huge project like the sock.

I really hope to get it together one day like you have so fantastically done... (and he didnt pay me to say this).

When i started all this video thingy I honestly thought that being good was enough, well being good is very important and it has taken me an immense amoi=unt of work over 3-4 years to get to the point where I think I am barely good enough to considor making meaningfull films and dare to tout myself as a 'filmmaker', but it isnt enough I realise now....

Now the real work starts...

Norman Mailer is quoted as saying "Making a film is a cross between a circus, a military campaign, a nightmare, an orgy and a high "

That sums it up for me, it's mad, just mad, trying to concieve of what it takes to make anything more than a ten minute you tube piece of silly fun, there is no easy way and anyone who wants to makes film needs commitment and probably to be committed too !

I hope to get there in the end but everytime I get further around the next corner the goal just looks even further away....

[komatoast]

what is all this? there was no mention of me wanting anyone to hand me a cheque or just give me money at all -

all i really wanted to know is if anyone had any simple ideas on how to do a little bit of fund raising............. something along the lines of an event or a sale of some sort.

between guru and chrisG this has just turned in to a crazy slanging match about how to run a business which was not my problem in the 1st place!

i know full well the need of extensive planning and i am not saying that you are all wrong but the subject has gone way off course and become 100x times bigger than was needed.

well done for creating a feature length film on £500 thats really clever..... we covered a Battle of the bands event over 6 weeks and produced a DVD of the final on about £100 - but i am failing to see what this has to do with my origional question!



the problem i am having here is that i am trying to defend myself from this onslaught of 'follow my advice or FAIL!' and 'look at this tit - he has no clue what he is doing' or 'ha what a cock he wants prople to give him money for nothing' ----- when this is not the case and has never been so.

the kind of thing i was looking to get back in a reply was - 'yeah we held a small event and it was really good, brought a few people in, got our name know to a different audience and we made a little profit too' i wasn't after business studies.


it been interesting to see how you have all reacted to this thread - there has been lots of passion and lots of misunderstanding.



but once again well done chrisG - only £500 on a feature length film. i bet people said it could never be done...... but you proved them wrong...... bang wrong!

[ChrisG]

Don't worry about it, komatoast! I have to tell you, then, in that case, for the second time recently we've had a misunderstanding . . .

But you need to think about what you want to achieve. If you're looking to raise money to purchase equipment, which you individually or your business will then own, you must be very cautious about the status of your enterprise. The action of "fund-raising" implies that you are gathering money for a charitable cause (ie a charity will own the final outcome), and if this isn't the case you could be misrepresenting what you're fundraising for.

I think that maybe our misunderstandings stem from the fact that you're not very clear in the way you express things . . . but I'll avoid that problem in the future!

[komatoast]

Originally Posted by ChrisG

Don't worry about it, komatoast! I have to tell you, then, in that case, for the second time recently we've had a misunderstanding . . .

But you need to think about what you want to achieve. If you're looking to raise money to purchase equipment, which you individually or your business will then own, you must be very cautious about the status of your enterprise. The action of "fund-raising" implies that you are gathering money for a charitable cause (ie a charity will own the final outcome), and if this isn't the case you could be misrepresenting what you're fundraising for.

I think that maybe our misunderstandings stem from the fact that you're not very clear in the way you express things . . . but I'll avoid that problem in the future!

right this makes sence... yes i suppose a fund raiser would surgest that the money would be going to a charitable cause.

cheers