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Directing, Visual Storytelling

How to Make a Film Look Book & 7 Big Reasons You Need One

By on

April 21, 2018

- Directing, Visual Storytelling

Creating a director’s look book for your film is a very important step.

It will help your team be more effective and improve your storytelling.

Part of knowing what you want is taking the time to deeply explore all facets of your film. Creating a look book will help you with that, in addition to being a crucial reference.

As the decision-maker of the film, you must take the time to know what you want. By being ready to make definitive decisions, your set will run smoother, your team will execute your vision more seamlessly, and you will finish the project with a result closer to what you originally envisioned.

How a look book helps you in pre-production

I’ll start by covering how the visual reference helps you as you are planning for your shoot, as a director.

Firstly, when you break down your film into categories, you will have to consider each of them. If one of your folders is empty, it makes you think, ‘why haven’t I considered any of this? Do I not care about these elements? How do they matter and how might I use them?’.


With new awareness of what you’re missing, you can now begin filling that creative gap and be more intentional as you go through your prep.

1. Making a look book makes you consider the atmosphere and tone of your film.

A great way to do this is to look through Google images and pick out things that stand out to you. You can also do this with film and television show clips, taking screenshots of things that stand out to you as possibly fitting your film’s message.

I usually start by looking at sections of my film that have similar tones.

(I do not own the copyright to the photos in the above screenshot)

As you can see, there’s a pattern emerging in the tone of these photos I’ve gathered. I had a general sense of what I was looking for, but in my search, I was able to narrow the vague vision into my head into concrete examples of what I liked and discard ideas in my head that didn’t work or no longer fit the vision.


2. Making a look book causes you to consider options you hadn’t thought of before.


It is very easy to get stuck on one particular train of thought. For me, once I’ve gone down a mental path and I think I like where it’s going, I can have a hard time thinking in a different direction. Sometimes, the options you haven’t thought of can be the best ones.

It is worthwhile an exercise to force yourself to refresh your mind and return to planning at another time. That way, you can look at your film from a different perspective.

A way to do that is searching for images and inspiration for your visual reference.

I’ll bet you will stumble on something out there in the vast internet that will make you go ‘Aha!’. After all, I know I certainly can’t think of every possible option when I’m working. It’s just too much to consider at once.

Along those lines…

3. Making a look book gives you a chance to consider techniques used by others.

This is similar to the things ‘you didn’t think of’, but I’ll touch on it anyway.

When you are going through the web or any other resource looking for inspiration, you are likely to stumble upon techniques and methods employed by both great and obscure directors and filmmakers.

Learning from those who came before is a good strategy. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, since someone else may have already found a great way to communicate to the audience. Use the past 100 years of visual storytelling tradition to your advantage and don’t be afraid to try out the techniques of other filmmakers.

For example, I pulled this screenshot from Mad Max: Fury Road because I thought the lighting fit the mood I was looking for.


4. Making a look book will help you explain specific creative choices to your team.


Going through this process will not only give you the opportunity to discover what tone and atmosphere you desire for the film, but you will inevitably find specific elements and examples from your references.

These are specific elements you can point out to your team, such as ‘I want practical lighting on the floor like this during the emergency mine scene because it will give a sci-fi touch to a mine location in the film which would otherwise seem to be in the same world in which we live now’.

All you need to do then is point to the reference photo you’ve provided. It’s as easy as that.


How a look book helps you on set

Once you are on set, the time you spent in pre-production will make all the difference. I’ve said it before – the visual planning process a director uses (doesn’t use) will make or break it. If you don’t invest in pre-production, you’ll regret it.

Your look book now does several things for you when you are on set.

1. Your look book helps your team understand your vision.

Your look book and your explanation of your vision are practical and actionable information for your team.

During the shoot, they can take this info and run with it, finding a solution and path to execute your vision. It also brings them closer to your mental wavelength and they will better understand your intent. Not only that, but your teammates may make great suggestions that are better than your original idea because they understand your vision.

Basically, the look book is another opportunity to communicate to your team what it is you are trying to do, and effective communication is the key to a team’s success.

2. Your reference gives your team freedom to act.

Your reference gives your team a sense of what tone you are looking for. Assuming they have the necessary skills, they will have the freedom to try techniques you didn’t think of – or may not even know exist.

At this point, since they know what you want, it doesn’t matter much how they achieve it. What matters is the end result.

They can reference your look book to answer their questions. Your team can act autonomously since they know the big picture and don’t need to consult you for every little decision.

If things are going smoothly, all they will have to do is ask if you like the end result. If yes, you move on. If not, you provide feedback and move forward from there.

3. Your reference allows your team to identify possible problems and solutions.

As a director, there will be many times where you will not know whether your vision is possible, practically speaking.

As a director, there will be gaps in your knowledge. You may have a camera move or lighting style you are looking to achieve that actually isn’t possible as you envision. Or, it’s possible, but the practical constraints of the budget just won’t allow it.

This is another great thing your look book will help with. It allows your team – in discussion with you and while looking at the reference – to identify where those gaps in your vision may exist.

Your team can let you know where problems may arise and how to deal with them. This is an important step to go through with your team and one you always want to deal with before you get on set whenever possible. The more problems you knock out before you get on set, the smoother your shoot will be.

Above all, the more your team is coordinated and working seamlessly, the better your film will be.

The US military knows this well and often puts on shows of efficiency and coordination. The military culture applauds this togetherness as a virtue, and as filmmakers, we should have this same mindset.


How to create your director’s look book

First, I created a folder for my project. I already have a folder for my project on Google Drive. This is where I organize many of my files and how I collaborate with my team. You may have another way, but I think the principles still apply.

1. Create a visual design folder.

Within that folder, I create one specifically for all of my visual brainstorming. I exclude anything about sound design, music, or other topics. I create another set of folders for those.


2. Break down the visual design by category.

You can break down your folders however you like. I suggest organizing it however it makes the most sense to you. What is logical and easy to navigate for me might be a headache for you; that’s fine.

The key is to give your visual design folder enough organization so that you and your team can make easy sense of it.

Some logical organization might be, for example:

Breaking set design ideas into folders for your major locations.

Breaking costume ideas into folders for major factions or primary characters.


Breaking the film into its key locations for your lighting and moods.


Whatever works for you – go for it.

3. Start putting inspiration into the folders.

Find stuff from just about anywhere you like and put it in your folders. Movies. TV shows. Google images. Links to clips on YouTube. Whatever will help you and your team.


Your references will help your team greatly. For example, all these references gave my concept artist plenty to work with. He was able to create some great concepts for our futuristic slave miners’ outfits for our post-apocalyptic / sci-fi film “Broken”.


Because of my references for the long-escaped brethren of these miners, he was able to create more art for our production. Having the references and a clear vision made the experience much more pleasant overall.


4. Notate what you like about the items in your folder.

You don’t necessarily have to make a written note, but you should have a sense of why you put an image in your folder. You should be able to specify what about that image you see is important for your film. Without this information, your team will find it more difficult to translate the image into anything helpful for you in executing your vision.

Whether it’s one tiny element of the image that inspired you, or you like the overall mood of the image, you should be able to articulate this to your team.

A summary of lookbooks and their benefits:

1. The lookbook helps you in pre-production by: making you think about your film’s general tone and atmosphere, consider options you hadn’t thought of before, allowing you to consider techniques used by others, and helps in identifying specific inspirations.

2. The lookbook helps you in production by: giving your team the freedom and information to act independent of you and allowing your team to identify possible problems before they occur.

3. How to put the visual reference together: create a folder for your project, create a visual design folder, break down the folder by category, put inspirational images into the folders, and make note of what you like about the image.

It’s just a tool.

Don’t allow the process of making this reference to bog you down, slow you down, or keep you from getting things done. Don’t allow it to become a distraction. It is just a tool, so use it until it is no longer helpful, then move on.

If it doesn’t work for you like it does for me, modify the tool and apply it according to your needs.

As always, I hope that you find this information helpful. Break a leg.

6
Directing

8 Directing Books Every Filmmaker Should Read

By on

April 11, 2018

- Directing

Don’t read? You should start reading directing books to become a great filmmaker.

After all, top performers in various industries read for self-improvement.

Evidence suggests there is a strong link between success and reading.


I get it, we are filmmakers. We are visual people. We’d rather just watch something – reading can be boring and time-consuming. I would argue that reading is a key factor to success. Those who are successful in their industry intake valuable new knowledge wherever and whenever possible, and internalize it.


Written works are a wonderful source of knowledge because writing is a condensed form of thinking. A person puts all their thoughts and considerations onto paper and is forced to make these thoughts concise, throwing away bad ideas and leaving only those that are good.


With this in mind, here are some of the directing books I have read that I highly recommend any aspiring director read.

Visual Storytelling Skills

1. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

This directing book is a long one, filled with plenty of references, photos, and diagrams. It is up-to-date with modern techniques and technology and provides a great overview of directing, diving into both the artistic and technical aspects in depth.

“Directing covers the methods, technologies, thought processes, and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating process of making a film. The core of the book is the human, psychological, and technical knowledge that every director needs, the enduring elements of the craft that remain vital.

Directing also provides an unusually clear view of the artistic process, particularly in working with actors and principle crew to achieve personally expressive storytelling and professionalism on any budget.” (Source)

Bottom line: This directing book provides a solid overview for the filmmaker looking to up their game.

2. Film Directing Shot by Shot

This directing book is highly technical, covering a painfully exhaustive number of camera movements, framings, and analyzing different shots’ usage in conjunction with one another. It uses a plethora of visual references, such as photographs taken from films and photos shot specifically for the book, to demonstrate these techniques.

“A complete catalog of motion picture techniques for filmmakers. It concentrates on the ‘storytelling’ school of filmmaking, utilizing the work of the great stylists who established the versatile vocabulary of technique that has dominated the movies since 1915. This graphic approach includes comparisons of style by interpreting a ‘model script’, created for the book, in storyboard form.” (Source)

I must admit that it is a tough read, and may be best used as a reference. However, if you spend the time to think hard about the effect of using the shots it presents, it can be very useful.

Mostly, this book challenges you to consider every possible directorial option you have available when it comes to camera movement, framing, and focal length, as well as each of these elements’ effects on your viewer.

Bottom line: This directing book will help you internalize and better understand all the shot techniques available to you as a director.

Working with Actors

3. Directing Actors

This directing book is great for one primary reason: it’s highly actionable.

“Internationally-renowned directing coach Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis and preparation, how actors work, and shares insights into the director/actor relationship.” (Source)

Often people will suggest David Mamet’s book “On Directing Film”. While there’s no doubt Mamet is a master of his craft and his knowledge immense, I found that “On Directing Film” was less than helpful. Why? It wasn’t easily actionable. At least for me, I found it to be far too vague to put easily into effect in my directing habits, so I moved on.

However, “Directing Actors” represents the opposite. It is highly actionable. Each section is broken down into practical themes – what you, the director, should and must do (or at least suggestions) to get particular results. I may not remember everything I read in this book (perhaps it makes a better reference after reading once), but I remember key points it made that I was able to put into effect in my directing.

One thing that stood out to me as I read is how many sections seemed like revelations. What I mean is that some of the points made in the book, once you read them, seem so straightforward and logical. You might ask yourself, ‘how did I not think of this, or just know it, before?’.

Bottom line: This directing book contains a heap of great, practical knowledge for working with actors.

Marketing and Publicity

4. Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook

I’ll be honest on this one. I haven’t had the chance (yet) to apply specific principles I learned through this book. However, I’ll tell you where I think the value lies in this book.

This book does two things:

First, it helps you to better understand the principles of selling and marketing generally, and specifically within the entertainment industry. I think that knowledge is very helpful because as you accrue more understanding about the subject of making films, you will be able to work more effectively and plan for the future when making films.

Secondly, this book doesn’t assume you’re a trust fund baby, retired millionaire, or already have achieved some level of success in the film industry. It approaches the marketing and sale of feature films from the lowest level.

“This book gives street-level instruction and real-world examples on how to promote, distribute, and sell your production.” (Source)

This book asks you, ‘well, I don’t have a lot of resources… what can I do? What works?’ Then, it tells you, providing many examples of approaches to marketing and selling, and case studies from filmmakers that have found success with those exact methods.

Bottom line: this directing book helps you get a boost in general marketing understanding and ‘street-level’ tactics, and it’s aimed at indie filmmakers planning to get their film in front of audiences.

Overview of Roles in the Business

5. Make Your Movie

This book is a bomb – it is exploding with insight. (I’ve read this book from cover to cover twice if that says anything.)

Each section is dedicated to a role and area of the film industry, and though it definitely comes from the perspective of people who are at high levels in the industry, the type of valuable perspective they provide is highly revealing.

“This book is for anyone interested in the business of breaking into the movies. Learn who the key players are when it comes to getting a movie made and how to navigate the politics of filmmaking from start to finish, from first pitch to filling movie seats.” (Source)

The coolest thing about this book is that each section consists of a person successful in their area of the industry giving the bare-bones essence of their wisdom; what they think is most important for people to know, and they follow it up with a fascinating anecdote demonstrating their points.

Bottom line: This book is a great way to get up to speed or get a refresher on how the industry works and intake some wisdom from industry experts.


Legal and Contracts

6. Clearance and Copyright

This book is a hidden gem. How is this not the most popular book for directors and indie filmmakers?

This book extensively covers the subjects of copyright and contracts in the film industry. If you want to better understand how deals are made between crew, cast, producers, studios, etc., want to better protect yourself, the people you work with, and your productions, as well as make better deals, you should read this book.

“Clearance and Copyright is the industry-standard guide to almost every conceivable rights issue that filmmakers, videomakers, television producers, and Internet content creators might encounter.

From the initial acquisition of material through the rights issues that arise during preproduction, production, postproduction, and release, this legalese-free guide–now extensively revised, updated, and expanded–will help you protect yourself and your work from disastrous legal actions.” (Source)

By the way, this book includes a ton of free sample contracts for different things an indie filmmaker might need. Oh, and the book breaks down each and every paragraph in those contracts to explain what they are for, what they do, and what to look out for.

Bottom line: if you want a solid overview of what all ‘that legal stuff’ means, and how to protect yourself as a filmmaker, this is a must-read.

7. The Movie Business

This book for directors is similar to Clearance and Copyright in terms of content, but with a broader view. It focuses less on contracts and copyright (though that is a large portion of its content) and more on the relationships between the people you hire or work with, the financial implications of those relationships, and what the legal issues are for that topic.

The book is broken down by the steps in the filmmaking process, from pre-production to distribution, and further breaks those down into the actions and relationships formed during that phase.

“Making a movie may be part art and part science, but it’s 100 percent business. In this comprehensive and accessible guide, Kelly Charles Crabb shares the information necessary to understand the legal and financial challenges involved in getting a film from story to the silver screen and beyond.” (Source)

This filmmaking book also covers a good bit of financial specifics, and the portion regarding dealing with distributors I find to be particularly insightful for the independent director. I know that when I was looking to distribute my first film, there seemed to be a mysterious and dark fog over the whole distribution process as if everything was a secret shared only within a small club; a club I wasn’t part of.

Bottom line: If you are looking to amplify further your understanding of the legal, relational, and financial aspects of making films, read this book.

Understanding Story

8. Save the Cat

Save the Cat. If you haven’t already heard about Blake Snyder’s iconic and widely-loved book on the structure of feature films (and story generally), then you’ve probably read it.

“…Blake Snyder tells all in this fast, funny and candid look inside the movie business. ‘Save the Cat’ is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying…” (Source)

There’s little more that needs to be said about this book. It’s a great directing book because it will improve your understanding of standard film and story structure and vastly improve your storytelling skills as a director.

I can’t recommend enough that you dedicate time to studying and practicing its principles.

If you haven’t started, this book is a good place to do so.   While I don’t think reading it is a substitute for a continued and deep dive into story structure, this book has undoubtedly opened my mind and helped me work through various story problems.

Bottom line: The quintessential directing book to learning the key aspects of story and film structure.

Start reading… like right now.
Where you start will depend on where you’re at in skill and learning in your journey, but here’s a recap:

1. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

2. Film Directing Shot by Shot

3. Directing Actors

4. Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook

5. Make Your Movie

6. Clearance and Copyright

7. The Movie Business

8. Save the Cat

I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes each week to read a bit, even if it isn’t your strongest skill. You’ll be better off for it.

Read on!

3
Self-Development

10 Powerful Techniques to Maximize Your Productivity

By on

April 7, 2018

- Self-Development

“I feel like I am never able to get things done like I know I should.”
As a filmmaker growing your career on the side, it can be challenging to get things done. A large part of that problem (and an issue I’m prone to myself) is that we don’t use our time effectively.

Well, over the past 3 months, I’ve seen my productivity increase by an amount I never thought possible. I made real changes to my habits, routines, and focus, and I’ve seen the result is worth the effort. Here’s how I did it – and you can too.

Define your goals
Define your general yearly goal, then break that down into smaller steps.

Break it down into 3 month-ish segments, then break that down all the way to each day.

Example: If your goal is to make a feature film in 2018 (well, you’ve only got 9 months left, so get to it!), you need to work backward from that goal.

December – ‘complete principal photography’,

October – ‘begin principal photography’

August – ‘complete screenplay’ …and so on.

Take those macro milestones you need to hit, and do your best to hold yourself to them (but it helps a lot to have others who will help keep you accountable). Create achievable, realistic steps that will each get you closer to hitting a milestone.

For step one, you might set a goal to ‘write 6 pages of script a week’. If you break things down that way, it feels more doable and you can get a better sense of whether the goal is realistic and how long it might take.

Assign your time to a specific task
If you don’t schedule your time, you are far more prone to waste it.

If you have an empty block where there’s just ‘stuff’ that needs to get done, it is easy to become distracted or end up doing something that won’t be as effective in bringing you closer to your goal.

Instead, set blocks of time aside to accomplish a primary task, and if you complete that, move on to something else.  

Define 1, maybe 2 primary goals for the day
Write down (perhaps in your phone calendar) ONE primary thing that you are meant to do that day.

Then you can always fall back on it get back on track. You will be able to quickly reorient yourself when something inevitably demands your attention (such as chores, a crisis, family, etc.) or you get distracted by something that is less of a priority but looks really fun/attractive right now but you shouldn’t do.

Example: Let’s say you work 9 to 5, but do film work on the side. You’ve got maybe 4 hours a day to do whatever you’d like. Allot 1 hour to take care of miscellaneous work that needs to get done, and a solid 3 hours to complete ONE primary goal for the day.

It might be sitting down, blocking out distractions, and writing for 3 hours. It might be doing a script breakdown. But do your best to hit that goal for the day. You will feel accomplished when you finish knowing you made a real step forward, and more motivated to do it again.

Limit your time
As someone who is single and works full-time, I find that my job actually helps me to get more done, not the other way around.

Because my time is so limited, I am forced to use that time wisely, or waste it away, which I always regret. Having restrictions on your time forces you to realize the value of each hour in your day, and makes you consider more carefully how you will utilize that time.

It can also help you figure out what you are truly worth when it comes to freelancing and film gigs. You will have to weigh the value of your time against the potential stress, workload, and pay for the gig, and I guarantee you will become much more discerning as to what gigs you take and the value you place on your limited time.

Create daily rituals
Take the actions that make you successful and turn them into a regular habit; a daily ritual.

Make effort to be keenly aware of the daily habits you have day-to-day. This is key to modifying your behavior. Discover which of those habits makes you happier in the long run (i.e. completing something meaningful), or just feels like a waste of time.

While this is difficult for us all (myself included), it is important to be self-aware so as to know what needs changing.

Avoid distractions
I learned I cannot multitask well (turns out watching Netflix while working was as bad an idea as everyone said).

I don’t think anyone really can – not on anything that takes real concentration. This is a huge struggle I have because I tend to want to be entertained or have my mind active at all times. This can be problematic when the thing I want my brain to work on – writing, shot listing, or whatever the task is – is competing for attention with whatever the distraction happens to be.

Put your phone on silent on the other side of the room, turn off Netflix, close out any unrelated programs or windows on your computer, and clean off your desk of irrelevant papers. It’s time to get to work!

Try to do one or two things really well
I find it very easy to get lost in the noise of the million + one ideas I have at any particular moment.

It’s important to filter out the extra stuff, and continually hone in and refocus on your primary goal. This will help you direct your very limited time and energy to the right tasks; the ones that most efficiently move you toward your goal.

Stop once you start getting diminishing returns
If you’ve been working on something important – that’s good, get it done. But unless you absolutely need that thing to be 100% perfect, and you spend a ton of time dialing it in, more and more… but it’s really not making that much of a difference, that might be a sign you should stop, take a break, and work on something else.

Come back to it later. For example, I was working on my website for a few hours, but I reached a point where I was definitely getting diminishing returns. I’d spent a lot of time on a few very small details that probably didn’t need so much attention. It was 90% there.

I spent far too long in one sitting working on it. Not only was I mentally drained at that point, but I was a bit sick of it all and burnt out on the website. Take a break! You’ll have fresh eyes later and can make more significant progress working on something that has a long way to go.

Not to mention you may be focusing on that task you’re on because you are procrastinating on something else. (I know I’ve been guilty of that!)

Take a break.
While some people really do have higher tolerances and can work for much longer than others without breaks, if you find yourself making worse decisions, being unusually irritable, or being less effective, it may be a sign that you need a break.

That might just mean you take a 15 minute break. It also might mean you should take 4 hours, go get dinner, and see a fun movie. Either way, it can be helpful and recharging to take a mental break. I recommend taking one day a week to not work, but focus on friends, family, and amusement.

Drink a cup of Joe and get moving!
This is a regular ritual of mine. Saturday morning I wake up around 8 am, get my life straightened out real quick (clean, scrub, organize, etc.), then grab a cup of coffee and get some caffeine in me. Finally, I pull out my weekly schedule, see what one primary goal needs to be accomplished that day, and get to work!  

With a bit of change, you can be more productive
Do these 10 things to greatly increase your productivity starting today.

1. Define your goals.

2. Assign your time to a specific task.

3. Define 1, maybe 2 primary goals for the day.

4. Limit your time.

5. Create daily rituals.

6. Avoid distractions.

7. Try to do one or two things really well.

8. Stop when you start getting diminishing returns.

9. Take a break.

10. Drink a cup of Joe and get moving!

 
Make incremental, consistent progress
Just remember, no one is perfect or can always follow these rules.

Life happens. Stuff gets in the way. Sometimes we just get off-track and don’t meet our goal for the day or indulge in a bad habit. It’s okay – the key is that you are committed to being productive.

You recognize your slip-up and jump back on board the train to success right away. I challenge you to start by applying one of these principles today. Make it a habit, then start with a second principle. The key to success is incremental, consistent progress.

No time to start like the present!

If you found this helpful, please share it with your friends, fellow filmmakers, and anyone else who needs a productivity boost.
2
Filmmaking, Fundraising

3 Lessons Learned from Crowdfunding

By on

February 20, 2018

- Filmmaking, Fundraising

My recent crowdfunding campaign bombed, and I want to share with you why it didn’t work. 

For those of you who have done crowdfunding, you know it isn’t easy. Whether you’ve had a successful campaign or not, crowdfunding any project is a challenging mission. Turns out, it’s pretty tough to get people to part with their money!
(For reference, here is the campaign I did)

I have 3 big things I learned when doing my campaign, so I’ll get right into it.

Audience and Reach: getting your work out there

Ultimately, if you look at any successful campaign, chances are they had one of two things:

  1. A pre-existing fanbase: They had either a fanbase built off of a brand (for example, a fan film or reboot of a pre-existing franchise) or they had their own brand, such as a long-standing, popular YouTube channel, to draw their supporters from – here’s the ultimate example.

  2. Huge social net: The number of people they are connected to – their network – is far greater than an ordinary person’s and they know how to capitalize on it. Examples might include a person with a popular blog, large social media following, etc.

What I’m getting at is that expecting that your own network (even if a bit bigger than the average hombre, perhaps), is not realistic. You can’t expect that (unless the amount is under $2,000, I’d say) your film or project can be propped up by friends and family alone.

Not even considering that you have to convince (yes, even your friends and family) that your project is worth investing in, most people don’t have a ton of disposable income or cash laying around to throw your way.

Physical Perks: conceptual rewards aren’t very motivating

That sums it up in a nutshell: consider your own life. How hard is it to set a conceptual goal, put it out there in the void, and motivate or convince yourself to get up and achieve it? Not easy at all. Now imagine trying to make someone else do that… plus they have to give up some money for it.

Sheesh. Talk about a tough. But that’s basically what you are doing.

Apple doesn’t sell you an idea of how your life will be with their product – I mean, they do in a sort of abstract branding sense, but without the physical product, there wouldn’t be anyone throwing cash at them. People are paying for something they find amusing or has some utility. They pay for the physical device. That’s important to the selling process.

Of course, this problem is really only prevalent if you are making something such as a short film, where there’s not much to offer in regards to physical proceeds of the film (like there would be for tech or even something like a board game).

  1. Offer quirky, unique, or fascinating physical rewards. It’s a pain because you do have to plan and budget time and money to ensure you can fulfill these rewards. But they are motivating. If people know they can get a shiny object (something that interests them) for their money, the stakes won’t be so high for them and they’ll be more likely to pledge.

  2. Offer specific, unique services in exchange for pledges. This is still a tough sell because the offer is less concrete, but if you offer something that is very specific, that people are interested in (not vague like ‘Q & A’), it could just work.

Your Pitch: show the actual product

Based on our statistics, people did not view much of our pitch video, well put-together that it was. Despite the upbeat vibe, informational content, and so on, people just weren’t interested, weren’t engaged, and the promise too vague.

  1. Get straight to it. You NEED to hook people in the first 10 seconds or so, and a ‘fun, energetic intro’ that isn’t specifically a demonstration of what you will be creating isn’t going to cut it. If people don’t know what the heck they are looking at… click. They will watch something else. Tell them exactly what you are making in the first few seconds.

  2. Demonstrate the actual product. While it is important to show that you are a human being with skill and personality bringing the project to life and to give some additional info about the project (what it is, your plan), you should keep it short and sweet. I’d say no more than 30 seconds, honestly. You should primarily plant a vision of what your project will look like in their head. This is best done with a promo or trailer shot for the project (and so yes, this may take more effort). There are a couple of campaigns that did this well. Kung Fury (an internet sensation), and another more recent, Slice of Life, that had a wonderful trailer.

The Skinny: how to elevate your campaign

  1. Your audience. It’s important that you have a plan for reaching and appealing to a wider audience than your circle, or even the circles of your friends.

  2. Give ‘em the goods. Incentivize people with real, physical perks that they will actually care about. This is especially important for short films.

  3. Show the real end-result. Show your potential supporters what they are really getting themselves into. A miscellaneous montage of cool stuff or you talking all about yourself, team, and the project isn’t going to cut it.

You never know unless you try.

When the rubber meets the road, you are better off to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all (to borrow from a similar saying). Crowdfunding is challenging and time-consuming, but you should always give your best effort. Putting theory to practice is how we learn… and you never know. You might just succeed.

Remember, the stories you tell, and how you tell them, matter. Now get out there and do great things!

As always, if you found this article useful or amusing in some way or another, or even hated it with a burning passion, please comment below and share with others. I will always make an effort to discuss the topic at hand and answer questions.

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