By Gregory Bayne – As some of you know, I recently completed a successful funding campaign using Kickstarter.com to raise the initial capital needed to get my new film, Jens Pulver | Driven, an intimate documentary about legendary UFC Champion Jens Pulver, off the ground.

The end result of the campaign was $27,210 pledged, my goal was $25,000, via 410 contributors, in 20 short days.

Since the close of the campaign I have received a number queries as to how this was accomplished, especially since 72 hours out from my deadline, I was still $10,000 short of my goal.

I will attempt to explain my guiding principles, and overall approach to the campaign here. I also recommend reading the Kickstarter blog post on the project. In it they outline the ebb and flow of the funding, and I answer some specific questions in regard to the effort.

* Since what I accomplished has been commonly dubbed as ‘crowdfunding’, for clarity in this article I refer to the gracious funders of our work out there as ‘The Crowd’

BELIEVE IN YOUR PROJECT

When you put yourself out there in a very big, very public way, it is (in my humble opinion) key that you believe 110% in what you are doing. This seems obvious, I understand, but if you have browsed sites like Kickstarter.com or Indiegogo.com, you’ll find it is fairly easy to sniff out those that believe deeply in what they are doing, and those who are simply hoping The Crowd will magically transfer money into their bank accounts.

If you want The Crowd to invest in you, and yes they are ‘investing’ in you, then you need to be able to go to the mat for your project. That means you need to be able to explain clearly what it is you are doing, and why others should join you in your effort. You must engage and respond, consistently and reasonably, to both the positive, and the negative. And finally, you must understand that no matter what your project, you are the entry point. If The Crowd does not believe in you, they will not believe in, nor help fund, your project. Yes, you are now in the customer service business.

KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE

When approaching The Crowd, it is important to understand that there is not just one Crowd. There are innumerable Crowds, with innumerable interests. If you know what it is you have in your individual project, what inherent, stand out elements that would speak to your crowd, you will have an easier time a) locating your crowd, and b) attracting your crowd.

Again, this seems quite obvious, but if we are honest with ourselves, objectivity in regard to our own work is often hard won.

Just like in any other type of endeavor, you will not find what you are looking for if you are consistently barking up the wrong tree. So time invested ahead of time pinpointing your crowd, will save time later when approaching your crowd. That all said, The Crowd can respond in surprising ways, so it is important to remain both focused, yet open to all opportunities when reaching out to The Crowd.

ENGAGE & RESPOND

Forget playing it coy, you are no longer an ‘artist’, you are an ‘artist asking for support’, and by support, we mean money, so proceed accordingly. When you receive an email, answer it. When someone says something positive, thank them. When someone says something negative, engage with them, and by engage I mean address their concern. You will do yourself no favors by starting battles with The Crowd, potential or otherwise.

The Crowd, remember, are people. They are not faceless, nameless dollar signs. They are your supporters, your new friends, your audience, and your community. By the very act of investing in you, someone they likely have not met in person, they are very deserving of your respect.

RESPECT THE CROWD

The advent of The Crowd, exciting in its creation of new opportunities for us creators, is also ushering in a new era of responsibility for us. To remain a sustainable mode of funding, we must not only engage and respond, but we must follow through.

At base, this means simply delivering on the initial promise, but I think it goes much deeper. If we want The Crowd to continue with us in our future endeavors, to become the all important fan of our work, then we must go above and beyond, and deliver to them an experience that says, with our deepest sincerity, “Thank You!”

With DRIVEN, I have had just as many, if not more, project updates since the funding period closed. I have tried at every point, as time has allowed, to check in with my crowd, to provide them with updates on what is happening with the project, and to let them know how much I appreciate that they decided to be part of this project by making them part of this project.

IT’S NOT MAGIC

It’s simply not. There is no such thing as something for nothing. Say it. Out loud. Then say it again. It is work. Hard work. Dedicated work, to approach The Crowd, to ask The Crowd for their hard earned dollars, to transfer to them your belief in what you are doing, and compel them to act on that belief.

If you wish to embark in this type of endeavor, prepare yourself with the knowledge it will be a 24/7 campaign, and that the work will have just begun if you are successful in your efforts.

In closing, I would just say that my experience has been overwhelmingly positive, not just in the completion of my original goal, but in many unexpected ways. My project has been in the public eye from day one, and because of that, and my continued engagement with my incredible supporters, the form, function, and focus of my film have been shaped in very profound ways based on the immediate response I have garnered from The Crowd. I think it has made the work better, as I’ve been able to approach my production with a clear understanding as to exactly what my audience is responding to most. Also, I have been able to interact with, and exponentially build that audience from day one, which is simply incredible.

I wish all of those out there engaging The Crowd the best of luck in their endeavors. If you have questions, or further interest in DRIVEN, check out www.gregorybayne.com and get in touch.

By Gregory Bayne – As some of you know, I recently completed a successful funding campaign using Kickstarter.com to raise the initial capital needed to get my new film, Jens Pulver | Driven, an intimate documentary about legendary UFC Champion Jens Pulver, off the ground.

The end result of the campaign was $27,210 pledged, my goal was $25,000, via 410 contributors, in 20 short days.

Since the close of the campaign I have received a number queries as to how this was accomplished, especially since 72 hours out from my deadline, I was still $10,000 short of my goal.

I will attempt to explain my guiding principles, and overall approach to the campaign here. I also recommend reading the Kickstarter blog post on the project. In it they outline the ebb and flow of the funding, and I answer some specific questions in regard to the effort.

* Since what I accomplished has been commonly dubbed as ‘crowdfunding’, for clarity in this article I refer to the gracious funders of our work out there as ‘The Crowd’

BELIEVE IN YOUR PROJECT

When you put yourself out there in a very big, very public way, it is (in my humble opinion) key that you believe 110% in what you are doing. This seems obvious, I understand, but if you have browsed sites like Kickstarter.com or Indiegogo.com, you’ll find it is fairly easy to sniff out those that believe deeply in what they are doing, and those who are simply hoping The Crowd will magically transfer money into their bank accounts.

If you want The Crowd to invest in you, and yes they are ‘investing’ in you, then you need to be able to go to the mat for your project. That means you need to be able to explain clearly what it is you are doing, and why others should join you in your effort. You must engage and respond, consistently and reasonably, to both the positive, and the negative. And finally, you must understand that no matter what your project, you are the entry point. If The Crowd does not believe in you, they will not believe in, nor help fund, your project. Yes, you are now in the customer service business.

KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE

When approaching The Crowd, it is important to understand that there is not just one Crowd. There are innumerable Crowds, with innumerable interests. If you know what it is you have in your individual project, what inherent, stand out elements that would speak to your crowd, you will have an easier time a) locating your crowd, and b) attracting your crowd.

Again, this seems quite obvious, but if we are honest with ourselves, objectivity in regard to our own work is often hard won.

Just like in any other type of endeavor, you will not find what you are looking for if you are consistently barking up the wrong tree. So time invested ahead of time pinpointing your crowd, will save time later when approaching your crowd. That all said, The Crowd can respond in surprising ways, so it is important to remain both focused, yet open to all opportunities when reaching out to The Crowd.

ENGAGE & RESPOND

Forget playing it coy, you are no longer an ‘artist’, you are an ‘artist asking for support’, and by support, we mean money, so proceed accordingly. When you receive an email, answer it. When someone says something positive, thank them. When someone says something negative, engage with them, and by engage I mean address their concern. You will do yourself no favors by starting battles with The Crowd, potential or otherwise.

The Crowd, remember, are people. They are not faceless, nameless dollar signs. They are your supporters, your new friends, your audience, and your community. By the very act of investing in you, someone they likely have not met in person, they are very deserving of your respect.

RESPECT THE CROWD

The advent of The Crowd, exciting in its creation of new opportunities for us creators, is also ushering in a new era of responsibility for us. To remain a sustainable mode of funding, we must not only engage and respond, but we must follow through.

At base, this means simply delivering on the initial promise, but I think it goes much deeper. If we want The Crowd to continue with us in our future endeavors, to become the all important fan of our work, then we must go above and beyond, and deliver to them an experience that says, with our deepest sincerity, “Thank You!”

With DRIVEN, I have had just as many, if not more, project updates since the funding period closed. I have tried at every point, as time has allowed, to check in with my crowd, to provide them with updates on what is happening with the project, and to let them know how much I appreciate that they decided to be part of this project by making them part of this project.

IT’S NOT MAGIC

It’s simply not. There is no such thing as something for nothing. Say it. Out loud. Then say it again. It is work. Hard work. Dedicated work, to approach The Crowd, to ask The Crowd for their hard earned dollars, to transfer to them your belief in what you are doing, and compel them to act on that belief.

If you wish to embark in this type of endeavor, prepare yourself with the knowledge it will be a 24/7 campaign, and that the work will have just begun if you are successful in your efforts.

In closing, I would just say that my experience has been overwhelmingly positive, not just in the completion of my original goal, but in many unexpected ways. My project has been in the public eye from day one, and because of that, and my continued engagement with my incredible supporters, the form, function, and focus of my film have been shaped in very profound ways based on the immediate response I have garnered from The Crowd. I think it has made the work better, as I’ve been able to approach my production with a clear understanding as to exactly what my audience is responding to most. Also, I have been able to interact with, and exponentially build that audience from day one, which is simply incredible.

I wish all of those out there engaging The Crowd the best of luck in their endeavors. If you have questions, or further interest in DRIVEN, check out www.gregorybayne.com and get in touch.

The WorkBook Project has joined forces with Filmmaker Magazine to produce a number of daily videos from Park City. The following discussion focuses on the need for a alternative network connecting filmmakers and audiences. Featuring: Peter Baxter, Saskia Wilson-Brown, Brian Newman, Paul Rachman and Lance Weiler.

Filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah of Sabi Pictures arrive at Park City with an intent to define the questions most relevant to independent distribution options. Insights from Brian Newman, Dan Mirvish, Jon Reiss and Ira Deutchman open a path toward discovering some real solutions.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah move away from identifying the questions toward some possible answers that may, in fact, lead to the solutions we seek. Insights from Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards), Habib Azar (Armless), Dan Mirvish, and Brian Newman are fleshed out with more thoughts from the pre-Filmmaker Summit roundtable.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah move away from identifying the questions toward some possible answers that may, in fact, lead to the solutions we seek. Insights from Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards), Jon Reiss and Brian Newman are fleshed out with more thoughts from the pre-Filmmaker Summit roundtable.

The NEW BREED series continues as SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Ted Hope, Jon Reiss, Mynette Louie (Children of Invention) and Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) to explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring some of the insights and actions that came from the 2010 Filmmaker Summit.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Dan Mirvish, Brian Newman, Ira Deutchman and Ted Hope to further explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring a proposal for a new relationship between filmmakers and festivals as outlined by Peter Baxter at the 2010 Filmmaker Summit.

SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah pick up with Ted Hope where he left off in the last episode to further explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers. He is joined by Mynette Louie (Children of Invention) and new interviews with Sultan Sharrief (Bilal’s Stand), Lance Weiler (HiM), and Scilla Andreen (IndieFlix).

Part of an on-going series from Filmmaker Magazine and The WorkBook Project.

By Zak Forsman – The last two years have been an extraordinary education. I often look back at the development process for HEART OF NOW and WHITE KNUCKLES and imagine what choices we at SABI would have made if we were the filmmakers we are today. With a new decade upon us and the promise of a community-defining year ahead of us, it is time to declare some resolutions. It is time to put the talk about broken models behind us and begin to act on it. This downturn offers a real opportunity to re-shape the way things will work.

***Inspired by recent calls to action from Ted Hope and Jon Reiss.

CURATION – SABI has formed our own distribution outfit: CINEFIST. Beyond distributing the work that comes out of Sabi Pictures, CINEFIST will also serve as a curation entity. My first resolution for the New Year is to put my resources into giving filmmakers I believe in an opportunity to exhibit their work, but also an opportunity for them to participate in the box office take. The venue will be The Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles and each screening will be shaped into a true event featuring Skype Q&As with the filmmakers projected on screen, audience votes on trailers to decide which film screens at the next event, DVDs for sale in the lobby, prizes for the audience, rooftop mixers, and a live internet radio show at the venue with the guys at Film Snobbery. The first film will be Tom Quinn’s The New Year Parade screening in early February to coincide with its Film Independent Spirit Award nomination.

TRANSPARENCY – This year we are embarking on our first direct-to-audience distribution effort for a pair of art house films. I will share ideas and progress here with the intent to educate, but also to seek input and guidance from the community.

INNOVATION – Learn, evolve and execute. The strategy to this point emulates the methods used by filmmakers like ZEKE ZELKER, HUNTER WEEKS, JUSTIN EVANS, TODD SKLAR and others. But we need to push forward with less emulation in the strategy and work, and more innovation. We will be fearless. We will takes calculated risks. We will experiment with ways to connect with our audience and to give them compelling reasons to buy what we have to offer.

MENTORSHIP – Last year I met a young filmmaker online named Gayle Ye who is an ardent fan of SABI’s works. She expressed an interest in cinematography and had natural talent. Throughout 2009, I was able to offer her some tips here and there, notes on her first short film’s screenplay and even sent her some gear. In 2010, I will seek out more filmmakers in the generation coming up behind me, encouraging them, offering whatever support I have to share, and maybe even produce their next work as we did with the filmmakers behind A SHORT FILM ABOUT LETTING GO.

ELEVATE – This was a tough pill to swallow but in order to raise the bar with the content and structure of our films, music and other creative endeavors I will spend the entirety of 2010 developing new projects for production in 2011 and 2012. As much as I want to be shooting a new film right now, I know its better to spend this time shaping projects that have been given time to mature.

COMMUNITY – Recent opportunities afforded to me by the good folks here at The Workbook Project, From Here To Awesome, IndieFlix, Power to the Pixel and most recently Filmmaker Magazine have introduced me to some amazing people, many of whom have become good friends. And this, more than anything, has been the most gratifying experience for me. These genuine friendships have lead to countless collaborations and discussions that hold a lot of personal value to me. Even if I were to forgo filmmaking altogether, I would still resolve to step-up my involvement in this community by going to more festivals and conferences, seeking out more like-minded people who share in my delight for the cinematic arts.

IGNORE – It’s funny, the most recent private screening of HEART OF NOW only returned three or four negative comment cards. But when presented with a new stack of cards, I inexplicably find myself flipping quickly through all the positive comment cards to find out what those few detractors had to say. Uniformly, these were responses that rejected every single inch of the film’s form and content. Despite the overwhelming praise, I find myself focused on the negative instead – even when I’m getting such heartfelt and sincere responses such as this:

Hey Zak,

‘Heart of Now’ is a terrific film. It is humbling to see good work come through the Indie. This is a film I would be honored to present another time. The issues of abandonment and the subsequent coping mechanisms people employ are dealt with in not only a tactful manner, but also respectably and thoughtfully poetic. What I appreciate even more is the seemingly endless conclusion. It can be ambiguous or sharply conclusive, depending on the beholder.

‘Heart of Now’ has a poignant message that resonates with me personally right now as I deal with similar issues. It was even more striking to hear you talk about the loss of your father as an impetus for the film. My father was taken from me in ‘95. Many of the statements made by both Amber and Gabe reverberated deeply, so it only made sense when you elucidated that fact for the audience.

Thank you for bringing ‘Heart of Now’ to this theatre. I wish you, the crew, the production company, and the film all the best as you move forward in bringing this work of art to others.

So beginning today, I will learn to ignore the ones that are unwinnable. As Ted Hope says: “There are many in the film business who are never going to help you. Many of these will never help you even after you have helped them. The sooner you identify these folks and stop wasting your time with them, the better off you are going to be.” Done.

SUPPORT – I love art house cinema. I already buy DVDs from art house filmmakers. But now, I will make it a point to seek out the avenue that puts more of my dollars into the filmmaker’s pocket. This often means buying it from their own web site, rather than Amazon. Knowing that my main portal (Netflix) doesn’t provide any per rental profit participation for the filmmakers, this also means approaching it more as a discovery engine to find works I want to support with a purchase. No more requests for DVD trades or accepting free copies. I’ll put my money where my mouth is.

NO MORE APOLOGIES FOR ART – In 2010, I will not apologize for aspiring to make art. Art has somehow become a dirty word in may circles that consider it to be mutually exclusive from entertainment. Art IS my entertainment!

I wish there were more american filmmakers that aspired to that level of work without apologizing for it out of fear of being labelled pretentious or elitist. Maybe it’s an effect of knowing intimately how films are constructed that makes it difficult for me to enjoy a film that doesn’t aspire beyond just “a good story, well told”. When I sit down in front of a motion picture I want layers of understanding, I want subtly invoked metaphor, I want social context, I want a fully-realized and artfully-executed cinematic experience. We have an overabundance of folks who can simply entertain us. But the ones that can honestly transcend the medium are so rare, so very scarce. That’s what drives me to fervently seek out art films. I buy art films, I support art film-makers whose work speaks to me. I consider myself a filmmaker who aspires to art. I won’t apologize for it. It certainly doesn’t mean I ignore the audience. In fact, I’ve amassed and incorporated the audience into the final stages of editing HEART OF NOW.

The film artists I admire take risks to be on the cutting edge by experimenting with this evolving artform. But these are the folks whose successes are what the mainstream filmmakers mimic. Many times these artists will fail and the critics will label the work as self-indulgent, but man, when they succeed it is profoundly resonant.

PARTNER, COLLABORATE & ENGAGE – This coming year, SABI will resolve to reach out to partner with a number of companies, collaborate with a variety of artists, and engage our audience/community in a very genuine and meaningful way – all in the interest of moving ourselves and this community forward. As I said at the beginning, I’m getting a little tired of all the “broken model” talk and so I look forward to taking a bold step toward defining and shaping a sustainable model for low budget filmmakers.

AND FINALLY, LOSE WEIGHT – I’m having a blast and would like to be doing this for a long time.

So in closing, I offer these resolutions for a New Year and a New Decade in the hope that they will inspire others to do the same, within the limits of their own means and resources. And thanks to everyone who has been a collaborator, inspiration and supporter in 2009. You know who you are and I look forward to joining you again in the decade to come.

NEW BREED – stories from the front lines of taking a vision from script to screen and beyond.

Zak Forsman is an award-winning American independent filmmaker whose emotionally-charged work is known for highly authentic performances and beautiful compositions. Ain’t It Cool News praised his work as “…brilliant…” and “…absolutely gorgeous…”. His stories often depict compelling human threads in a poetic and minimalist style that reflect deep sympathy for the brokenness of people. Recently, he wrote and directed the feature-length motion picture, “Heart of Now” (currently in post) and the short films, “I Fucking Hate You” and “Eloquent Graffiti”. He is currently developing two new DIY cross-media projects for production in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

The WBP network will be growing in the coming months as we bring on additional contributors and finalize a new site design. The following are some recent posts by contributors.

Over at the New Breed

The SABI Festival Strategy

by Zak Forsman

STEP ZERO: ASK YOURSELF WHY

Be honest with yourself and ask why you want to do this. It will be a financial, emotional and physical drain to be sure. So you must define your goals and the reason why they are goals. For us, we have solidified our plans to release HEART OF NOW and WHITE KNUCKLES through our own distribution company, CINEFIST. So we are not seeking traditional distribution. And by “traditional” I mean selling the domestic rights for 25 years, for less than $100,000 in advance and a tiny cut of the profit. Instead, we ARE seeking some rather important things to support a direct-to-audience distribution effort:

* To meet new friends, filmmakers, fans and partners
* To garner laurels, prestige, press and reviews
* To announce a platform release to a larger audience
* To make a little $$$ on DVD, soundtrack and merch sales at each screening
* To get additional feedback from audiences

So, what does a modern, forward-thinking festival strategy look like? From the outside, it looks like the picture above – a bucket full of submission packets amounting to $1500 in fees for 40 festivals. I’ve come to define our festival strategy by working backwards from our direct-to-audience distribution plan. We know we want to begin the latter in July 2010 so the focus had to go toward festivals that would play between now and the end of June. The intent being that if we are accepted, we can incorporate that opportunity into the distribution road map, without relying on it “for direction”.

So how did I decide which festivals to submit to?

Read More

Over at Culture Hacker

Doing the Wave

Dee Cook tries to make sense of Google Wave. Now that Google Wave has been out for a while, have you joined up? Is it living up to all your expectations, plus some? Or is it just something that you slobbered over because invitations were rare, but now you just keep forgetting to check in because you can’t figure out what to do with it? Read More

The First Ever Culture Hacker Gift Guide

- games, books, interactive experiences and tech are presented in a nice roundup by Haley Moore.

Missing: Since January and Evidence: The Last Ritual
Dreamcatcher Interactive, $19.99 and $29.99
These two games are actually on my Christmas list this year, because in spite of a ringing endorsement from Penny Arcade, I never got around to playing them. Released in 2004 and 2006, respectively, these games come as close as you can get to being an Alternate Reality Game in a box. Characters contact you through e-mail and solicit your help to catch a serial killer. (I haven’t played yet, but I hear serial killers have email, too! Eep!)

Uplink
Introversion Software, £10.00 – £5.00
When talking to friends about Rushkoff’s Exoriare ARG, I made plenty of mention of how much it reminds me of Uplink, only to find very few people have played this cyberpunk indie classic. If you love feeling 1337 and jamming out to fantastic electronic music, this is a must-play.

The Hidden Park
James Kane, $7.99
Granted, Bulpadok’s geocaching/augmented reality mashup game isn’t everywhere…yet. But if you have an iPhone and live near one of these parks, the game should not be missed. Unfortunately, there’s no way to gift a single iPhone app, so I suggest wrapping an iTunes gift card in a printout of one of these sweet wallpapers.

After Jump – books, experiences, swag