Latest Vlog on "Life Online!"

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We're slowly putting together a new strategy to make the film a reality.  More news soon!

Thirteen Point Six: "Life Online" and My First Try at Crowd-Funding

The Indiegogo Funding campaign for my new documentary, "Life Online," ended on New Year's Eve.  We raised a total of $750, or 13.6% of the $5,500 goal.  We had a total of 17 donations, ranging from $2 to $150, from donors in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. .   Of course, I would have liked to have gotten closer to our stated goal, but this is only the first step in a wider effort to get the film made.  Am I disappointed?  Sure, but the experience proved to be invaluable, nevertheless.

When I began the campaign, I hadn't realized to what extent events in the world at large would play in my efforts.  I felt obligated to hold back on social media efforts for hours or even days at a time.  During the period of this campaign, there were major efforts on Indiegogo and elsewhere to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  The Presidential election occurred a week into the campaign.  I didn't tweet or post content related to the campaign in the days following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School - that simply felt unethical and disrespectful.  My campaign also occurred over the Holiday season, extending from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve.  

This campaign provided an opportunity to re-connect with many of my documentary colleagues, and presented opportunities to help the further development of this project (i.e. a feature film), once this short film is done.   I also spoke with a couple of college production classes about the project and social media in general, confirming my belief that the time is right for "Life Online."  Finally, StyleQuirk.com wrote this feature story on my project and social media philosophy.  That, in itself, is incredibly valuable.

As part of this effort, I've been posting blogs related to my thoughts and ideas related to this production: inspiring films, my approaches to production, and my perspective on social media.  This hyper-focused content has increased my social media network (especially my blog readership,  but Twitter followers and YouTube channel subscribers are also trending upward). 

Why didn't the campaign reach it's full potential? There are numerous reasons, of course, ranging from topic to campaign management, but it really comes back down to the "crowd" in crowd-funding.  Final stats showed that I had only 303 visitors to the campaign page - but with a total of 1,031 views (meaning some of the same people visited several times). The page was liked on Facebook 104 times, and tweeted a total of 146 times.  For this to have been effective, those numbers should have been much higher.  Once again, this sort of campaign only works if the campaigner can actually attract a "crowd."  I'll leave the question of how I would do things differently for another blog.

Was it worth it? Definitely.  The campaign was useful in launching the project and creating some early "buzz," which will in turn prove helpful as we move forward and explore other avenues to help make this a reality.  It also continued my ongoing effort to build a creative "eco-system" to support my creative work across traditional and nontraditional platforms (more on that soon).  

Finally, it's important to mention that I had the choice to either create a funding arrangement that paid only if the goal was reached, or create an arrangement that paid out regardless of the final result.  I chose to the second option.   Part of my reason is motivational:  Friends and strangers have donated time and money to this effort.   Those who have chosen to contribute to the project, or help promote it in other ways, have expressed trust and belief in my abilities to follow through.  

Crowd-funding is a fantastic tool - even if it provides just 13.6 percent of the funding.

My social media efforts focus on exploring ways of using social technology as a tool to accomplish my creative goals.  It's not, however, the only tool available.  While I would have liked to have fully funded this project with this one method, many productions come together through multiple channels of funding and support - I'll continue to pursue those other channels. 

The experience of creating and running this campaign has enhanced my understanding of the mechanics of creating effective and useful social media.  Experience trumps theory every time.

And yes, I would do it again.

Filmmaking That Inspires: Ken Loach's "Kes"

This is the third in a series of behind-the-scenes blogs about the story behind the making of a documentary - in this case, my film, "Life Online," the story of a family in Florida that's uniquely dedicated to the "YouTube" lifestyle.  Interested?  Donate at:  http://tinyurl.com/acegrw4 . 

These blogs and vlogs will trace the evolution  of this project as I prepare, shoot and edit "Life Online." I hope these prove helpful to aspiring filmmakers.

If you've read my blog, you may remember that I have a particular appreciation for Ken Loach's landmark 1969 film, "Kes," a narrative feature film about a 14 year-old's bleak life in a British mining town in the mid-20th century, and the faint flicker of hope he discovers in training a wild kestrel.  

Film

The trailer for "Kes," as presented on Criterion's YouTube Channel

The film, a masterpiece of bare-bones filmmaking, is considered by the British Film Institute to be one of the top ten British films of the 20th Century.  In America, however, it's still largely unknown. Until Criterion's recent Blu-Ray/DVD reissue, it wasn't easily available here. Even today, the  authentic regional dialect makes understanding the film a challenge (though the new release offers options, including subtitles, and an alternative soundtrack - recorded at the time with the original actors - with more conventional english pronunciation).

 "Kes," according to Loach, was heavily influenced by the tradition of documentary filmmaking.  Loach was striving for authenticity at every stage - including casting.  With one exception, every cast member including the extraordinary young lead, were non-professionals hired from the very town in which the story takes place.  These individuals - particularly the school children - understood and lived the world featured in writer Barry Hines book and screenplay.

Loach, whenever possible, liked to minimize the filmmaking environment.  He would keep lighting to a minimum (not an easy task when low-light technology was in its infancy), or create a sense of intimacy for the actors by removing even the camera from their immediate space.  In one instance set in a greenhouse, Billy Casper, the main character, is engaged in a private conversation with his teacher.  To preserve the authenticity of that private moment, particular for his non-professional lead actor, Loach had a hole drilled into the wall of the greenhouse, and shot the actors from a distance through a long lens.    

Loach didn't like to over-use the camera for dramatic effect, preferring to allow actors and settings to establish mood.

Though "Kes" is a narrative film, and I'm shooting a documentary with a decidedly more upbeat vibe, it represents the sense of time, place and respect for the subject that I hope to emulate in "Life Online."  

My goal, too, is to keep my presence to a minimum, and allow the real-life subjects to be themselves.