And in the end...

So that's it! I would have loved to have kept blogging as I have a whole load more of information to share, but I guess it's time that seems to take control! I hope the blog has been informative and that the product created is of a high standard.

I will possibly keep this blog open and use it for the production stages of the film, but that's a bridge I'll cross when I come to it...

See ya!

The new and improved Treatment!

Following the advice of my lecturer, I have since 'revamped' the original treatment.

The new treatment jumps out at the reader slightly more than the previous one and not to mention I have condensed a lot of the text down to simple, easy to read bullet points with key sections highlighted throughout. 

Below is the new-look treatment!

‘A CHOICE OF THREE’ TREATMENT REVAMP

Storyboarding the film

My initial objective was to also storyboard the entire film. This didn't happen for a number of reasons and due to it taking too much time to complete I was informed to take a back seat with them and focus more on the script, treatment and blog side of things. I'm glad I did, but here's one sheet of storyboards and more importantly the opening few seconds from the film...

Storyboard 1

It's too Academic!

After receiving feedback from my lecturer regarding my treatment, I had a slight wake up call with what is to be expected of myself on this module. I wrote the treatment in a University mindset, but forgot that this film is something that I want to take further than it just being a project at Unversity. I was informed that my treatment was too academic in it's structure. It was boring and it didn't need to be as plain as I had expected.

So, with that in mind, I've set about 'spicing' it up to catch the readers attention and keep them reading on. The treatment is probably the first thing a studio or financial contributor will read, SO IT HAS TO SELL THE IDEA!

The issue with my treatment was that it was too boring and mundane, which may work as a style choice for costumes and locations within the film, unfortunately it won't work to sell it!

Catchy headings, short bursts of text and straight to the point answers are what's needed!

Expect a re-vamped treatment to be online soon!

YMC Clothing and Complete16 present...

It has come to light recently of a competition that is being hosted by clothing company YMC (You Must Create) and Complete16, the 16mm processing and development company. The competition is pretty simple, you are to create a 5 minute short film of your choice that features two outfits from next seasons YMC clothing range (both male and female). It's the benefits of entering the competition however that interests me the most. Below is the full outline of the competition;

Now as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I am interested in shooting on 16mm or Super 16mm film. If my application were to be successful I would have (FOR FREE), a complete 16mm shooting package (minus lenses) as well as 4 rolls of 400ft 16mm film to shoot on. This would help a considerable amount and would cut down my initial crowd sourcing funding limit giving me a larger chance of acquiring a budget via donations.

However, I'm not entirely sure of the legality and copyright information as of yet. If I were to submit a film (and be aware it can only be a total of 5 minutes), would I own the rights to the film once it's finished? My script runs at around 10 to 15 minutes as a rough estimate so this would mean I would still have to acquire a number of extra 16mm film rolls in order to shoot the whole project for my dissertation. I intend on finding this information out ASAP and will post my findings when I do!

Crowd sourcing information via NoFilmSchool

Koo of NoFilmSchool has kindly linked me to previous blogs in which he informs us of tips and thoughts regarding getting your project successfully funded. This is only a small post as I felt these links were worth sharing.

1. THOUGHTS AND TIPS FROM WEEK ONE OF CROWDFUNDING MY FIRST FEATURE, 'MAN-CHILD'
2. TEN MUST-READ POSTS BEFORE RUNNING YOUR OWN CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN 
3. TEN (MORE) MUST-READ POSTS BEFORE RUNNING YOUR OWN CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

He has also supplied me with a link to a guest post he wrote for the popular site Hope For Film, which is ran by Ted Hope.

1. KOO ON YOUR AUDIENCE IS WORTH MORE THAN $

 

10 Crowd-sourcing tips from Kickstarter filmmakers...

I stumbled across this interesting article via NoFilmSchool which poses some interesting facts and tips for creating a pitch and crowd sourced project on sites such as Kickstater and was published by Ad Wasey on Rooftop Films.

Split into 10 sections, it features the following points;

1. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK
2. GIVE YOUR PITCH A HOOK
3. HAVE A GOAL AND EXPRESS IT
4. REACH OUT TO COMMUNITIES
5. EMBRACE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
6. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE FUNDING RACE
7. KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FUNDERS
8. MAKE YOUR PITCH PERSONAL
9. TELL PEOPLE WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
10. USE WHO YOU'VE GOT

These are all extremely valid points and I can't help but notice that Koo also gave me a lot of advice similar to that of the info relayed here by some other successful funding schemes. It shows that if these points are followed closely then there's a good chance your project may be successful!

One point that sticks out the most to me is keeping in touch with your contributors.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FUNDERS

The constant contact is really key. Especially in this day and age, it’s about building and cultivating an audience for yourself so you can hopefully sustain [your film career]. I was talking to someone recently who had contributed to both of my campaigns. She had also contributed to a number of others. She said, “You’re the only one that I really found this connection with.” There are a couple [of other campaigns where] she’s never heard from the people — she was assured that she would at some point. It’s hard because it varies by your own personality, how you connect with people. I do think there’s a real value, when people are giving you money, even if you know their name and address — you have an obligation to be in contact with them and let them know what’s going on. They were excited about the project in the first place! If you do really put an effort into the contact, over time, it will pay off, in terms of being able to get your work out there and sustain your work.
— Gregory Bayne, Jens Pulver: Driven

Gregory Bayne’s Jens Pulver: Driven is a documentary about a champion UFC fighter and his last match. Its Kickstarter project was a smashing success, raising more than $25,000 in just 20 days. For more about Jens Pulver: Driven, head over to thislovelymachine.com.

The article can be found in full HERE