I have been beavering away on Eleanor Xandler for almost a year, which is way longer than I had anticipated. But then, that's also typical of a personal project - we really can't estimate how long these things take when we don't apply a strict deadline, and we're experimenting with new ideas at every turn.
What I had not realised was how long it would take to render certain shots, and how long it would be before the work started to lose its lustre and be a chore. To be honest, it's not a chore yet, but I do wish it was over already.
Couple that with the fact that I am out of work, and have run short of money, I am a bit worried and stressed, which isn't the best environment to achieve high quality work. I spend my nights sleeplessly worrying about the next day and what my immediate future will bring.
So I have decided to experiment with crowdfunding. One of the biggest problems that my filmmaking mates and I face when we have an idea for a project is where the money will come from. Each one we do is more ambitious and expensive than the last, and we haven't found even one single source of outside money in all that time. We're trapped into the lowest of budgets, and we need to find a way out if we're going to get anywhere with this.
There are two main sites for crowdfunding that most people know about. Kickstarter is mostly American, and has some restrictions for international projects, but it is by far the more well known and more successful, in itself and for the projects it showcases, which include such diverse projects as manufacturing and charities. Whereas IndieGogo is international-friendly, and has a more of a small-time feel to it, with a particular emphasis on art projects like films.
I figure it's worth a try. If it succeeds, and I'm only starting relatively small at $5000, then not only will it encourage us for future projects, but it's a good one to hold up and say "look what we did, look what we want to do" and bring any funders from one along to our others. It could potentially be huge. More likely it will be mediocre. Fingers are crossed for either.
3 Reasoned Responses:
Yeah one of the big problems of doing a highly intense FX project is having to do it all by yourself. I remember a number of people making Star Wars fan films thinking they could just FX everything just like in the real movies not realising that those movies had hundreds of people working them rather than one or two individuals.
Your movie is now falling into the classification of being "a labour of love", this means the fun is draining out of it but you're determind to get it finished so onward you plough. It's a very admirable trait to have as I know plenty of productions that would've given up the ghost by now.
Re the financial side of things. I hope this does work out for you 'cause there are a lot of people keen to see this film come to life.
Best of luck with it.
Dags
Your character sounds remarkably familiar to a late 90s ABC heroine - Eugenie Sander.
Any inspiration credits required?! : P
(and I am NOT implying that your idea is less than original...)
I have never heard of Eugenie Sandler before. If there's any influence it is entirely subconscious.
"Eleanor" is from my Auntie Lenore, and "Xandler" was just Chandler with a science-fiction X.