Many student and independent film projects now use crowdfunding to raise the funds needed to start production. The benefits of crowdfunding are clear:
Applications for hard-to-get grants and Arts Council funding are often time-consuming, with slow responses. Crowdfunding, where online supporters can make pledges, large or small, toward a project can be a boon to filmmakers on a tight deadline.
But there’s more to crowdfunding than just the money. Every film needs an audience, and crowdfunding immediately connects filmmakers with their audience, and it does this at a very early stage. This allows supporters to be invested in the story of a film’s production; supporters follow production updates on social media and look for announcements of festival debuts or cinema screenings.
What they say about the benefits of crowdfunding
‘The benefits go way beyond the money,’ says Peter J. Storey, film executive and CEO of Greenlit, ‘You’re building your community, your fanbase of people who want to hear what you have to say—and that is hugely empowering. You’re not waiting for someone else’s permission to create!’
Greenlit, which Storey launched in 2017, is a crowdfunding site designed specifically for filmmakers. In just the past few years, it’s raised over £500,000 from over 9,000 donors for films, including shorts, features, and documentaries. Unlike industry competitors, Greenlit provides every project with personalised advice to help them achieve both their financial and creative goals.
‘They actually care about your project and want to help you succeed,’ says filmmaker Mark Brennan, who has funded two recent projects on the site. ‘Greenlit should be the go-to crowdfunding platform for any filmmaker.’
For friends of Raindance, Greenlit is offering free, one-to-one consultations to discuss any potential film projects and the crowdfunding process. If you would like to register for an online consultation, visit grn.lt/fundit. To learn more about Greenlit’s film support, go to greenlit.com/create-film.
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Phil Melanson is a writer of historical fiction and screenplays. Phil previously helped to develop digital marketing campaigns for films such as Little Women (2019), Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). As Greenlit’s Head of Communication, they focus on telling Greenlit’s story, from press releases to overseeing the company’s social content and outreach. They are excited to be working with creatives to help them share their stories and passions with the world.
