Funds

When you start looking at a movie as a way to raise money then you've screwed up. At least, that's my opinion. A movie shouldn't be about the money, it should be about telling a story. When I write something I try to write something that I would enjoy and I try not to think about what other people would think. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a great writer, in fact far from it. I encourage actors to play around with the dialogue, I like to hear people make suggestions. I'm all for the collaboration. But I always try and focus on the story first.

I suppose you could call it pulp. That kind of melodrama where the characters are secondary to the plot, that might be very try, in fact I'm certain it is, but that's what I like. And, hell, melodrama has been doing good business for years, so hopefully others like it too. But that brings me back to my point, making money. A film should never be about making money, but eventually you have to start looking for funds. It doesn't matter which way round you're doing it, shooting first, shooting last, whatever, eventually it all comes down to money.

With Follow The Crows we were lucky enough to have a cast and crew willing to put in their time for next to nothing, and for that I'm infinitely grateful. But in the end everyone would love to get paid, and we'd love to chuck some money at certain aspects of the movie to make sure it's the best that it can be. And this is where the fundraiser comes in.

Soon, we'll be launching a crowdfunder, and when we do we'll be pushing for donations. We have some great incentives for anyone who fancies chipping in, and they get better the more you donate, but the truth of the matter is that I would be happy is everyone gave £1. Don't get me wrong, I'd be ecstatic if everyone gave £100,000, but I'm a realist... to a degree. I mean, I do try to make movies.

So, we've spent the last week or so working on our campaign, considering how we're going to launch it, what our video pitch will be, watching and reviewing lots and lots of successful campaigns and finally filming a video that will be premiered on the crowdfunder. As we speed-ball toward the end of production on Follow the Crows these things become more and more reality, and it's quite nerve wracking.

So, if you've been following our progress (Following the Crows, if you like) then please keep your eyes peeled for the funding campaign. It'll be opened fairly soon, and we'll be begging you for some of your hard earned cash. Story first, but money helps.