This article was published on December 24th, 2013
Starting an online film series takes time, creativity, dedication, talent, and a lot of start-up money. Many aspiring artists, musicians and film producers are now turning to the public through crowd-sourcing sites like Kickstarter, to get investors to help raise funds for their project.
Unlike a typical investment, Kickstarter projects do not pay out if the project produces profits. Investors come to the table to help the recipients fulfill their dreams and turn their projects into reality.
“Making a show is hard work!” says Madison Singer of The 3 Bits, a gay web series that is currently seeking funding. “Especially one like ours that is single-handedly combating the mainstream destruction of everything weird and wonderful.”
Singer’s $50,000 will help pay for nine episodes of the series. “To achieve the high quality look of the show, we hire talented actors and rent professional equipment. It will take three weeks to shoot the next nine episodes,” she says.
Kickstarter doesn’t collect money from the donors until the pledge reaches its targeted amount. If they do not reach their fundraising goal by the scheduled end date, donors keep their money and the fundraising drive is cancelled.
Here are 3 important gay film projects which would appreciate funding support:
The Three Bits
Goal: $50,000
Rewards Offered: Pillow cases, Actor’s underwear and toenails
Max Freeman and Margaret Singer’s queer web series, The 3 Bits, follows the antics of a trio of Brooklyn siblings—art-school twink Henry (Cole Escola), drug dealer–turned-gardener Roman (Singer) and Park Slope mommy blogger Madison (Erin Markey). It’s developed a rabid cult following, thanks to its mix of noirish drama, cheeky comedy and general shamelessness.
The Campaign of Evil: Russia and Gay Propaganda
Goal: $70,000
Rewards Offered: Producer credit, Dinner with Michael Lucas
As most of the world moves forward toward gay equality, Russia is seemingly heading backward. Violent attacks against Russian gays, and people suspected of being so, are more and more common. Videos of young gay people being taunted and tortured have been widely distributed on the internet. Legendary porn mogul Michael Lucas documents gay life in modern Russia today, giving the world a first-hand look of what it is like to be a member of the gay community in his former homeland.
Evil Rising
Goal: $3,000
Rewards Offered: Set visit, premiere tickets
At the heart of the film is a story about love and loss, a lesson on giving in to evil and the consequences that come along with it. It centers around a young man who is bounced from group home to group home until he is old enough to take care of himself. The instability he experiences heads him to grow cynical of the world until he meets Daniel, a man who represents safety, love, justice, and all good things about the world. But then Daniel dies and Samuel is presented with a unique opportunity to bring him back to life.
