Jean Lynch takes a look at one film’s campaign
Securing finance for a film’s production has never been the easiest of tasks but with the demise of the Film Council (and its successor, Creative England, still in its infancy), funding cuts across the board and belts being tightened due to the current economic downturn, getting film made is harder than ever before. You could say that’s the way the cookie crumbles with film, but one producer is hoping for some good luck and has taken matters into her own hands for her feature film, Fortune Cookies.
Becky Adams, producer at Reelscape Films, is one of a new breed of filmmaker who has eschewed the traditional financing route and has instead thrown herself at the mercy of the people who ultimately matter the most: the audience. Unless you have been living in the Mars mission simulator, you can’t fail to have noticed the new phenomenon that is crowd-funding. Essentially, instead of doing the rounds, banging on doors and filling in forms, filmmakers are able to sell perks to backers who are surprisingly more than willing to part with cash. This then goes into funding the movie. A number of online platforms have sprung up, the most notable being Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Sponsume, to be name but three, all of which allow filmmakers to take this step with relative ease, while the platform takes a percentage only of the money raised. The filmmaker specifies various perks, in ascending order so, for £5 let’s say, you might just get a heartfelt thanks or maybe a credit on the website; for £2500 you might get an associate producer’s credit on the film, or a valuable prop, or lunch somewhere nice with the cast and crew. In between, you will find t-shirts, DVD copies of the film, assorted film merchandise, and all manner of weird and wonderful things.
So, for the full perks package for Fortune Cookies, this will set you back £1,000. For this you get an “Invite for you plus one to the cast and crew screening and wrap party. A day set visit or Extra experience in the film for you, plus 3, including a Chinese takeaway meal with the cast and crew, a box of fortune cookies, 1 item of signed memorabilia, a credit on the production of the film as well as a personal letter of thanks. You will be given a choice of dates either in Northamptonshire, Birmingham or London.” Packages on the crowd-funding platforms invariably allow the general public a glimpse into the world of filmmaking, with access to places that are usually beyond their own lives, or else something unique and therefore special.
So far, so good. However, crowd-funding platforms do get – well… crowded! A canny marketing campaign, one which makes full use of all the social media tools in the box, is needed plus relentless plugging to make your film cut through the noise and stand out in the crowd.
So why should someone sit up and take notice of Fortune Cookies?
Well, for a start it’s in the great tradition of British quirkiness – set in a Chinese takeaway! Directed by Brenda Lee, who based the story on her own experiences growing up, it’s pitched as a cross-cultural comedy, along the lines of East is East, Bend it Like Beckham, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and – I would add – Meera Syal’s Anita and Me.
Susan Lee is troubled. She dreams of being an actress, while her family dream of appearing on their favourite gameshow Les Dennis’ ‘Fame to Fortune’. So what should Susan do when the Lees win an opportunity to appear on the show – their only chance to save their takeaway from loansharks – on the same night as her stage debut? Its family vs ambition. Love vs duty. Chekhov vs chicken feet.
And yes – I did say Les Dennis! Judging by the hilarious promo for the film, Les will be at his sleaziest best in the role – now wouldn’t you pay good money to see that?
Given the large Chinese community in the UK, it’s surprising that there’s a distinct lack of homegrown celluloid by British Chinese filmmakers and another of Fortune cookie’s unique selling points. Another is that incorporated into the film’s production is a social enterprise factor, with an educational workshop and work experience programme for young people, encouraging engagement with learning through hands-on production of a feature film, taking place over 16 weeks in a number of academy schools in the East Midlands, with up to 1500 students.
So – great British comedy, characters you care about, one sleazy gameshow host, plus promoting cross-cultural relationships AND introducing over a thousand young people to filmmaking and providing valuable skills for life – what’s not to like??
Take a look at the Fortune Cookies campaign on Sponsume. Becky and her crew are looking to raise £30,000 before the campaign closes on 16th December, so help spread the word.
Here’s what Les and the gang have to say:
xx - posted on 23/05/2012 13:13:28
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