Help my friend fund TV Pilot Riven which I am the DP for. Plan B

UPDATE: Riven is over. Brian couldn’t get the funding he needed. He is in the process of refunding all Paypal donators. Please bear with him. Am very sorry. I was just a hired DP shooting this for a friend I had no other involvement directly in the project other than trying to help him get funding. He has vanished from twitter and I really hope he is ok.

UPDATE: The kick-starter campaign fell shy of what we needed which meant Brian got zero, zilch, nada. But not is all lost. If you pledged then please can you repeat your donation via our Plan B. There is a paypal widget below and here are some words from Brian…

BRIAN: Thank you to everyone that backed us on the Kickstarter campaign! We really appreciate it, but the Kickstarter failing does not mean the end of RIVEN! The details are outlined below – I encourage you to read it all, but here is the bottom line:

In order to move forward, we need to know that we have the funds to do so. We don’t need it all now, but we need to know that it there. In order to move forward with the very important fight training for our lead actress and other actors, we need to have this in place IMMEDIATELY. The Kickstarter was scheduled to end at a specific date – and the funds are distributed approximately two weeks after completion. Since the campaign did not hit the goal, we don’t get that money, but that means we have a little time to convert those Kickstarter pledges into Paypal contributions. (if the widget below is not working go to Brian’s page or use a different browser but do check out Brian’s page for updates on the project where he also explains more about the whole money situation)

If you believed in RIVEN before, we need you more than ever now. If we convert just $25,000 of the $30,000 from Kickstarter, then we can make the show and can begin working on it. And we need YOUR to help!


DONATION REWARDS

All reward levels stay the same as on Kickstarter, though some have been eliminated. Philip and I really look forward to sharing the Exclusive Behind the Scenes content, and this will give us a way to do so.

$15.00

  • MP3 Download of the Riven Theme Song single.
  • 720p HD Digital Download of the RIVEN Pilot Episode including commentary from director Brian Ramage, cinematographer Philip Bloom, and the lead actress.

$35.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Exclusive Access to the Top Secret production blog. Behind the scenes look at Philip, Brian, and the rest of the crew as they put together this pilot episode.
  • DOES NOT INCLUDE access to the Live Streaming Video from Set and other stages of production. See the next nevel:

$50.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Access to the EXCLUSIVE Live Streaming Video from Set and other stages of production, including the Table Reading with full cast.

$100.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • 1080p HD Blu-ray Disc of the RIVEN Pilot Episode including Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Behind the Scenes Featurettes, and Production Sketchbook.

$250.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Two Tickets to the Red Carpet L.A. Premiere Screening of the RIVEN Pilot Episode.
  • Special Thanks Credit in the end credits.

$500.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • 27×40 One Sheet RIVEN Theatrical Poster signed by the Cast, Director and Cinematographer

$1000.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Associate Producer Credit in the end credits and on the IMDB listing for the show.
  • Two ADDITIONAL Tickets to the Red Carpet Premiere (4 total).
  • Invitations for you and your 3 guests to the Rooftop After Party after the Screening.

$2500.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • A Day on the Set of RIVEN to shadow cinematographer Philip Bloom.

(Does not give the backer unrestricted access to the set and/or location. Set visit days will be determined by production as per work load. Backer must provide his own transportation to and from set/location.)

$5000.00

  • All of the above, except screening tickets, plus:
  • Two VIP Tickets to the Red Carpet L.A. Premiere Screening of the RIVEN Pilot Episode, with your own VIP sofa love-seat in the theater.
  • Two Standard Admission Tickets to the Red Carpet L.A. Premiere.
  • Invitations for you and your 3 guests to the Rooftop After Party after the Screening.

$10,000.00

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Executive Producer Credit in the credits and on IMDB for the RIVEN Pilot Episode.
  • Exclusive Private Dinner and Beverages with Director Brian Ramage and Cinematographer Philip Bloom.

(All screen credits awarded for backing the pilot episode apply only to the pilot episode – they do not carry over in the event that the show is picked up.)

Philip: I very rarely ask for your help for any of my work, but I am turning to you today. I am shooting a TV Pilot that could be fleshed out into a feature film. It’s an action film and unlike anything I have ever worked on before. It’s being directed by my friend Brian Ramage who has spent the past 6 years trying to get this made.

I liked his short film taster “Severed” and I have been looking to do a project like this for some time. This seems like the perfect thing.

What is it?

This is a HUGELY ambitious venture. Yes Brian could put himself into debt for life and try and finance it himself, most likely ruining himself in the process… he has tried. Finding investors is next to impossible so that is why he has turned to kickstarter.

Brian and I met through twitter, through social networking, and met for the first time at the Great LA DSLR meet up the year before last (even though he doesn’t use DSLRs!). It was great to connect with him and although we have differences of opinion, we agree on the stuff that matters. This is where social networking comes in….

We are not asking for you to donate more than you can afford. Any small amount helps, even a dollar, but for just $35 you get access to detailed  BTS blogs, videos, live streams and so much more on the making of this. You will be able to follow our journey and I hope learn a huge amount from this very professional production. This is going to be a fully documented BTS film. I will be looking for a BTS crew to document this (it’s shooting in LA) so if you’re interested let me know!! This is a serious project which we aim to not only look as good as anything on HBO, but be as well made and as riveting.

With a cast of 19, 33 extras, lots of crew, expensive locations, pretty much most people are not even getting paid, even with the asking funding of $48k. I certainly am not. It’s an expensive business proposition this, and to make it look good we cannot skimp on things. Even at that price, pretty much every producer will go “how on earth can you make it for that?”

I know it’s a lot to ask but I hope you can see the value in helping Brian realise this great project! Thanks so much!

 

Phil

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Riv-en [rivuhn]

-adjective

1. Violently ripped in two.

RIVEN tells of a troubled 13 yr old girl who is left to fend for herself after her special forces father doesn’t return home from a mission. Devon, the young girl, must balance her childhood with survival in the new violent world she has stumbled upon – contract killing.

From a feature film screenplay written in 2005 by Jean Miller and Brian Ramage,  RIVEN doesn’t take the comic book approach taken by recent films, but instead takes the story and the character seriously and realistically, focusing both on the action and the pain; showing the hurt and drama that leads to the action. There are many risks for a girl this age in the business she has fallen into, and Riven addresses the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the deadly serious and the comedic. This isn’t a comic book superhero, this is areal teen girl.

RIVEN Premium Cable TV Series Pilot

While it started as the feature screenplay “RIVEN” and found life as a short film titled “SEVERED”, what we are pitching here is a 55 minute pilot episode of the original story adapted to a 13 episode premium cable TV series format.

While I always only envisioned RIVEN as a feature film, SEVERED earned me well over a year of meetings in some top Hollywood producer’s offices, and while they loved the story and characters, I did what I could to sell the feature project, but it almost always kept coming back to adapting the screenplay to a premium cable TV series. Why premium cable? Three reasons. A) The feature is full of strong language and violence, so it’s likely “R” rating adapts better to premium cable; but B) More story and character freedom. Simply put – look atGame Of Thrones – you can do things on premium cable that you just cant do on basic cable; and C) premium cable original programming is explodingNow is the time.

Finally, adapting a 90min feature script to a 13 episode premiere season offers far more room for development. It seems many shows struggle to just insert filler into their shows, completely ignoring the opportunity to use the extra screen time to further develop both the story and the characters. And to me, this was the selling point on adapting the feature to TV. I created these characters in 2005 and have worked tirelessly since then to bring them to screen. They have become living people and every action and reaction comes from the who they are – not to lazily progress a plotline, but because their character guides it.

WHAT WILL THE MONEY GO TOWARD?

The funds raised will go toward every step of the production process, including administration, cast/crew compensation, casting, fight training, props, wardrobe, locations, food, insurance and anything else I can’t think of at the moment. In fact the only thing that the money will not go to is me. Everyone on this project will be compensated for their time and effort, but my only reward will be a job well done.

My bio is below, so we’ll continue to:

PHILIP BLOOM – Cinematographer

Phil and I have been friends for just over two years now, having connected as filmmakers on Twitter, sharing lively discussion on every aspect of filmmaking and films. Making home in England, Philip lives most of the time out of in suitcase in hotels all around the world, in high demand working as a cinematographer and educator holding sold out workshops on DSLR cinematography as well as other emerging digital filmmaking technologies. I don’t travel so much, but Philip’s travels bring him through L.A. a few times a year allowing me to hang out and catch up with my friend.

For those that are not familiar with Philip and his work, Philip has been working in broadcast for almost 20 years. With clients ranging from BBC, SkyNews, FOX, Microsoft, Apple, Audio, and CBS, Philip has devoted his life to production and in the last 5 years or so, being on top of the cutting edge of digital technology – sometimes even before it emerges. As maybe the most knowledgeable cinematographer when it comes to DSLR filmmaking, Philip was brought in by George Lucas and Rick McCallum of Lucasfilm to teach them up at SkyWalker Ranch how to use these new cameras for their upcoming feature film Red Tails.

Wanting to take a bit of a break from his normal schedule, Philip and I discussed the new plan for Riven, and interested, he asked for a copy of the script. Already in pre-production for the RIVEN Pilot, and about to start looking for a Director of Photography that I not only get along well with, but can handle the demands of a short schedule as well as the desired visual aesthetic, Philip would be a perfect fit. He responded: “I love it. Let’s shoot it.”

So here we are.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

As explained, we are making a 55 minute TV pilot. Writing began over a year ago, pre-production began this past Spring, casting will begin in August, fight training will begin not long after that, and principal photography begins this Winter. Upon wrap, we will move to accelerated post-production with a final product within a few months.

Along the way, we will blog about everything. In fact I highly recommend checking out the $50 donation level as that will give you a behind the scenes look that no one else will have. You will get to see every step of the process. If you get in early enough, you can watch portions of the casting sessions being streamed LIVE on the web, available only to those at that level. From there you’ll witness fight training and choreography, lighting tests, rehearsals, table readings, and one thing that internet filmmakers will really enjoy – watch as we decide what camera we’ll shoot on. Almost anything is an option including the new Red Epic as well as the amazing Arri Alexa. But you will be the first to know.

Philip has dedicated the past few years to filmmaker education and this will be no departure. He sees this as a chance to teach and show the entire production process instead of just focusing on a single specific piece of gear or camera.

THE PLAN AFTER COMPLETION

While Hollywood is reluctant in the current market to just jump on an idea, I have several producers that are just waiting to see what we come up with, and considering what I am confident that I can deliver as well as what I know Philip can put on-screen, I am confident that the RIVEN Pilot will be met with far more enthusiasm than SEVERED has already seen.

Also, once we have the pilot episode in the can, it is about half of the feature film script, so with another concerted effort just like this, we can also finish the feature giving us another product to shop around and even enter into festivals.


 

90 comments

  1. Man, this is just amazing… I’m gonna find a way to get to the $50 ‘cos it’s an incredible and complete “extras”, as I’m a DP, it’s a great way to keep up learning.. God I would love to be a part of that crew!!!… but living in Chile doesn’t help at all… best of luck Philip, if you can make your personal films pratically alone and they are beatiful, I can’t wait to see you in a proyect like this…

    Keep up!!

  2. I will donate a bit, not much as I can’t afford it for now but I little bit and I hope it will help… A bit…

    As I’m french, and even if I’m quite good in english, I’m not sure I got it right so correct me : you will make the Pilot with the fund you raised gorilla style BECAUSE producers don’t want to bet ? So if it is good, then they will produce the film/show ?

    Well, in France, we have so much of the same problems right now, I totally understand what you’re doing. So, count on me ! I’m in !

    By the way : didn’t understand on which camera it will be shot… F3 ?

      1. Yeah… I think we are leaning towards Epic, but I’m still a fan of Alexa and F3.

        Basically… at some point soon I think we will have to broadcast live, as part of the exclusive BTS package a conversation on the various cams and what we think will work best for this project.

        While I never believe any film depends on the camera, I also believe there is a “correct” camera for each job, and it is part of OUR jobs to figure that out correctly.

        -Brian

  3. I think I’ll toss $50 after my next paycheck. Can we buy the bluray separately later on for another 50?

    Also, you guys should consider encoding the digital download in x264 rather than h264. No color bug, and much more detail retained relative to file size. I can get it nearly visually lossless at under 100 MB per minute with a 1080p Bluray source. You can still maintain full Quicktime compatibility with the correct settings and a .mp4 format. If you’re interesting, shoot me a message at vimeo.com/hanssteinert or HansNfranZZZ@gmail.com and I can show you some examples. If you want to shoot me a 5 second uncompressed random segment of whatever test footage you have, I’d be happy to shoot it back at you encoded with my x264 so you can see how it looks at a “web” filesize.

    All the best, this will be an exciting journey for you guys.

    1. Hans, Thanks for the digital download feedback. That is a long way off but is something to consider.

      Same goes for the Blu-Ray. But, there is an added catch to SELLING Blu-Rays AFTERWARD. Hopefully the show gets picked up and it’s possible whoever picks it doesn’t WANT Blu-Rays sold.

      All people that donate to the proper level will get their disks, but there is no guarantee that disks will be for sale later. But really, the bottom line is that we are filmmakers, not DVD distributors so we are concentrating on doing what we need to do to get the show made. No show, no Blu-Rays.

      And I’m sure I’ll be picking your brain when the time comes for digital download tips. 🙂

      Thanks,

      Brian

      1. Brian,

        http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q185CJOO

        Here’s an example from a small 2 second clip in a 1080p promo vid I had to do recently. Straight from my Canon 60D into Premiere CS5.5, graded a bit, and then exported 8-bit uncompressed in both Quicktime and AVI. I then encoded it to x264, and supplied both the original uncompressed files and the x264 output for comparison. I kept it at around 11mbps.

        Feel free to encode the uncompressed file with whatever your normal web exporting methods are if you want to see how it compares to the x264 file.

  4. Bastien,

    I’ll jump in with a little clarification, if that’s okay.

    Regarding the FEATURE FILM, distribution is a very unknown dynamic right now. With video stores closing and everything moving to a digital streaming distribution model, financiers are not as willing right now to put money up to make a film. Just 5 years ago, there was almost a GUARANTEED $500k just in distribution money to get a project made. That isn’t there anymore. Now… move to TV shows…

    Producers are VERY interested. All the premium cable channels are creating original shows and now Netflix and Hulu. The market is open and growing. BUT, there are A LOT of people out there with shows – ESTABLISHED people – and they’ve got the ears of the top people. Who will Netflix choose? Me and Philip, or Kevin Spacey and David Fincher. No matter how GREAT our show could be, WE lose.

    Another HUGE consideration for ME is the way that TV works. Let’s say I walked into a network and they wanted to buy the show. (Keep in mind I’ve met with PRODUCERS. These are the guys that BUY the shows… they MAKE the shows.) BUT, if we SOLD the show to, say, HBO, then IMMEDIATELY, all I get is a “Created by” credit, Philip has NOTHING to do with the show, and I never even get to DIRECT or PRODUCE my own show that I have bled over for 6 years. I’ve sold it, it’s gone, and I have no say in anything anymore. They can then even change everything I wrote and turn it into something else. Now you can then say “But just make a deal that you get to direct.” And that is where you enter fantasyland. You dont just make those deals. They have NO REASON to invest THEIR money and let an unknown make the show.

    Now… almost every hour long show on TV right now is running $1M or more to make. So Philip and I take our $43,000 budget, (Kickstarter takes almost 10%) and make a show that could air TOMORROW on HBO, Showtime, Starz, Hulu, Netflix, FX, etc… and we just MATCHED THEIR GAME at less than 1/20 of their budget, and how can they not take notice?

    It’s impossible to say what will happen with the show. I have the contacts and it WILL get in front of the eyes that make the decisions in BUYING shows. And then there are 1,000,000 variables that determine if they buy it. And if they do, if it will ever make it the air, and if it does, if it will last….

    You say “If they like it, why don’t they make it?” Simply because it’s not that easy.

    Also, once this is shot, we have 1/2 of the FEATURE FILM shot. So another concerted effort and we can have both a completed pilot AND a completed feature film. And boy do I like OPTIONS.

    Hope that helped. And hope it translates okay. You speak english far better than I speak anything else. 🙂

    -Brian

  5. Mr. Philip, why don’t you come shoot this down in Louisiana. It is so much cheaper now to film here because we lowered the tax. Also, many studios have been being built. Just a thought. Maybe if this whole thing takes off. And congrats btw.

  6. I would like to add that you might want to see if Netflix would be interested in this TV show. Netflix is starting to make their own content like HBO and Show Time. Also Direct TV is starting to get shows that are only on their service. Hulu might also be interested in the show as well, but I think Netflix would be better.

  7. How are you guys going to progress if you can’t manage to secure funding this way? I noticed on some of the updates that you were already moving for casting and test shoots…

  8. Hi Philip,

    I realize that you aren’t going to be shooting this on a DSLR, but what I’d really like to see is some insight from you about how you would try to achieve the shots if you were using a DSLR. I realize that DSLRs are not generally considered to be well suited for use in highly dynamic action-sequences, but I’ll never afford a Red, Alexa or F3, so I’d love any tips you might have for capturing fast-paced action using DSLRs…

    That would be something that I would find really valuable for you to include in your behind the scenes project updates for backers…

    Cheers!

    1. not PB here, but my 2c:

      Hiring these cams, or something else (smaller chip cams?) for the shoot would the way to go! Even then, this would likely end up costing lots (versus a ‘tiny budget’ flick, using own camera)

      If using a DSLR i would say experiment with higher shutter speeds, but be careful of stutter-ey looking footage.
      The worst thing is going to be the inevitable rolling shutter (which you would also get on a RED (not sure on Alexa etc.!), albeit not as bad as DSLR’s). There are plug-ins to combat this, though in some cases they can’t help. If I recall correctly, the most recent iMovie had a rolling shutter filter built-in, otherwise there are a few others out there. I’m sure I saw a “rolling shutter” node in Nuke, but have never used it, and again Nuke isn’t exactly cheap.

      Experiment, I say!
      (and post back here, I’m interested in the results!)

    1. Hey Micah, thanks for the interest. Shoot me an email to – crew @reubal .com – and be sure to include links to your work and a history of your experience. Keep in mind that we are shooting on an extremely small shoestring budget, so if a good paycheck is your motivation, this wouldn’t be the project for you.

      Also, keep in mind that we have the “cinematographer” role squared away – it’s ACs that we will be needing. 😉

      Thanks!

  9. Just donated $50, would have given more but with the PB Pocket Dolly going on sale tomorrow that is all I can spare since I will be getting a travel version. Can’t wait for Riven to be made. Keep up the good work Philip.

  10. Hi Philip, hi Brian,

    I’d like to join the BTS crew (or any other position) for this project. Although I live in Brazil, I can be at LA for 30 days for this project. My contribution would be my work and the expenses with my trip to LA. I also have a full DaVinci grading system and A/V studio in Brazil were I can cut, color grade or mix anything you need.

    I’m a cinematographer (HDLSR cameras and conventional video gear), still photographer, video editor (Final Cut and Premiere) and colorist (DaVinci), and I also have a good knowledge on Logic and Pro Tools and the Mac platform. 35 years of experience and counting 🙂

    So if you need me, just drop me a line. Let’s to this project!!!!

    Best

    Fábio Cormak

  11. not to disparage or anything but…… a regular network show, even cable show, in the US can run into about $2Milllion an episode to shoot to the standard they can do it with production, post, VFX etc. Where is the indication that this pilot on a budget of $50K can match that standard considering this is not a “walkie talkie” like Suits for example but a full on action show?

      1. your asking for investors, complaining? nope, genuine questions? yep and trimming several hundred thousand dollars is not cutting fat that’s chopping genuine production costs.

          1. what does the money do for you? it pays talented people!

            most of that 2 million is wages for the stars and they don´t need it, to get it done. they can charge it, because you talk about an established show. and they actualy can live from it. this riven-project is not to pay the bills, it´s made even if there are bills to pay. no one can live from that budget.

            to get a movie done, you need guys knowing their craft, a camera, passionate actors and some pocket money. more money just would mean more creativ freedom and less stomachache.

            1. Hi mart

              Thanks for your support. Nobody is being paid properly for the tiny amount we are getting it made for. We are paying for people who have to be paid and for others like myself who are doing it for the passion of the project we are getting nothing. That of course cannot be sustained, nor shout it, if the show went any further. Then of course I would want a 1 million dollars an episode!!!

              1. ugh, that stupid old email address… jason is not my name 🙂 – mart is short for martin. i prefer to stay as anonymous as possible in the web, because i know what is possible and i know, that i don´t know what would be possible, but that is a long discussion.

                back on track – the day that i recognized, that the necessary things about movies are not buyable, was the day i understood that i coul´d make movies. i always loved the thougt, that my cellfone has a better camera than murnau had for nosferatu 🙂

                  1. passion is fine, passion is great but a tv show is about writers and actors and those expensive actors are the ones you need to deliver the lines and there’s a lot of great talent even on cable shows (like Suits, Warehouse 13, etc). A lot of expensive shows run into a brick wall and get cancelled because of poor acting and poor writing, hence the questions. This is the pool you’re playing in so where is the motivation for me, and others, to invest (however small the amount)? Shoot a dialogue scene or two, shows us what you have.

                    1. what can i say Neil. If you need convincing to the point of me flying over there to shoot a dialogue scene of two then it’s too much to ask. It’s unrealistic. I can bang on and on and on and on about this is a skeleton budget to get it done but not sure any of those times you actually took that statement in. Of course we want your support but having faith in us would be a nice thing to have too…

                    2. for which amount do you crush your head, neil? more than the price of a candybar or are you unsure if you should give 7500$ or 10000$?

                      … i don´t get it. sirious. i donated 50$ without blinking and that, while iam saving every cent for my own ambitious project. and why? because i owe it to philip. for everything he did here, for help for education for information…

                      ask yourself: would you pay philip a cocktail, if you meet him at the bar accidently, just to say “thank you for all you´ve done for me, without knowing me”? just donate and let him do his thing!

                      i even think “donating” is the wrong term… i bought a movie from an artist, who has proven his abilities enough. i also bought further education from a pro…

                      and do you realy think, that they need to spend 200K for eva longoria to get the acting done? there is many talent out there, if you would be a filmmaker, you would see that. sure, it´s a hard job and success depends on much more, than the actor alone… belive me. if it works, it´s the actor, if it fails, it´s the director.

                      and isn´t “severed” the thing you look for? – i couln´t watch it, because it´s locked in my country (music). sure, philip didn´t dp it (so far as i understood) and since then, a lot of water ran down the river, but…

                      cmon, be a man!

  12. Philip,

    This has been a great blog. I keep it on my daily reading list. However, this tacky financial campaign threatens your authenticity as a professional.

    There are better ways to get money.

    Consider hiring a money person. Stick with what you know so well.

    Murray

      1. what a ridiculous comment… he is passionate about a project and willing to fight for it! what could be more authentical? if you are not that kind, better consider changing your “job” (if you´re not “a money person”).

        fan funded projects have been a standard forever and it looks like they will be the future. the only way people can get what they want and not what someone tells them to want… but also the cheapest way for producers to suck your blood.

        think you call it tacky, bacause you take everything for granted. just take from “the great blog from your daily reading list”. learn from a pro, benefit from his tests, enjoy his work for years, but not even give a buck if he dares to ask you to “consider” to give him a little help for a project (even if you get a reward for it!). instead you be pissed…

        you shouldn’t meet me in the dark, my frind.

        1. hi murray,

          it´s a shame it took me so long, but it traced me till today. i need to apologize for the last sentence i wrote. sorry.

          would we have talked face to face, there would have been no way, that you could´ve taken it serious, but on the internet, just as the words from a stranger, it´s inappropriate.

          i alomost deleted it before submitting, but didn´t. maybe because, the penny has also dropped very late on me. i just wanted to donate after philips 3. call for help. that sad fact might have got me very ambitious on that. however, the rest of my comment still applies.

          when i started looking for informations and help for filmmakingstuff, it took a long time till i found a reliable source. today, this blog and “film riot” are the places to go and if i see, what i took from here and how much more i know now… i never would have come so far (technically) without this.

          it seems, that some people also didn´t took that deep breath as yet and remembered, what philip has done for us (but there is hope – see me ;)). and it´s not such a big deal, to help him out here. especially because it´s not begging – you get a movie and more knowledge!

  13. so $30,000 dollars was “the bare bones to get it made” but now that your campaign didnt succeed you can suddenly make it for $25,000?

    This is confusing. Just what was the extra $5000 that you were asking people to donate for?

    1. er no…did you read the info from Brian or click his link? He explains all. This will help it get started and then he will try and raise the rest through financing. Peter, actually it was not $30k that was being asked for it was $48k! $30k is what was pledged to Kickstarter. Also don’t forget if you raise $48k using Kickstarter, Kickstarter get $4800 of that!

    2. Peter, while I’m unsure where you got all your numbers, you have helped me see that what I wrote up may not have been completely clear. If you read the entire Tumblr page (I’m sorry, I know it’s long) then I think that it is all explained clearly.

      But your message here to Philip has motivated me to write a just a little bit more in the top section to help clarify – let me know if it helps clear up where we are at with the funding. I will copy and paste it just below here so you dont have to go to the Tumblr page to read it.

      Thanks again.

      **
      (There seems to be some confusion about what I wrote above. Please note that this does not say that we can somehow make the show for only $25,000 instead of the $45,000. Please read the ENTIRE tumblr page for the complete story. What this says is that the $25,000 from this Paypal campaign PLUS another $20,000 in OUTSIDE financing will allow us to make the show. But we are currently $25,000 short on financing and need to secure it through Rewarded Contributions in order to move forward. Thanks again, and I apologize if I was unclear.)
      **

  14. Philip why not make a post about raising funds on your YouTube channel and Vimeo channel it would help get the word out.

    I read that Facebook is the number one site and average user checks into Facebook every other day. So even as good as your site is the average read might check in once a week or even once every two weeks.

    Not all your fans read your blog some people sub you on YouTube and others on Vimeo.

    Its kind of like me I watch IGN Daily Fix but I have little interest in http://www.ign.com/

  15. Has no one heard of indiegogo.com? I hate kickstarter and see so many high profile projects get killed when they have more than half their money. Use indiegogo, it’s the same thing except you get whatever you make from the project. I think people think kickstarter has built in donators or its trendier so people will go along better, but the fact is for crowd funding you need to promote it anyway, so the donation platform hardly matters.

    1. It’s a tough choice to make, Gregg. We chose Kickstarter for several very specific reasons. First, stats show that Kickstarter projects hit the full goal more often than IndieGogo projects. At the time we started, we needed to hit the full goal to make the show. A big reason that IndieGogo projects hit the full goal less often is outlined in a short entry on the Constant Cinema blog: http://www.constantcinema.com/blog/2011/8/18/driven.html

      In addition to that, IndieGogo takes out more in fees than Kickstarter, and Kickstarter is already high. On a FAILED campaign, IndieGogo takes out 13%. Not only is that a loss of *production funds*, that is almost like just *throwing away* an extra 3+% of people’s generous contributions.

      I also firmly believe that if we started on IndieGogo, we may have only reached *under* $20k and not the $31k that we got up to on Kickstarter simply because due to the “take what you get” nature of it, there is no last minute push by backers to try to get the campaign to succeed.

      But like I said, it’s a tough choice. And while *right now*, 60 days later, it looks like IndieGogo may have been the way to go, back when the campaign was launched, we made the best possible decision at the time.

  16. @Mart

    Dude, you need to chill, wind it down a notch. If people are asking for money it’s fair to ask how can you do a 45 minute pilot on a micro budget and compete in an ultra competitive market.

    @phillip

    C’mon dude, nobody needed to fly anywhere, A dslr, an audio recorder and a couple of pages of script. I’m surprised you didn’t do that for the kickstarter pitch to begin with.

    but, as they say on that risible dragon tv show, “i’m out!”

    1. Also not sure if you have heard of basic logistics. I live in London. Brian in LA so for me to shoot a page or two is kind of tricky without getting on one f those plane thingies. Secondly. It is not cast yet. So we just stick anyone in front on camera to read the lines when the right actors for parts are not reading it? How misrepresentative would that be?

      I am not going to beg for your money it your support. But clearly you have gained nothing from my blog if you feel you cannot give back in even a small way. I hope you do come back and enjoy it at times. Just a shame you have such a negative outlook on this. Oh well. Your prerogative !

      1. yes neil dude, you´re rigt. i need to chill down and accept, that some people are avaricious.

        all the best to you and i hope one day, you´re dreams come true and someone just comes up with all the millions, the distinguished actors, the phenomenal writers and the supreme crew you would need to make a great movie. iam curious what you would have to tell…

        ps.: “how can you do a 45 minute pilot on a micro budget and compete in an ultra competitive market” – easy, donate 50$ and they will show you how 🙂

        1. i’m thinking i donate $50 and we end up with Battlefield Earth the tv show, that’s just a guess mind you. Good luck, and remember, positive thinking is just a state of mind dude!

  17. I don’t get it Phil, if this project is so important and you belive so much in it, why don’t you just sell one or two of all your lenses and you’ll have all the money you need. You should be able to get the money back if you really belive in this project, right?

  18. Hey Philip,

    I have donated $15 towards your project. I often check your website for information that helps me approach different shooting styles and developing a skill/eye for the camera. This is a small amount of money that most people can easily afford to keep your blog going and to have a connection to a working DP who is creating high production content.

    To the rest of the negative users do something nice once in a while and help someone(it feels good). I am sure that there has been a time where you have either asked for free services, money, or crew to work on your creative project.

    Best of luck! Sorry I couldn’t contribute more.

    Ben

  19. Philip I think a website like

    http://www.kiva.org/press

    for film makers would be a good thing. The idea is you donate your money but if you make a profit you pay back the donations. This way people can donate it to another project or take there money back.

    There are a few ways that I know of how to make money with videos. One if

    http://www.youtube.com/partners

    the other video sharing site that pays you is

    http://blip.tv/

    but the big money comes with ads like GoDaddy and Netflix

    You get payed when someone watches a video not by clicks. You can watch a few of these podcast shows to get a better idea at http://revision3.com/ and http://twit.tv/

    Here are some advertising companies that place ads in videos.

    WizzardMedia: http://www.wizzard.tv/blog/advertising-overview/
    PodTrac: http://www.podtrac.com
    BluBrry: http://www.blubrry.com/
    Mevio: http://www.mevio.com/
    RadioTail: http://www.radiotail.com/
    http://www.backbeatmedia.com

  20. Philip, you should see if Machinima would be interested in funding Riven.

    Machinima is now making shows like the X-Files for youtube take a look.

    Episode 2: Birdfall (Brand new Machinima.com exclusive series)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ri7bOOCmBM

    Episode 3: Dry Weather (Brand new Machinima.com exclusive series)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBZL1VQXs6Y

    Machinima, is filming some other high end shows do a search on their channel for RCVR. Machinima has 3,422,606 sub subscribers on youtube so they can also help with marketing.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/machinim

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