FAQ

• Did you know that there's a typo in your $20 "DIGIAL DOWNLOAD PACKAGE" reward?

  It's not actually a typo, for the $20 reward we couldn't afford a "t".  ;)

  Yes, apparently that's what happens when you type up the rewards at 12:30 AM.  However, now that there's a backer it can't be edited so I guess we will just roll with it.

  Last updated: Friday Aug 12, 5:32pm EDT
• How will the money be used?

  We've had a few questions wanting to know how the budget will be used for this project,  so I'll very generally outline what our plans are. First off know that this is actually a very low budget for the work we plan to do.  We're able to produce it for this amount because we've had many people agree to donate their services for free or at a very high discount.  If people were actually charging what they usually do for this work, the budget would easily be doubled what it is now.

  Here are some basics:
  Travel Costs: $12,000 - $15,000
  Right away about half the budget is going to be used for all the travel for this project.  This includes two planned trips to Nicaragua (for a total of 3-4 weeks), a trip to Washington D.C. to interview government officials, and potentially one other US location that I'm not able to mention at this time.

  Travel costs include covering everything for the small crew of three, insurance, local costs like hiring a translator for several weeks, equipment rental, transportation, food and lodging, etc.  Obviously it can add up quickly.

  We will do our very best to be as frugal as possible during the travel, as the rest of the budget will be used for post production and distribution and the more we have for that the better the project will be.

  Production/Post Production Expenses:
  You have to pay for things like editing, music, equipment rental, graphic design, distribution costs (DVD, online).  The good news is that here's where we've had a tremendous amount of people willing to donate their time, for free or at a reduced rate.  So we're able to do post production on a film of this scope for very little money (in the ballpark of $10,000). An example of what this looks like is an editor might spend 80 hours editing this project but only get paid for 15 of those hours.  That's the kind of dedication we have on this team and how we're able to produce this project.

  Marketing:
  Once the project is completed it does no good if it's only seen by a few hundred people.  Our intent is to get the word out about the reality of what's happening, both good and bad.  This will require us to spend money marketing the video, encouraging churches and organizations to screen it for their members, and entering it in festivals in the hopes of being more widely distributed.
  
  Kickstarter/Amazon Processing Fees:
  Kickstarter and Amazon each take about 5% of the total amount for processing fees, so that's 10% off the top immediately.

  Hopefully this gives you a good idea about how the money will be spent, and really how we're able to do a great deal on very little.  I know looking at a $30,000 number doesn't feel like a little amount, but when it's all broken down it really comes down to people being very generous with their time to help this project happen.

  If you have any questions at all about this, please feel free to contact me!

  bryan@617pg.com

  Thanks!

  Last updated: Tuesday Aug 23, 2:19pm EDT
• What do we want the result to be from this project?

  A good question I was asked the other day was, "What do you want the result to be of making this documentary?  What do you hope to accomplish?"

  There really are so many things that we hope would happen from this project, but I'll speak in general terms and save the hour long specifics for face to face conversations.  

  All documentaries educate, that's their primary purpose.  Some documentaries leave viewers entertained, some inspire action.  Ours would do the later.  

  It's become a desire of those of us involved with this project to try and show what isn't normally shown.  To "paint a picture" of the world as it really is for those of use that quite often don't see past our comfortable lives.  It's not intended to be a tool of guilt, but simply an opportunity to look out beyond the normal walls of our lives and see what reality is like for people in different parts of the world.  This particular situation in Nicaragua is one of those realities.  The hope is that by seeing examples like sexual trafficking, and by seeing that there are ways to solve it, people will be moved to action and will be on the look out for ways they can help other people in various circumstances in various places.

  Each one of us, wherever we are in the world and whatever our economic status is, has the capacity to do great good for others.

  We want to celebrate those being brave against evil and inspire all of us to do the same.

  Last updated: Monday Aug 29, 1:48pm EDT
• What will happen if you exceed your goal?

  There's no downside to exceeding the goal we set for this project, it just means we will be able to deliver an even better documentary.  This goal is what we decided was the absolute minimum needed to make a good, solid film about this issue.  Any funds received over that minimum will only help to further enhance the final product.

  Last updated: Wednesday Sep 7, 1:26am EDT
• What will you do if you don't reach your goal?

  The way Kickstarter works, backers are only charged (and we on'y get money) if we reach 100% of our goal.  So if we don't receive pledges for at least $30,000 by the deadline, we will get nothing and people that have pledged money so far will not be charged.

  This is a good system.  It allows people to pledge with confidence that they're not giving money to something that will never happen.  If you get charged it's because we have enough money pledged to complete the project.

  This is why it's critical that we get 100% of our goal by the deadline, any money that is donated after 9/11/11 really won't be of help (unless someone funds the entire project).

  As for the future of the project if we don't meet our goal, several things have worked out in this project that makes our window of opportunity to go the end of October through the first of November for the first and primary trip to Nicaragua.  So if we don't get our funding now, even if someone stepped up 6 months from now and wanted to fund the entire thing, the timing might not work out again to be able to go, at least for a very long time.  This is why we have the pressure now to get this funded ASAP so we can go at the end of October.

  We've come a very long way in our pledges in just over three weeks, but we still have a considerable way to go in the next 5 days.  Please help us by spreading the word, with specifics that we only have until 9/11/11 to raise the money.

  Thank you!

  Last updated: Wednesday Sep 7, 1:24am EDT