The second feature film by Lanre Olabisi (dir. of August the First), based on improvs with the New York Independent Film Collective.
What's the deal?
We've been preparing a film entitled Somewhere in the Middle for a little over a year. We know how to make one - we have before, successfully (read on for more details about that). But the films we want to make are challenging to get financed. They lack exploding helicopters. They've originated through months of actor improvisations, not five-minute studio pitches. And this is a very diverse cast. In other words, too "risky" to rely on traditional film financing! This one has to get made differently. That's where you come in. We would like for you to show us some love and back our project.
Me? Well what's in it for me then?
Great question. No one wants to give something for nothing. Not only will you be contributing to the film, but you will also get the piece of the movie that you made happen. Full length feature films are made up of at least 100,000 frames - when you pause your DVD, you are looking at one frame, and each second has 24 of them.
In essence, it'll cost about one dollar per frame to make this movie. If you pledge enough for a single frame, then you will be sent a digital photograph of that frame that you (and only you) made possible. If you pledge enough for 5 minutes of the movie, you will be sent that particular 5-minute clip that you made possible, along with many more goodies. So the more you pledge = the more rewards you receive.
Why break it up that way? We want for everyone who backs the project to come away with something that is uniquely their own. No matter what you pledge, you will be sent the unique frame or clip that you made possible, and only you will get it. And whenever you watch the film, you'll be able to point at "your" moment in it and say "I made that happen."
Ok, I might be interested. What's the movie about?
Somewhere in the Middle is a comedic drama that charts the interconnected lives and loves of three New York City professionals. It weaves in and out of three seemingly disparate, disconnected relationships, re-telling the same events from varying perspectives. Layers of relationship, motivation and emotional dishonesty are peeled away as the characters struggle with love, sexuality, insecurity, and infidelity until all of the involved parties are left on entirely new and unsteady ground.
Who are you guys?
We are the New York Independent Film Collective. Our goal is to create a repertoire of entertaining, thought-provoking, personal films that express the rich, sometimes fractious diversity of contemporary culture overlooked by mainstream film. So if you like movies, but never really identify with any of the characters in them, then you are the person we are making movies for.
Sure, but what makes you special?
Our group is a multicultural consortium of award winning filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and producers—dedicated to the vision of creating at least one new film per year. Have you ever watched a movie and thought, "that's so unrealistic?" We have developed a unique approach that we think will eliminate that. Instead of writing a screenplay first and trying to modify it until it works, we developed a way to find something that works first and then put that into a screenplay.
We build a plot through a collaborative, improvisational process between the actors, the writer and the director. We suggest skeleton characters, backgrounds and possible scenarios to one another, improvising and writing along the way. Then, through an extended rehearsal process, the company evolves a compelling, organic story that is then scripted and filmed. So everything is more "real" because we saw it before it was put on paper.
How can I help?
Apart from backing the film? You can SPREAD THE WORD! Tell a friend about the project via email, share it on Facebook, tweet about it, something...anything...you can even (God forbid) call someone on the phone and talk about it.
I'm new to this: explain to me how Kickstarter works?
We set a goal -- in this case, $100,000. We set a deadline. It is April 5th. You pledge whatever your heart desires. If you even contribute as little as $1, you would be bringing us closer to our goal. Remember that the bigger the pledge, the greater the rewards (look to the right for a list of all the rewards we offer).
If we make the goal by the deadline, your credit card is charged what you pledged (but not until then). We have enough to make the film, you get your rewards and all is right with the world.
If we don't make the goal, your credit card is NOT charged, we do NOT get a penny, you do NOT get any amazing goodies and EVERYONE is upset, but we would probably be more upset.
Do you have shooting dates already?
Yes. If the campaign is successful, we plan to start shooting on May 17th and completing principal photography on June 3rd.
When will everything be finished?
We plan on completing everything by September of 2013, which would allow us to start our film festival run at the start of 2014.
Is the director any good?
Absolutely. He was one of 25 directors from around the world to be selected for IFPs Emerging Visions Program, he was also selected to the Shoot! New Director's Showcase.
How about the screenplay?
Yup. It was recently selected (2/26) from over 1000 screenplays as a finalist in the WriteMovies 31 contest. Ranked as one of the top screenplay competitions by MovieBytes. You may notice that in the video we mentioned that we were semi-finalists...well they came out with the announcement AFTER we launched and it was too late to change it. Oh well. We'll take it.
Can you guys really make a quality film for $100,000?
Yes.
How do you know?
We already did it.
Prove it.
Check out the feature film that the writer/director (Lanre Olabisi), producer (Gabriel "Swede" Sedgwick) and lead actor (D. Rubin Green) all worked on together. It's called August the First. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival, it was nominated for a Gotham Award, it screened at over 30 festivals and it won top prize in 6 of them. Currently, the film is distributed by Film Movement.
Can I see it anywhere else?
You betcha, it's streaming on Netflix.
I don't have Netflix because I am too cheap.
Fine, go to Hulu. It's free.
I can't stream movies. I still have dial-up.
Okay, check out this review from Variety. They'll tell you how good it is.
I don't like to read.
Great, you'll love our movie then - no reading required. This looks like it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
There are a lot of risks and challenges to making a feature movie. An actor could get sick, for example. Sometimes you have to reschedule stuff for weather. So some changes may occur. We will, however, be in constant contact with our backers so you know our progress every step along the way. This ain't our first rodeo, so we'll be prepared for anything that is thrown our way.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
1,079
Backers
$104,429
pledged of $100,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Feb 24, 2013 -
Apr 5, 2013
- First created · 12 backed
- Lanre Olabisi 1504 friends
- Website: nyifc.com
Pledge $1 or more
25 backers
1 FRAME OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! = You receive the UNIQUE FRAME (as a high-resolution still photo) that you made possible. Use it as a desktop background, print or post it on your wall! You will also receive a PERSONAL THANK YOU EMAIL and your name will be posted on the project backer wall of our website.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Pledge $5 or more
49 backers
5 FRAMES OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! = You receive the UNIQUE 5-FRAME CLIP (as a sequence of high-resolution still photos) of the film that you made possible! Use it as a desktop background, print or post it on your wall! You also receive a PERSONAL THANK YOU EMAIL and your name will be posted on the project backer wall of our website.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Pledge $10 or more
121 backers
10 FRAMES OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI POSTER! = You receive the UNIQUE 10-FRAME CLIP (as a sequence of high-resolution still photos) of the film that you made possible! PLUS, the Somewhere in the Middle MINI-POSTER (as a high-resolution digital download) and a huge THANK YOU on the project backer wall of our website.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Pledge $20 or more
92 backers
"PARTAY WITH THE COLLECTIVE" PACKAGE: You receive admission for one (1) to NYIFC's Kickstarter party on MARCH 13 at Smithfield's at 215 West 28th Street , NYC. Join the Collective for an evening of drinks, music, fun and the inevitable bump and grind. Featuring performances by some of our favorite NYC artists -- salsa dancers, spoken word artists, singer songwriters and tunes by DJ KANG **PLEASE NOTE: EVERY PLEDGE $20 AND OVER WILL INCLUDE ADMISSION FOR ONE (1) TO OUR "PARTAY WITH THE COLLECTIVE" EVENT ON MARCH 13**
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Pledge $24 or more
147 backers
1 SECOND OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE! = You receive the UNIQUE 1-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS the Somewhere in the Middle MINI-POSTER (as a high-resolution digital download), a huge THANK YOU on the project backer wall of our website, AND you receive access to a protected link on our website for BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE when filming begins.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Pledge $48 or more
146 backers
2 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + DVD! = You receive the UNIQUE 2-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS, a SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE MINI-POSTER (as a high-resolution digital download), a huge THANK YOU on the project backer wall of our website, access to BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE, AND you receive a Limited Edition pre-release DVD of SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $72 or more
52 backers
NEW REWARD LEVEL!!!! 3 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + DVD + an official NYIFC COFFEE MUG! = You receive the UNIQUE 2-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS, a SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE MINI-POSTER (as a high-resolution digital download), a huge THANK YOU on the project backer wall of our website, access to BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE, you receive a Limited Edition pre-release DVD of SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE and an official New York Independent Film Collective coffee mug.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $120 or more
56 backers
5 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs! = You receive the UNIQUE 5-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS, the SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE MINI-POSTER (as a high-resolution digital download), a huge THANK YOU on the project backer wall of our website, access to BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE, AND you receive a DVD copy of the director's first feature film AUGUST THE FIRST in addition to a Limited Edition pre-release DVD of SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Pledge $200 or more
8 backers All gone!
SPECIAL ACTOR'S PACKAGE: Need coaching for an upcoming audition? Fine tune your monologue or audition sides in a 1.5 hour session with master teacher/monologue coach and Yale School of Drama grad D. Rubin Green.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2014Pledge $240 or more
28 backers
10 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs + CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER CREDIT! = You receive the UNIQUE 10-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS, the SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE MINI-POSTER (as a high-resolution digital download), a huge THANK YOU on the project backer wall of our website, access to BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE, 2 DVD’s (a copy of the director's first feature film AUGUST THE FIRST and a Limited Edition pre-release DVD of SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE), AND you are now an CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER on the film!! That’s right! Your name will appear alphabetically during the end title crawl under the heading "Contributing Producers."
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $350 or more
2 backers Limited (3 of 5 left)
NEW REWARD LEVEL!!!!! SPECIAL KICKSTARTER CONSULTATION PACKAGE: Thinking of starting up a Kickstarter campaign? Sit down or Skype with the three founding members of the NYIFC for an hour and discuss Kickstarter strategies. What to do, what not to do, landmines to avoid and how to run an effective campaign. After three weeks of doing this, we have a pretty exhaustive list.
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $480 or more
7 backers
20 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs + CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER CREDIT + NY THEATRICAL PREMIERE & AFTER PARTY + SCRIPT! = You receive the UNIQUE 20-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS everything else in the $240 Reward Level in addition to 2 TICKETS to the NEW YORK THEATRICAL PREMIERE and AFTER PARTY (transportation not included) AND a digital copy of the FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT!
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $600 or more
4 backers Limited (6 of 10 left)
SPECIAL SCREENWRITER'S PACKAGE: Have award-winning screenwriter and Screenwriting Instructor at the New York Film Academy, Lanre Olabisi, read your script not once, but twice and give you the most thorough notes you have ever received in your life. But wait, there's more. After that, have an hour long Skype call with Lanre as well to discuss your script in depth.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2013Pledge $960 or more
3 backers
40 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs + CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER CREDIT + NY THEATRICAL PREMIERE + SCRIPT + SIGNED POSTER + PARTIES! = You receive the UNIQUE 40-SECOND CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS everything else in the $480 Reward Level in addition to an INVITATION FOR TWO to the LAUNCH PARTY, WRAP PARTY and PREMIERE PARTY (locations to be determined/travel and lodging not included) where we will present to you a SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE POSTER signed by the director and entire cast.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $1,440 or more
1 backer
1 MINUTE OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs + CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER CREDIT + NY THEATRICAL PREMIERE + SCRIPT + SIGNED POSTER + PARTIES + VIP PASS! = You receive the UNIQUE 1-MINUTE CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS everything else in the $960 Reward Level AND 1 ALL-ACCESS VIP PASS. Come on set, come to a crew meeting, see how it’s done!
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $4,320 or more
1 backer
3 MINUTES OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs + CONTRIBUTING PRODUCER CREDIT + NY THEATRICAL PREMIERE + SCRIPT + SIGNED POSTER + PARTIES + VIP PASS + WORLD PREMIERE! = You receive the UNIQUE 3-MINUTE CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS everything else in the $1,440 Reward Level AND You’ll get 2 TICKETS to the WORLD PREMIERE (travel not included but you can exchange the world premiere screening for a regional premiere closer to your hometown/country).
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US onlyPledge $9,720 or more
1 backer
6 MINUTES AND 45 SECONDS OF THE FILM is now possible thanks to you!!!!! + MINI-POSTER + BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE + 2 DVDs + NY THEATRICAL PREMIERE + SCRIPT + SIGNED POSTER + PARTIES + VIP PASS + WORLD PREMIERE + EXECUTIVE PRODUCER! = You receive the UNIQUE 6-MINUTE CLIP of the film you brought to life! PLUS everything else in the $4,320 Reward Level AND…. YOU HAVE JUST BECOME AN EXECUTIVE PRODUER!! That's right! Glitz, glam and a great film! You will be listed as an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER on the film. Your name will appear alphabetically during the end title crawl under the heading "Executive Producer." Thank you, Thank you Thank you!!
Estimated delivery: Jan 2014Ships within the US only
