Last night I ran into one of our “backers” at a party and he told me that he had always enjoyed our updates on Kickstarter. It reminded me that I have been a bit remiss – for a number of reasons. Mostly, since the film has been completed, I have been very busy submitting it into film festivals, setting up private screenings, working on getting it translated and subtitled into Spanish, Portuguese, French and perhaps even Dutch. I’ve had requests for screenings in France, Holland and have just been invited to give a TEDx talk in Sao Paolo, Brazil. We recently changed the tagline to : “It’s not just a movie – it’s a movement” and indeed it is just that – the start of a movement.
The other thing that has kept me busy, was setting up another campaign on IndieGoGo that we launched a couple of weeks ago. If this film has a chance of being seen and getting distributed on a large scale so that we can really make a difference – we need to raise money for PR, Marketing, closed captioning, translations, festival submissions and 4 wall screenings. The “experts” say you should budget at least as much for the publicity, marketing and advertising as for the making of the film itself. That’s tough for independent filmmakers who make films on a shoestring budget and rely on the kindness of others but an absolute must if the film has a chance of being seen.
There are a few things that you can do to help us out - some merely require just the click of your mouse to look at the site or share the link with others.
• You can contribute at IndieGoGo – every little bit helps and we have some really cool rewards – from t-shirts to reusable tote bags that can help keep our planet healthy.
• You can even just take a look at our campaign at IndieGoGo. This in itself ups our IndieGoGo factor and that leads to more visibility.
• You can share the link with friends and co-workers and tell them what we are trying to do.
• You can like our Fan page on Facebook
One thing I have learned from having a career in photography and video is how powerful they are in creating awareness and effecting change. One of our subjects Paul Moulds, of the Oasis Youth Support Network in Sydney, Australia told us that after a documentary had been made about Oasis and broadcast on Australian television – the word about this program spread, beyond what he could have ever imagined. In fact, it ultimately led to a connection with Sir Richard Branson and Virgin. So, by helping us and this film, you will be helping every one of our subjects and their causes – and that’s a powerful notion.
I hope by now, all of you who received the DVD have gotten a chance to watch it and agree that it’s power lay in getting seen. We couldn’t have done this without your help and we are forever grateful. You have all played a part in making this film happen. Please help us spread the word so that this little movie – that has a big message – goes global.
