Sunday, February 12, 2017

This Week in Crowdfunding (2-12)

By: Selina


Through “This Week in Crowdfunding,” you’ll find five of the best projects Trust the Dice found hosted on crowdfunding sights this week. These are Films/Web Series’/Shows of varying lengths and genres that we believe in. If you like any of the projects you see here, donate to them, tell your friends, and/or post about them on social media.

These projects don’t just need money, they need people to care and spread the word that they exist.

Support creativity. Support indie artists.

Remember that every actor, director, writer, and movie you have ever fallen in love with had to start somewhere.

Trust the Dice does not, and will not, accept payment from project creators for
Appearance on this list. Projects are chosen solely on the merit of the idea,
proposal, and people involved.



5 – Möbius: The Shape of Things to Come


Crowdsource Platform: INDIEGOGO
Director: Michal Golebiowski
Writer: Michal Golebiowski, Carolina Marconi, Jack Phillips
Other Staff: Kristina Stafecka (Producer), Amie Cliffen (Assistant Producer/Sound Design), Alessio Signoriello (Director of Photography), Nikos Giannakakis (Music Composer), Alara Akçan (Colour Grader), Anna M. Urbańska (Assistant Production Design and Costumes), Vilius Ūksas (Post Production Supervisor), Moein Zeraati (VFX TD), Andra Sascau (VFX TD Motion Capture), Jan Wawrzyniak (Illustrator), Mark Chapman (Project Supervisor)
Amount Requested: $5,600
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $550 raised by 8 backers.
Type of Goal: Flexible – Campaign will receive all funds raised even if goal is not reached.

I have always enjoyed films that mix genres. As a movie lover, whittling down to a single genre when people ask me what I like the best has always been incredibly difficult. It mostly depends on the day.

In Möbius, the people at Strikingback Pictures are tackling the stories of three different people. The stories are interwoven together through the subjects of war and hate. This film looks at the past, present, and future; it delves into World War II, present day extremist natures/racism, and includes a look into the future on how our world would react to finding an alien race.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, this kind of film is absolutely essential in this day and age. Regardless of whom you voted for in this past election, you can’t deny that hatred in this country is at an all-time high. True, this film is likely being made outside the U.S., considering the fact that their budget is in pounds, but hatred is unfortunately universal.

On top of the necessary message of the film, the trailer for Möbius is absolutely epic looking.

Lowest Fund Reward: $13 – Supporter – Thank you message from the team with a link to Möbius subpage (on SBP website), where you’ll be able to see progress of production with regular updates. – Credit as “Supporter” + early access to the film (online streaming).
Highest Fund Reward: $1300 – VIP – All as above plus (excluding Pilot’s costume): Executive producer credit, VIP invitation for a screening of the film, + a day on the set (travel included) + VFX experience on the set.

4 – The North Pole


Crowdsource Platform: KICKSTARTER
Director: Yvan Iturriaga
Writer: Josh Healey
Other Staff: Darren Colston (Producer), Reyna Amaya (Actor), Donte Clark (Actor), Santiago Rosas (Actor), Eli Marienthal (Actor), W. Kamau Bell (Cameo), Mistah Fab (Cameo), Ericka Huggins (Cameo), Boots Riley (Cameo), Chinaka Hodge (Creative Consultant), Adam Mansbach (Creative Consultant), Dania Cabello (Associate Producer)
Amount Requested: $25,000
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $8,860 raised by 110 backers.
Type of Goal: All or Nothing – Project will only be funded if it reaches its goal.

I truly feel a kinship with this project.

I’ve never been to any part of Oakland, that’s not why I relate to this, but I was born and raised in Brooklyn – and not the happy expensive part, either.

There’s a significant culture to those areas that unfamiliar people are afraid to go into. Sometimes the fear isn’t even warranted. I’m not familiar enough with the culture of Oakland to speak for them, but here we have our bodega sandwiches, our neighborhood regulars that no one ever knows the name of (backwards wheelchair lady), stooping during nice weather, front yard BBQs (because what the fuck is a backyard?), and run down 99 cent stores. It might sound like nothing special to a visitor, but to the people who live here it’s a home we love.

Enter hipsters.

I’ve been asked a lot why I seem to have an intense hatred for the hipster lifestyle. Here’s the reason: because they come into neighborhoods like mine, figure out which parts of our culture are awesome, and then open stores that raise the prices so high that they only attract other hipsters. Due to the influx of people that have more money, smaller businesses have to raise their prices to compete for notice among the new customers.

This doesn’t happen in rich neighborhoods. It happens in neighborhoods where we can’t afford that shit. Financially or culturally. The bodega sandwiches are awesome, but we get them because they cost 4 bucks and otherwise some people can’t get a meal outside of a gross McDonalds. Meanwhile, the hipsters raise the price from 4 to 9 and walk around with the same food that used to keep up alive, arrogantly acting like they’re doing the neighborhood a favor when really, they’re killing it.

The North Pole is a project that seems to delve into the change a neighborhood like that in Oakland goes through. It follows the lives of some of the “Polar Bears” (kids living in that neighborhood in the 1990s and 2000s) and shows how they deal with the changes their neighborhood goes through. The best part is that this web series is a comedy. That means it will tackle real concerns and issues, but make you laugh along the way.

Lowest Fund Reward: $10 – Polar Bear Shout Out – The Polar Bears will show their undying gratitude by shouting your name out on our social media pages.
Highest Fund Reward: $5,000 or more – Lifetime Polar Bear Revolutionary Award – All of the above. And a reserved seat in Polar Bear Heaven

3 – If You Only Knew


Crowdsource Platform: INDIEGOGO
Director: Allison Kayunger
Writer: Allison Kayunger
Other Staff: Unknown
Amount Requested: $7,000
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $1,970 raised by 13 backers.
Type of Goal: Flexible – Campaign will receive all funds raised even if goal is not reached.

OCD is a fascinating issue. My problem with the portrayal of OCD in movies/TV is that it’s usually made into some kind of comedy.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind stuff like that. Sometimes joking about serious things raises awareness and allows people suffering from those issues the chance to deal with what’s affecting them with a bit of a smile on their face. However, when an issue like this is always made humorous in media, or the character with it always becomes the bad guy, a stigma becomes attached to it that shouldn’t be there.

There has to be balance.

The creator of this short film, Allison Kayunger, lives with OCD. That means that her look on this serious subject will have a note of truth to it that an outsider writing about the same issue wouldn’t be able to bring. That alone wouldn’t make a film great. However, I could easily argue that Kayungers obsessiveness might.

This is a subject that is clearly close to her heart and one that she couldn’t veer away from, even if she wanted to. She knows how important her message is and will clearly give the subject every respect it deserves. Her trailer has a tone of drama to it that suggests she has a decent ability to evoke emotion in her audience as well.

I believe this short film will carry a necessary message in a manner that remains dramatically entertaining.

Lowest Fund Reward: $10 – Thank You – You will receive my unending gratitude and personal thank you note. – Items included: Personal Thank You Note
Highest Fund Reward: $1,000 – Executive Producer Credit – You will receive an Executive Producer Credit on the film, as well as all previous perks. (excluding Associate Producer credit) – Items Included: Personal Thank You Note, Name in Credits, Ticket to Premiere Party, Executive Producer Credit, Copy of Final Film, Signed Movie Poster, If You Only Knew Swag

2 – Biopunk


Crowdsource Platform: KICKSTARTER
Director: Liam Garvo
Writer: Andrew Harmer
Other Staff: Ciro Candia (Director of Photography), Natalie O’Connor (Production Design), Rob Fuller (Teaser Poster Designer)
Amount Requested: $25,000
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $15,212 raised by 110 backers.
Type of Goal: All or Nothing – Project will only be funded if it reaches its goal.

My heart will always belong to independent sci-fi films.

Mainstream sci-fi will almost always follow the exact same tropes and recipes, because production companies know what safe is and they have no passion. It’s all about the money. With indie sci-fi, money would be nice, and certainly wouldn’t be turned down, but it’s about the passion and the fantastic idea someone had one day that smacked them over the head.

Of course, the fact that money isn’t a motivator in this type of film is an issue in some cases, because sci-fi is a money-sponge to make correctly. That is why the amount requested is as high as it is even though it’s a concept short. One has to remember that, with most sci-fi, you can’t just outfit your actors with stuff found at the Salvation Army. They have to look like they’re from a different world or the future. Sets can’t just be the local park, they have to be dressed up to look unfamiliar.

As an argument toward the belief that – if funded – Biopunk would be successful is the fact that the team working on it was responsible for a previously Kickstarted comedy that did well at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas.

Check out the page. The images and trailer speak for themselves.

Lowest Fund Reward: $6 – Follow the Action – See the concept short before anyone else! Also get exclusive behind the scenes videos, photos and updates during the production. Be a part of the action from the comfort of your home!
Highest Fund Reward: $3,700 – Executive Producer – Become an Executive Producer on the final film anf have your name appear in the opening credits of both the concept short and the final film! You’ll also be credited on IMDB! And you’ll get the opportunity to chat to the filmmakers in London over dinner or via Skype if further afield!

1 – Those Who Deserve to Die


Crowdsource Platform: KICKSTARTER
Director: Bret Wood
Writer: Bret Wood
Other Staff: Adam Thompson (Producer), Chris Tsambis (Director of Photography/Editor), Kendall Keeling (Co-Producer)
Amount Requested: $10,000
Current Standing (as of Saturday night): $4,400 raised by 68 backers.
Type of Goal: Joe Sykes (Actor), Alice Lewis (Actor), Rachel Frawley (Actor)

This is the number one crowdfunded project for this week because I absolutely fell in love with the trailer the moment I saw it. Between the past work of Bret Wood and the way this new project looks, I was absolutely fascinated.

In fact, just a few lines from the child actor had me entranced. I don’t often have love for child actors. Many directors seem to try to train them to overact and it comes off seeming so wrong. Alice Lewis, however, was incredibly creepy – which she was supposed to be. It’s a successful part for a child actor that seems to have an understanding of exactly what she’s supposed to do.

I’m also happy to find that Those Who Deserve to Die is based on a book. I find that many films based off books, when they are well and passionately made, have a deeper story with more nuances than generally seen in other films of the same genre.

I truly believe that this film will be an amazing watch if it is funded.

As a new part of my “This Week in Crowdfunding” articles, I will be donating a small amount (which is all I can afford) to the number one film on my list each week. It’s to show that I really do believe in the films I’ve chosen for this list. Although there’s always room for error and Murphy’s Law, the films I feature here on Sundays are the absolute best of what I have been able to find on Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Lowest Fund Reward: $5 – Vote of Confidence – Voice your support for TWD2D and for the spirit of original, transgressive cinema. Allows you to follow along on your journey and receive updates for backers only.

Highest Fund Reward: $3,000 – David Lynch’s Head – Monoprint by filmmaker David Lynch, 1998. Not a limited edition. There is only this one print of this particular design. The print comes in archival framing by Tandem Press, of the University of Wisconsion, Madison, where Lynch served as artist in residence. Letter of provenance provided. Shipped in a wooden art crate. This print was featured on the cover of Art Papers Magazine (accompanying an essay by Bret Wood). An actual shipping surcharge (based on location and method of shipping) will be added, if the print is not personally picked up.

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