Anyone can now become a patron of Australian arts thanks to new online communities.
The highly-anticipated Sydney animated film, A Cautionary Tail, was made possible by the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, when they raised over $50,000 dollars to complete the animation and post-production.
The film features Cate Blanchett, David Wenham and Barry Otto, and is about a girl born with a tail that expresses her emotions. The film promotes emotional wellbeing and has helped to raise awareness and funding for the mental health foundation, Headspace.
However, when the film’s grant money ran out, the writer, director, and producer dug into their own savings and launched the campaign for alternative funding on Kickstarter.
“In a matter of a few days we had $5000 from complete strangers on the other side of the world”, said the film’s producer, Pauline Piper. “It’s been a really exciting process.”
Crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter allow anyone to donate money to a creative project that they like. On June 20, the Australian community, Pozible, announced that three million dollars had been pledged for projects for filmmakers, to entrepreneurs, programmers and journalists.
But crowdfunding isn’t just about hitting the financial targets. The exposure has lead to future investors and industry contacts, according to Piper.
“It’s not only the money that comes in, but you’re building a fanbase and it’s a great thing to do in the lead up to any creative product”, said Piper.
However, with recent cuts to funding for Australian arts, Piper stresses the importance of these traditional funding agencies such as Screen NSW and Screen Australia.
Mathieu Ravier, director of the non-profit cultural organization Festivalists, also warns potential users not to think of crowdfunding as a ‘magic wand’ to get their project funded, but rather a complement to a proper fundraising strategy.
As the founder of Kino, an indie filmmaking night, and contributor to multiple crowdfunding projects, Ravier said that the key advantage of being a donator is “that you feel like you’re part of the process and that you are included in the filmmaking.”
As well as the perks offered by the creators, “You get regular updates on the production and you get a glimpse behind the scenes”, he said.
However it is crucial for people to do their research on what makes an effective campaign before requesting funding, says Ravier. “It’s a really difficult thing to get right, so just do that legwork.”
By Ruby Prosser Scully
