Graduate film students "kickstart" fundraising plan for thesis projects
"23 filmmakers, 18 films, 1 goal." That's the tagline for a unique film-financing endeavor undertaken by graduate students from Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts.
The college is the only film school in the country that provides production funding for every student film project; however, resources are limited. To augment those funds, members of the Master of Fine Arts Class of 2012 came up with the idea to develop a "Kickstarter" page that would help finance the production of their master's thesis films. Kickstarter.com, the world's largest online funding platform for creative projects, makes it possible for people located anywhere in the world to contribute to a specific project through the site.
The film industry requires the constant creation of new, unique ways of financing the production of films. In seeking funding via the Kickstarter page, the FSU students are acquiring skills that will be immediately applicable to their careers in the motion picture industry.
"These types of fundraising platforms are becoming quite popular," said College of Motion Picture Arts Dean Frank Patterson. "But it's unique to have a group of filmmakers entirely committed to each other's projects in this way."
At the College of Motion Picture Arts, no outside crews are hired to work on thesis films. That means that all 23 master's students are involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process. Kickstarter was originally conceptualized to fund individual projects, but in the collaborative spirit of the college, the students are using one Kickstarter fund for all 18 of their thesis projects.
"The idea behind our Kickstarter page is to help all of the 23 students make their thesis projects as impressive and professionally done as possible," said MFA student Andrew Fairbank. "The unique opportunity of working on all 18 films allows for a mastery of skills that's simply unavailable at other universities."
In exchange for donations ranging from $1 to $10,000, the students are offering their creative backers special perks such as film credits in the project of their choice or tickets to a Red Carpet premiere.
The students have until Monday, Jan. 16, to reach their goal of $20,000. To make a pledge, visit the FSU Film Kickstarter page.
To learn more about the College of Motion Picture Arts, visit www.film.fsu.edu.
"These types of fundraising platforms are becoming quite popular. But it's unique to have a group of filmmakers entirely committed to each other's projects in this way."
Frank Patterson
Dean, Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts