Moneylab: Colnlng AlLernauves, March 2014

ur lnge L[bye Srensen

CenLre for CulLural ollcy 8esearch
unlverslLy of Clasgow

eer to eer or M|ne to M|ne?
- a cr|nque of crowdfund|ng



Crowdfundlng documenLarles ls noL [usL abouL Lhe money
lranny ArmsLrong on pracucal supporL:
1be otbet tbloq tbey JlJ wos ptocucol soppott cos boslcolly wbotevet we evet oeeJeJ,
someboJy oo tbot llst of 400 people woolJ koow, woolJ bove lt, ot woolJ koow someboJy
wboJ qot lt. lot exomple, we oeeJeJ o tecotJloq stoJlo to tecotJ tbe otcbestto wltb oo
mooey ooJ we seot o messoqe soyloq, nos ooyboJy qot o olce blq polet toom lo looJoo
tbot we coolJ bottow? AoJ someboJy wtote bock soyloq, 8euet tboo tbot, lve qot o
tecotJloq stoJlo. AoJ tbe some wbeo l wooteJ o couoqe to qo ooJ wtlte tbe sctlpt lo tbe
polet. AoJ l pot o messoqe, nos ooyboJy qot o coootty couoqe? ooJ fve people wtote
bock ooJ l boJ my cbolce.fot ooytbloq we evet oeeJeJ, tbey coolJ ptovlJe lt.


lranny ArmsLrong on emouonal supporL of crowdfundlng
1bls ls o qooJ pott of lt, becoose mokloq Jocomeototles coo be
vety looely. wbeo l moJe my otbet flm urowned CuL...otbet
people wotkeJ oo lt bete ooJ tbete, bot lt wos boslcolly jost
me fot tbtee yeots ooJ yoot ftleoJs ooJ fomlly kloJ of qet
boteJ of oskloq yoo poesuoos oboot lt ofet oboot ooe yeot
ooJ tbey coot soy, nows tbot flm qoloq, ote yoo sull Joloq
lt? ooymote. 8ot lf yoove qot o mollloq llst of 400 people
olwoys wtluoq olce tbloqs. setloosly. lt wos o blq pott of lt,
tbe motol soppott tbot tbey qove os.

ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of Clasgow


8udgeLs ln Lhe uk documenLary lndusLry




ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of Clasgow
..tbete ls llule slqolfcoot coottlbouoo to 8tlusb Jocomeototy ftom tbe 8lq 1btee
uk flm fooJets, tbe 8ll, 88c lllms ooJ lllm4. uesplte tbe wlJely ockoowleJqeJ
foct tbot feotote Jocomeototy bos beeo lo sometbloq of o qolJeo oqe lo teceot
yeots, tbe lJeo tbot tbese key losutouoos of 8tlusb flm sboolJ soppott feotote
Jocomeototy seems to bove lotqely posseJ tbem by. As tbloqs stooJ, feotote
Jocomeototy mokets seekloq soppott ftom tbe 88c bove ooe Jesuoouoo.
5totyvllle, o cosb-stotveJ qbeuo wltblo 88c televlsloo. lts o slmllot stoty wltb
cboooel 4 - tbe fooJs ovolloble fot feotote Jocomeototles ote voolsbloqly smoll.
uavld Plckman, uocumenLary-maker & Senlor LecLurer ln lllm & 1elevlslon roducuon, March 2014

uocomeototy-mokets wete vety wottleJ oboot beloq ovetcome by 8lg 8roLher
ooJ 8lq Moc Jocs, bot l tblok tbot pbose bos posseJ ooJ tbe wotty ls oow mocb
mote boslc. 1bese people ote wotkloq fot ootbloq. wete tolkloq socb smoll
omooots of mooey, lts qemoq olotmloq.
nlck lraser, Serles edlLor, 88C 5totyvllle

lovestmeot lo Jocomeototles ls os mocb os coo be o[otJeJ..A lot ls solJ oboot
boJqets beloq cot, bot fot tbe tlqbt lJeo tbete ote mote mooey tboo tbete evet
wos. wete wotkloq vety botJ to poy o llule less fot tbe sto[ we oseJ to poy top
Jollot fot ooJ mote fot tbe ooes we belleve wlll moke blq lmpoct, llke 1he lamlly.
Slmon ulckson, Managlng ulrecLor uragony & lormer Commlsslonlng LdlLor, Channel 4, Slul 2009

ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of Clasgow
1he pr|ze of a one hour documentary on 88C or Channe| 4




lf commlsslooeJ opftoot.



1S0000
1he pr|ze of a one hour documentary on 88C or Channe| 4




lf booqbt post-ptoJocuoo.



1S00
1he pr|ze of a one hour documentary on 88C or Channe| 4




lf booqbt post-ptoJocuoo.



1S00
"#$%&'()&*)+ ,)'$#-,. ,./012*.3,& 3,+,4$)*,.
Crowdfundlng ls Lhe democrausauon of producuon - or ls lL? Lveryone can
make a lm buL noL all can promoLe one. lL ls hard Lo nd an audlence
ouLslde of Lhe Lradluonal dlsLrlbuuon sLrucLures. Crowdfundlng seems Lo
feed lnLo Lradluonal ndlng, producuon and dlsLrlbuuon models.
Issues w|th crowdfund|ng
for soc|ety
5#$.*$) $' 6(12*- '()&*)+

1v broadcasLers sull geL Lhe
producL Lhey wanL. buL for a
fracuon of Lhe prlce
ArLs and lm funders
experlmenL wlLh crowdfundlng
as conLrlbuuon Lo publlc
fundlng schemes: e.g. Lhe
mlcrobudgeL lm scheme lo-f
and Aoqel 5botes, a
crowdfundlng slLe funded by
ArLs Councll Lngland and
Creauve ScoLland


Need|e |n haystack prob|em

Independent producers need not [ust to hnd funders but a|so ways
to bu||d susta|nab|e 2 d|str|bunon and aud|ence frameworks
2 dlsLrlbuuon, e.g. vlmeo ro or ulsLrlfy
ay-lf-you-wanL fundlng models
eer supporLed fesuvals e.g. Amerlcan Cnllne lllm
Awards
Self-organlsed and on-demand screenlngs Lhrough
1uCC or CaLhr
vCu servlces (neullx & lovelm) and adveruslng
supporLed sLreamlng (?ou1ube) - or are Lhey Lhe new
gaLekeepers?

lssues wlLh crowdfundlng
for socleLy

Integr|ty of pro[ect


lf ut Coebbels oppeoteJ wltb o boqe sock of mooey, tbete woolJ be
Jocomeototy flm-mokets poeoloq otoooJ tbe block to toke lt.
nlck lraser, Serles LdlLor of 88C's 5totyvllle


roducnon mode|s & creanve |abour
Who looks ouL for Lhe worklng condluons and developmenL of culLural/creauve
workers?


7)&(./#8 ./0)&0#&.
1he edlLorlal aurlbuLes Lradluonally assoclaLed wlLh documenLary are challenged:
nouons of 'balance', 'lmparuallLy' and 'ob[ecuvlLy' have been safeguarded by Lhe 1v
neLworks' roducer Culdellnes and funders' codes of conducL. Cnllne Lhere are no
such guldellnes.

ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of
Clasgow
lssues wlLh crowdfundlng
for Lhe campalgner

Lega| |ssues

1. MosL crowdfunded lms and documenLarles lnvolve lnLellecLual properLy ln Lerms of uLle. ubllc
dlsclosure of lnLellecLual properLy and Lrademarks can have a slgnlcanL aecL on lLs legal sLaLus.
2. ln Lhe cases of crowdsourced pro[ecLs (where oLher people conLrlbuLe Lhelr own fooLage Lo Lhe
lm) who owns lL? Could oLher conLrlbuLors clalm rlghL Lo Lhe nlshed lm
(nlcholas Wells, uS 1rademark Lawyer)?

racnca| |ssues
1. Meeung obllgauons (honourlng promlses Lo funders & compleung Lhe pro[ecL)
2. no supporL from Lradluonal broadcasLer/dlsLrlbuLor ln Lerms of legal help, adveruslng and 8
3. Addluonal roles of Lhe campalgn holder (8 person, campalgn manager, publlc speaker, 1v and
posLer prlnLer)

ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of
Clasgow
I|nd|ng your funders
&
8u||d|ng your buyers]aud|ence

Ior campa|gners, the |dea |s to turn fans |nto funders, and then |nto
promoters of and aud|ences for the pro[ect or h|m.

So whaL geLs funded? "CuallLy!"

Crowdfunders looks for marks of dlsuncuon, 8ourdleu-sLyle.
-> Lhe crowd acLs llke and makes declslons ln Lhe same manner as lm
funders. ?ou're more llkely Lo successfully crowdfund lf you have a
Lrackrecord, are famous/marrled Lo someone famous, or have a
really busy soclal neLwork.
-> Lhe crowd lnadverLenLly supporLs esLabllshed LalenL or well known
lssues.



ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of
Clasgow
lssues wlLh crowdfundlng for Lhe conLenL
for Lhe lm lLself
AesLheucs - how Lhey wlll be made
1oplcs - Lhe klnds of sLorles LhaL wlll
be Lold
Cenres - whlch lms are made
SLoryLellers - who Lhey wlll be Lold
by.
ur lnge L[bye Srensen, CC8, unlverslLy of
Clasgow