Q1: Can you tell us about your film. What were the goals for the project?
PC: Poundcake is our first screenplay. Kevin and I [Troy] met doing Improv in NY, and left to write our own sketch show. Kevin’s family was going through a divorce at the time, and we wanted to write roles for ourselves to play. That’s how Poundcake got started. The film is set in 1987 Buffalo, the night before Thanksgiving. Parents take their three grown children out to dinner to tell them that they are getting a divorce after thirty years of marriage. The family then loses its identity and each member grapples to keep it together.
The goal was to give us jobs and a portfolio. We wanted to show the industry what we are capable of creating. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon – watch out.
Q2: How are you identifying, targeting, and building your audience?
PC: The film targets everybody. 12 and 14 year olds to seniors can enjoy it because the subject of the film is family. It is an Indie pic with commercial appeal. Older adults connect to the more emotional aspects of the film, and relate to the characters of the parents, while others find the comedy to be most appealing.
Q3: What role has the Internet and social media played in your DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) filmmaking?
PC: We have a Facebook page and just launched our website, Poundcake-movie.com. Unfortunately it just started and was late due to lack of money.
Q4: What tools or tactics would you recommend to other filmmaker for fundraising or promotion?
PC: We suggest grassroots emailing, start a blog… We also consolidated our script into a 7-page promo script. Then shot that into a 2 ½ minute trailer and covered expenses out of pocket. We then sent investment packets along with hardcopies of the trailer to potential funders.
One lesson we learned is when we spent $5,000 on a publicist in LA, but she didn’t do much to help us ultimately. We learned from there that we needed to find partners instead of just more people to pay. At the Florida Film Festival, we worked with students from the UCF Guerilla Marketing class in the Film Program. They handed out flyers and put up posters; if they had at least one sold out screening, they got an A in the class. Having similar passions and mutual incentives can be most beneficial.
Q5: What was the budget for your film? Can you tell us about any creative techniques for fundraising?
PC: This is a low-budget film. We raised money with private investors. We got one Hollywood producer to write a letter of intent and committed to a 50/50 match. The letter on intent helped us get the other investors and all worked out.
Q6: What is your plan for distribution? Do you have a plan for self distribution?
PC: We were in touch with sales rep Andrew Horowitz before we even finished the film. We would love to have a theatrical release, but understand that a self distribution strategy is important. A hybrid strategy, mixing the two approaches, may work out best. Now that we have a couple of awards, we hope the process will be easier.
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