Net Gain

“Fifty per cent investment was through Facebook,and now we are waiting to make money on it so that everyone benefits,” says Onir,whose inbox is now flooded with queries from independent filmmakers. “I give instructions on how to go

about financing films through the Net,” he adds.

Online funding has become viable,thanks to an active internet population. “It definitely helps when you post a couple of movie shots,pictures and rough draft of the storyboard. People get the drift and interested netizens come forward and help,” says city-based independent filmmaker Dr Gaurav Chhabra,who

has a website on his next film,Letters to Corbusier.

The latest to cash in on the trend is filmmaker,writer and actor Sartaj Singh Pannu. All set to release his film Soch Lo on August 27,Pannu was in town,saying how big studios and producers refused to fund his film. “No one wants to try new things. The independent filmmaker still has a tough time raising money,” he says. Pannu went online,uploading a show reel of Soch Lo on You Tube to accumulate funds for completion. Starting with US $400,the producers raised funds of US$ 100,000 through You Tube. Now complete,the film will have Richard Gere at its Los Angeles screening and has become the first Indian film to be screened at Paramount Pictures Raleigh Theatre,Los Angeles. Surf the net,and there are comprehensive websites like ehow.com’s ‘How to raise money for filmmaking’,www.filmproposals.com and filmaka.in that are eager to help. While filmproposals.com offers tools and resources to help raise and save money for films along with other perks,filmaka.in is a platform for showcasing work,take home a fat reward and make another film with it. Catching up with the trend is Buzznomics report about Enzo Tedeschi’s The Tunnel,a film about the fate of news crew’s journey into Sydney’s underground disused rail tunnels. The makers have launched http://www.thetunnelmovie.net to raise the movie’s budget by selling frames for $1 each. Another site,IndieMaverick.net allows filmmakers to upload their film script,expected production cost and links to any of their other work on the web for potential investors. Once the movie is completed,investors get 70 per cent of the films profits and producers keep 30 per cent.

Getting it Right

For environment filmmaker Gurmeet Sapal,raising money for independent projects via the Net is still at a nascent stage. “It can only be raised in parts,plus those who invest,verify whether it’s worth it. Getting work within the film fraternity is easier for it’s difficult to make the non-film fraternity understand the nature of your work. But yes,there is huge visibility through the internet. Earlier,one would shoot,make a DVD,spend money on courier and then wait for weeks but now it’s a link away. So,it has its pros and cons,” he says. In any case,create an impressive profile,upload your work on the web,post shots of your prospective film — it helps if there is a storyboad,an outline of what you are doing. Keep netizens posted on your work and accept cheques with proper bank accounts.

—EFS