Plainfield's pride in filmmaker Alrick Brown is not manifesting itself in support for his Kickstarter campaign - at the halfway mark yesterday, donations had yet to hit a quarter of the $60,000 he seeks.
Meeting him on Front Street by chance on my way home from a PMUA meeting, I asked Brown what he thinks is causing the lag. He was a bit puzzled, considering all the publicity the campaign has received in local media and all the good wishes for success.
Maybe it was the listener-supported radio syndrome, where people think somebody else is going to donate and keep it going, he surmised. He said he has also run up on the "crabs in a barrel mentality"
"People are asking what I can do for them," he said.
While he can't help every other aspiring author or filmmaker, he does expect his project to help students who become interns and businesses that supply its needs, but first he has to get it financed.
What's holding back the Kickstarter campaign?
"No passion, no fight, no drive," he said.
The enthusiasm he received from church congregations and other groups is not catching fire.
One of the ministers nodded, he said, but didn't express faith in the project.
"I shouldn't be a tough sell,' Brown said.
His web site, "Alrick's Porch," tells the story of Sundance success with his earlier film, "Kinyarwanda." The Kickstarter site sets forth the levels of participation in launching "My Manz and 'Em," which is based on Plainfield author J.M. Benjamin's novel of street life, prison and redemption. Click here to read the whole pitch and see where you can help out.
The campaign ends on Oct. 23 and if the $60,000 goal is not met, the project gets nothing. It's an all-or-nothing deal. In this prime example of crowd-sourcing, where Spike Lee turned to finance his new film and even surpassed his goal, Brown hopes Queen City fans will join the crowd - and help him hit that $60,000.
--Bernice
The tag line "Choose your hustle" doesn't engender a whole lot of confidence.
ReplyDeleteApathy, apathy, apathy. I freaking hate Plainfield
ReplyDeleteThe filmmaker's Kickstarter write-up doesn't make me feel as if my money would be well spent. For one thing, it is too narrowly focused, as if is written to local friends and insiders rather than to a potential national audience with money to invest.
ReplyDeleteBrown may be a good guy, but his pitch doesn't tell me why his treatment of this topic/story is unique. Why should I care about bringing this to the screen? That he can use sites in town as shooting locations...so what? I don't mean to be mean, but he needs to have a wider and deeper perspective. Otherwise he should just ask for $15K of start up money. At least he might have a chance of raising it by the deadline.
I say all this having participated in a number of Kickstarter projects, and having some of my own video work be part of a successful Kickstarter funding campaign.
BK