UNIQUE TIPS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO MAKE A MOVIE!

The Altın Portakal Film Festival's film development platform, Film Forum, kicked off with a session offering unique insights into financing the biggest challenge for aspiring filmmakers. Necla Küçükçolak and Nurdan Tümbek Tekeoğlu shared the path to crowdfunding success, covering every detail.

The Film Forum, a film development and support platform held for the 12th time as part of the 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, began today with a panel discussion titled “Crowdfunding: A New Financing Tool for Independent Cinema” by Necla Küçükçolak and Nurdan Tümbek Tekeoğlu.

Participants in the panel at Hotel Su: Deputy General Manager of the Turkish Commodity Exchange (TÜRİB) Assoc. Prof. Dr Necla İlter Küçükçolak, a member of the European Film Academy (EFA) and a producer, Assoc. Prof. Dr Nurdan Tümbek Tekeoğlu shared tips on how to use crowdfunding to bring a film project to life, based on their data and experiences.

Set realistic goals, and keep the timeframe short.

Noting that the general understanding of marketing has changed, Küçükçolak said, “It's no longer just about selling something, but internalising it,” comparing the crowdfunding system to the ‘imece’ method. Küçükçolak provided the following information:

What is crowdfunding? It's like drop by drop, forming a lake through individual contributions on a digital platform. Fongogo is the leading platform for reward-based crowdfunding in Turkey. Looking at Fongogo's 2023-2024 data, the total target was 1.1 million TL, while 816,000 TL was raised. The actual funding raised was 888,000 TL in 2024 and 1.2 million TL in 2023. These are not huge figures. The goal is not just financial, but also to build an audience. To involve an audience that follows your film in the process from the very beginning. Looking at the 2023 data, film and photography projects are at the top of the list. What are the success factors: Setting realistic goals and keeping the time frame short; a maximum of 60 days is recommended. It's important to raise 30% of the target amount in the first 10 days. Therefore, creating a list of core funders before the project starts and securing them is a good reference for the next project. It is said that strong storytelling is important, using words that create emotional connections, such as ‘dream, journey, support, together’. At the same time, digital visibility and interaction are important. Academic studies show that using visual content increases success rates. You need to create promotional videos.

In short, you need a strong list of core fund providers. Everything starts with your network, and you will expand it. Therefore, you need to collect 30% of that strong list within the first 10 days as a reference. In the evenings, everyone is tired from work, so the ideal time to send reminders and share information is between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM, they say. And be sure to thank them.

“You will find supporters in your phone book”.

Tekeoğlu, who stated that he has benefited from crowdfunding on many of his projects, said his journey in this field began when he participated in a workshop organised by renowned producer Zeynep Özbatur Atakan in 2014. Having been introduced to the crowdfunding system there and subsequently using it in his subsequent projects, Tekeoğlu shared the following advice based on his experiences, noting that while the system works very well, it is dependent on ‘hard work’: There is a preparation phase, a few months before putting the project on the platform. Everyone is surprised when I say this, but it is a very serious preparation process. Creating a list is very important. We are not aware of it, but we know thousands of people. There are at least 2-3 thousand people in our phone database alone. But you will prepare the list one by one. You will filter your database and identify 400-500 names. Then you'll extract lists from WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. You'll need to work on these lists for 2-3 months. And when you put your teaser on the platform, you hit the button.

“Local pride is also important”

But how? When we come home from work in the evening, eat dinner, and sit down with our phones or computers, we need to send ‘very polite’ personalised messages. On Nike's website, you design your own shoes. At Mercedes, you can customise the interior of an SUV however you like; it becomes your own personal Mercedes. Your messages need to be personalised, too. Believe me, you will get a response! Then there's the concept of hometown connections, which I swear I'll write an article about marketing and hometown connections! For example, the owner of a construction company in Rize buys materials from local businesspeople. I have 35-40 years of marketing experience. I strongly recommend that you look up their association lists and send them an email or, if you have a genuine connection, a text message. You don't even have to be a fellow citizen; it's very beneficial to reach out to businesspeople and association lists in the city where you're filming and sending them emails. If you send emails to a thousand people and get a 5% response rate, isn't that great?

You can use Facebook groups in the same way. For example, suppose you are a manager from Malatya. In that case, you should find the Malatya groups in Hamburg and Berlin on Facebook and post the teaser for your crowdfunding campaign on these pages. When your Fongogo campaign starts, you get 100% results. I have had campaigns where I received 5-10 thousand TL from people I didn't know. I didn't know them, but I received money, got to know them, and became friends. My network also grew. Don't just think of these campaigns to raise money; you are promoting your project. Hundreds of films are made in Turkey, but they are not recognised or known. 2,000 people in the cinema watch a film that has won 20 awards.

“Please don't forget to say thank you”

Also, ask the people who support you to share it within their own networks. And please, for goodness' sake, say thank you! People have forgotten to say thank you; Generation Y and Z have forgotten. If someone supports you, what did they do? They gave up a cappuccino; they gave up a meal with four friends at a restaurant. People give up something when they give you that money. Please let's say thank you. It's in our culture too; knock on a door in Anatolia today, and they'll open their homes to you, and you'll thank them. We've forgotten these things. American trend forecaster Faith Popcorn said in 1980, “A time will come when people have to return to their traditions, customs, and spirituality to survive today's chaos.” Look, yoga has exploded. A study was conducted in America: 90 per cent of people believe in religion, and 70 per cent go to church once a week. The numbers are huge and growing. That's why giving thanks is also very important according to our traditions and customs. But don't do paid things on the award lists: a poster signed by the director for this much money, an invitation to the premiere for this much support, a coffee with the director for this much... You can say, "With the thousand TL you sent, my cameraman stayed at the Teacher's House for one night. Thank you very much."

Don't be lazy”

The issue is not being lazy but working hard. I look at a project; it's been sitting at zero for 10 days. That's not acceptable! Don't you have any relatives or friends? Crowdfunding also plays a significant role in securing support from the ministry. Because when you prepare your financial plan, if you've raised 20-30% of it through crowdfunding, the ministry takes you seriously. Sponsors provide support based on this, and pitching forums take it into account. Euroimage, national film funds, and finding foreign partners are also important. We don't gather enough support because we don't prepare enough.

When I made my first documentary in 2010, I was invited to the Zadar Film Festival. They organised a boat trip. An older man was sitting on the boat, drinking his coffee and tea. They said, ‘This is the producer of Schindler's List’. I approached him timidly. I said, ‘Making a film is so difficult; I was exhausted after my first film’. ‘No,’ he said, 'making a film isn't difficult, imagining is difficult. If you have a dream, you'll find a way to make it happen.' I don't see enough determination in our producers. If you work, you can do it. Are you working on each name in your phone database? There are so many anonymous rich people, so many people with a sensitivity for culture and art... There are those who struggle to have their name in the credits... And of course, it's very important to honour the people who support you. Mention their names at your gala. I made the film Filos with the support of two publishers. At the gala here, I mentioned their names on stage and thanked them.