Getting the film wrapped up
To Be Forever Wild didn’t have to pass through the approval process, as Becker had already mounted a successful Kickstarter campaign for a film he produced called Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie. Unlike his current project, the Wavy Gravy documentary was already complete by the time they went to Kickstarter. The fundraising effort in that case was to pay for distribution, a successful endeavor that saw the film screened at a number of film festivals across the country.
Because of the successful campaign for Saint Misbehavin’, Becker received five invitations from Kickstarter that he was either able to distribute or keep to use for his own projects. One of those invitations was used to mount the To Be Forever Wild fund drive, which surpassed its goal of raising $10,000 shortly before its Sept. 12 deadline.
As with other fundraising efforts, the last week is often the biggest week. “As people see that you’re getting closer to your goal, they kind of go the extra mile in terms of telling their friends about it and posting on Facebook,” said Becker.
Becker said he hopes to be able to complete a rough cut of the film by the end of this year, with a goal of having a finished piece completed by Spring of 2012. After that, it will likely be submitted to film festivals and will eventually have screenings in Saugerties and other communities in the Catskills. Beckers said he hopes some of those screenings will have a benefit component for areas rebuilding after Hurricane Irene.
Kickstarter’s website is https://www.kickstarter.com.
