Re: Chapdoc - New Subforum
Don't worry about making anyone feel uncomfortable just for asking. It's only asking. I love the Chapman Stick as an instrument but I don't have the sufficient funds to justify buying one yet, although I understand and accept it is a premium instrument that fetches a premium price for premium inventiveness and craftsmanship, even when sold used. A lot of people have a lot of things delayed due to a lack of funding and many of us are in the same boat. We feel for your situation.
One thing I don't understand though is the documentary business. Where do they get airplay or theatrical performance? The only ones I have ever heard of are the Michael Moore documentaries in theaters, and "Obsession," "Generation Zero" and "Super Size Me" which had tiny theatrical runs but also appeared on cable news channels. Obviously there have to be more but I'm speaking as a person who doesn't specifically follow documentaries or the independent film culture. As an aside, I'd love to release an independent film myself, but that's on the back burner like a lot of things that have to be delayed for immediate needs.
A few other documentaries I am familiar with had been released on DVD but I have no idea whether it's major distribution or something like
http://www.kunaki.com which would allow print-on-demand sales and fulfillment. But that site is a good deal to become instantly profitable and saves time over laying out $1000s just to have a stack of DVDs to mail on your own.
Apparently "Obsession" released three levels of DVDs: 30 minutes to gather funding early, 60 minutes while it was in theaters (to bulid buzz), and I don't even know if they released the theatrical 90 minute version as a DVD yet. Perhaps this is a model you could follow to help secure the money to finish. You could even have your 30 minute version include a very specific plea that shows how your personal sacrifices have gone into this movie to let people know they can contribute.
I don't understand the business of documentary film making at all, but if you can sell preview cuts perhaps that can help ease the burden of making the dream come alive. I hope you succeed.