Making Your Film With Your Audience

From the Heart Productions thanks Roy W. Dean Grant Winner Helen Hall (“Pictures of Infinity”) for generously sharing with us tips for filmmakers on how to use Facebook to build a community for their film as well as how to use it to maximize their films crowdfunding campaign on our new WeDidit Platform 

By Helen Hall

Within our present situation of isolation and uncertainty, my thoughts as a filmmaker immediately returned to one of the many ways of moving forward with our films you have shared with us from the beginning: that we are no longer making films for an audience, but with them.

 

Facebook for Filmmakers

Helen Hall’s documentary “Pictures of Infinity” explores the work of great visionary scientist, engineer and humanitarian Nikola Tesla

 

I believe this time we have now is ideal for creating and building community around our films, and so I am sharing some of the tools I think might be useful for other filmmakers, as we are also migrating this month to a new fundraising platform filled with new possibilities.

I had created a Facebook page for my film “Pictures of Infinity” years ago, but didn’t know where to begin to connect with a larger community.  I learned so much from a crowdfunding expert that I was connected to by From the Heart Productions about how to do exactly this.  Now, I am posting regularly and engaging with a community of 17,700+ like-minded souls on the page.

A few months ago I was contacted by a marketing expert from Facebook.  They offered to guide me through some of the tools that make it possible both to create ad campaigns with specific goals in mind, and with them to extend the reach of the audience.

I have learned it is possible to reach the audience with a combination of targeted ads and posts to the page that are boosted for maximum impact.

Here are some of the tools I am learning how to use:

Facebook – Audiences

On the Facebook page for our film (known as a business page) there is a tab at the top called ‘Ad Center’. On the left of the Ad Center page are three vertical headings: Overview / All Ads / Audiences. Click on ‘Audiences’ and on the top right is the option to ‘create audience’. It is possible here to create custom audiences for your film, and to save them for future use.

Facebook Ads – Formats

Image formats: ideal size for images = 1,200 X 628 Px, in JPEG or PNG format.

If the image includes text, the text can be no more that 25% of the image, or Facebook will not run it.
(see link to tool to measure text on images for Facebook)

Facebook Pixel

Facebook Pixel is a code that collects data to help track conversions for Facebook Ads.
Look under ‘Business Settings’ for ‘Events Manager’. Click ‘create a pixel’ and follow instructions.

WeDidIt – Fundraising Platform

The Donation page is divided into ‘content’ on the left, and a donation menu on the right.  The content section is 690 Px. wide.

The page accepts video files – MP4 format, and images in JPEG and PNG formats. Video and image files will automatically resize when uploaded. There are traditional text options for choosing fonts, sizes and colors.

I was told by tech support at WeDidIt that there is no limit to the amount of content for this page, most films include a fundraising trailer, a few images and a short synopsis of the film.

Facebook Pixel – look for the ’Settings’ section in the vertical menu on the left of the page near the bottom. Click ‘Analytics’ and add the Facebook Pixel.

Here is a link to video tutorials to help with the WeDidIt platform and a list of links for learning more about how to use Facebook for our film projects:

Video Tutorials – WeDidIt:
https://wedidit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039175052-Platform-Video-Tutorials

 

Facebook Creative Inspiration:

 https://www.facebook.com/business/inspiration

 

Facebook Ads Guide:

 https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide

 

Facebook – Free Online Training Courses:

https://www.facebookblueprint.com/student/catalog

 

Facebook – Advertiser Help Center:

Step-by-step instructions. Please refer to the Advertiser Help Center to find answers or contact support, if you have trouble.

https://www.facebook.com/business/helpv

 

Facebook Ads:  

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-ad-sizes/

 

Image format for Facebook Ads:  

 

Check ratio of text to image here:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/ads/tools/text_overlay

 

 

Facebook Audiences:

About the Reach Objective –

https://www.facebook.com/business/help/218841515201583?id=816009278750214

 

Increase awareness of your business or brand by using the reach objective.

 

Understand how your Reach Objective performed

https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1639908612985580?id=816009278750214

 

About Connections Targeting

https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1819812758298988?id=176276233019487

 

About Detailed Targeting

https://www.facebook.com/business/help/182371508761821?id=176276233019487

 

About Lookalike Audiences

https://www.facebook.com/business/help/164749007013531?id=401668390442328

 

Facebook – Client Services Link:

 https://www.facebook.com/business/resources

 

Helen Hall is a Montreal-based composer who explores an intuitive understanding of music as energy in her varied works for voices, instruments, electroacoustics, dance, theatre and film.

Her music is inspired by natural, acoustic phenomena such as the rhythm of breathing (Circuits), the harmonics and interference patterns of multiple saxophones (Fluvial), and the natural frequencies of the earth’s magnetic field (Infinity Maps).

In recent years her work has become more research-based, and she has been extending her music into film. Powerlines, her first film, is a documentary about the mystery of electromagnetic fields, which began as a musical score based on the sound waves of artificial electromagnetic radiation. Pictures of Infinity, her second film, is a feature documentary about Nikola Tesla’s unique understanding of nature and its inherent connection to acoustic principles of energy.

 

Win, Shoot, Get Film Score with Roy W. Dean Grant

Roy W. Dean Grant for Fall Offers Cash and Production Services Including Music

Roy W. Dean Film Grant for Fall

Production team from Roy W. Dean Grant Winner “Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins”.  Film Will be in Theaters in September Across U.S.

The final Roy W. Dean Film Grant for Fall 2019 offers indie filmmakers a prize that should be music to their ears as well as their audience.   The winner receives $3,000 cash, $30,000 in film services to shoot and finish their project, including a film score! 

Award winning composer David Raiklen will give the grant recipient $15,000 in theme music for their project.  David provided music for the Emmy and Roy W. Dean Grant winning documentary “Mia: A Dancer’s Journey”. In addition, Emmy award winner Charlie Canfield will donate $6,000 in animation services to the winner.

The Roy W. Dean Grant for Fall

Now in its 27th year, the Roy W. Dean Film Grant seeks films that are unique and make a contribution to society.  Projects can be documentaries, short films, features, or web series. Deadline for submission is October 31st, 2019.

Other prizes include a one week DSLR camera package rental from Birns & Sawyer, $500 in expendables from Filmtools, a 20% discount on the design of your marketing sheet by award winning designer Dan Chapman, and much more from many heartfelt donors

Each Applicant Gets a Consultation on Their Project

Another unique part of the grant is each applicant for the grant is given the opportunity for a 15 minute consultation on their project from a member of the non-profit From The Heart Productions which sponsors the grant. 

More information about the grant can be found at https://fromtheheartproductions.com/roy-w-dean-film-grants-and-awards/

You can apply for the grant at https://fromtheheartproductions.com/grant-application-form/.  

For more information, please email info@fromtheheartproductions.com or call 805-984-0098

About the Roy W. Dean Film Grant 

Founded in 1992, the Roy W. Dean Grant seeks films that are unique and make a contribution to society that, without it’s help, might otherwise not get made. There is a Spring, Summer and Fall Grant. Films submitted to the grant can be short films, documentaries, features, and web series from early stages of pre-production to those needing help in post.

The grant has been integral in helping talented artists with great stories get their films produced. Recent past winners of the grant include the award winning “Heist: Who Stole the American Dream”, “Kusama-Infinity”, and Emmy winner “Mia: A Dancer’s Journey”.

About From the Heart Productions

The 501(c)3 non-profit which sponsors the grant was founded by Carole Dean in 1993 when she saw how many filmmakers with important and often controversial stories were having trouble getting financing for their films. The mission of From the Heart Productions is to educate and assist filmmakers in getting funding to create unique films that make a contribution to society.

Under their fiscal sponsorship program, From the Heart Productions offers advice and guidance to filmmakers looking to fundraise. It also allows donors to projects to get a tax deduction for their donations. Their Intentional Filmmaking Classes which teaches filmmakers the tactics on how to get funded is now open for enrollment. New classes start Sept 23rd.

Roy W. Dean Grant Finalists Named for First Grant of 2019

25 Films Still in Competition for Grant Valued at $30K

From The Heart ProductionsRoy W. Dean Grant Finalists has announced the Roy W. Dean Grant finalists for its Spring 2019 grant.  One of the oldest grants in U.S. for independent filmmakers, the grant is awarded to a film that is unique and makes a contribution to society.  The winner will receive $3,500 cash and thousands more in donated production services from film industry professionals and companies.

“It is always a joy and honor to review all the incredible projects submitted from such talented filmmakers.” said Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions. “It was not easy choosing finalists from so many life changing and world changing stories that all need to be told.”

Finalists include documentary films, feature films, web series, and a short film.  These finalists will now go to the judges to determine winner.  The announcement of the winner is expected in September.

List of Roy W. Dean Grant Finalists

TITLE                                                              FILM TYPE           SUBMITTING FILMMAKER

 

El Cadejo Blanco                                               Feature                        Justin Lerner

Pave the Road                                                  Documentary                Kelly Mason

Underdogs                                                       Documentary                Ashia Lance

Girls Are Strong Here                                        Short Film                     Scott Burkhardt

El Susto (The Shock)                                         Documentary                Karen Akins

Women Behind the Wheel                                  Documentary                Hannah Congdon

Made: Meet Me At the Assembly Line                  Documentary                Janette Chien

Scared to Debt:America’s Student Loan Scam      Documentary                 Mike Chamoin

Assisted Living                                                  Web Series                    Amanda Bullis

Perma Red                                                       Documentary                 Maya Dittloff

26 Seconds                                                      Documentary                 Kelly Galindo

Shway Shway                                                   Web Series                    Rachelle Hair

Lady Long Rider                                               Documentary                  Wren Winfield

Donnie                                                            Documentary                  Anna Augustowska

The MicroCosmic Cartoon Show                         Feature                          Prema Rose

Ground Zero: Ferguson                                     Documentary                  Partick Hamm

The Weeping Season                                        Documentary                  Alexandra Hildago

Lady Madonna                                                 Documentary                  Chris Cloyd

90291: Venice Unzipped                                   Documentary                   Colin K. Gray

Dawn Dusk                                                     Documentary                   Jason & Blue Gerber

The Sixty-Six Percent                                       Documentary                   Natalie Abruzzo

The Queen of the Lowriders                             Documentary                    Debbie Sanchez

Amara & Family                                              Feature                            Suman Hanif

Grounded: The Roots of the Revolution             Documentary                    Simon Geisker

La Recua (Saddling South)                               Documentary                    Trudi Angell

 

In addition to the  $3,500 in cash provided by From the Heart Productions the donations of film services and products include $500 in expendables, lighting or grip equipment from Filmtools,  a Glyph StudioRaid 6TB hard drive from Glyph Production Technologies, 40% deduction on color, editing, and sound & all production services from ProMedia NYC and more from film industry donors.

About the Roy W. Dean Grant

Founded in 1992, the Roy W. Dean Grant seeks films that are unique and make a contribution to society that, without it’s help, might otherwise not get made.  There is a Spring, Summer and Fall Grant.  The Fall 2019 Grant is now accepting entries.  Films submitted to the grant can be short films, documentaries, features, and web series from early stages of pre-production to those needing help in post. 

The grant has been integral in helping talented artists with great stories get their films produced.  Recent past winners of the grant include the award winning “Heist: Who Stole the American Dream”, “Kusama-Infinity”, and Emmy winner “Mia: A Dancer’s Journey”.  

About From the Heart Productions

The 501(c)3 non-profit was founded by Carole Dean in 1993 when saw how many filmmakers with important and often controversial stories were having trouble getting financing for their films.  The mission of From the Heart Productions is to educate and assist filmmakers in getting funding to create unique films that contribute to society. 

Under their fiscal sponsorship program, From the Heart Productions offers advice and guidance to filmmakers looking to fundraise.  It also allows donors to projects to get a tax deduction for their donations.  Their Intentional Filmmaking Classes which teaches filmmakers the tactics on how to get funded is now open for enrollment.  New classes start Sept 23rd.

“Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery” Wins Final 2017 Roy W. Dean Grant

Documentary Shows the Success of Using Diet and Environment to Drastically Change Lives of Children with Autism

Restoring Balance: Autism RecoveryOxnard, CA Feb 27th 2018 –   In closing out the 25th year of the Roy W. Dean Grant, From the Heart Productions, the film funding non-profit which oversees the grant, has awarded its 2017 Fall grant to Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery

The Roy W. Dean Grant is awarded 3 times each year to a film that is unique and makes a contribution to society.  For winning the Fall grant, “Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery will receive $3,000 in cash and $30k in film production services including animation and film score.

“Carole Dean, Carole Joyce and the team at From the Heart Productions has been so wonderful and gracious to us.” said director of “Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery” Ryan Hetrick. “They saw the importance of the message and the potential a film has to change the hearts and minds of society.”

“Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery” will show how families and practitioners are rediscovering therapies that allow the human body to naturally recover.   These families are located throughout the United States. Interviews and animations in the documentary take people into the lives and bodies of children with autism, and the way that food is affecting their family’s ability to achieve harmony.

In addition to the cash prize, services Ryan will receive in include $15,000.00 in theme music and score written by award winning composer David Raiklen , $6,000.00 in animation from Emmy award winner Charlie Canfield (who is also currently working on the project), hard drive from G-Technology, and much more from many heart-felt donors

About the Filmmaker Behind “Restoring Balance: Autism Recovery”

Ryan Hetrick, Producer/Director

Restoring Balance: Autism RecoveryRyan has worked in the behavioral health field with autism spectrum clients for over 11 years, aged from 2 to 30, as a neurocognitive and Certified Brain Injury Specialist.  One of the families he worked with began dietary interventions and their child experienced expansions in vocabulary, eye contact and overall social interaction.

After years working with children on the autism spectrum, Ryan could see that dietary and biomedical therapies made a large beneficial impact. He was motivated to make this film after seeing the results firsthand.

He has taught courses in acting, writing, and film editing for children at Actors for Autism. While in Los Angeles, Ryan became a health and nutrition coach. He worked with teens on the autism spectrum to make nutritional goals achievable..

About the Roy W. Dean Grant

Now accepting application for its 2018 Spring Grant, over a quarter century the Roy W. Dean Grant has awarded over $2,000,000 in cash and donated film services to films.  The grant has been an important lifeline for filmmakers.  It gives them the resources needed to continue working on their film and to get it completed.  Without assistance from the grant, many excellent and important films may never have been made. 

Past winners of the grant that have been completed include the Emmy winning Mia: A Dancer’s Journey, the SXSW Best of Fest Music Film The Winding Stream: An Oral History of the Carter and Cash Family, and the now in release on video and on demand the very relevant The Brainwashing of My Dad.

About From The Heart Productions

From The Heart Productions is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to educating and helping filmmakers get their projects funded.  Besides providing funding through the grant, they offer films fiscal sponsorship which allows donations to films be tax deductible.  From The Heart has raised over $12 million for filmmakers through fiscal sponsorship.  President Carole Dean is the best-selling author of The Art of Film Funding: 2nd Edition, Alternative Financing Concepts

For More Information and interview requests, please contact:

Richard Kaufman

richard@fromtheheartproductions.com

www.fromtheheartproductions.com

“The Need to Grow” Wins Summer Roy W. Dean Grant

Documentary Investigates Solutions to Localize Food and Regenerate our Planet’s Dying Soils

Can we feed the world without destroying the Earth?  That and other questions on the sustainability of life on our planet are explored in The Need to Grow which has been awarded the Summer Roy W. Dean Grant for 2016.   Co-Directors and producers, Rob Herring and Ryan Wirick, will receive $30K in cash, film products, and services to help them complete their film now in post-production. 

From The Heart Productions, the 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to help filmmakers get their films funded, founded the Roy W. Dean Grant in 1993.   Awarded 3 times each year, submitted projects must be unique and make a contribution to society.  The grants are open to all types of film projects including documentaries, short films, features, and web series in any stage of production. 

“There is not a more important topic then how we feed ourselves now and in the future” commented Carole Dean, president of From the Heart Productions on the Summer Roy W. Dean Grant winner. “The problems exposed in the film are frightening, but the brilliant and determined people shown working on them give us hope.”

The documentary follows innovators of low and high tech solutions to localize food and regenerate our planet’s dying soils. With more toxic chemicals being sprayed than ever before, food seed varieties going extinct, bees dying off, historic water shortages, epidemics of malnutrition, hunger and food waste coexisting, and an estimated 60 years of farmable soil left on the planet, the time to fix our broken food system is now.

Through the stories of underdog leaders facing unpredictable challenges—from activists to urban farmers, from permaculture designers to computer scientists, from ancient to cutting edge technologies, from Boston to Los Angeles—emerge solutions that conserve natural resources and create true food security.

The “Need To Grow”  reveals not only the potential of decentralized food production models that work with nature, but more importantly, reveals our potential as active participants in an interconnected biosphere to become a planetary force for ecosystem restoration.

Rob Herring is a graduate of the Tisch School of Arts at NYU where he received the Drama Award for Film and TV.   He Co-Produced/Directed his first feature, Nothing in Los Angeles, which received numerous best picture honors.   Rob also worked on the recent document GMO OMG.  He is a certified Holistic Health Coach and, as a musician, writes songs for health activism. 

Ryan Wirick is an award winning writer and journalist, as well as a cinematographer and film editor.  He’s been producing videos since he was 15, the same year he learned about the environmental havoc caused by our food system.   He is graduate of Chapman University and collaborated with Moms Across America to raise awareness of the systemic problems in our food system.  

The Summer Roy W. Dean Grant includes $3,500 cash given by From The Heart Productions.  The winners also receive a hard drive from G-Technology, 30% Discount for music post production services from AudioKut, discounts on original music and sound mix from Alan Audio Works,  and much more from many heart-felt donors who support independent filmmakers. 

About the Roy W. Dean Grant

Now in its 23rd year, the Roy W. Dean Grant has awarded over $2,000,000 in cash and donated film services to films.   The grant has been an important lifeline for filmmakers needing help to continue working on their film and to get it completed.  Without assistance from the grant, many excellent and important films may never have been made. 

Past winners of the grant that have been completed include the Emmy winning Mia: A Dancer’s Journey, the SXSW Best of Fest Music Film The Winding Stream: An Oral History of the Carter and Cash Family, and the now in release on video and on demand The Brainwashing of My Dad.

Submissions are being accepted for the Roy W. Dean Grant for Spring 2017

About From The Heart Productions

From The Heart Productions is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to helping filmmakers get their projects funded and made.  Besides providing funding through the grant, they are also a fiscal sponsor which allows donations made to films they sponsor to be tax deductible.  From The Heart has raised over $2.4 million for crowdfunding films as a partner with Indiegogo.  President Carole Dean is the best-selling author of The Art of Film Funding: 2nd Edition, Alternative Financing Concepts

For More Information, please contact

Richard Kaufman

richard@fromtheheartproductions.com

www.fromtheheartproductions.com