Hi, everyone-
It's been a few weeks since
we failed to reach our $6,000 Kickstarter goal, despite you awesome people getting us above $4,100! Never fear, however, as we had a contingency plan in the case that we weren't able to raise enough money to submit both of our feature films to Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes via Distribber.
Our goal for both
A Genesis Found and
The Nocturnal Third is for them to be as visible as possible. Therefore, the next best thing to being on top paid streaming platforms is being on top free streaming platforms. So, we've decided that over the next few months,
we're going to begin releasing both films on various streaming sites, starting with YouTube. We'll also be submitting both films to various paid or curated sites, and we have a shortlist of film festivals that we think
The Nocturnal Third will be a good fit for.
This means that if you enjoyed our films, you can now recommend them to any friends or family across the entire planet and they can watch them for absolutely FREE!
On YouTube, banner ads will be enabled on both films, so the more people that watch, the higher the chance that we get a bit of shared ad revenue. Also, since our content will now be entirely free to access from anywhere, by anyone, we'll be keeping our Paypal button active for any donations, or "digital tips". We accept Paypal donates via the button at the bottom of
thenocturnalthird.com, or by clicking
here. Of course, both
agenesisfound.com and
thenocturnalthird.com will still be selling DVDs which, for the time being, will be the only way to get supplemental materials like commentaries, making-of documentaries, and more!
Wonder Mill: Phase 2 isn't just about distribution for our first two features, however. It's also symbolic of our next step in production. While we're developing our third feature film - which
A Genesis Found writer/director Lee is currently writing despite a very busy period at work - we also want to branch out to more immediate projects, including a return to short form filmmaking. This leads us to a really cool opportunity to branch out and collaborate with new screenwriters.
We would like to fund, develop, and produce at least one 5- to 10-minute short film within the next six to twelve months, but we need a script!
We are announcing an open call for short film scripts, pitches, or treatments to be produced by Wonder Mill Films and directed by myself (Ben Stark). The finished film will be submitted to film festivals, with a free trailer appearing online, and a limited paid viewing option. We still haven't ironed out the details of how - or if - revenue sharing would work, so for the time being this should be considered an unpaid writing opportunity. However, it will prove to be a great creative experience and will lead to some healthy exposure.
If you are a writer with a concept, if you have an existing script, or if you know anyone that might be interested, let us know! If you would like us to consider producting your 5 to 10 page screenplay, e-mail a short logline, estimated pagecount, and your contact information to
wondermillfilms@yahoo.com, with the subject line "Wonder Mill Short Pitch".
Please do not send completed scripts in this initial e-mail. All submissions will be kept confidential, and of course, we will not move forward on any script without the written permission of the author. Our work generally tends towards character-driven genre works that reflect the region and personality of the South, but we'd love to take a look at any genres or styles.
We're excited to be getting more exposure for our work, and we're very anxious to get tinkering on another project as soon as possible. Thanks so much to everyone that's helped us get this far, and if you'd like to be involved in these projects, please don't hesitate to contact us. Again, our main goal is to grow as filmmakers, to share our work with
others, and to meet new and interesting collaborators, especially in the
South.
I hope this news is as exciting for you all as it is for us, and I thank you for your time and attention!
Wonder Mill: Phase 2...ENGAGE!
Ben Stark
Writer/Director,
The Nocturnal Third
Producer,
A Genesis Found
