Director Andrew Traucki has become the latest high-profile Australian filmmaker to turn to crowdfunding in an effort to complete his feature.
Traucki previously helmed crocodile thriller Black Water (with David Nerlich) in 2007, which he followed with shark thriller The Reef in 2010. His latest film, The Jungle, follows big cat specialist, Larry Black, who ventures into the remote Indonesian jungle with filmmaker brother, Ben, to investigate reported sightings of the endangered Javan leopard.
It was filmed in Byron Bay and Indonesia. Traucki, who wrote and directed the film, is attempting to raise at least $16,500 through the Indiegogo website by December 1, which will pay for post-production costs.
“The great thing about crowdfunding, apart from helping raise a film’s budget, is the dialogue that occurs between fans and yourself – the maker of the work," he said in a statement. "It’s wonderful to actually connect with your audience and supporters in this way.”
Fans who contribute to The Jungle can receive various rewards such as a signed DVD box set of Traucki’s "Trilogy of Terror", invites to screenings, or a film credit.
An increasing number of mainstream feature film producers are attempting to bolster their budgets – and build a fan base – through crowdfunding, which began as a way to raise funding for low-budget projects outside of the mainstream.
The producers of Australian psychological-horror film The Babadook, which stars Essie Davis, recently achieved their goal of raising $30,000 from the public through crowdfunding. The Second Coming, from the team behind local feature drama Wish You Were Here, also exceeded their $75,000 goal in late-October.
The crowdfunding record for film was recently set in the US when the Charlie Kaufman-scripted stop-motion film Anomalisa raised $US406,237 via the Kickstarter platform.
Contact this reporter at bswift@www.if.com.au or on Twitter at @bcswift.