Crowdfunding as an alternative form of financing documentary films: An example of kazakh and turkish projects

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26577/HJ.2024.v71.i1.9

Keywords:

Crowdfunding, media, documentaries, alternative funding.

Abstract

Modern film production, including documentary filmmaking, is seeking alternative solutions for financial issues. Documentary filmmaking is actively developing, as the young generation watches films on smart devices, leading to an increasing demand for the production of new projects. Crowdfunding is gaining significant traction in financing documentary films. In Western countries, crowdfunding has shown significant success, and Kazakhstani directors are adopting new project realization opportunities based on these examples. Based on the classical understanding of crowdfunding as the financing of projects through the use of Internet, aiming to attract small contributions from a large number of people, the author of this research sets the objective to delineate crowdfunding as an alternative means of financing documentary films and supporting independent film production.

By studying successful crowdfunding campaigns, analyzing challenges and opportunities, the article presents the potential of crowdfunding as a means of financing and distributing independent documentary films, using Kazakhstan and Turkey as examples. A study of crowdfunding platforms in several countries is also analyzed. It provides insights into the evolving landscape and the potential of crowdfunding to support independent film production. It is noteworthy that the value of crowdfunding lies in providing women directors in countries where it was previously impossible to receive funding for their projects. Crowdfunding is becoming a popular way for financing documentary films, providing an alternative to traditional sources such as grants, sponsorship and investments. This research in the field of documentary filmmaking and crowdfunding may be useful for journalism faculties, media and film industry practitioners.

References

Agrawal, А. Why crowdfunding will grow in 2018’. Thenextweb. 2018. URL: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/01/10/crowdfunding-will-grow-2018/. (Accessed: 02.03.2023)

Atwell M. How Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter Project Broke the Bookish Internet. Kickstarter. 2022. URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/articles/how-brandon-sanderson-s-kickstarter-project-broke-the-bookish-internet (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Бойжеткен. Kinopoisk.ru. 2018. URL: https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/1115045/ (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Бюро национальной статистики. Qazstat. 2021. URL: https://new.stat.gov.kz/ru/industries/social-statistics/stat-culture/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Виклюк Н. Более пяти миллиардов тенге выделили на финансирование кино в Казахстане. Liter.kz. 2022. URL: https://liter.kz/bolee-piati-milliardov-tenge-vydelili-na-finansirovanie-kino-v-kazakhstane-1658916882/ (Accessed: 05.03.2023).

Dresner S. Crowdfunding: A Guide to Raising Capital on the Internet. John Wiley & Sons. 272 p. 2014.

Gerber E.M., Hui J. Crowdfunding: motivation and deterrents for participation. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction. 20(6). p.p.1-32. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1145/2530540.

Hawe J. Crowdsoursing: Why the power of the crowd is driving the future business М. 288 p. 2009.

Hecht J. Is Crowdfunding A Good Option For Businesses During The Pandemic? 2020. URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredhecht/2020/08/31/is-crowdfunding-a-good-option-for-businesses-during-the-pandemic/?sh=15a8fa1065f0. (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

IDA40. International association of documentalists. 2023. URL: https://documentary.org/. (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

IMDB. Online database of information related to films. 2011. URL: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1854524/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

IMDB. Online database of information related to films. 2012. URL: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2298323/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Indiegogo. Crowdfunding website. 2023. URL: https://www.indiegogo.com/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Каплина О. Казахстанский портал Vласть запустил краудфандинг на проект «Полигон». News Reporter. 2019. URL: https://newreporter.org/2019/06/19/kazaxstanskij-portal-vlast-zapustil-kraudfanding-na-proekt-poligon/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Karthikeyan C. Crowdfunding. Book. Walnut Publication. 224 p. 2020.

Касымова А. Краудфандинг в Казахстане: работает ли древний казахский обычай взаимопомощи? Казинформ. 2016. URL: https://www.inform.kz/ru/kraudfanding-v-kazahstane-rabotaet-li-drevniy-kazahskiy-obychay-vzaimopomoschi_a2952181 (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Koçer С. Social business in online financing: Crowdfunding narratives of independent documentary producers in Turkey. New media & society. p.p. 1-18. 2014. DOI: 10.1177/1461444814558913.

Kültigin K.A. Ministry of Culture cinematography support. el.book. 2016.

Lejk L. Avoid crowdfunding scams. Federal trade commission consumer advice. 2019. URL: https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2019/05/avoid-crowdfunding-scams (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Meisenzahl M. How the Coolest Cooler went from one of the most successful Kickstarters ever to the site's 'biggest disaster’. 2019. URL: https://www.businessinsider.com/coolest-cooler-kickstarter-timeline-going-out-of-business-2019-12 (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Mollic Е. The dynamics of crowdfunding: an exploratory study. Journal of Business Venturing. 29(1), p.p. 1-16. 2014.

Most popular genres of digital original series based on share of demand in Russia in 2nd quarter 2021. Statista. 2022. URL: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1035921/russia-digital-original-series-genre-demand-share/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Первый казахстанский краудфандинг на съемки исторического фильма собрал более 1,3 миллиона тенге. Ratel.kz. 2016. URL: https://ratel.kz/kaz/pervyj_kazahstanskij_kraudfanding_na_semki_istoricheskogo_filma_sobral_bolee_13_milliona_tenge (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Qara film festival. URL: https://qarafilmfest.kz/ (Accessed: 04.03.2022).

Ramadhan H.N., Hendratmi А. Moslem Millennials Donor Intention Through Donation-Based Crowdfunding in Indonesia. Journal Ekonomi Syariah Teori Dan Terapan. 10(1). p.p. 41-56. 2023. https://doi.org/10.20473/vol10iss20231pp41-56.

«Русских играли граждане Казахстана, а казахов – граждане России». ИАЦ МГУ. Информационно-аналитический Центр по изучению общественно-политических процессов на постсоветском пространстве. 2016. URL: https://ia-centr.ru/experts/iats-mgu/russkikh-igrali-grazhdane-kazakhstana-a-kazakhov-grazhdane-rossii/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Schwienbacher, A., Larralde, B. Crowdfunding of small entrepreneurial ventures, in: Cumming, D. (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurial Finance. Oxford University Press. 2012.

Seed&Spark. Crowdfunding website. 2023. URL: https://seedandspark.com/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Sorensen, I. E. Go crowdfund yourself: some unintended consequences of crowdfunding for documentary film and industry in the U.K. MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy. Institute for Networked Cultures: Amsterdam, pp. 268-280. 2015.

Стали известны победители «Формата DOC» в Казахстане. Internews Network. 2022. URL: https://ru.internews.kz/2022/04/stali-izvestny-pobediteli-formata-doc-v-kazahstane/ (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Start-time.kz. Crowdfunding website. 2023. URL: https://start-time.kz/project/details/696/description (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Таиров Р. «Лживый, нечестный подонок и вор»: почему создателя умного рюкзака обвинили в растрате $800 000 с краудфандинга. Forbes. 2020. URL: https://www.forbes.ru/tehnologii/394401-lzhivyy-nechestnyy-podonok-i-vor-pochemu-sozdatelya-umnogo-ryukzaka-obvinili-v (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

The Statue of Liberty and America's crowdfunding pioneer. BBC. 2013. URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21932675 (Accessed: 10.03.2023)

Тойшибекова А. «Бала». Новый фильм Каната Бейсекеева. Vlast.kz. 2017. URL: https://vlast.kz/story/21923-bala-novyj-film-kanata-bejsekeeva.html (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Turkish films turn to crowdsourcing for funding. Hurriyet DailyNews. 2016. URL: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-films-turn-to-crowdsourcing-for-funding-100653 (Accessed: 03.03.2023)

What is streaming? Cloudflare. 2023. URL: https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/video/what-is-streaming/ (Accessed: 07.03.2023).

Whitten S., ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ Kickstarter breaks record with $11.3 million campaign. CNBC. 2019. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/19/critical-role-vox-machina-kickstarter-ends-with-11-million-in-funding.html (Accessed: 07.03.2023).

Wilding P. Crowdfunding, anoraks and prog weekenders – how Marillion survived the 90s and beyond. Louder. 2022. URL: https://www.loudersound.com/features/crowdfunding-anoraks-and-prog-weekenders-how-marillion-survived-the-90s (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Хорошева З. Бала. Esquire. 2017. URL: https://esquire.kz/bala/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

References

Agrawal, А. Why crowdfunding will grow in 2018’. Thenextweb. 2018. URL: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/01/10/crowdfunding-will-grow-2018/. (Accessed: 02.03.2023)

Atwell M. How Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter Project Broke the Bookish Internet. Kickstarter. 2022. URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/articles/how-brandon-sanderson-s-kickstarter-project-broke-the-bookish-internet (Accessed: 03.03.2022).

Boyzhetken. Kinopoisk.ru. 2018. URL: https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/1115045/ (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Byuro nacionalnoi statistiki. [Bureau of National Statistics]. Qazstat. 2021. URL: https://new.stat.gov.kz/ru/industries/social-statistics/stat-culture/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Viklyuk Н. Bolee pyati milliardov tenge vydelili na finansirovanie kino v Kazakhstane. [More than five billion tenge was allocated to finance cinema in Kazakhstan.]. Liter.kz. 2022. URL: https://liter.kz/bolee-piati-milliardov-tenge-vydelili-na-finansirovanie-kino-v-kazakhstane-1658916882/ (Accessed: 05.03.2023).

Dresner S. Crowdfunding: A Guide to Raising Capital on the Internet. John Wiley & Sons. -272 p. 2014.

Gerber E.M., Hui J. Crowdfunding: motivation and deterrents for participation. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction. 20(6). p.p.1-32. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1145/2530540.

Hawe J. Crowdsoursing: Why the power of the crowd is driving the future business М., 288 p. 2009.

Hecht J. Is Crowdfunding a Good Option for Businesses During The Pandemic? 2020. URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredhecht/2020/08/31/is-crowdfunding-a-good-option-for-businesses-during-the-pandemic/?sh=15a8fa1065f0. (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

IDA40. International association of documentalists. 2023. URL: https://documentary.org/. (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

IMDB. Online database of information related to films. 2011. URL: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1854524/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

IMDB. Online database of information related to films. 2012. URL: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2298323/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Indiegogo. Crowdfunding website. 2023. URL: https://www.indiegogo.com/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Kaplina О. Kazakhstanskij portal Vlast' zapustil kraudfanding na proekt «Poligon». [The Kazakh portal Vlast launched crowdfunding for the Polygon project]. News Reporter. 2019. URL: https://newreporter.org/2019/06/19/kazaxstanskij-portal-vlast-zapustil-kraudfanding-na-proekt-poligon/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Karthikeyan C. Crowdfunding. Book. Walnut Publication. 224 p. 2020.

Kasymova А. Kraudfanding v Kazakhstane: rabotaet li drevnij kazakhskij obychaj vzaimopomoshhi? [Crowdfunding in Kazakhstan: Does the ancient Kazakh custom of mutual assistance work?] Kazinform. 2016. URL: https://www.inform.kz/ru/kraudfanding-v-kazahstane-rabotaet-li-drevniy-kazahskiy-obychay-vzaimopomoschi_a2952181 (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Koçer С. Social business in online financing: Crowdfunding narratives of independent documentary producers in Turkey. New media & society. p.p. 1-18. 2014. DOI: 10.1177/1461444814558913.

Kültigin K.A. Ministry of Culture cinematography support. el.book. 2016.

Lejk L. Avoid crowdfunding scams. Federal trade commission consumer advice. 2019. URL: https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2019/05/avoid-crowdfunding-scams (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Meisenzahl M. How the Coolest Cooler went from one of the most successful Kickstarters ever to the site's 'biggest disaster’. 2019. URL: https://www.businessinsider.com/coolest-cooler-kickstarter-timeline-going-out-of-business-2019-12 (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Mollic Е. The dynamics of crowdfunding: an exploratory study. Journal of Business Venturing. 29(1), p.p. 1-16. 2014.

Most popular genres of digital original series based on share of demand in Russia in 2nd quarter 2021. Statista. 2022. URL: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1035921/russia-digital-original-series-genre-demand-share/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Pervyj kazakhstanskij kraudfanding na s"emki istoricheskogo fil'ma sobral bolee 1,3 milliona tenge. [The first Kazakhstani crowdfunding for the shooting of a historical film raised more than 1.3 million tenge]. Ratel.kz. 2016. URL: https://ratel.kz/kaz/pervyj_kazahstanskij_kraudfanding_na_semki_istoricheskogo_filma_sobral_bolee_13_milliona_tenge (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Qara film festival. [Электрон. ресурс]. 2022. URL: https://qarafilmfest.kz/ (Accessed: 04.03.2022).

Ramadhan H.N., Hendratmi А. Moslem Millennials Donor Intention Through Donation-Based Crowdfunding in Indonesia. Journal Ekonomi Syariah Teori Dan Terapan. 10(1). p.p. 41-56. 2023. https://doi.org/10.20473/vol10iss20231pp41-56.

«Russkikh igrali grazhdane Kazakhstana, a kazakhov – grazhdane Rossii». [Russians were played by citizens of Kazakhstan, and Kazakhs were played by citizens of Russia]. IAC MSU. Informatsionno-analiticheskij Tsentr po izucheniyu obshhestvenno-politicheskikh protsessov na postsovetskom prostranstve. 2016. URL: https://ia-centr.ru/experts/iats-mgu/russkikh-igrali-grazhdane-kazakhstana-a-kazakhov-grazhdane-rossii/ (Accessed: 02.03.2023).

Schwienbacher, A., Larralde, B. Crowdfunding of small entrepreneurial ventures, in: Cumming, D. (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurial Finance. Oxford University Press. 2012.

Seed&Spark. Crowdfunding website. 2023. URL: https://seedandspark.com/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Sorensen, I. E. Go crowdfund yourself: some unintended consequences of crowdfunding for documentary film and industry in the U.K. MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy. Institute for Networked Cultures: Amsterdam, pp. 268-280. 2015.

Stali izvestny pobediteli «Formata DOC» v Kazakhstane. [The winners of the "DOC Format" in Kazakhstan became known]. Internews Network. 2022. [Electronic resource]. URL: https://ru.internews.kz/2022/04/stali-izvestny-pobediteli-formata-doc-v-kazahstane/ (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Start-time.kz. Crowdfunding website. 2023. URL: https://start-time.kz/project/details/696/description (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Tairov R. «Lzhivyj, nechestnyj podonok i vor»: pochemu sozdatelya umnogo ryukzaka obvinili v rastrate $800 000 s kraudfandinga. [“False, dishonest bastard and thief”: why the creator of a smart backpack was accused of embezzling $800,000 from crowdfunding]. Forbes. 2020. URL: https://www.forbes.ru/tehnologii/394401-lzhivyy-nechestnyy-podonok-i-vor-pochemu-sozdatelya-umnogo-ryukzaka-obvinili-v (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

The Statue of Liberty and America's crowdfunding pioneer. BBC. 2013. URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21932675 (Accessed: 10.03.2023)

Toishibekova А. «Bala». Novyj fil'm Kanata Bejsekeeva. [The child. A new film by Kanat Beisekeyev]. Vlast.kz. 2017. URL: https://vlast.kz/story/21923-bala-novyj-film-kanata-bejsekeeva.html (Accessed: 04.03.2023).

Turkish films turn to crowdsourcing for funding. DailyNews. 2016. URL: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-films-turn-to-crowdsourcing-for-funding-100653 (Accessed: 03.03.2023)

What is streaming? Cloudflare. 2023. URL: https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/video/what-is-streaming/ (Accessed: 07.03.2023).

Whitten S., ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ Kickstarter breaks record with $11.3 million campaign. CNBC. 2019. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/19/critical-role-vox-machina-kickstarter-ends-with-11-million-in-funding.html (Accessed: 07.03.2023).

Wilding P. Crowdfunding, anoraks and prog weekenders – how Marillion survived the 90s and beyond. Louder. 2022. URL: https://www.loudersound.com/features/crowdfunding-anoraks-and-prog-weekenders-how-marillion-survived-the-90s (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Khorosheva Z. Bala. [The child]. Esquire. 2017. URL: https://esquire.kz/bala/ (Accessed: 03.03.2023).

Downloads

Published

2024-03-12