Funded: £12,981
Campaign: Last Stop Coney Island: Harold Feinstein Documentary DVD
Filmmaker and director Andy Dunn first discovered the work of master photographer Harold Feinstein when he backed a Kickstarter campaign to publish Harold’s first retrospective monograph. He fell in love with Harold’s work, and in 2018 he premiered Last Stop Coney Island: The Life and Photography of Harold Feinstein – the definitive, feature-length documentary film about Harold’s work.
But with the shutdown in 2020, there were many people keen to see the film who wouldn’t be able to get to a screening. So he decided to put together a Kickstarter to fund DVD production, featuring brand new artwork design, extra features on the disc and exclusive printed content.
I was happy with the project story and materials I’d created but feared we wouldn’t get it in front of enough pairs of eyes! An experienced consultant to help strategise and then create effective assets is very valuable. In my case celebrity/influencer endorsement didn’t translate to many backers; with a niche product like mine you need to communicate on a deeper level with the ‘true fans’. It’s not a volume game. The most useful thing I learned was the frequency and variety of ways one needs to talk about the campaign in the different stages – and the most significant outcome was simply that it got over the line and we were able to manufacture our run of DVDs. It was a straightforward goal and we succeeded!
Andy Dunn, director
Since funding:
At the time of writing, DVD production and distribution is underway, and backers should be receiving their rewards – including some stunning limited-edition prints and publications – early in 2021.