By Any Means Necessary

Funding a no budget production is really about spending your day job paycheck here and there. More memory for the computer, maybe you need a new camera, more tape stock, a piece of costuming, etc. It's 50 bucks here, 100 bucks there. And it really does eat up the paycheck especially after the normal bills, groceries, and lately because of gas prices. If only there was that little extra bit of cash to throw at the production monster. Some little side dough to help fund your no-budget vision.

The next Monster Cops feature is budgeted at $275,000.00. Suffice it to say I'll be doing some major fundraising for that one. But before that I'll be making at least one monster cops short film for no money, which really means out of my paycheck. Total Budget is about $1,000.00. I've got most of the equipment and props, but for what I need to accomplish I need much more, and I need to do some upgrading hardware and software wise. Which means a few chunks out of the paycheck week after week. Luckily I've found a great source of extra income to cover some of that needed funding.

I've posted about metacafe before, which has helped pay the occasional bill. If you're a video maker and you haven't heard of Metacafe's Producer Rewards, then you need to learn more about it. Especially if you have any tips or tricks or hacks about almost anything, make a video about it and you could start earning some bucks on Producer Rewards. Here's the one that's made me the most.


Paper Rose - These bloopers are hilarious

ExpoTV.com has been the real deal for me. With Metacafe you really have to have something clever, or something with a hot chick in it. With ExpoTV you just have to review something on video. Anything from house hold items, electronics, DVD's etc. I've been doing quite a few DVD reviews. I have an extensive collection so I've been going through stacks of DVD's and recording myself talking about it. ExpoTV is really trying to become the one place you can come to get decent feedback about any product, food, travel, excercise gear, you name it. They pay a certain amount for each video review you post depending on the product. You can make between $2 to $10 a video. And then you get 1 cent per view on top of that. They send you your payments monthly to your paypal account (if you don't have one get one.)

For each DVD review I do I make 5 bucks a video. You don't even have to do any fancy editing, but you do have to show a sample of the movie to give it a full review. Most people just talk to their webcams about the product and then they point their cameras at a nearby TV and show a clip of the movie. For me I have to edit. I enjoy making videos too much, and I always try to keep it close to professional looking and decent quality as possible. Always good practice to keep up with the moviemaking skills. I shoot mine on a high quality camera, I record sound with a lapel mic, I set up the lights, I edit the video including actual snippets of the movie or trailer, I use graphics, and occasionally my own original music. Here's an example below.

Beverly Hills Cop DVD Review



There's usually a cap on videos you can post. Right now it's at 75. So if you can clear 75 video reviews at about 5 bucks a piece, then thats an extra 375 bucks in your pocket. And I have a blast making these vids and it's helped fund this short film. Here's one of my favs.

300 DVD Review



And expoTV actually sent me an ExpoTV T-Shirt for my efforts on my Shaun Of The Dead DVD review. Thanks ExpoTV. Although the sound seems to be a bit off on this one. Oh well.

Shaun Of The Dead DVD Review



Do me a fav and check out my other DVD reviews on ExpoTV here. The more you watch them on site the more views and money I can make, and the more you can help me fund these indie movie projects. And give it a try yourself.