Fund-raising
faces ... actress and aspiring director Victoria Thaine; (inset) an image
promoting the short film The
Kingdom of Doug.
Scott Ellis and Sacha Molitorisz, The Age,
report
This week, the actress Victoria Thaine
makes her directing debut.
''It's possible I may make a dog of it,'' the star of The Caterpillar Wish and The Loved Ones said. ''But
I might just find I'm good at it.''
The film, which she wrote, is The
Kingdom of Doug, a 15-minute short about an Aussie cult leader who
brings his followers to an ice rink to commit mass suicide.
Odd thing is, Thaine has almost become a cult leader herself in
the process, by raising all the funds via ''crowdfunding''. In just six weeks,
Thaine has financed her short entirely via social networks. She had hoped to
raise $10,000, but by yesterday the tally stood at $13,476, thanks to
contributions from the ABC managing director, Mark Scott,
among many others.
Thaine has upgraded her target to $15,000. ''If we reach our
target of $15,000 every supporter will get a double pass to the special event
premiere in Melbourne,'' she says. ''Treat this like a pyramid scheme.''
In recent months, Thaine has noticed an upsurge of crowfunding
among filmmakers. ''I was a little resistant at first. I thought I would hate
turning into a self-promoter and a social networking monster, but it's been
really successful, and there have been really lovely side benefits. We've had
so many people contact us asking if we want help, including our composer. I
feel like getting out the violins. It's been such a wonderful experience.''
Isn't it lovely how mass suicide can bring people together? The
three-day shoot begins in Melbourne on Saturday; the deadline for pledges is
midday today.
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