Ohmygoodness, I have been reading so much about fundraising trailers lately. I have been watching so many fundraising trailers. And I’ve been obsessively thinking about how to make my own fundraising trailer awesome.

One book that’s been pretty helpful is Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making Your Documentary Fundraising Trailer by Fernanda Rossi. I got a used copy of it online for almost nothing, and I’ve been thankful to have the book to help me think through things. It also made me laugh because it recommends submitting your trailer on a VHS tape since most people don’t have DVD players. So, yeah, the copy I have is a tad (but hilariously) bit outdated.

Nevertheless, through all my research, here are a few things I’ve concluded. Some of these things I though were pretty obvious but some of the trailers I’ve seen lately missed these basic things, so there ya go. Anyway, these basics are mostly helpful for other folks considering making fundraising trailers:

• They are not regular trailers. Fundraising trailers are not the type you see in the theater before the feature. They’re very different. Learn the differences.
• They should be tailored to the specific audience. You may cut a few different fundraising trailers for different audiences. Kind of like editing your resume and cover letter for different job applications. Different groups want to know different things about the project. 
• They should tell how the funds will be used. If I’m donating money towards something, I wanna know how it’ll be used. It’s critical info that’ll make or break the deal for most people. You’ve included it in the writing below? Great. Include it in the video, too.
• They should cut to the chase. What’s the project about? What are you asking of me? What promises are you making? Tell me as quickly as you can, please.
• They should include the project leaders. When online crowd funding first came along, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this one. Now I know: videos that show the project leaders on screen help me connect with them even more — even if the person isn’t great on camera. I wanna know who’s leading the charge. Who are they? Can I trust them? Will they deliver?
• They should be as awesome as you can possibly make ’em. Don’t skimp. Don’t rush. Take your time and invest in doing it right. Especially if you’re pitching me on your filmmaking abilities. If your fundraising trailer is just you talking into your web cam for 10 minutes, then I’mma move on. That’s boring and not very promising. Treat the fundraising trailer as if it is it’s own production because it is — and it should be great.
• They should tell me one thing: what makes you so special? This might sound rude but, seriously, what makes you so special? Why should I give this money to you and not someone else? What are you going to do with my money and what am I going to get in return?

Now, I recognize that it’s tough. It’s tough to make a great fundraising trailer while you’re trying to make a great film. But do it.

The audience watching the fundraising trailer most likely includes a large group of your closest family and friends. They may very well decide to give you some of their hard-earned money. Show them respect by making your fundraising trailer amazing.

At least … that’s what I’m trying to do. We’ll see, eh?