Down, But Not Out!

Hello and welcome to our fundraising page!
 
THE WHO
We are Alessandro Ugo, National Film Awards nominated Director and Producer for Nice Biscuits, Robin McGlashan, National Film Awards nominated Producer for Default Media, and Heath McWaters, freelance Cinematographer, known for his work in Space Girls and Enemy of England.
 
THE WHAT
Production companies Default Media and Focal Rhythm, partnered with charitable organisation NU Start Community Enterprise, are developing a feature-length docu-drama entitled, Down, But Not Out! This will be a factual film, about the life of MFA Zaman, a young man, who migrates to the UK from Bangladesh, forced into slavery and homelessness, to become the official London Ambassador for the 2012 Olympic Games and an ECB cricket umpire and coach.
 
The vision is for a cinematically rich documentary, mixed with dramatic flash-back scenes, re-enacting the pivotal events of MFA’s life. Visuals are accompanied by a voiceover and titles guiding the audience. Thematically, the story will highlight the importance of volunteering and helping others, overcoming adversity, and striving for a better life. A purposeful, socially aware, and entertaining documentary, this film will visually communicate its message through powerful and engaging filmmaking.
 
THE GOAL 
We are raising money to produce the film and are seeking finance limited to twenty thousand pounds (£20,000) for the purpose of developing, producing, and distributing a high-quality production for the film festival circuit.
 
As we are unlikely to secure alternative finance at this early stage, the GoFundMe platform is a viable option, as it enables us to reach out to the general public via social media in order to acquire funds.
 
The funds will go DIRECTLY towards:
- The Producer's fees
- The Director’s fees
- Casting fees
- Location fees
- Preparation of a production budget and schedule
- Development of sales package
- Production fees
- Post Production fees
- Marketing and Distribution fees
 
The Director and Producers have agreed to keep their fees to a minimum, in order to give precedence to the production of the film. In-kind support has been utilised as a form of match funding with non-cash contributions with a value totaling £5000, for services and a percentage of time by members of the production team being waived. We have obtained quotes to establish how much these services would usually cost and are considered part of the estimated total production budget.
 
We are fully prepared to continue to invest in ourselves and our production, but we realised we are going to need just a little help to get us all the way to the finish line! We are offering a desirable, tiered, reward program, as incentives to backers of the film, who pledge financial support during the six-week fundraising campaign. We have set a reasonable target fund and are confident of meeting our funding goals. 
 
Brand integration campaigns will be offered to charitable organisations mentioned within the storyline, that are interested in advertising and/or integrating their brand into the production.
 
REWARD INCENTIVES
£5 – Backers will receive regular updates via email
£10 – Above and a digital poster
£25 – Above and signed copy of the pitch deck
£50 – Above and signed photo of ECB Umpire MFA Zaman
£100 – Above and a private link to the final cut of the film
£250 – Above and invite to the screening
£500 – Above and Executive Producer credit
£1,000 – Above and free tickets to watch an ECB cricket match
£2,500 – Product/Brand Placement
£5,000 – Product/Brand Integration 
 
Please help our project come to fruition, by DONATING and SHARING THIS CAMPAIGN, to help us meet our goal!
 
We thank you in advance for your contribution, love, encouragement, and support.