Arts & Entertainment

Eastside Filmmaker Crowd Funds Money for Short Film

Doug Stapleton, an alumnus of the Bellevue College advanced video production certificate program, hopes to raise $10,000 through crowd sourcing to produce a short thriller.

An Eastside filmmaker is drawing from friends, fans and anyone willing to put in $10 to $1,000 into bringing a short film to fruition.

Doug Stapleton, an alumnus of the Advanced Video Production program, is raising money to produce a short film "Deadline," through crowd funding site, Indiegogo.

His funding campaign website -- which has its own deadline of Sunday July 29 to reach $10,000 -- offers different contribution levels, offering everything from the opportunity to be an extra in the film (for a $100 contribution and up) to acupuncture sessions (for contributions of at least $25), which were contributed to Stapleton by a Kirkland- and Seattle-based acupuncturist, N. Brandon Leahy.

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"It's part of being a producer," Stapleton said. "I used to be in sales, and I'm trying to put that hat back on to get the funding I need to get the project going," he said.

He's raised more than $7,000 so far.

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Stapleton, 40 a former Expedia sales executive and with years of experience in the software industry, decided to pursue filmmaking several years ago, attending  to get his certificate in Advanced Video Production.

He now has his own video production company, Photo Finish Films, which has done work on corporate films, music videos and other contract work. Stapleton also produces videos on a part-time basis for the city of Kirkland.

His short movie "Deadline" is a thriller about a young businesswoman working late into the night trying to finish a last minute proposal, when she discovers that she is not alone in her building, according to Stapleton.

Stapleton wrote on the site that the story was inspired by working late one night.

“While the film is a short, I am approaching it as a 'big' film," he wrote on his Indiegogo proposal. "The visual style and production design of Deadline will feel substantial for a film of this size. 'Deadline' is a film with strong characters, intrigue, and of course, suspense."

Stapleton already has a short independent film under his belt, "Take 38."

"That was funded by me," he said. "That's why I'm going with Indiegogo this time. They get expensive."

On the Web

Stapleton's Indiegogo site: http://www.indiegogo.com/deadlineshort

Photo Finish Films: http://www.photofinishfilms.com/


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