So just a little bit of backstory. I'm a writer and my passion for years has been to make films. I love film and I have a passion for visual storytelling. Well I decided that I wanted to write a short film to start off my career since that seemed the best route. I've been to film school and taken classes on how to make films.


So I write a 40 page short film. It's a thriller drama short. I can't give anymore details than that I'm afraid. Anyway, so I finish it and I get it copy written through the writers guild and all that.


Well rewind a year ago, I met a guy who was an amateur actor at this telecommunications job I worked at. He said he'd been in a few films so far and he loved it and is always looking for work to get publicity and experience.


Fast forward to present again. So I decide to shoot him my script and I don't hear from him for 3 days. 3 days later he calls me like 9 times while I'm at work and once I get ahold of him he tells me that he is in love with my script, wants to play a role, and tells me he has a Hollywood actor friend who has worked with people such as will smith, Arnold schwartz, and directors such as James Cameron. I can't give his name due to privacy. But he tells me that he wants my permission to send to him because they are close friends and he thinks he'd be interested. So I say yes and then two days later I get a text that says "so and so wants to talk. Now." And so I'm like uhhhhhhh what and then my phone rings from an LA number (I'm in the Bay Area).


So we talk for 2 hours and turns out he says it's one of the best written scripts he's read in years and that he wants to talk about acting and producing it.


.....


Wat. So over the last few weeks we've talked more and more and he's gotten a director of photography, sound guys, light guys, everything ready to go barring one thing:


About 30 grand. He convinced me that this is too good to waste on a short film, and that we need to make a full-length feature. I agree and have already started revising my script for a full-length feature. But I need money. And I don't know how to raise that kind of money in a short time. I know that people do, But I'm unsure how.


Is there a proven method of raising money for an indie film? Kickstarters? At this point I'm just kind of frazzled, and seeking advice. Not your money.

Maybe I'm too suspicious and cynical in my old age, but are you absolutely 100% certain this is legit? It sounds like one of those advance fee things where once you pay up, everything suddenly disappears. I kinda feel bad bringing bad vibes to what could be a really good gig, but play it cautiously and put in place whatever safeguards you can.