Why are you funding Dirty Poole through individual donors?
What is fiscal sponsorship?
What will the money be used for?
Are you seeking investors?
Are you applying for grants?
Can I get more in-depth information about your budget?
What's your total budget?

I can't afford to donate, but can I subscribe to a newsletter or something?
When will the documentary be finished?
Where will Dirty Poole be screened?
Can I buy Dirty Poole on DVD?

Who is Wakefield Poole?
Will there be porn in Dirty Poole?

Why are you funding Dirty Poole through individual donors?

There are a lot of reasons! Making a feature-length film or video project these days is very difficult, especially if the subject matter is specialized or "niche." Distributors and investors are extremely adverse to risk and anything that doesn't fit nicely into an easy marketing plan won't be funded by profit-driven entities. It's also a cold hard fact of documentary distribution today that most documentaries will not make a profit.

And that's OK. Our goal isn't to make a profit. We want people all over the world to see and enjoy Dirty Poole.

By appealing directly to people like you, who have an interest in Wakefield Poole or who have seen and enjoyed previous work by director/producer Jim Tushinski, we can make the movie we want to make and tell Wakefield's amazing and touching story. Arts funding in the US is almost nonexistent. Grass roots fundraising for documentaries is a vital and empowering way to go. By donating money to the making of a documentary you would like to see, you're helping get unheard stories to a wider audience. In effect, you're making your voice heard and helping decide what films get made.    [top]

What is fiscal sponsorship?

To quote from the Film Arts Foundation Web site: "In the simplest terms, Fiscal Sponsorship is one entity accepting and managing funds for another... As a fiscal sponsor, Film Arts collects all funds for a project, redistributes the funds as necessary, keeps a separate ledger for all funds accepted for the individual's project, and makes records of such transactions available to those who might require it. Film Arts maintains these records in the form of account status reports and other disclosures required by grant guidelines and/or federal law.

"Like most fiscal sponsors, Film Arts charges an administrative fee for any monies granted through our Fiscal Sponsorship program. This 7% fee covers the cost of our management of donations to your project (including costs associated with bookkeeping, check distribution, fiscal reporting to funders, inclusion on our web site, donations accepted through our web site, and on-going technical assistance).

"The primary advantage to working with a fiscal sponsor is that it allows an individual to solicit funds from government, foundation, individual and other philanthropic sources. Furthermore, these donations are then tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Film Arts Foundation has a lengthy history and reputation as a fiscal sponsor and many foundation and government entities are familiar with our program."

For more information on fiscal sponsorship, please visit Film Arts Foundation's Web site.   [top]

When will the documentary be finished?

If fundraising goes as planned, we're scheduled to complete production of the documentary by September of 2008. It will probably take another year to complete post-production (editing, scoring, sound mix, etc) and be ready to start screening in film festivals. Post-production could go a lot faster if the money were available sooner than later. Everything comes down to having the money to continue to the next step. Want to see Dirty Poole earlier than Winter 2009?    [top]

What will the money be used for?

The money will be used for every aspect of getting Dirty Poole made in a professional and efficient manner: paying videographers and sound people, licensing film clips and music, hiring editors and sound mixers and composers, archival research, transferring film clips from 16mm to a digital format, insurance, legal fees, and on and on.  [top]

Are you seeking investors?

No, we're not. An investor invests money in the hope that there will be a profit on his or her investment. We've been around the documentary business for a while and know that the chances of turning a profit on Dirty Poole are slim. That's the reason we went the fiscal sponsorship route. Plus, investors generally want some say in how the movie is made and distributed. We prefer to be more in control of all aspects of making our films.    [top]

Are you applying for grants?

Yes, we are. But let's be realistic...arts funding in the US is not very robust. And there is a lot of competition. While there are foundations that wouldn't flinch at some of the subject matter in Dirty Poole (the early days of gay liberation and gay porn, for example), the vast majority of grant-giving foundations are pretty conservative or prefer to fund contemporary hot button topics (Darfur, Iraq, gay marriage, climate change). And if the foundations are government-funded ...forget it! The mere mention of sex and porn would quickly disqualify us. So we'll apply for grants, but we certainly can't count on them to make up more than a small fraction of the total budget.   [top]

Can I get more in-depth information about your budget?

That's a sensitive question for filmmakers. It's rare that budgets are made public except to investors, producers, or non-profits considering making a grant. By granting us fiscal sponsorship, Film Arts Foundation approved our budget, which should make potential donors feel more at ease. Also, we're independent filmmakers and are used to doing more with less. There's no air-conditioned trailers or 5-star catering on these shoots. We're professional, but efficient, and are always looking for ways to cut costs. But look, if you're serious about donating a large chunk of money to help get Dirty Poole made (for example at Producer or Mogul level) and really really want to see the budget, we can talk.   [top]

What's your total budget?

See the previous question. We don't give out that information. Let's just say it's well under a million. We're considered a micro-budget feature by Hollywood standards.    [top]

I can't afford to donate, but can I subscribe to a newsletter or something?

Of course! We're publishing an email newsletter on a monthly basis covering what's happening with the production, post-production, and distribution of Dirty Poole. Donors will automatically be subscribed, but anyone can sign up to get the newsletter. Please visit the subscription page to sign up now. Or make a donation and have it done for you!   [top]

Where will Dirty Poole be screened?

We don't know for sure! But we expect a lot of film festival screenings followed by DVD and television distribution. We may even try a small scale theatrical release before DVD, probably in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, if there is enough interest. If you look at where That Man: Peter Berlin played, you'll get an idea of some likely screening venues. However, we think Dirty Poole will have a wider appeal and will likely be shown in more places and to more diverse audiences. But expect to see it at your local gay and lesbian or independent film festival for starters.   [top]

Can I buy Dirty Poole on DVD?

Commercial DVD distribution is a big part of getting Dirty Poole seen. But that won't happen until the documentary has screened at as many film festivals as possible. If we premiere Dirty Poole in late 2009/early 2010, then a commercial DVD would likely be available about 18 months after that. Could be sooner, could be later. If you can't wait that long, consider donating at the Patron, Angel, Producer, or Mogul level. Donors at these levels will get an advance, Special Edition DVD of the completed film before it's seen in many film festivals and well before a commercial DVD will be available on Amazon.com or Netflix.   [top]

Who is Wakefield Poole?

Have a look at the information on this page.

Will there be porn in Dirty Poole?

No. There will be male and female nudity in archival footage, adult language, and even some French-kissing between men (also in archival footage), but we're making Dirty Poole so that a wider audience (gay and straight) can appreciate the life, contributions, and work of Wakefield Poole. While Poole primarily made sexually explicit films, many of them can't be accurately classified as pornography, especially if judged by the standards of porn today. Similar to what we did with the subject of sexuality and porn in That Man: Peter Berlin, we're planning on making a documentary for adults that may in part be about porn, but is not itself porn.    [top]