Thinking about crowdfunding a project but don’t know where to begin? Film Courage, a website dedicated to indie and DIY filmmaking, recently released two videos that should be of interest to anyone looking to crowdfund their film or product.

The first video is an interview with Etta Devine and Gabriel Diani, who raised $30,000 on Kickstarter (the initial goal was $6,000) for a book that took “the word ‘N-word’ and replaced it with ‘Robot’” in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They recently turned to Kickstarter again, hoping to raise enough money to release their film “The Selling” in theaters.

Devine calls managing a crowdfunding campaign “almost a full-time job” that requires a lot of research and outreach. She also says that even if people do not have money to contribute, sharing the project with their friends can still help get a campaign funded.

“It’s really about getting eyeballs on the project, on the [pitch] video,” Diani adds. “Because if they like the video, that can push them [to donate money].”

But how does one make an appealing pitch video – one of the key components of a successful campaign? The second Film Courage interview discusses just that. It features Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina, who were able to raise over $57,000 for their documentary Dying to Do Letterman, well surpassing their initial $37,000 goal. Fincioen and Messina begin by saying that a campaign video should channel the passion and excitement of the project’s creators.

“If you care enough about your project to [put] sweat, blood, and tears to get it done, you should care enough to tell people why,” Messina explains. “I think that if you start from a place of honesty and passion, in however you’re communicating, you’ll already be ahead of the pack.”

He goes on to say that looking at other filmmakers’ successful pitch videos may not be helpful, since each film is unique. Fincioen adds that it’s important to have testimonials, either from viewers or other filmmakers, to help show how a film inspired them. The pair end the video by discussing why it’s important to pick an audience to address – and not just “the 18 to 39 year old male.”

The videos are educational and can help fledgling filmmakers and campaign managers get the most out of the crowdfunding. Check out Film Courage’s “Crowdfunding Tool Kit” page for more information and interviews with filmmakers.