I made $1700 through Indiegogo as well as family and friends. It was mainly family telling other family. I did buy a boost through a crowd funding website for $200. I made $400 off a donor from the site but it was risky. A film I'll be doing summer of 2019 requires a sum of $2000 plus I'm going to start a small production business for another $2000. I have not done this yet, but I plan on trying to get a few people together and put an investor meeting together. Then, I can show those people my plan and either gain funding, some funding, or very valuable information on why they do not want to invest based off my plan. The biggest thing is keep your costs only as much as you think you can get. I think I could get $4000 over this year because I have a fairly decent network and pool of donors. BUT, if I did not think I would get that much, I would choose to budget things. Keep in mind, it is very hard to get someone to donate if they do not know you that well. Why? Because they're not getting a whole lot out of it. Short films rarely make money. Most of the time, they just loose money. But, it is an amazing experience! No one will care how amazing of an experience it is unless they have empathy for you (example: family, close friends) or for the craft (local film makers).

Going to your local home depot and getting 3 LED lights, a stand, and a case plus a couple bed sheets would be about $200 - $250.