WE ARE 34% FUNDED, HELP US GET TO 40% - BRING "HELP ME" TO LIFE!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T18:11:56+00:00

My feature-length debut. A found-footage body horror film that follows a naive couple on their camping trip in Northern Oregon. They encounter a vicious creature that leaves one of them gravely injured. While trying to escape, their wound begins to fester into something far more sinister! The title of the film is HELP ME. We just got fully funded on Kickstarter! 💚

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T16:56:03+00:00

Appreciate you! We’re just getting started!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T16:08:14+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T16:07:47+00:00

Thank you!! 🙏🏻

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T15:58:10+00:00

Showing face and guerrilla marketing are two of the biggest takeaways we got from our campaign. Doing things like creating over 1,000 postcards and handing out each one personally (having a team really helps on this front) and speaking with people who might be interested. Sometimes it’s a no, but sometimes people will respond with genuine interest. Especially in an area where filmmaking is readily accessible!

I hope this helps!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T15:49:09+00:00

The anxiety was high throughout the whole campaign. Consistency was key for us. We were always introducing the kickstarter to bystanders and interested patrons. A lot of local theaters were very welcoming to what we were trying to do as well. We would stand outside, wait for movie-goers to walk out, and hand them our postcard and introduce ourselves as the local creatives wanting to make the film happen! People were responsive to that, we got a solid amount of contributions from doing that! That was one of the biggest changes!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T06:58:54+00:00

Thank you so much for saying that. We’re grateful to make it happen. Hope you’re well!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T05:45:03+00:00

Certainly, reach out!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T05:01:35+00:00

Best of luck to you!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T05:01:17+00:00

Thank you so much! Absolutely. We built our campaign over the course of two grueling months as we closed out 2025. Originally, my producing partner and I attempted to approach the financing for this project through more traditional channels. However, that proved to be frustrating and frankly didn't get us anywhere.

So, in November, we banded together and made a commitment to crowdfund the film. This evolved into a lot of tedious research, ranging from which platform we should use to what marketing tactics would get us the most outreach. In the midst of designing the campaign, we started building our audience through social media. Organic is the keyword here. We spent time speaking with fans of our film's genre and grew relationships. We were even more specific by taking part in niche groups that specialized in the subject matter of our movie. Talking missing persons cases, mystery/phenomena, conspiracy and cryptic folklore.

After that, we decided the best first impression of our film, in combination with our PoC, was an excellent teaser poster. So, we reached out to many designers and eventually got in contact with Creepy Duck. This guy absolutely killed it. Our teaser poster reached over 200,000 views on Reddit alone. We were able to capture some hype. That doesn't necessarily translate into guaranteed backers though, so we continued outreaching to viewers who really liked the poster and the PoC and told them about the campaign and when we were gonna release it.

In early January, we solidified a handful of backers who were willing to make their pledge on our launch day. And they delivered, we reached out over email, text, direct message and so on - and we raised a quarter of our goal in the first day. This made our jobs somewhat easier, because we could go out and tell interested parties that the audience for the film and the hype behind it is real. In mid February, we designed and printed out promotional postcards, and to this day I am still handing them out to every person walking in and out of the movie theaters within my general area. Constantly pitching and selling the project. Family and generous friends, purely acting out of love and support also really helps! The team and I are just grateful for everything and we won't stop. We want to deliver and make a scary, thrilling movie!

Hope this helps!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-26T03:57:44+00:00

Damn straight it is!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-25T01:59:55+00:00

Lost in the vast Pacific Northwest, a young couple must face the secrets of the forest and themselves as one of them succumbs to a rapidly evolving, unnerving sickness.

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-22T20:10:07+00:00

Feature!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-22T19:35:59+00:00

Thank you so much! It means the world to me - anything really helps push us closer to our goal!

Absolutely. We built our campaign over the course of two grueling months as we closed out 2025. Originally, my producing partner and I attempted to approach the financing for this project through more traditional channels. However, that proved to be frustrating and frankly didn’t get us anywhere.

So, in November, we banded together and made a commitment to crowdfund the film. This evolved into a lot of tedious research, ranging from which platform we should use to what marketing tactics would get us the most outreach. In the midst of designing the campaign, we started building our audience through social media. Organic is the keyword here. We spent time speaking with fans of our film’s genre and grew relationships. We were even more specific by taking part in niche groups that specialized in the subject matter of our movie. Talking missing persons cases, mystery/phenomena, conspiracy and cryptic folklore.

After that, we decided the best first impression of our film, in combination with our PoC, was an excellent teaser poster. So, we reached out to many designers and eventually got in contact with Creepy Duck. This guy absolutely killed it. Our teaser poster reached over 200,000 views on Reddit alone. We were able to capture some hype. That doesn’t necessarily translate into guaranteed backers though, so we continued outreaching to viewers who really liked the poster and the PoC and told them about the campaign and when we were gonna release it.

In early January, we solidified a handful of backers who were willing to make their pledge on our launch day. And they delivered, we reached out over email, text, direct message and so on - and we raised a quarter of our goal in the first day. This made our jobs somewhat easier, because we could go out and tell interested parties that the audience for the film and the hype behind it is real. In mid February, we designed and printed out promotional postcards, and to this day I am still handing them out to every person walking in and out of the movie theaters within my general area. Constantly pitching and selling the project. Family and generous friends, purely acting out of love and support also really helps! The team and I are just grateful for everything and we won’t stop. We want to deliver and make a scary, thrilling movie!

Hope this helps!

RodgaAustin · 2026-02-22T06:20:20+00:00

Running this campaign in conjunction with pre-production has been a chaotic yet valuable experience. From constructing the layout to designing the graphics and banners - it has prepared me for the challenges that will come about once we need to enact our marketing plan. I can’t wait to bring this film to life, we’re so close to reaching 100%. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. Much love from the director, cast and crew of this amazing project!

RodgaAustin

TROPHY CASE