Web3FilmLab Short Intro
- We’re a community-driven movie studio that produces successful indie books to film.
- The genesis pass will fund creation of the studio and ecosystem (marketplace, social media site, and movie streaming platform) as well as fund one movie project by a successful creator in Web2 to serve as a use case on how Web3 technology and fundraising can help the entertainment and filmmaking industry.
- Beyond the genesis pass, future movies will be funded by their own NFT projects that provide holders an entertaining experience during the time the movie is being filmed.
- Genesis pass holders will be given first opportunity for whitelists for all movie projects launched by Web3FilmLab.
Our Mission
The indie book publishing industry has seen massive growth over the last decade. Writers who otherwise might not have ever been published are now able to self-publish stories, many of which making bestseller lists in publications like The New York Times and USA Today. The most successful authors gain a sizeable and loyal audience and keep them engaged between book releases with events and discourse inside their fan community. The reader community is voracious and passionate, hungry for the next release of a series and ready to discuss their favorite books. The strength of the fan community is readily apparent under social media hashtags such as #booktok on TikTok and #bookstagram on Instagram.
We’ve seen some indie books turned into film with great success. 50 Shades of Grey is one of the most recognizable examples of this. The Martian by Andy Wier is an example of a science fiction novel successfully produced to film. Streaming platforms have also released the occasional successful indie story. Netflix brought the 365 Days series to their platform, with chart-topping results upon each new release of the series.
In spite of the examples of success listed above, major studios and streaming platforms in Web 2 do not focus on bringing books to film to the extent Web3FilmLab believes they should. There is one exception to this statement. A combination movie studio and streaming platform called Passionflix focuses on producing indie romance stories to film. The company is headed by Tosca Musk (yes, Elon Musk’s sister!). The company just celebrated their 5th anniversary, produced about 30 original films and has attracted a loyal fanbase with their monthly subscription streaming platform. Tosca Musk and Passionflix see what Web3FilmLab sees: the audience who wants their favorite indie books produced to film is underserved by major Web2 platforms.
Web3FilmLab aims to produce films by the most successful indie authors in the Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, and Thriller genres, among others. Our approach is not to focus on a single genre, but instead focus on the authors who have the most passionate followers and bring their stories to film. We also would like to be a voice for smaller audiences who lack the representation needed to produce profits most studios require. For every NFT project launched, Web3FilmLab will reserve 5% of mint to the community treasury to help fund movies in genres that represent LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC characters, stories, and writers, as well as any other small audiences who historically struggle to gain visibility in Web2. Just because a genre has a small audience does not mean they are any less deserving of representation in entertainment and W3FL hopes to be known as a studio that produces movies for every audience.
Additionally, our target audience is largely in Web2 at the present time. We would like to act as an ambassador for those eager to learn about the Web3 space, how it can empower creators and produce a variety of content fans would like to see. Creators “rent” their audience in Web2 and face the potential for large, centralized sites deplatforming them at any time. Readers and moviewatchers in Web2 are served an ever-narrowing range of content that can guarantee astronomical profits to studios at the financial expense of creators and results in lack of experimentation and representation of smaller audiences. Our studio wants to change this using the technology, fundraising capability, artist royalties, and emphasis on community that is the culture of Web3.
Lastly, the Web3 space discusses wanting to onboard more women into the space with some regularity. Web3FilmLab has a female founder and has a target audience that is majority female. We would love to be seen as a space that has helped contribute to more women stepping into Web3 and even to roles as founders themselves!
Community Engagement During Production
W3FL believes one of the biggest challenges for the film industry is keeping their holders engaged during the film production process which takes time. A core priority for W3FL is to make that time a period of strengthening connections within the fan community by offering the following:
-Voting on the appearance of their collectible NFT.
-Community events such as book readings
-Author AMAs
-Cast/Crew Q&A panels
-Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and teasers
-Merch drops as negotiated by the author such as paper books, audiobooks, coffee mugs, posters, etc
-Education on Web3 for the Web2 audience we onboard
About the W3FL Founder
My name is Katherine Pope and I’ve been in the self-publishing industry since 2013 (under a pen name), have published several books of my own and keep in touch with trending authors, genres, tropes fans love that would all make for great movies!
Planned Business Structure of Web3FilmLab
Genesis Project
- Fund creation of studio, marketplace, streaming platform, social media site
- Community of holders vote on films for W3FL to produce. We would like to onboard writers in the indie publishing industry who are interested in increasing the industry’s presence in film and would help decide which books to bring to film.
- Fund production of a film. W3FL would ideally like to offer a partnership to Passionflix, Tosca Musk’s company mentioned above. What we would offer them is funding for one of their films via funds raised through our genesis project, handle audience purchases and engagement through our marketplace and social media platform, and premier the movie on our streaming platform. The goal is to show what Web3 can do for existing production companies in Web2.
- If Passionflix passes on our offer we would plan to partner with a successful author in the indie publishing space who has a large audience with a similar offer: produce their film via funding with the genesis pass, handle community building, sales, and streaming of the film. Some of the largest authors in the space have an audience of tens of thousands of fans who would love to see their books made to film.
- Creation of Whitelist launchpad for holders of the Genesis Pass. Holders would receive first-line invites to Whitelist for film funding projects launched by W3FL.
What W3FL Would do with Grant Funding
-Create minting website and smart contract
-Pay for listing on OpenSea
-Consulting with Champ https://twitter.com/champtgram. I’m part of the NFT Academy community and Champ offers consultations at a discount for members. I’d like to schedule time with him to review my project and make sure the structure is the best it can be.
-Discord server creation, security audit, and moderation staff
Non-Monetary Goals
-W3FL is currently in early phase bootstrapping, and I understand the importance of building the right team. I am considering partnering with an existing NFT marketplace that makes the process of purchasing NFTs accessible for a Web2 audience, or onboarding a Blockchain developer to create one. If the Nouns community can recommend any developers who are open to partnering over the long term I would happily consider them.
-Mentorship with people experienced in film production. My experience is in writing and publishing. I can find the right books to produce to film, but I am interested in coaching/support from those more experienced in film production than I. I am a holder of Bad Influence, a community of artists and people in the entertainment industry. The founders have stated they would like to provide this kind of support to their holders, so I will be seeking their guidance, I just wanted to share this desire in case Nouns can recommend anyone on their end.
What Web3FilmLab Would do for Nouns and Web3
-W3FL appreciates the support considered to help get us off the ground. We would happily credit Nouns within every movie our community produces.
-In addition to setting aside funds in a treasury to fund projects for underrepresented audiences, W3FL will always look for opportunities to pay the kindness forward in the space by supporting emerging, underrepresented, or underfunded projects that have a passion for bringing their vision to Web3.
Feel free to respond if you have any other questions.
Thank you for considering my proposal!
Katherine Pope, Founder Web3FilmLab
Twitter:https://twitter.com/KatPopeCreative
Discord: Kat Pope Creative#5712
Web3FilmLab Twitter: https://twitter.com/Web3FilmLab