Moise Verneau is a completely self-taught filmmaker with no formal film education. He and his team began the web series “Money & Violence” without any professional training. By watching YouTube tutorials, Verneau learned editing, sound mixing and color correction and wears many hats — he serves as writer, director, editor and actor in “Money & Violence.”
Set in Brooklyn, “Money & Violence” depicts a world largely ignored by “Girls” and “High Maintenance.” The ensemble cast of characters comprises a storyline that goes deep into the mindset and the inner workings of the street dynamic of Brooklyn.
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The web series’s first season racked up more than 20 million views and was included in the Tribeca Film Festival’s online component, Tribeca Now. Though they received six figure offers to produce the second season, they opted to maintain independence. Instead, they turned to Seed&Spark, the crowdfunding and integrated distribution platform, to produce season two.
Aware that their community is relatively new to crowdfunding and many live below the poverty line, their goal is get $1 each from 250,000 supporters for the second season of their show. They’ve been deeply engaged in educating their community about how and why to support the project, as well as receiving hundreds of messages of support and encouragement.
“Things are very different for me now in my neighborhood. I cannot walk to the store without being noticed or asked to take a picture with someone. People are so happy when they bump into me and always express how much they love the series and respect me for the lessons that I implanted within the storyline,” Verneau said in a statement. “It’s amazing to see how much joy to others can come out of a project that myself and a few friends put together from nothing.”
Watch the trailer for the second season of “Money & Violence” below and find out more about the crowdfunding campaign here.
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