The high cost of making a feature film is well known, but one young filmmaker has found a unique way of funding his ambitions. Mark Prebble set up a website and asked for money.

Prebble's venture proved fruitful with his website, www.makemarksmovie.com generating nearly $30,000 worth of favours and sponsorship money and enabling him to finish his film.

The opportunistic director shot Futile Attraction - a not so romantic comedy about the making of a reality television dating programme - on a very low budget in Wellington.

After the shoot the project fell over and almost died from lack of funding. In desperation Prebble went begging on the internet.

Website www.makemarksmovie.com was born and went on to generate money and favours from around the world.

"There's been all sorts of help mainly from teenagers and kids all around the world who have tried to help raise publicity in their own countries, arranged interviews for me, someone designed the website for me, someone else designed the poster," Prebble says.

Financial contributions ranged from 70 cents to $2,000, but Prebble also scored a producer, a soundtrack and a professional audio mix.

Getting the film onto the film festival circuit is the next goal and all going well it will make a profit so the cast, crew and Prebble himself can get paid.