Demis Lyall-Wilson, 32, Ashfield, NSW
Sitting in front of my computer, I watched a screen grab of Nicole Kidman running across a dusty paddock towards Hugh Jackman. Pressing a dozen keys on my keyboard I created a series of explosions around the actors.
'That's awesome,' my colleague Mark marvelled.
'Thanks mate,' I beamed.
Being a freelance visual-effects artist on major feature films had its advantages.
Not only did I help make movies like Baz Luhrmann's Australia come alive, but millions of people saw my work on the silver screen.
Special effects made any film look fabulous, but unfortunately it was an expensive procedure. Since the worldwide economic crisis hit in November 2008 my work had been drying up.
'I need to find another way to make money,' I sighed to my wife Catherine, 28.
'Why don't you just ask people for cash?' she joked.
As months passed, I waited for my agency to call with work but, when nothing came in, I knew I had to do something.
Maybe I could just ask people for money? I thought. That night I set to work creating a website.
I bought a domain name - ijustwantyourmoney.com - and designed the homepage with a photo of me at the top.
You might think I'm a greedy man but times are tough so I thought I'd try something a bit different, I wrote. Work's been a bit patchy this year so here's some options - you could send me your money as a gift or send me your money but make me work for it!
Keen to put my creative skills to use, I thought of some light-hearted reasons people might send me their cash.
'I could make awkward phone calls, give people relationship advice or be hired as a pretend partner for things like school reunions,' I said to Catherine.
'That's hilarious,' she enthused. 'Maybe you could rent out my nagging skills. I could pester someone to get that job done they'd been putting off.'
'I love it,' I chuckled adding the option to the website. Although times were tough, everyone still needed a laugh. I organised for the donations I received to be transferred by PayPal into my bank account.
Even if you just send a dollar, I won't complain, I wrote on the site. I also included a scale of charges for the options I'd suggested, depending on how hard they were. An awkward phone call cost US$10 and getting nagged by Catherine for a week was US$100.
Then, putting my website to the test, I sent out the web link to my 500 Facebook friends. By the end of the day they'd sent it to their friends and I was inundated with requests.
'I want you to call my work colleague and tell him he smells, as a joke,' one friend laughed.
That day I nervously made the silly phone call.
'I'm calling to let you know you have body odour,' I announced to my unsuspecting victim.
'Excuse me?' the guy bellowed back. 'I'm sorry but I was paid to pass on this message,' I explained. Luckily he had a sense of humour. Definitely worth it for $10!
Next I was paid by a group of American uni students to put my sexy dance moves to the test.
Your mission is to come up with an original dance routine to Britney Spear's Toxic, and post it on YouTube, they wrote.
Nervous but determined, I downloaded the song and set up my webcam. As the music blared out I placed my hands on my hips and seductively stared at the camera, gyrating to the sexy beat. This is a hilarious way to make a living, I thought, happily pocketing the US$25.
'Every little bit helps,' said Catherine as we worked out we'd made a tidy profit in the month the site had been up.
I can't imagine it's going to keep us afloat permanently but I'm having heaps of fun working on it and making other people smile into the bargain.
Today, I'm hoping to be working in visual effects again soon. But I'll keep the site running too. After all, who knew that you could make money just by asking for it!
Have you got a hilarious way to make extra cash? Talk to Demis in our Forums and see if your idea is a winning brainwave. Or leave a comment below. |
