Having paid my dues with the rest of the film students, I’m no stranger to the crowd-funding phenomenon known as Kickstarter. However, I’m used to it gathering backing for the most recent and “creative” post-apocalyptic student film trying to “make it” in the independent film festival circuit, not a big name from television/Hollywood. Thus begins an intriguing turn of events for the advent of crowdfunding and the (once) overlooked power it possesses.
I thought it was truly extraordinary when the Veronica Mars film gained 100% backing via Kickstarter in just over a day, but now we have Zach Braff embarking on the same tremendous crowd-funding voyage we witnessed in tech news just a couple months ago. Yes. Zach Braff of Scrubs and Garden State Fame has already garnered $1.6 million of the $2 million budget total with 28 days to go.
What is probably the most fascinating aspect of this new turn of events, is the sheer number of supporters for the Zach Braff project. There are thousands of $10, $20, $30 pledges as well as hundreds of $100, $150, and $200 pledges. There are of course pledge amounts fulfilled that are well above these amounts, but the feat is nothing short of impressive in and of itself.
All that being said, here is my question: What does this mean for the little guy? I always admired the crowd-funding option for the opportunity it presented for a dark-horse creative to really make something happen that wouldn’t be supported by the typical entertainment business solutions. I’m all for a filmmaker like Braff to make a film the way he wants to, with all the creative freedom that comes with independent funding, I’m just saying, what will we do when more “big guns” start utilizing the power of fan-base support? How will the little guy gain a fan base when up against someone who has already solidified his or her fan base? All questions that will be answered in due time.
My prediction? There will be the occasional indie-darling like Zach Braff seeking out an alternative funding option to gain some creative breathing room, but all in all, the little guy will do just fine.
Here’s hoping!
