Zach Braff’s Kickstarter has almost hit its target in just a few days. Usually it takes some pulling, milking, tugging to get those things funded but if you’re a celebrity, you don’t have to do much.
The main difference between this Kickstarter and others I’ve seen is that Braff has incurred scorn from many film bloggers – at least that was my impression from various tweets on the subject.
Here is how Braff puts it:
I was about to sign a typical financing deal in order to get the money to make “Wish I Was Here,” my follow up to “Garden State.” It would have involved making a lot of sacrifices I think would have ultimately hurt the film. I’ve been a backer for several projects on Kickstarter and thought the concept was fascinating and revolutionary for artists and innovators of all kinds. But I didn’t imagine it could work on larger-scale projects. I was wrong.
What’s the film about?
“Wish I Was Here” is the story of Aidan Bloom (played by me), a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he’d always dreamed he’d be as a little kid.
When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids (ages 5 and 12) and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them.
The result is some funny chaos, until Aidan decides to scrap the traditional academic curriculum and come up with his own. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.
It was written by my brother, Adam, and me last summer.
It sounds interesting enough to me — but I could see why they might run into roadblocks with typical financing questions. Just spitballing here but maybe they would want a hot naked babe running around, someone to have sex with someone, or to have a happier resolution than the ones the filmmakers offer up? Who knows. But, despite the urge to hate on Zach Braff’s endeavor here, I am instead excited about the possibilities. When I was a young filmmaking student in the 90s I could never have envisioned a world where anyone could pick up a camera and make a movie digitally, and a world where you could actually (theoretically) crowdfund worthy projects.
One of the reasons European and other international cinema kicks our mother fucking ass when it comes to quality is that their funding doesn’t come from small minded people only thinking about the bottom line. In American film it always feels like the pressure is to have the big weekend opener or at the very least a movie that makes a hefty profit. The Oscar industry being among the few exceptions to the rule.
So why not crowdfund? Why not take the same amount of money a person spends on coffee to put their money on the line to help promote better films?
At the end of the day, it’s a win-win.
“Maybe that film referred to above about a “selfish loser that refuses to take responsibility for his life” will turn out to be the next Citizen Kane”
Sure it will …
Well, there’s only one way to find out. Citizen Kane certainly would not get financed under the current system.
I fully support Braff with this because truly “independent” filmmaking will not necessarily meet the criteria required by the big financing houses who are more interested in commerce than art.
Sure, there will be lots of bad films, but we get that now from the mainstream.
Maybe that film referred to above about a “selfish loser that refuses to take responsibility for his life” will turn out to be the next Citizen Kane, but refusal by the usual fiinanciers to fund it would deprive all of us from seeing it.
Yeah, like I’m really gonna give money to an ACTOR.
Sasha, I was wondering… where did you study filmmaking?
” Just spitballing here but maybe they would want a hot naked babe running around, someone to have sex with someone, or to have a happier resolution than the ones the filmmakers offer up?”
Maybe. Or maybe financiers don’t want to invest in a film about a selfish loser that refuses to take responsibility for his own life.
While on one hand it’s good to give anyone a chance of making a movie with this, on the other hand they are giving ANYONE a chance of making a movie with this, so I have mixed feelings, specially when one of the first examples of this is a sequel to a mediocre movie.
I like the idea of Braff going to Kickstarter as a way to gain more creative control. That being said I don’t blame big studios for pouring in loads of money and showing bad material to appeal to the masses. They’re smart enough to know what kind of movie they are making. If people will pay to see it then why not make it? They’re in the business to make money like any entrepreneur and profits always need to grow. So if it’s crap movies the public wants, it’s crap movies the public gets. I almost don’t blame the big wigs with the shit movies, I blame the majority of the public for what they choose to watch.
It’s a way to be an art patron without requiring your name to be Rockefeller or Pope Julius II. I can’t fathom why anyone would have a problem with this.
Zach Braff is a cool guy, like “G. State”, love “Scrubs” (pause: the fact that John C.McGinley and Neil Flyn never got Emmy nominations, to me are one the most scandalous omissions ever, in any kind of award, in any era of time when humans are walkinh in the Earth).
But my Kickstarter contribution these days, will (actually already went for) go to Samantha, who is doing a documentary about her father, genius amng genius, God among Gods, Samuel Fuller, “A Fuller Life”. If I had more money to spend it…
I like Braff a lot — LOVED “Garden State”. But honestly that plot synopsis sounds a bit… twee. So I can understand why some people are skeptical.
Not sure Europe kicks our ass in movies or anything – there are great American movies being made. If Braff’s unconventional film is a success it’s good for all filmmakers trying to get something unusual made.
It’s the backer’s money and they can spend it however they like. It makes a lot of sense to me for a filmmaker who wants more creative freedom to make the film he actually wants to make. It’s not like Zach Braff is Scorcese or anything…this will probably help him a lot.