The world of film is changing, and there is nothing any of us can do about it.
Ranging from digital download, to instant streaming, film distribution has slowly become a possibility for the smallest of small films, and the most independent of independent cinema. However, it still takes money to get these films made, and that is where financing comes in, and kills off many of the weaker projects.
Hell, Steven Spielberg is having trouble finding financing.
In a recent interview with
CINSSU, Kevin Smith discussed the possibility of some sort of fan-financing for his long gestating project, Red State:
“We’re kind of creating this website. We’re seeing if it works to set up and collect donations. But it became a weird tax nightmare, though...It sounded like such an easy thing online...but now there’s lots of checks and balances to make sure we can do it, but if that’s the case, I would be into it, and I’ll match it. Whatever you raise on line, like f--- it, you put it up, I’ll put it up.”
Kevin Smith is not the only person who has come up with this very idea.
Up and coming indie film maker Gary King (New York Lately, What’s Up Lovely), has recently announced that he is currently trying to hunt down financing for his upcoming musical, How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song. However, instead of trying to get some sort of financeer or production company to get behind him, he is turning to the fans.
King recently announced that he has started an account at
KickStarter.com, a special site which allows artists (ranging from film makers to fashion designers) to take in donations from the public, in order to get his or her project(s) off the ground. In return for the donation, the person donating will in turn receive a special gift, which in regards to Song, could range from a simple Thank You credit, to an actual walk on role in the film.
Here’s the description of the concept from King’s blog,
An Indie Life:
However, making a motion picture is pretty expensive even when you’re doing it on the cheap. Costs for things such as audition/dance rehearsal space, cast and crew, film equipment, locations, editing, music, marketing materials (posters, postcards, etc.), DVD’s, film festival fees (the list goes on and on) can add up quickly. But thankfully there is this great website called KICKSTARTER and that’s where YOU come in!
KICKSTARTER allows us to raise money for the film in a fun and organized way. For your kind and generous donation you can get some really cool “Thank You” gifts in return! Things like a DVD copy of the film, CD soundtrack, film poster or autographed script….to exclusive “sneak peeks” of the footage, participating in test screenings or even a visit to the set.
This marks the true start, albeit a slow one, to what will become a more mainstream process; the idea of “fandependent” film making. It’s also an exciting idea.
The concept of “fandependent” film making is just the icing on the top of this small little cake that is becoming the sustainability of truly independent cinema. This allows completely independent projects like King's (King is writing/directing/and producing Song) or the animated feature film,
The Kind You Don't Take Home To Mother, to not only get financing via the people who will actually benefit from the film’s release, but it allows these types of films to get to the simplified stage of distribution.
All in all, this is just the tip of the ice berg of what is sure to become the next big movement in independent cinema. Personally, it’s one that I am glad to witness. The days of independent films dying due to lack of money are slowly passing, or at least that problem is becoming less and less apparent. Sites like KickStarter not only help films however, it also people to choose what they want to see, far earlier in the game. Sure, no big budget studio, or block buster director is going to go this route, but given the opportunity to say I helped get a film made, it’s one that I can pass up.
Then take a look at sites like
EventFul.com, which allows fans to request certain films to hit their respective cities, allowing for more people, to see smaller and smaller films. Hell, one day you could see a film, fan financed, make millions of dollars, just like films like Paranormal Activity did.
However, it is currently just a one shot idea in the most basic of terms. Allegedly, Kevin Smith has sunk around $10,000 of his own money into lawyers fees just trying to work out some sort of plan. For a film like Smith's there are countless legal hurdles that would have to be overcome, so right now, it's at the very raw stages, and is basically a pipe dream for anything more than a micro-budget indie.
That said, if there is one film maker, or a generation of film makers, that I think could really kick off this Indie Movement Vol. 3 as
/Film so brilliantly put it, it's the one working today. Costs are shrinking, even for special effects laden films (District 9 was under $30 million, and looked like a film ten times that total), so it's only a matter of time until our next big blockbuster was somehow financed by the hands of a group of fans, and assisted by sites like EventFul and outlets like Video On Demand. Throw in some Twitter based word of mouth, and you have yourself the blueprint for this generations indie production blueprint.
It's one hell of an exciting time in independent cinema, and it's only going to heat up as the time goes.
Go see something good!
- Josh Brunsting
Associate Editor
