A new film raised $2 million in six hours through a Kickstarter account.Last month, we talked about how low-budget films are making their appearance as major movie award recipients. For the first time this year, a film funded through Kickstarter – a fundraising website for creative endeavors – won an Oscar, “Inocente,” a movie about an undocumented immigrant trying to become an artist. But now, a Kickstarter account may be used for not just low-budget films, but major movies as well.
Rob Thomas, the creator of the television series “Veronica Mars,” a show about a teen detective, wrote a movie script after it came to an end in 2007, but was unable to find funding to create a movie. He recently made a deal with Warner Brothers that if he could raise $2 million for the film by April 12, the movie would be funded. A mere six hours after Thomas created the account, he hit his mark, setting a Kickstarter record in the process, when he hit the $1 million mark in four-and-a-half hours, the fastest in the site’s history.
A total of 31,000 donors pitched in, with rewards based on how much was donated, including a copy of the script and t-shirts, and even a speaking role for a $10,000 donor.
While Veronica Mars already had the needed publicity for this funding drive to take hold, since the show ran from 2004 – 2007, this example, along with “Inocente” does point out the ability for almost anyone to receive the necessary funds for a low or high budget film. As a result, the world of movies may become much wider, as Kickstarter is able to support the goals of all types of filmmakers.
With this, owners of movie theaters or outdoor movie theater equipment may soon see more business as this fundraising platform may spark more, and better quality, films in the future.