The Kickstarter Craze

A long time ago, Veronica Mars and I used to be friends. A few weeks ago, I once again felt at home in the seedy seaside town of Neptune, California (which is bizarrely prone to complicated crime) with the release of the Veronica Mars movie. For those of you who are far less nerdy than I, or who have been living under a cult TV series rock, the sassy, teenaged private eye Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) spawned an addictive TV series. Since the show’s sudden cancellation in 2007, myself and other like-minded fans from across the world have yearned for closure which was delivered in the form of this new film.

Unfortunately, the major failing of the film is the extent to which it unabashedly caters to the fans by way of superfluous inside jokes, unnecessary character appearances, and an excessively complicated mystery which drew on first season story lines. This made the film fun to watch for someone like me, who’s thrilled just to be back in Neptune, but ultimately renders it inaccessible for non-viewers. This fan-service makes sense considering the film’s existence is a credit to the fanbase. Creator Rob Thomas penned a screenplay but he repeatedly failed to convince Warner Bros. to finance the project. In 2013 they agreed to test out a Kickstarter campaign and to cover marketing and distribution costs if the campaign was successful.

The appeal raised $5.7 million from 91,585 backers, shattering the records for most backers on a single project and the highest-funded film in Kickstarter history. The final product was shot in just 23 days, grossed over $3 million at the box office, paved the way for a just-published novel and a potential online series and satisfied its cult following.

The critical perception and financial success of this fan-funded film may well serve as a test case for more crowdfunded movies which could challenge, and even revolutionize, the entertainment industry by more closely aligning it with viewer’s desires. Whereas crowdfunding on Kickstarter, Indiegogo and other like sites has previously been reserved for unpopular or niche projects, documentaries have a long history of success: around 10% of films in Tribeca, SXSW, and Sundance are Kickstarter funded while the site has funded Oscar nominated shorts Sun Come Up and Incident in New Baghdad. The money, buzz, and enthusiasm garnered by Veronica signals a turn in the industry. Its legacy may well pioneer a democratic revolution in the business of moviemaking by streamlining the relationship between filmmaker and audience.

Veronica has already inspired Zach Braff’s new project Wish I Was Here, a sequel to Garden State, which raised over $3 million. In his initial appeal he credited Thomas’s efforts, saying, “After I saw the incredible way “Veronica Mars” fans rallied around Kristen Bell and her show’s creator Rob Thomas, I couldn’t help but think (like I’m sure so many other independent filmmakers did) maybe there is a new way to finance smaller, personal films that didn’t involve signing away all your artistic control.”

This emerging trend of direct appeal to audiences and increased creative freedom should excite even those not interested in the big screen revival of everyone’s favourite female high school sleuth.

Images courtesy of forbes.com, digitaltrends.com and venturebeat.com