Jack O’Kennedy | Staff writer
Former “Scrubs” star and director of indie hit “Garden State” Zach Braff has been drawing a lot of attention from the Hollywood press in the last month, much of it negative. Following in the footsteps of the phenomenally successful “Veronica Mars” Kickstarter campaign, Braff decided to turn to the crowdfunding website to finance his latest film, “Wish I Was Here”. Whilst he is by no means the first celebrity to make use of the site, Zach seems to have incurred the ire of those who believe Kickstarter should be a platform for unknown artists and inventors to fund interesting passion projects rather than a place for the rich and famous to profit from long established fanbases.
For those unfamiliar with the site, projects seeking funding on Kickstarter can range from simple and elegant custom woodcut business cards to complex smartphone compatible watches. Kickstarter-funded books have appeared on the New York Times best seller list, journalists have funded trips all over the globe and one enterprising individual even managed to open a pizza museum with money raised from the website. Donations on Kickstarter operate on an “all or nothing” basis. If a project fails to reach its funding target within a predetermined number of days the donations are returned. Contributors are enticed by the chance to be involved in a project from its inception as well as a tiered system of “rewards” where the greater the donation, the more substantial the reward. For example, backers who pledge €8 to Braff’s film receive access to a production diary, with casting news and behind the scenes info. Those with deeper pockets can get themselves tickets to advance screenings, signed merchandise, a seat at the premiere or even a speaking role in the film.
Braff has maintained a strong relationship with his fans long after his final “eagle!” as Dr. John Dorian in the hit US series Scrubs, through constant interaction via Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. Fans responded in droves to his latest venture, helping him reach his fundraising goal of $2million in a staggering 72 hours.
So why the controversy?
The main gripe people have with Braff’s project (and Kickstarter in general) is that those who contribute are donors rather than investors, meaning they will see no return if the film becomes a breakout hit like “Garden State” did back in 2004. Also, unlike the “Veronica Mars” campaign, the “Wish I Was Here” project is not offering DVD’s or digital copies of the film to generous backers, instead counting on them to pay and see it in theatres and contribute to the box office. Others have pointed out that Zach was the star of a highly successful TV show for nine years and surely has the clout and the capital to get his project made without resorting to crowdfunding. Braff has responded to these criticisms, stating that though he had the backing of a traditional financier, he would have been forced into particular casting and scripting decisions and had to surrender the right to final cut. He also maintains that he is putting an “ass-ton” of his own money into the project.
Should Braff be making use of crowdfunding when its quite clear he could have made the project without its help? It’s difficult to say. Other indie spirited filmmakers like Kevin Smith have stated that Kickstarter shouldn’t be used by those already established in their respective industries. On the other hand, Braff has pointed out that no-one is being forced to donate, it’s entirely an opt-in service. On top of this, his profile has created a flurry of attention for the site, with many of his backers subsequently financing other projects.
In 2012 alone almost $58million was pledged to film and video projects on Kickstarter. Crowdfunded films have screened at major international film festivals such as Sundance and two have even been nominated for Academy Awards. Whilst its unlikely that films produced in this way will become a regular feature at multiplexes, or a threat to the typical blockbuster, its clear that crowdfunding is becoming a viable option for visual art and film financing and innovation like that is something which should always be encouraged. Sitting through a bad film is torture. Suffering in front of a bad film you helped finance would be something worse altogether.
Here’s hoping I won’t regret my investment…..
