With 26 days left to go on his Kickstarter crowdfunfunding campaign, Zach Braff’s film project “Wish I Was Here” surpassed their crowdfunding goal. The original target was to raise $2Million and as of this morning the total stands at well over $2.1 Million supported by almost 30,000 backers. The funds continue to rise and with so many days left on the campaign the expectations are for those numbers to go much higher.
The $2 Million dollars raised occurred over a period of ONLY 3 days. On the crowdfunding project home page Braff states that he was inspired by the incredible results of the Veronica Mars crowdfunding success.
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.
Financing an independent film the traditional way often means having to give away your right to “the final cut,” casting choices, location choices and cutting down your script to make it shoot-able on the cheapest budget possible.
Rewards levels for “Wish I Was Here” ranged from $1 all the way up to $10,000 (or more). The top level rewards tiers delivered the opportunity to become a member of the cast. At this level there was only a single package available which was quickly scooped up by a supportive fan.
BE A CAST MEMBER// For one of my biggest supporters, here’s one of the biggest rewards. You will be a credited as a cast member of “WISH I WAS HERE”. Visit us on our set and if you want, I’ll put you in a scene we are shooting and write a line just for you. And, we’ll give you the star treatment. Hair, makeup, wardrobe, and a space to practice your line. We’d like to shoot in August in LA, so if you would like a walk on role to complement your credit, you’ll need to be available then. You will provide your own travel and accommodation. ————————————————- You’ll also get an invite plus one to the premiere and afterparty, art prints, our tee shirt, a sneak peek of the soundtrack, weekly playlists, our Production Diary and the script.
Film Crowdfunding has quickly rocketed to unexpected levels. The ability to crowdfund the financing of film allows successful producers or directors greater control of their film projects while simultaneously engaging the public and creating an incredible marketing buzz. The earned media exposure has clearly surpassed the original $2 Million target and will certainly continue.
As of this morning Braff had not announced new stretch levels which have become the norm for blow out crowdfunding campaigns like this.
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