“Veronica Mars” was cancelled after just three seasons. But earlier this month, nearly five years after it was taken off the air, series creator Rob Thomas raised more than $2 million in less than 10 hours to bring the show to the big screen. Since then the goal of $2 million has been greatly exceeded and currently sits at $4,184,967.
How did he do it? He used Kickstarter.
Kickstarter is a site used to fund various creative projects. According to the site: “Everything from films, games, and music to art, design and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.”
Since its launch in April 2009, the site has raised over $500 million across more than 35,000 projects. The idea behind it is essentially to create an outlet for creative projects without connections to proper or sufficient funding. One project that recently met its goal of $20,000 is the upstairs expansion to Foxy Loxy Print Gallery and Café — renovations will include space for live performances.
A good deal of Kickstarter’s success is credited to its all-or-nothing policy. This means that if a project does not meet its monetary goal, individuals who pledged money will not be charged.
Kickstarter for “Veronica Mars” continues to exceed its goal, even after the project has been publicly green lit and is no longer in danger of losing the pledged funding. While, the idea of crowd-funded films is not unheard of, the astounding success of “The Veronica Mars Movie” project does raise a lot of questions and concerns regarding the business of not just film, but all profitable art forms.
Scrolling through forum threads on IMDb.com, you can see how fans of the show, and those previously unfamiliar with it, are reacting. In one thread titled “STOP FUNDING THIS MOVIE,” the poster claims that people are being taken advantage of and now that the Kickstarter campaign has made its goal, the studio should be carrying the project the rest of the way.
Another user calls for a boycotting and claims that Kickstarter should be left for projects that have less of a chance at success:
“Kickstarter should be a place where filmmakers can post their new fresh ideas and get funding on a whim. Veronica Mars had a fair run, and a few fair chances at a film. But Kickstarter is a forum for those who are not already in the business.”
Kickstarter was designed as a funding platform for artists unable to find funding elsewhere. Because of that, reactions to the Veronica Mars film vary. Some IMDb.com users are thrilled by the idea and are anxious to see what projects will be resurrected by the funding platform.
However, another user on IMDb.com does bring up another point:
“Now that this movie is greenlit, how would you feel if Warner Bros later decides to invest a significant amount of money (say, at least $2 mil) in the production of the movie? The sole reason this Kickstarter project was started was because Warner Bros didn’t want to financially invest in it. But if they later changed their minds and wanted in on it, do you think you have a right to get your money back?”
Jennifer Jenkins, owner of Foxy Loxy and the relatively new The Coffee Fox, is not on the same financial level as Warner Bros., the production company producing the “Veronica Mars” movie due out in summer 2014. So if this success story becomes a trend, will it become a problem for smaller businesses and struggling artists?
Fourth-year students in the performing arts department reached their goal of $3,000 to travel to Atlanta and New York City for a showcase. The department also raised $1,639 to fund their recent production of “Title of Show.”
While Kickstarter continues to prove a valuable resource for artists, the full effects of “The Veronica Mars Movie” project won’t be realized until the box office numbers are in for the film.
