What if a new sci-fi series went to Netflix that wasAkickstarter proj?

[jefferiestubes8]

What is an original sci-fi series idea kickstarter project got started and Netflix picked it up to a full 13 episode series?

What I'm saying is if somehow it really took off and all the right things happened on a Kickstarter pilot for TV and Netflix ponied up some serious money when they saw it worked.
Will we start to see pilots made on Kickstarter for sci-fi genre?
Let's discuss this as a potential future model that Netflix, Amazon, Youtube would all look at for original series.

[xortex]

Do you have something in mind and are kicking around looking for some name people to get involved? because I am too and I would even call it Star Trek if they let me. I sent it to Doug Drexler after Space Command. He has yet to get back to me, though he does hod nob with all the right writers, doesn't he? as well as other creatives who could get people to pony up seriously for donations for another production for an original web series or netflx. I think Netflix has a pilot competition for sci fi things though I'm still trying to figure out how to get an agent.

[Temis the Vorta]

Netflix is trying to establish itself as a competitor to HBO, so they're going to do deals with the same folks who might be able to get a show on HBO - Fincher, Eli Roth, etc. Netflix can't afford to do anything that looks chintzy or kickstarter-y at this point in their development. YouTube would be a better bet.

Speaking of web series, Ridley Scott is partnering with Machinima on short sci fi films.

Ridley Scott and his commercials production company RSA will team with Machinima to produce 12 short films that will focus on science fiction content that might be grown into feature franchises.

They should also think about expanding those "short films" into a sequence, ie, something like TV, regardless of whether they ever make it to the big screen. The two could work together, you build the audience online and then make the jump to movies, but you're going to have to produce a continual stream of episodes to keep your audience loyal during the time it takes to produce a big budget movie.

[xortex]

Not if the kickstarter is a success, then why shouldn't Netflix or CBS or the sci-fi channel pick it up as their next great space opera or whatever it is. Success is success and that translates into money and ratings without the risk on the part of CBS or Netflix or whoever no matter where it's shown or originates from. Talent will be drawn to it as well.

[jefferiestubes8]

xortex wrote:

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Do you have something in mind and are kicking around looking for some name people to get involved?

No not at all. I'm a Trek fan who works in the TV business below the line.

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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Netflix is trying to establish itself as a competitor to HBO, so they're going to do deals with the same folks who might be able to get a show on HBO - Fincher, Eli Roth, etc. Netflix can't afford to do anything that looks chintzy or kickstarter-y at this point in their development. YouTube would be a better bet.

Yes I can understand this. At this point Netflix is a large brand name and on the level as premium cable channels.

There has to be room for low (not ultra low) budget and middle budget (under $800k episode) scifi serialized series like a TV series that is not SyFy schlocky. What streaming video service can be the place for that.
Hulu Plus seems like it is in the Netflix route but they do have original series but not sci-fi. mostly low budget docu. style like "30 Days".

The point of this thread is to discuss the business apect of Kickstarter projects getting distribution for scifi fans to see episodic stories that do not do well with advertising commercial TV.

[Temis the Vorta]

YouTube would be the way to go. They're not trying for any kind of premium brand image that I've ever noticed.

Or Machinima. That Ridley Scott story is the right idea - uncover new talent - but it's focused on movies. I'd like to see something similar but focused on serialized storytelling. Why couldn't some kickstarter person just tap into that? They're willing to be "surprised" by new talent, well - surprise them!

RSA has a stable of over 80 filmmakers including Kathryn Bigelow, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, Neill Blomkamp, Joe Carnahan and Andrew Dominik. Daly told me she will canvas its roster to see if any of the filmmakers have sci-fi concepts they’ve wanted to explore but never had an outlet. “There is a plethora of great talent here and sometimes they don’t have a platform for great ideas that would work well in shorts. It could be an established director wanting to try something new, or a brilliant young director from Sweden who surprises us.” As an example of the format’s potential, Daly cited Loom, a Luke Scott-directed short that RSA produced with RED Camera. “This is the future, it’s new territory we believe we must investigate,” Daly said. She expects to have no trouble filling the dozen slots for the first round of sci-fi shorts for the Machinima deal.

[Candlelight]

I think most people on this forum have their own series they'd like to see get off the ground. Kickstarter does make things easier, although most of them are country specific (Kickstarter only funds projects from the US or UK from memory).

Would love to get my show made. Maybe one day. By August next year would be really good...

[Temis the Vorta]

Vimeo launches on-demand service.

Vimeo has launched an on-demand service that allows creators to sell their own works -- and keep 90% of the revenue after transaction costs.

So anyone who has a kickass idea and the ability to get it made has no shortage of venues by which to sell it.

The biggest issue besides funding is marketing. Lots and lots of stuff kicking around out there, how do you rise above the noise? And selling something on the internet is always a challenge, because everyone has become accustomed to getting stuff for free.

Still, if someone did a 5-minute trailer for something that looked frakkin' a-MA-zing, I'd probably shell out maybe $6 to $8 for a full season of 13 episodes. I'd say that's my price point. Keep in mind, I'm a cheapskate but isn't everyone?

[jefferiestubes8]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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YouTube would be the way to go. They're not trying for any kind of premium brand image that I've ever noticed.

They are also still experimenting.

AwesomenessTV, a You Tube channel targeted toward teens, will be releasing its first feature film in select theaters on Friday, a music documentary called Mindless Behavior: All Around the World. Says AwesomenessTV's Brian Robbins' of the venture, "It's an experiment."

YouTube Channel Releases Its First Feature Film in Theatres

yes it is a docu but the YouTube Channels do have potential if they get sponsorship.

[xortex]

Finished products require production companies which requires not only money but a production team. The creator doesn't do everything himself. That's like asking DaVinci to paint the Mona Lisa and build the museum to house it too. The cart is before the horse there. Getting big enough named people to like the shit of unknown people is like preaching to a cemetery. Writers don't even want to hear ideas for fear of stealing it even though it's copyrighted. It's a lot of bullshit because everyone wants to be Gene Roddenberry and not everyone can. They love their own shit better even though it's mediocre or what have you. It's them feeding their kids or yours is really what it comes down to. In that sense everything is great and good enough when it really isn't.

[Temis the Vorta]

Here's how to do a kickstarter project - revive some show that already has a sizable and rabid fan base.

Only four and a half hours into its fundraising campaign, the Veronica Mars movie became the fastest to hit $1 million in Kickstarter history. Tweeted the crowdfunding platform: ‏@kickstarter: Wow. Veronica Mars (@RobThomas @IMKristenBell) reached $1m in 4 hours 24 minutes, a new Kickstarter record. Looks like the cult series could reach its goal even faster than anticipated. $2 million by suppertime?

This may not be the intended use of kickstarter, since this is backed by the regular sort of Hollywood insiders, but I can see this sort of thing happening more and more in the future. On the internet, the biggest hurdle is publicity. A known brand name will always have a massive advantage.

But is a big-screen movie really the right place for this? Just because it can get a groundswell on kickstarter doesn't mean it can attract the mass numbers that theater owners are going to want. Maybe they're going for digital distribution only, but then they have the issue of getting this sucker out to anyone beyond just the niche crowd who invested in it. ($35 for a movie? I wouldn't pay that much even for several seasons of a TV series.) This is actually a good example of something that Netflix should be interested in.

So where's the Firefly kickstarter campaign? (Googling "firefly kickstarted" does not result in anything very edifying unless you like beer...?)