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Fans raised 2 mil for Veronica Mars Movie- takes me back to 2005!

J

joncreed

Commander
Red Shirt
Fans have raised 2 million in less than 11 hours to finance the "Veronica Mars" movie. Goal was to raise the 2 mil in 30 days! Series star Kristen Bell announced the Kickstarter campaign and online donations were pouring AND STILL ARE after the goal was met! WB distribution has agreed to pick up the tab for the marketing, promo, and distribution.

Wow...takes me back to the heady days of Trek United! Going for 32 million to cover the cost for a 5th season, don't care if we ultimately failed, it was a helluva ride- so long ago, forgot how much money was raised. I was not a fan of "Veronica Mars" but I'm glad they come through, succeeded where TU failed. I'm happy for them. I guess Trek United was ahead of its time.
 
It makes me wonder what might have happened if sites such as Kickstarter and Indigogo existed way back then.
 
Advantage for "Veronica Mars" is Kristen Bell is part of the Kickstart campaign AND WB gave the go-ahead. If the sites were available back in the Dinosaur Days of 2005- not to mention Facebook, Twitter- I think we would've reached 30 mil. Problem for "Enterprise" was no support from CBS/Paramount even if the 30+ mil was raised, hell I remember Spike Channel wanted "Enterprise" but Moonves said no.
 
We want MORE. Before they all get too old and dinged up!!

Veronica Mars (which was charming) had three seasons. They are just being a greedy guts asking for a movie.
 
That Star Trek: Renegades, starring Tim Russ, Walter Koenig, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garratt Wang, JG Hertzler, Gary Graham and others didn't quite manage to reach their ultimate Kickstarter goal of $250,000 (they managed their bare-minimum of $200k) says it all about current interest in resurrecting Berman-era Trek.
 
I didn't realize there was a video re the campaign.

I recall those days, too.

I suspect Kickstarter or Indiegogo could have helped in the sense that the fundraising would have been streamlined and easier, with considerably more confidence in the process. Fans could have, around the globe, contributed rather small amounts (let's face it; people are not going to kick in $1,000 or even $100 - the figures are going to be far closer to $5 and $10).

Twitter and Facebook would have been decent venues for getting the word out, too, but I still don't think $32 mil would have happened and, even if it had, I don't think the show would have been revived (although there would have had to have been considerably more justification by Moonves, et al. to explain why there would be no revival if that kind of $$ was just going to be turned down, flat). I suspect it was a lot more about the plan for JJ Trek which tanked the series, with the ratings helping to grease the way.

The prophecy fulfilled itself rather neatly. TPTB say the show is failing and they can't revive it. JJ comes in and claims he can save the franchise (but not the show, which has been written off) by turning it on its head. TPTB think this is awesome. ENT continues to limp along and TPTB do little to help it, thereby assuring that it fails. They throw the fans a bone with season 4 or maybe even use that as a part of slowly beginning the campaign for JJ Trek.

And they rake in the money either way - DVD sales and the like for ENT and ticket sales for JJ Trek. And years later we are still talking about it, thereby providing additional advertising and promotional work for them. For free.
 
It's already past 2.5 mil now. I wonder if they get far beyond what they asked for will it go into increasing production values of the movie? This boggles my mind - it really does.
 
jespah said:
I didn't realize there was a video re the campaign.

I recall those days, too.
Click to expand...
It's a hidden easter egg on the Season 4 DVD set.

After fund raising, there was the Al Vinci affair - I remember Trekunited's live chats back in the day and all the false hope. :sigh: An archived thread still exists here which makes for interesting reading.
http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=30235

Veronica Mars is a hell of a lot cheaper to produce ultimately and was even more of a no-brainer for WB and CBS to support. Meh. Let them have their movie.
 
"Dinosaur Days of 2005"??

Ah, to be young and ignorant.:lol:

But still, good job for the Veronica Mars fans, I guess.
 
joncreed said:
Wow...takes me back to the heady days of Trek United! Going for 32 million to cover the cost for a 5th season, don't care if we ultimately failed, it was a helluva ride- so long ago, forgot how much money was raised. I was not a fan of "Veronica Mars" but I'm glad they come through, succeeded where TU failed. I'm happy for them. I guess Trek United was ahead of its time.
Click to expand...
Yes, those were some wild times here. I remember the day of the cancellation announcement and the chaos and blood letting that went on. It made the shipper battls look like mild "disagreements'. The trolls were out in force "enjoying" the news of Ent's demise.

If I'm not mistaken, the fans-pay-for-a-season-of-Enterprise movement, started right here in the "Cancellation" thead, did it not? Anyone remember a few days after the world wide announcement of the movement, when there were some 3,000 or more visitors browsing this forum?

I wish the Veronica Mars' fans luck, but everyone should know that once again Trek fans were the innovators. :)
 
Egad, Al Vinci - that's a name I haven't heard/thought of in years. That was a big part of the distaste at the end - with something like Kickstarter, the $$ would just be given back and that would be it, and there'd be considerably more accountability. It just kept getting weirder and weirder back then.

And it's true - V. Mars is definitely easier to produce (as is a lotta TV; those effects aren't cheap). Best of luck to 'em.
 
gblews said:
joncreed said:
Wow...takes me back to the heady days of Trek United! Going for 32 million to cover the cost for a 5th season, don't care if we ultimately failed, it was a helluva ride- so long ago, forgot how much money was raised. I was not a fan of "Veronica Mars" but I'm glad they come through, succeeded where TU failed. I'm happy for them. I guess Trek United was ahead of its time.
Click to expand...
Yes, those were some wild times here. I remember the day of the cancellation announcement and the chaos and blood letting that went on. It made the shipper battls look like mild "disagreements'. The trolls were out in force "enjoying" the news of Ent's demise.

If I'm not mistaken, the fans-pay-for-a-season-of-Enterprise movement, started right here in the "Cancellation" thead, did it not? Anyone remember a few days after the world wide announcement of the movement, when there were some 3,000 or more visitors browsing this forum?

I wish the Veronica Mars' fans luck, but everyone should know that once again Trek fans were the innovators. :)
Click to expand...
The idea came from another Trek forum site-forgot which one-inspired by "Farscape" fans who first came up with the idea of contributing to a series production. Suggested on this site, somebody contacted Tim and spread like wildfire. Looking back, I think a made-for-DVD finale to wipe out the turd "These Are the Voyages," would've been more realistic but hindsight is blah, blah, blah...
 
King Daniel said:
That Star Trek: Renegades, starring Tim Russ, Walter Koenig, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garratt Wang, JG Hertzler, Gary Graham and others didn't quite manage to reach their ultimate Kickstarter goal of $250,000 (they managed their bare-minimum of $200k) says it all about current interest in resurrecting Berman-era Trek.
Click to expand...

Not even close. It's one thing for some random Trek performers to what to continue something, then the creator/Head writer, and stars of a series wanting to continue their story.

Of course CBS would absolutely never permit it, its the same basic reason as what occurred during ENterprise. The idea of dimension returns was felt to be (and since they get financials I would assume they known) the overall Trek franchise.

VM is like most tv shows an Island of tis own, it has soem tiny continued DVD sales, netflix, and streaming revenue that is brought it. There is no bigger picture that a low budget (basically low budget made for TV style film) can do.

Any legitimate Trek production can be viewed to diminish revenue streams that still continue (though nowhere near what they used to be), and certainly with a film series going they are going to never cross that.

Seriously look how much TNG's broadcast immediately damaged TOS film series. A series that had at worst finished 9th for its release year, never came close ever again, once it was in direct competition to free new episodes on broadcast (I am also sure this hurt TNG's film series, with both DS9 and Voyager airing).
 
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