Veronica Mars Movie - Kickstarter

[superdeluxe]

Want to see a Veronica Mars movie? Now is your chance to help it happen.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/559914737/the-veronica-mars-movie-project/

Almost since Veronica Mars went off the air, there's been talk of making a movie. In that span, I've taken different tactics in dealing with the question of whether it might happen. To be clear, I've always wanted to make a Veronica Mars movie. I love writing these characters and working with these actors. Kristen Bell has always wanted to make the movie.

That 10k reward would definitely be a unique experience.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Yeah that would be pretty cool.

I bet they reach the 2m by the end of the week.

 

[Dale Sams]

Keep the budget down and it definitly would make a profit (which is the bottom line of course). I wonder if a one-time only Netflix movie would be better. I dunno. I'd like to see it happen.

edit:I didn't realize there was an accompanying video til I linked it to my wife. That is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

 

[John Clark]

^ Yeah that would be pretty cool.

I bet they reach the 2m by the end of the week.

Hell, the way it's going, possibly sooner

 

[Ometiklan]

Yeah, at first I thought BigFoot was joking about the end of the week, but it has gained $200k+ in the last 45 minutes.

 

[BigFoot]

It was at 80k three hours ago, it's now at 875k.

 

[Dale Sams]

It was at 80k three hours ago, it's now at 875k.

They got *my* $10....hey..why are Kristin Bell and Rob Thomas driving new Lexus's?

 

[Cap.T]

Did anybody watch the video at the top of the Kickstarter page? It's hilarious.

 

[John Clark]

Past 1 Million now

(And yeah, the video is fun)

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Maybe Joss Whedon will stop making cruel jokes about doing a kickstarter project now?

$10 for just one downloadable movie seems awful steep but I'd pay $10 for the first 13 Star Trek series starring Zachary Quinto and a bunch of unknown actors playing new characters. Hint hint.

I wonder if a one-time only Netflix movie would be better.

Maybe Netflix will negotiate a deal to add it to their streaming library. Just for the notoriety alone. Netflix got a lot of positive PR for House of Cards just because it was "something new" in how people consume digital media. Now this kickstarter project is "something new" for creating a feeding frenzy. It's a great fit for the Netflix brand.

 

[doubleohfive]

It's pretty incredible how much money has been raised, certainly... but there are also just as many issues I am having with this. Why the hell does Warners need to use kickstarter of all things to get this project going? Do they really expect anyone to believe for a single moment they don't have the cash to make this movie?

I get wanting to gauge audience interest, but this seems like a really dangerous, really slippery slope with regard to filmmaking.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It does subvert the original concept of kickstarter, doesn't it? It's not really fair for Hollywood insiders to start horning in, when they have the immense advantage of a known brand name that can attract this kind of feeding frenzy.

But it works so well that other insiders are going to follow suit. It's a great PR vehicle and probably goes a long ways towards convincing the suits to take your project seriously. The fans are being used as leverage for traditional Hollywood dealmaking, and in that way, yeah it kinda stinks.

So I don't plan to invest a penny in any of this. Well not until Zachary Quinto asks me to.

 

[Sheep]

It's pretty incredible how much money has been raised, certainly... but there are also just as many issues I am having with this. Why the hell does Warners need to use kickstarter of all things to get this project going? Do they really expect anyone to believe for a single moment they don't have the cash to make this movie?

I get wanting to gauge audience interest, but this seems like a really dangerous, really slippery slope with regard to filmmaking.

You're exactly right about Warner wanting to gauge audience interest--there's no risk in it for them by having Rob Thomas do a Kickstarter. Sure the show has loyal fans but that didn't translate into ratings for the show during its original run (being on UPN surely didn't help matters), and that's what matters to Warner. If this actually makes a profit, I'm guessing Warner will be a lot more interested in financing future Veronica Mars endeavors.

 

[Dale Sams]

It's pretty incredible how much money has been raised, certainly... but there are also just as many issues I am having with this. Why the hell does Warners need to use kickstarter of all things to get this project going? Do they really expect anyone to believe for a single moment they don't have the cash to make this movie?

I get wanting to gauge audience interest, but this seems like a really dangerous, really slippery slope with regard to filmmaking.

I don't think WB is wrong actually in its assessment of the interest in a Veronica Mars movie. It's a lot easier to plunk down $1 sitting at the desk, than get up and go pay $10.

Now lets say they raise $4 million, and make the film on that. Awesome. More power to them, but I still don't think it would gross more than 10mill domestic. But, throw in international and dvds and streaming and everything, hey win-win for everyone.....tl;dr: I'm just saying that this spectacular turn-out for a cult show doesn't make Warner Brothers wrong.

edit: Other things I would contribute to would be some new 'proper' MST3K shows.

 

[TemporalFlux]

I don't really see the slippery slope argument. Films are a product that people buy; and the people pledging here are simply buying in advance. People are not being coerced here; they actually want to buy this. I say that as someone with zero interest who will be pledging no money to this effort.

As for why Warner would do this, I think it's because they had little faith in the project bring viable. I imagine that opinion is now changing.

 

[doubleohfive]

I'm less concerned with "Warner Bros. being wrong" than I am with what kind of model this could, theoretically, create for future filmmakers if Kickstarter is to be continually used this way.

 

[Sheep]

I'm less concerned with "Warner Bros. being wrong" than I am with what kind of model this could, theoretically, create for future filmmakers if Kickstarter is to be continually used this way.

No more crappy remakes? Fewer stupid "______ Movie" comedies? No more Tyler Perry?

 

[The Doctor]

Maybe Joss Whedon will stop making cruel jokes about doing a kickstarter project now?

$10 for just one downloadable movie seems awful steep

No, it doesn't. Not in the slightest.

 

[Dale Sams]

I don't really see the slippery slope argument. Films are a product that people buy; and the people pledging here are simply buying in advance. People are not being coerced here; they actually want to buy this. I say that as someone with zero interest who will be pledging no money to this effort.

As for why Warner would do this, I think it's because they had little faith in the project bring viable. I imagine that opinion is now changing.

I'll bet Thomas et al are just as surprised.

 

[doubleohfive]

I'm less concerned with "Warner Bros. being wrong" than I am with what kind of model this could, theoretically, create for future filmmakers if Kickstarter is to be continually used this way.

No more crappy remakes? Fewer stupid "______ Movie" comedies? No more Tyler Perry?

Right. Because in one fell swoop, this would eliminate all those other movies that you don't like.

Look, I'm not saying this isn't a good thing for Veronica Mars fans. I'm just saying it has the potential to change how things get done in Hollywood, and not necessarily for the best for everyone. Kickstarter is a great tool for up and coming directors, producers, and writers and having a major studio use it for their own means - and thereby possibly setting the precedent - endangers the unique advantage Kickstarter provides for the struggling artists (myself included).