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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Spike Lee Using Kickstarter to Raise $1.25 Million for Film

I see... and I see how that would be at odds with their aims.

He does state above that he could resubmit with the same caveat that he isn't likely to get far. Were I him I'd give it a shot, so long as he didn't totally trash them. They could surprise you and take the high road. To do otherwise wouldn't make for very good PR given the circumstances.

Bill Anderson said:
I believe they took exception to Brandon's comment @ the 4min mark on the video: "… now, I know it's cool to back celebrity kickstarter campaigns, but it's even more cool to back an underdog".
I thought this worth repeating since it's a pretty innocent remark, and telling response.

If I've understood Brandon correctly he could not resubmit the campaign (and that was before he made this public and, perhaps, further alienated himself).
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Scott Crawley said:
That's a cautionary tale to be sure.

You have an indiegogo campaign ready do you? Are there any other crowd sourcing sites that you are considering?
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Yeah, the indiegogo campaign is live: http://igg.me/at/hybridvigor/x/800930

We had a great start and then I ended up getting a concussion while filming in a little village out here and I was out of commission 5 days which killed our momentum. It's been a "perfect storm" of problems, but one way or another we'll get this done. To their credit, I think IGG will add some time back on the clock for me.

In the middle of updating the page as we speak. I still have to email 900+ people who backed our first campaign about it.

Bill Anderson said:
I believe they took exception to Brandon's comment @ the 4min mark on the video: "… now, I know it's cool to back celebrity kickstarter campaigns, but it's even more cool to back an underdog".
I thought this worth repeating since it's a pretty innocent remark, and telling response.

If I've understood Brandon correctly he could not resubmit the campaign (and that was before he made this public and, perhaps, further alienated himself).
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Correct. I can't resubmit the project.

Scott Crawley said:
I see... and I see how that would be at odds with their aims.

He does state above that he could resubmit with the same caveat that he isn't likely to get far. Were I him I'd give it a shot, so long as he didn't totally trash them. They could surprise you and take the high road. To do otherwise wouldn't make for very good PR given the circumstances.
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I can't resubmit that project ever again. It's banned.

Ironically, when I was looking for another crowdfunding site to use I was asked by more than one site to remove the celebrity reference from the video which I did not do. I'm not going to say who asked me to do it... If I burn any more bridges with these sites I'm going to have to build my own for future projects.

Here's a couple news stories about our first campaign:

http://www.examiner.com/article/kickstarter-and-twitter-how-indie-film-hybrid-vigor-did-it

http://theartfoundation.metamatic.g...8/The_cult_film_that_has_yet_to_be_completed/
 
Alex Maragos said:
Spike Lee has turned to Kickstarter to raise $1.25 million in funds for his next film,
becoming the latest high-profile filmmaker to tap into his fanbase for film financing.

Momentum: Spike Lee Kickstarter Campaign Promo
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THe one celebrity filmmaker I really want to see raise a few million off kickstarter is David Lynch.

He would really kill it.
 
Ivan Kovax said:
THe one celebrity filmmaker I really want to see raise a few million off kickstarter is David Lynch.

He would really kill it.
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I couldn't agree more. Lynch has a huge social media presence too. I would back him in a second.
 
Yeah, Lynch is a shoe in, but I'm curious, why "kickstarter"? What do they have to offer to someone like David Lynch or Spike Lee that they could not easily provide for themselves? What are the advantages of Kickstarter over, say, a personal website campaign?
 
Bill Anderson said:
Yeah, Lynch is a shoe in, but I'm curious, why "kickstarter"? What do they have to offer to someone like David Lynch or Spike Lee that they could not easily provide for themselves? What are the advantages of Kickstarter over, say, a personal website campaign?
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Having a 3rd party intermediary is much more effective.

Unfortunately, Kickstarter is the trendy one and the most popular. I think he would raise more there than on other sites. I would love to see him use a site like Indiegogo though.

Speaking of Indiegogo, this campaign may set the record for most ever raised in a crowdfunding campaign. $32 million. That's more than the Top 5 Kickstarter campaigns COMBINED. I hope they succeed! http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge/x/800930
 
Brandon J.F. said:
Thanks Corey.

They didn't officially give me any reason and ignored my support ticket. A little bird told me they will never let this video be on their site because they are so aggressively trying to get celebrities to launch campaigns with them and my video might reflect poorly on them.

They are full of unwritten rules.
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Of course they doing so Brandon.... Celebrities campaigns are usually in the Millions, and since Kickstarter gets a percentage of... Well do I need to say more??/ Business.... And Money it is all that matters to Kickstarter, so don't bite the hand that will feed their mouth... ;)


However I also need to say that no one should promote any campaign of their own putting down that of others, celebrities included, IMO every one has the right to do a CrowdFunding campaign, and in fact it is this that might allow for even a roader range of Under Dog's campaigns to be successful, because of the popularity of the all process, rendered even more well known by Celebrities, and Kickstarter is smart to protect that interest, of course for their own good, but then every one else will benefit from....


For me, I don't care whom is giving the money to make a Celebrity film, all I care is that the film is made, and truth is that without the manipulative control of the Studios one might actually make a better movie... at list more unique and original, we so hope so at list... ;)


My take is that you made an honest mistake there Brandon, and you should have not mention that remark, yet I am sorry it was banned., might your mistake be a lesson to all.
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
My take is that you made an honest mistake there Brandon, and you should have not mention that remark, yet I am sorry it was banned., might your mistake be a lesson to all.
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Did you even watch the video?
 
Hi Brandon,

I hope you didn't take my comment the wrong way, as it might seem you did...


Yes I did watched the video, all the way to the end...


My comment is based on your comment and what you said on the video, you mentioning the Celebrities campaigns, which might not even had nothing to do with it as much as combined to the comments added later on about it, and mine is not by LONG shot intended to be against what you did ( I like you and like what you do) as I respect you and your work, my comment is in saying to others to e careful what one says in their videos as not to make any references about other campaigns especially those about celebrities, nor make any comment that linked to them, this is how I see it after comments and video together.

In the campaign I have created and continue to work on, I make no mention of no only else on Kickstarter, it is only about me, whom I am and what I have done and do to get to were I wan tot get with the project at hand, and that is all...


At the end of the day, only the Kickstarter team knows why they banned the video, and I said I was sorry, and wish to see your effort succeed every time as I wish the effort of every fellow Filmmaker succeed in their journey to make their Films, as I for one, sure know what it takes and the perseverance it takes to get to make a Film... ;)
 
I'm ok with celebrities on Kickstarter etc. I think it raises the profile of Kickstarter and also creates an environment where people are willing to pre-pay for projects to make them happen. The largest impediment to indie film making isn't the camera or even necessarily the talent it's financing. It might not be a good movie but with proper financing anyone can shoot and piece together a feature film.

Why I was opposed to Zach Braff's film was that it was a donation. You gave $20 and then when the movie came out you had to pay for it again. That's just taking suckers' money for being a celebrity and then selling them what they already financed back to them. That also erodes the value of a kickstarter. I don't like this perception that crowd funding is begging for donations. Braff reinforced this idea with all of the new people he brought on that you are generously donating. If people kickstart one of my projects I want them to feel like they've paid me for a product and while they have to wait to get it they have really just pre-ordered something. Professionalism goes both ways. If your customers don't view your project as a commercial professional piece of work then you'll never get the kinds of budgets that a real sustainable business needs to operate. And ultimately I believe that's what the indie film making scene needs more than anything else: sustainable business. I would love to see a future in which people can live at least a comfortable middle class life while creating a valuable product for people. As long as people are working for free and living off of Ramen we'll never get the quality we want to see.
 
I would say that every project should supply their backers with a copy of the finished project. More than a kind and respectful "thank you" it helps create a sense of accountability and gives backers some basis to evaluate the performance of the producer for future consideration.

Projects with high expectation of commercial value do look like vultures to many people, myself included. I guess that is why I have such mixed emotions about the whole thing.

If there was any kind of accountability and some sort of reasonable give back commensurate with the commercial viability of projects, I might be more inclined to participate.
 
Tony Harris said:
You know small people with dreams keep getting crushed by industry people.. If he would make great films that people want to see he wouldn't need kick start or its hype to get everyone on it so they can take you to the bank.
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All I can say is Spike made a generous pledge to the campaign for my film that pushed us over our goal and really helped make it successful. I was skeptical at first but it seems he's going to give as much as he raises after some time. I really appreciate what he did for my team personally, so I can't bash him. Just wanted to make this known, and kinda give him the respect he deserves.
 
That is both great to hear and excellent for you. Congratulations!


Hey, Spike is getting close as well.


Robert L. Mickles said:
All I can say is Spike made a generous pledge to the campaign for my film that pushed us over our goal and really helped make it successful. I was skeptical at first but it seems he's going to give as much as he raises after some time. I really appreciate what he did for my team personally, so I can't bash him. Just wanted to make this known, and kinda give him the respect he deserves.
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Robert L. Mickles said:
All I can say is Spike made a generous pledge to the campaign for my film that pushed us over our goal and really helped make it successful. I was skeptical at first but it seems he's going to give as much as he raises after some time. I really appreciate what he did for my team personally, so I can't bash him. Just wanted to make this known, and kinda give him the respect he deserves.
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That's awesome to hear! Very cool of him!
 
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