![]() ![]() Within the standard studio system that has thrived since the 1920s, if you had an idea for a film, you would have to go submit your screenplay to a studio or production company. I think crowdfunding is an important trend to take seriously because it already has done significant work to change the landscape of film as we know it. One of the most successful Hollywood scale projects funded through Kickstarter was a film based on the popular TV show Veronica Mars, which garnered over $5 million. Notable indie directors who used these new platforms include Zach Braff and Spike Lee. That’s where crowdfunding comes into play sometimes. In short, studios have lost faith in original ideas and therefore any filmmaker who has one of those needs to look elsewhere for money. In the short 5-6 years that crowdfunding websites have existed, the film industry has turned more and more to “safe filmmaking.” What I mean by “safe filmmaking” is remakes, sequels, adaptations, remakes of adaptations, sequels of remakes, and comic book films. Crowdfunding has now become a viable alternative to the Hollywood studio financing. ![]() This Orson Welles example is the most extreme example in the recent trend of established filmmakers turning to websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund their projects. The campaign itself mentions that “Orson would constantly experience the heavy scissors of studio heads and financiers time and time again on his subsequent films despite being labeled a ‘wunderkind’ for his early achievements.” Famously during the production of Touch of Evil, Welles wrote a 58 page letter to Universal politely requesting changes to their cut of his film. As it seems, the artist-studio struggle which plagued Welles his whole career has followed him beyond the grave. ![]() Surely financiers, somewhere out there in the ventricles of Hollywood, could scrounge up a couple million for one of the greatest artists to grace the medium. Avengers: Age of Ultron had a budget of $250 million. Although this is noblest of causes, I have to wonder why the film’s resurrectors needed to turn to fan donations to fund Welles’ lost masterpiece. I only bring up Welles because two weeks ago an Indiegogo campaign was launched by a number of producers (including Peter Bogdanovich of Last Picture Show fame) to finish Orson Welles’ last film The Other Side of the Wind. Without knowing anything about the movie, you understand that they’re talking about something supremely influential.ĭon’t worry, this is not a Citizen Kane article. You probably heard in some context that “X is the Citizen Kane of Y”. You’ve still been gripped by the influence of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re a mole person or something and have never seen a movie before. ![]()
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