Sep 12

Film on Kickstarter 

kickstarter:

From LaPorte, Indiana to Geoff Edgers’ Kinks movie to film debuts to an Andrei Tarkovsky doc, there have already been some excellent film projects successfully funded through Kickstarter. This is no surprise to us — the IRS, Stonecutters and the movie industry run neck and neck for Most Byzantine Organization — and today we wanted to highlight a few current film projects that deserve some attention. In no particular order:

Live Radical and Change the World: I’ll admit: after watching the pitch video to Matthew Lessner’s new film, I wasn’t sure what to think. Hipsters playing Lord of the Flies in the woods of the Pacific Northwest? But then I watched the second teaser clip, which reveals a satire/farce that I would pay $12 to see, no question. I also like the $5 reward: “A black and white reproduction of Che Guevara shaking hands with Ralph Waldo Emerson.”

For Thousands of Miles — A Documentary About Leaving Everything Behind: This is the second film project from Mike Ambs; his first was the enchanting Project Pedal, whose video I adored with its somber tones and Malick feel. Thousands of Miles is part two of that project, a very personal effort by Mike to document both the events of and his reaction to a two-month bike trip that changed his life. Watch the clip and get sucked in.

Lake Beast: Lake Beast is an animated short from Vance Reeser, and it is spectacular. If you have a spare five minutes, walk don’t run to Vance’s project video, which unfolds his film in its working stages beautifully. It’s a genuine work of art on its own — no kidding. As a backer of the project, it’s been a particular treat. Vance’s project updates have been fantastic, including a post explaining what visuals inspired the film and a very personal post detailing what inspired the story in the first place. Vance is really giving it his all.

Mister Rogers & Me: I will let Christofer and Benjamin Wagner begin the pitch for this film. It’s hard to put it better:

I first met “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” creator Fred Rogers at his summer home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in September 2001. My mother rented the cottage next door, so Mister Rogers really was my neighbor.

My brother and I have been working on our documentary, “Mister Rogers & Me” every since.

The Kickstarter project will help finish production on the film, which includes an appearance by the late Tim Russert talking about Mister Rogers’ importance. With eight days to go and $1,300 to raise, they’re in the home stretch, but they need some help.

Please Allow Me to Terminate Your Shirt: Based on a ludicrous premise reminiscent of Patrick Stewart’s Extras appearance (“I can see everything”), Steve Macfarlane’s project is amateur filmmaking at its finest. Whatever it means, I also like this reward: “You will get a high-five in the mail. Don’t ask how!!”

March! The Movie: There’s an understated charm to March!, a very New York film about real estate, greed politics, and self-righteousness. But it’s a comedy. The work of five East Villagers, it details what happens when a landlord kicks out his tenants to build himself a mansion. Worth a look.

The Horror: And finally, there’s a small handful of horror films up on the site worth checking out.

Always a Bridesmaid is a horror-comedy short that’s overflowing with ridiculousness — rewards include props from the film (like that idea).

Dr. Bonesaw is another, this one with a much bigger budget: $63,000 is its goal. While a bit pricey, there is an amazing reward: the film has five victims, and they are selling off the victim parts for $2,000 each. They’ve had one taker to date. Very creative.

And finally there’s Night of the Punks, an ’80s-style horror flick in the Evil Dead vein.

Good luck to everyone!