Eric Boellner
Well-known member
Sly's getting in on the action.
[URL]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reachme/reach-me-the-movie-kickstarter[/URL]
[URL]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reachme/reach-me-the-movie-kickstarter[/URL]
Spike Lee launches a Kickstarter for his next movie to raise $1.25 million
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Scott F
Pug Life
hahahaha, thumbs on the scale. I love it.
That's a good kickstarter. Well done.
Ian-T
Veteran
LOL…First all the hate on Lee using Kickstarter. That was…kind of expected. But, now that he succeeds there are those who want to weigh in on how he did it so as to be overly critical. I didn't donate a dime to it myself but honestly… it ended exactly the way I thought it would.....heavy hitters donating large sums at the last minute (so to speak) to help out. What's wrong with that? Listen to his interview(s) ...this is exactly how he's been doing it over the years….but much more informal. Kickstarter helped him to be more formal in his quest for funds but this time allowing the average Joe to …um….kick in. LOL…there’s no..”traditional” or “politically correct” way to use Kickstarter. Do what you gotta do within reason to satisfy your funding needs. He did it….and made his goal. Be happy for the man.
Personally I think he would have done much better with the..um..”normal” folks if his presentation was much better….but it really sucked. He tried to clean it up by putting in a new video and added more prizes etc. but…first impressions are long lasting. As for those “heavy hitters” who donated …bad presentation or not…that’s Spike…their buddy (if that was really the case). Nothing wrong with that.
EDIT: FYI...this rant wasn't aimed at you. Just so you know.
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Ian-T
Veteran
I agree. I didn’t even finish watching this video presentation and already I can already see that it’s top notch.
I’m certain they will get several times more than their initial goal.
EDIT: I bet Sly will contribute financially..lol. jk
capitalP
Veteran
LOL…First all the hate on Lee using Kickstarter. That was…kind of expected. But, now that he succeeds there are those who want to weigh in on how he did it so as to be overly critical. I didn't donate a dime to it myself but honestly… it ended exactly the way I thought it would.....heavy hitters donating large sums at the last minute (so to speak) to help out. What's wrong with that? Listen to his interview(s) ...this is exactly how he's been doing it over the years….but much more informal. Kickstarter helped him to be more formal in his quest for funds but this time allowing the average Joe to …um….kick in. LOL…there’s no..”traditional” or “politically correct” way to use Kickstarter. Do what you gotta do within reason to satisfy your funding needs. He did it….and made his goal. Be happy for the man.
Personally I think he would have done much better with the..um..”normal” folks if his presentation was much better….but it really sucked. He tried to clean it up by putting in a new video and added more prizes etc. but…first impressions are long lasting. As for those “heavy hitters” who donated …bad presentation or not…that’s Spike…their buddy (if that was really the case). Nothing wrong with that.
EDIT: FYI...this rant wasn't aimed at you. Just so you know.
I'm with you on this, I know Spike has his core of people who doesn't like him but from the success of his kickstarter he obviously has some who like him as well. I also didn't donate because frankly I don't think he needs my money to make this film plus I'm also against these celebrities who do kickstarters, all, Spike included. I hope you guys who are hating on Spike gave the same hate to Zach Brath and the rest of those celebrities. And yup, Spike's presentation sucked but all the celebs are doing it for the same reason, MONEY.
groveChuck
U-matic Member
Well, except that it's not a Stallone film, it's a John Herzfeld film, with Herzfeld's pitch, and Stallone acting. Stallone isn't even listed as a producer of financier. Later, as it winds down, who knows?
Originally Posted by bgunduAnd for those complaining that Spike talks like a beaten man, I'm sorry, but unless you are a visible minority living in the USA, you have no idea what its like.
I would venture a guess you could imagine the latter quite a bit more easily than the former...
The "hate" for Spike is about hypocrisy and attitude which is not seen in the Zach Braff kickstarter.
Braff says hey, I"m a film maker, I've got money and I am putting my own money in this project, and I could get more money from Hollywood but I don't want to. I'd rather get money from you, the fans, so I can make the movie I want to without Hollywood interference. It's very humble, honest, and staight forward.
Spike's original video is like, I"m just a poor indie film maker, but I"m the best ever just look at my record, and I can't tell you what the movie is about but screw you buy a pair of my autographed sneakers 'cause I'm so cool, and give me some money bitches! When we all know Spike Lee is worth 40 million dollars, he's not a poor indie film maker.
If Spike's video had been similar to Zach Braff's, honest, humble, upfront, he wouldn't have gotten the hate. But that's just not Spike Lee. Spike is who he is, and he's always going to have a chip on his shoulder no matter how much money he's worth.
LOL…First all the hate on Lee using Kickstarter. That was…kind of expected. But, now that he succeeds there are those who want to weigh in on how he did it so as to be overly critical. I didn't donate a dime to it myself but honestly… it ended exactly the way I thought it would.....heavy hitters donating large sums at the last minute (so to speak) to help out. What's wrong with that? Listen to his interview(s) ...this is exactly how he's been doing it over the years….but much more informal. Kickstarter helped him to be more formal in his quest for funds but this time allowing the average Joe to …um….kick in. LOL…there’s no..”traditional” or “politically correct” way to use Kickstarter. Do what you gotta do within reason to satisfy your funding needs. He did it….and made his goal. Be happy for the man.
Personally I think he would have done much better with the..um..”normal” folks if his presentation was much better….but it really sucked. He tried to clean it up by putting in a new video and added more prizes etc. but…first impressions are long lasting. As for those “heavy hitters” who donated …bad presentation or not…that’s Spike…their buddy (if that was really the case). Nothing wrong with that.
EDIT: FYI...this rant wasn't aimed at you. Just so you know.
Spike Lee has a reported net worth of 40 million dollars. Which is great. Way to go Spike Lee!
I have no problem with funding a movie from teh "fans". Why? Because the entire point of crowd funding IMO is finding out if a project should get teh green light or not, from the market it's intended for. If the fans want it, and are willing to pay for it, then it should be made since there's an obvious market for it, proven with real dollars.
When "investors" make a movie, it's a gamble. Maybe there's a market for it, maybe not. And it's fine to gamble.
I'm just wondering why Spike Lee needs his rich friends to gamble on his movie, when he has plenty of his own money to gamble on a film?
Nothing wrong with rich friends giving you money to make your film but it doesn't show there is a definite market for it when the regular "fans" aren't willing to step up for the project.
Ian-T
Veteran
Thats like asking why any rich producer/director would want to use a studio to fund their projects. The answer is going to be the same for both.
Eric Boellner
Well-known member
Not really. I mean, if Spike goes to James Schamus, CEO of Universal Studios, and says "Hey man, I got this hot new Spike Lee joint I'm gonna make for a mil and a quarter," and Schamus agrees to fund it, Schamus is using shareholder dollars for a financial investment that has a potential for return of investment.
If Spike goes to Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin, or say Steven Soderbergh, and says the same thing, he's asking for their PERSONAL money as not even an investment, but a GIFT to help him make his movie that he doesn't want to spend his own $40mil on.
-EMB
Is Crowdfunding Changing the Game for Filmmakers? A Q&A With Spike Lee
Spike Lee: They're signing my twitter and saying, 'I'm going hungry tonight to send you $5 dollars.' And then, what it makes me think about is, I must have done something that affected their life -- one of my films over the past 30 years -- for them to make that sacrifice. So that means we're doing good ****!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/is-crowdfunding-changing-_b_3751494.html
Spike Lee: They're signing my twitter and saying, 'I'm going hungry tonight to send you $5 dollars.' And then, what it makes me think about is, I must have done something that affected their life -- one of my films over the past 30 years -- for them to make that sacrifice. So that means we're doing good ****!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/is-crowdfunding-changing-_b_3751494.html
Eric Boellner
Well-known member
"Poor people are going hungry all across America so I can make a movie with their money instead of mine!" Really helping his cause here...
Ok Im tempted to say something again. This read is interesting.
First, @bgundu on visible minority living in the states. Living in the states alone is a privilege. It really is. I can argue that there are a LOT of situations far worse if you're a filmmaker, visible and not too understood minority that CANNOT live in the US. Much worse having to look at all this and not take part. If anyone has 40 million dollars, it's going to considerably make dealing with being a minority a very different experience, so I can't really think like that. I just have to think of a ton of other people for Spike to seem like he's on easy street for me. That Spike Lee is a minority means very little to me. I pray that being a minority soon becomes meaningless to everyone, but it's the least I can do about it now and not count it.
@ Barry and Gillvane, yes totally, kickstarter is meant for everyone, so there should be no problem for anyone to participate, I'm actually wondering if any production companies have kickstarter accounts and use it as another channel for funding, just like any other.
Still, when trying to isolate what it is about Spike's that really ticked a lot of people off (not enough for the thing not to succeed and that is telling also) is the attitude with which he came to the platform. 'I'm being held down by the man' when your worth is 40 mil is not honest. It's not humble. And the anger is just a turn off. Also 'my old shoes' is very narcissistic. So the guy feels entitled for some reason, and that reason is that he's Spike Lee, which really says the opposite of what he was trying to claim with all the hollywood oppression.
I don't think KS is reserved for starving artists. But if it's the most accessible option and seems like it's intended for starving artists as a result, people who have other options should just exercise taste.
Spike Lee has no taste. That's really how I'd sum up my beef. He kinda reminds me of Oprah when she brings someone in who's gone through hell, and then just cuts them off and says how she's been through that hell times ten.
Rant over.
First, @bgundu on visible minority living in the states. Living in the states alone is a privilege. It really is. I can argue that there are a LOT of situations far worse if you're a filmmaker, visible and not too understood minority that CANNOT live in the US. Much worse having to look at all this and not take part. If anyone has 40 million dollars, it's going to considerably make dealing with being a minority a very different experience, so I can't really think like that. I just have to think of a ton of other people for Spike to seem like he's on easy street for me. That Spike Lee is a minority means very little to me. I pray that being a minority soon becomes meaningless to everyone, but it's the least I can do about it now and not count it.
@ Barry and Gillvane, yes totally, kickstarter is meant for everyone, so there should be no problem for anyone to participate, I'm actually wondering if any production companies have kickstarter accounts and use it as another channel for funding, just like any other.
Still, when trying to isolate what it is about Spike's that really ticked a lot of people off (not enough for the thing not to succeed and that is telling also) is the attitude with which he came to the platform. 'I'm being held down by the man' when your worth is 40 mil is not honest. It's not humble. And the anger is just a turn off. Also 'my old shoes' is very narcissistic. So the guy feels entitled for some reason, and that reason is that he's Spike Lee, which really says the opposite of what he was trying to claim with all the hollywood oppression.
I don't think KS is reserved for starving artists. But if it's the most accessible option and seems like it's intended for starving artists as a result, people who have other options should just exercise taste.
Spike Lee has no taste. That's really how I'd sum up my beef. He kinda reminds me of Oprah when she brings someone in who's gone through hell, and then just cuts them off and says how she's been through that hell times ten.
Rant over.
Darren Levine
Veteran
i'll hopefully be finishing up an in depth look at why spike's kickstarter went so more wrong than mars or braff. it's an interesting study in how appearances are so important