It’s hard to imagine that a filmmaker and actor of Zach Braff’s caliber has a hard time to find any sort of financing for his projects. Garden State was much more than an indie film, it was a solid hit, but since then Braff has had a difficult time locking down a budget to fund his next film Wish I Was Here. The actor recently turned to his fans and Kickstarter to help him fund his new film, thanks in part to the success that Veronica Mars had. Within just a few hours of launching his Kickstarter project, he was able to meet the goal of two million. But of course there are those who question his methods of using the crowd sourcing website to fund his project, and some went as far as giving him some harsh criticism.
Now the actor has released a video on the web responding to the questions and criticisms – it’s not the first time he did it, since he had to explain to the world that he wasn’t dead. Check out the video below.
In the nearly 20 minute video, Braff explains that the two million is only a fraction of what he is putting in, in terms of funding the project. Of course there is going to be some sort of controversy when a big name actor resorts to kickstarter to fund their project. It basically takes away from the people who really need it. Other people cite filmmakers like Kevin Smith, who was able to make the first Clerks with his own money.
But those who defend him say that projects from celebrities help make the Kickstarter name much bigger, because those willing to pledge will fund their projects, but will most likely stick around to check out some of the other projects that may need funds.
Braff has been defending his actions on social media and reddit. He’s one of the biggest social media advocates who constantly engage his fanbase, and during such a time of what feels like constant criticism, the actor has not held anything back. The actor provides plenty of examples of times where he himself has donated to various projects that have used the Kickstarter model, and that the film is being made through a “microscope.” Here’s the video.
The video is basically an explanation of how the funds come from those who appreciate his work and how the KS project is a club for like-minded people. Basically if you don’t like his project that is fine, but don’t let that stop you from funding other projects that may need the budget.
What do you think about big name stars turning to Kickstarter or other crowdsourcing sites to fund their project?