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Star Trek Luminaries Behind the Fastest Funded Film Project On Kickstarter
An anonymous reader writes "Legendary sci-fi writer Marc Zicree (Star Trek, Babylon 5, Sliders) and special effects wizard Doug Drexler (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica) are behind the fastest funded film project on Kickstarter. They're using crowd-funding website kickstarter to directly communicate with and enlist the support of fans for their latest project Space Command. Maybe with direct communication, sci-fi fans can rest easy and not have to worry about their favorite shows being cancelled like FireFly."
It's because Kickstarter allows you to get $10 each from 3000 people (as an example) rather than trying to hit up one person for $30k. Or two people for $15k each or whatever. Yeah, if I throw down $15k I'm going to maybe want a say in the final product. For ten bucks, though, the dude can do whatever he wants. If he spends the cash on hookers and blow, well, I won't contribute to his next Kickstarter project. (Unless the Kickstarter project was for funding hookers and blow, of course.)
"Stark Trek Luminaries?" was my first thought. Best I can tell, Marc Zicree only wrote two treatments (a detailed outline) for all of Trek. One episode for TNG, and one (bad) one for DS9. He didn't write the script for either. That means he was a freelancer, not a staff writer, and the writing staff didn't like his treatments enough to let him write the scripts. He only has one credit for Babylon 5 and his five credits for Sliders came at the end of the show, when it was garbage.
I wouldn't bet on much quality coming out of this "legendary sci-fi writer". That's a joke. Did Marc Zicree send this in himself or something?
Doug Drexler's resume is hardly legendary either.
http://about.me/paultenny
Yes... that's exactly what does not make sense here.
These guys aren't civilians. These guys aren't naive students, fresh out of college; arrogant, idealistic, and with unrealistic dreams, with no sense of demographics, and no experience of making motion pictures -- i.e. your typical kickstarter client.
Getting funding for a motion picture is very difficult if you have no industry connections. However, it is surprisingly easy if you do. In this case, all you would need is a script written by someone with experience (check), some directorial or VFX experience would be good (check), and at least one B-List named actor who has signed a letter of intent. That might not get you all the money you need, but it would definitely get you enough to get started, you could easily get a million or so that way.
Considering they've worked on shows with plenty of actors who are not exactly busy right now, you'd think there's at least one person they can call to get them interested. Admittedly as a writer and vfx designer they'd have little contact with on-screen talent. However, they MUST know people who know people.
If you have experience and some sort of name in the industry you can sell to people who have real money, just as easily as you can sell to some guy on the net with $10.
Ergo... something does not add up here.
Plus the fact, I'm pretty sure most professional distributors would look down on any kickstarter funded project. I would seriously doubt the ability of any kickstarter project to ever get into cinemas. I assume none have as yet, I doubt many ever will.
Admittedly, I am of the opinion that kickstarter is just another parasite that looks to suck the dreams out of the desperate, idealistic and naive. There's no shortage of similar parasites in the industry. And there's no shortcuts to success in the industry. You have a sellable product, or you don't -- it's a business, and that is what most new filmmakers forget. (along with demographics -- it's only teenagers that go to the cinema in enough numbers to make real money from a movie. If your movie doesn't appeal to teens, kiss your profits and distribution deal goodbye).
so was Space Command. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045439/
btw, guess who was in the original?
either way, i hope it works out. even B scifi beats ghost hunting and wrestling.
Did you not see DS9 then, or something?