The short of it is, fans of the TV show 'Veronica Mars' pledged $2 Million (and counting as of Thursday afternoon) to fund the making of the movie based on the TV show of the same name. Here is an article from the LA Times with just a few more details (no opinions given). The goal was 30-days to raise $2 Million and it was met in just 12 hours. That's passion!
Quickly after it was announced that the goal had been met so quickly, people took to social media to do one of two things: 1.) Rejoice at their accomplishment and express excitement for the green-lighting of a project they had (long) been waiting for, or 2.) Hate on those who donated money for the project and give their thoughts on what that money could have gone towards instead.
Note: I should point out that I am not a fan of the show, but that's only because I have yet to see an episode. After all this hype, I'm MUCH more inclined to at least see what the fuss is about!So, now it's my turn to say what I think. I am actually in both camps on this one. I see both points and there is some validity to each. Yes, the money could have gone to other causes or charities; To people who have real needs like food, clean water, and shelter. We should always be aware of the places we give money and the causes we support. One TV critic wrote on Twitter:
(But I mean, if you did take money out of your "FOR STARVING KIDS" jar to give to WB to make VMars, you are sorta messed up.)My stance from this side of things is this: I'm much more fascinated than judgmental. Fascinated that there was so much interest in this movie getting made, fascinated at how quickly and readily people gave money, and fascinated to see what comes from reflection of what this means about our culture. I would want everyone (whether you donated or not) to think about what we readily give our money towards and what we hesitate or hold back on. Have any charities or non-profit groups been able to raise such high amounts of money for more charitable causes?
— Carina MacKenzie (@cadlymack) March 14, 2013
On the other side of things, I see that this project truly shows how powerful TV fans are. TV is a powerful medium. That power/passion can be felt more and more with the internet and other online fundraisers similar to this kickstarter. We've already seen small bands and singers get EPs recorded and distributed through their online fan communities donating, as well as indie filmmakers (and even film school students) having their short films produced this same exact way. Now we are seeing online fundraising effort moving towards producing huge media corporation projects (like WB in this case) and productions with already established stars, such as Kristen Bell.
While reading through the mess of articles on this matter, I found this article which I very much enjoyed, titled "Don't You Dare Feel Bad About Chipping In: http://tvline.com/2013/03/14/veronica-mars-movie-kickstarter/
I definitely appreciate the value of allowing fans to make the decision to make something they want to watch. Studio Execs don't always get it right, and this was a chance for the little guy (fans) to have the power to make something! That is very exciting! I'm curious to see how this affects the production of other fan-favorites that have yet to find executive backing. Creator of NBC's "Scrubs" posted this to twitter in response (might only get the joke if you watched Scrubs):
Okay:@zachbraff, @donald_faison and I are using Kickstarter to fund Dr. Acula. We need 24 bucks, 2 wigs, and cell phone to shoot it with.So there you go! Who knows WHAT can be done in a world when fundraising is online, wallets are (somewhat) open, and projects/charities/events are waiting to be funded.
— Bill Lawrence (@VDOOZER) March 14, 2013
I honestly would love to hear YOUR thoughts in the comments below. Do you agree with the funding? If not, what would you be willing to donate towards?
