One of the interesting developments in the online indie world has been crowdfunding – basically going out to the global audience of the internet and making a pitch for their money to fund your project. Two real leaders have emerged in this arena, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo and both deliver some really cool options for helping filmmakers (and other projects) get their work funded and completed.

With the recent high profile announcement that Bret Easton Ellis (author of modern classics like AMERICAN PSYCHO, THE RULES OF ATTRACTION and LESS THAN ZERO) and Paul Schrader (TAXI DRIVER, ROLLING THUNDER, AUTO FOCUS) have teamed up for a Kickstarter project to help fund their latest project THE CANYONS, crowdfunding has started on the road to mainstream use. It functions as an incredible tool to fund your project without interference from a studio and I believe it is a cornerstone of the brave new world of cinema we are entering right now.

So how does it work?

At its most basic, the filmmaker puts his pitch up on their site of choice and then it gets shared around in social media to attract contributors. The typical pitch involves a video detailing the project, usually with a personal appeal from the director/writer/producer and then rewards for various contribution levels. This is where people tend to get pretty creative. Typical rewards include signed copies of the completed films, your name in the credits, signed screenplays, set visits. It’s all up to the creator of the project to decide how to reward contributors at their respective levels of contribution. For The Canyons, one of the rewards is having Paul Schrader give notes on your screenplay or having Bret Easton Ellis review your novel. At the highest contribution level, Schrader will give you a money clip he received as a gift on the set of TAXI DRIVE, from Robert De Niro himself.

So, it’s not just a matter of what is in it for the creators, there is always something to give back to the contributors besides a successful finished product. To me, this is one of the final pieces in the puzzle of how we get around Hollywood and build our own system, one that serves creativity and not just capital. We live in exciting times, the times that are poised to deliver on the promises of inexpensive technology and the internet as not just delivery system but as activity hub for funding, marketing and distribution. We have arrived ladies and gentlemen, and the age of the indie is coming.

To get you ready and to showcase what is happening Long Live the New Flesh will be presenting selected Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaigns right here on Fangoria.com! Come and support the revolution and get these vital productions made! Without a strong and vibrant indie scene, there are so many stories that will never get told and this incredible training ground for the next generation of auteurs will not exist. Funding options for many of these projects start at as little as a dollar. You can spare a dollar to make a dream happen.

That’s a statement just in case you were wondering.

To start things off, I’m going to link you to two current projects underway that need your support to happen. First up:

FIREMAN – Astron-6

Hot on the heels of resounding critical success with the Troma-produced FATHER’S DAY, the Astron-6 crew have turned to the fans to help fund their new project, FIREMAN. It’s more exploitation fare done in the crypto-retropop style that Astron-6 have a singular mastery of. I’d really love to see another Astron-6 feature, so I’m really hoping this campaign picks up steam.

The boys didn’t exactly get rich from all the acclaim and awards they received for FATHER’S DAY so funding this project is going to keep them afloat and making amazing movies. Plus, Adam Brooks won’t end up having to work at Home Depot or something, as amusing as having Ahab help you pick out accent lighting for your den might ultimately be.

THE GHOST IS A LIE – Twisted Muse

A clever take on the found-footage genre spawned by THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, director Jason Armstrong (48 HOURS IN PURGATORY) developed Twisted Muse to produce this film and hopefully several others through the power of crowdfunding.

Featuring support from stuntman Chris Carnel (HATCHET, THE CRAZIES, MY BLOODY VALENTINE) and costume designer Melanie Hocking (PIRANHA 3D, ON THE ROAD), THE GHOST IS A LIE promises to be a highly professional production that just might shake up the genre a bit. Assuming, that is, you come in and help it get made.

Without you, we might never know the potential of these visions.

Be part of the revolution. Support indie projects and help keep this vital part of the creative industry gaining momentum.

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