With over 700 backers gathered in less than a week, the new epic four-movie project “Space Command,” by “Star Trek” screenwriter-producer-director Marc Zicree, is lighting up the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter.
“Space Command” is a reinvention of Zicree’s favorite 1950s sci-fi TV books, shows and movies, such as “Forbidden Planet," “The Martian Chronicles” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and in just six days has amassed a phenomenal $88,545, shooting past the $75,000 budget needed to make the first movie.
With other sci-fi luminaries involved, such as Emmy-winning visual effects guru Doug Drexler (“Defiance” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and producer-director Neil Johnson (“Alien Armageddon” and “Battlespace”), “Space Command” is, as Zicree explains, an exercise in a “better way of making our dreams come true.”
For those unfamiliar with Kickstarter.com, it is a social networking and fundraising website where friends, admirers, followers, kind strangers and colleagues of the people setting up a creative venture pledge a certain amount of cash to help develop and launch the movie, book, play, song, exhibition, artistic installation or TV show they want to make.
Since April 2009, Kickstarter has helped some 20,000 projects come to fruition with the support of 1.8 million people and over $200 million. It is about building a community of like-minded creative, technical and executive individuals who come together as a team to shift a fantasy project from idea to reality.
If the project reaches its target funding goal in an allotted time period — as “Space Command” easily has done in record time — all the backers’ credit cards are charged and the project can come to life.
And the project actually happening is good for the creators and backers because, depending on their level of sponsorship, they will get a piece of the project’s “creative history.” This might be a soundtrack, a credit, studio visit or, in the case of “Space Command,” a walk-on part in the movie for a pledge of $1500.
If you want to take a look at a group of entrepreneurial producers, directors, artists, writers, actors, musicians and designers taking their destiny and creative success into their own hands, then go take a look at "Space Command" here.
Maybe you have an amazing script or concept that none of the studios or production companies are noticing. So, get a group of friends together and make it yourself. With accessible digital camera equipment and editing software readily available, you only have to spread the word online and do exactly the same as “Space Command” has done.
As a huge sci-fi and fantasy fan, I very much look forward to seeing how Zicree’s first movie in the series turns out. Watch this space, fellow geeks — it is an exciting, collaborative, empowering and magical time to be in Hollywood.
Go shoot your movie!