Kickstarter Backlash: Ken Levine And Kevin Smith Weigh In

Things are heating up when it comes to established celebrities and directors using Kickstarter to raise money for film projects, and Kevin Smith is starting to look like a wise prophet. When Kickstarter was used to raise money for a new Veronica Mars movie, fans rallied to support the film. There was a little backlash about Veronica Mars, but most seemed accepting that the film would never get made without Kickstarter. The Veronica Mars Kickstarter became the most successful Kickstarter campaign ever, raising $5.7 million for production of the film. Inspired by the success of Veronica Mars, Zach Braff took to Kickstarter to raise money for a follow-up to "Garden State" called "Wish I Was Here." The Zach Braff Kickstarter project has also been very successful, raising over $2.4 million to date. However, there seems to be noticeable more backlash against Zach Braff's project, as people are starting to realize that celebrity projects could soon become the new norm for Kickstarter. In a blog post that has been taking off via social media,  Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer Ken Levine wrote, "I won't give Zach Braff one dime." In his post, Ken Levine makes the point that Kickstarter should be for new talent that doesn't have access to Hollywood and serious investors. Levine writes, "Support young hungry filmmakers. The next Kevin Smith is out there… somewhere. He (or she) just needs a break, which is what Kickstarter is supposed to provide. Zach Braff can find his money elsewhere." Kevin Levine also points to Kevin Smith to draw a parallel between what is happening now on Kickstarter and what happened with the Sundance Film Festival. Ken Levine points out that Sundance once featured modest movies with unknown filmmakers, but now every entry has major Hollywood stars. Levine writes, "And now today's equivalent of a young Kevin Smith can't even get his movie into a festival much less Harvey Weinstein's screening room." With Ken Levine using Kevin Smith as an example, many have been wondering on where the director himself weighs in on the Kickstarter controversy. It turns out that Kevin Smith gave his personal take on Kickstarter before the whole Kickstarter controversy erupted, and his words of wisdom appear to be especially prophetic given the current backlash. As reported by Comicbook.com back in early April, Kevin Smith said, "As for funding the flick [CLERKS III] – we nearly Kickstarted the budget back in November (talked about at great length here). But now I'm feeling like that's not fair to real indie filmmakers who need the help. Unlike back when I made CLERKS in '91, I've GOT access to money now – so I should use that money and not suck any loot out of the crowd-funding marketplace that might otherwise go to some first-timer who can really use it. So if I can get away with it, I'm gonna try to pay for CLERKS III myself. As much as I love the crowd-funding model (and almost did it myself in early 2009 with RedStateGreen.com), that's an advancement in indie film that belongs to the next generation of artists. I started on my own dime, and if I'm allowed, I should finish on my own dime."