Zach Braff has used Kickstarter to raise over $2 million in just three days for a new film project. Braff will use the money to make
Wish I Was Here, a screenplay he wrote with his brother, Adam, into a film. Zach and Adam are pictured above.
Braff says a big reason he has not made a new film since
Garden State is because of the difficulty in raising money. He says there are people willing to finance films, the financers tend to want to change your story. Braff explains that the money people get the final cut in the movie industry and not the director.
"Final Cut" is the industry term for who has the final say on how the movie will be edited. A lot of financing deals require that the final cut go to the money people, NOT the director. Most films these days are tested in front of "test audiences" to see how an audience likes what you've made. This is sometimes very helpful, as you can get a sense of when the pace is too slow or when certain jokes aren't as funny as you thought they were. However, it can also be destructive, as a financier with final cut may use a note from the test audience to force you to make changes to the film that go against your gut. You ultimately have no right to fight against these changes because you have signed away those rights in order to get your money. As a film-lover myself, I always want to see exactly what the filmmaker intended.
Braff says financers also limit your casting choices. Braff was inspired to use Kickstarter following the
success Rob Thomas had in raising money for a
Veronica Mars film.
Take a look:
Photo: Zach Braff
