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Kevin Smith Says No To Kickstarter: "Not Fair To Real Indie Filmmakers"
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 16, 2013
Modified May 16, 2013
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 16, 2013
Modified May 16, 2013
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This week writer and director Kevin Smith shared a photo of the complete 137-page first draft for Clerks III, the final piece of his trilogy that started back in 1994. Unlike other successful, wealthy, and connected people in the biz—like Zach Braff and Kristen Bell—who are funding projects via Kickstarter that most likely could have been funded in other ways, Smith says that route doesn't feel right to him. He explained in a Reddit AMA:
"As for funding the flick—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, 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."
Well put, sir. And that perfectly explains the crux of the issue people have with these celebrity Kickstarter campaigns. There are still gray areas, however, which we can call The Melissa Joan Hart Problem—like what happens when someone is a C-lister, or not firmly planted in either the indie or mainstream world?
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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