Like many others, Ken Levine wrote a blog post criticizing Braff and Kickstarter, while throwing The Veronica Mars Movie campaign and Sundance into the mix as well. His article is chock-full of the now trite and fallacious arguments against celebrity use of crowdfunding sites.

Because Mr. Levine’s article has gone viral, I felt compelled to respond. Below are some of his arguments, followed by my rebuttal:

“Zach Braff is a good actor and a fine filmmaker. GARDEN STATE was a terrific movie. But I wouldn’t give him a dime. Why? Because it defeats the whole purpose of Kickstarter. ” Only Kickstarter can determine what their purpose is, not a blogger nor anyone else. Kickstarter green-lit the campaign, thus, it must align with their mission, whether one likes it or not. It’s fascinating how folks think they can determine what a company’s mission should and should not be! “Why is McDonald’s serving lattes? It’s a burger joint!” You have a right to an opinion regarding decisions a company makes, but one has no right determining the company’s purpose.

“Zach Braff has a name.” This one really peeves me. Because someone is reputable, they lose the right to call upon their fans to help them develop a film? And at what point does one become a “name”? Who determines this? To implement Mr. Levine’s discrimination, Kickstarter would need to establish a cockamamie celebrity “ranking” system to determine you is too popular to use their platform.

Regarding Braff, “He can get in a room with money people.” Did Mr. Levine not watch Braff’s video? Braff mentions the “money people” numerous times – that’s the whole point of the campaign, i.e., the money people wanted to control the creative content of Braff’s film. Braff does not want to compromise, so he took his project to his fans.

“So someone who otherwise might have funded the Mobile kid instead will toss his coins to Zach Braff because he figures it’s a better bet and he gets to rub shoulders with show business.” This type of reasoning is based on a consumerist limited good mentality. Generosity is not limited and giving to campaigns is not limited. One can give to a celebrity AND a no-name campaign. Crowdfunding is not a zero-sum game. Even if someone only has $5 to give, they can break it down and give to multiple campaigns, assuming said campaigns have an under $5 level. Kickstarter does not limit contributors; people are not forced to give to one and only one campaign.

The Veronica Mars Movie is another celebrity-driven crowdfunding success story, which Mr. Levine attacks as well, “Are you a big fan of VERONICA MARS? Want to support it? Great. Buy ten tickets and see the movie ten times.” Once again, did Mr. Levine not pay attention to the MARS campaign? The whole premise of their campaign is that they COULD NOT get green-lit by Warner Bros.. So they turned to their hungry fans to launch the project. Without a successful crowdfunding campaign, there would be no movie to buy tickets to. Buying tickets is after the fact…

Then Mr. Levine brings the ever so love-to-hate Sundance into the mix. He complains: “Now look at the festival. Every entry features major Hollywood stars.” A downright lie and exaggeration – absolutely not true. Sundance is full of no-name films. Besides, Sundance is what it is today because it strategically programs celebrity-driven films. Without them, the very nobodies that Mr. Levine is looking out for would not reap the benefits of top agents, distributors, press, etc. who attend the festival because of celebrities.

Mr. Levine ends his article with this: “Kickstarter is for the ‘working man,’ Zach. And VERONICA. And (soon) Harvey [Weinstein].” This statement is so disrespectful, I can’t believe he wrote it. No doubt these “rich” folks he disrespects work just as hard, if not harder, than Mr. Levine. Who is he to judge them as “working” or not?

I genuinely admire Mr. Levine in that he clearly is looking out for nobody filmmakers, which I of all people truly appreciate! But ranting against celebrities and festivals like Sundance with fallacious arguments is not constructive and ultimately contributes to the disgruntled state that afflicts many indie filmmakers. Many of my indie colleagues chronically complain and point fingers at celebrities for the lack of their own success and articles like Mr. Levine’s simply fuels their self-pity and insecurity.

Though he’s looking out for us nobodies with his viral blog article, Mr. Levine would do us more good by deleting it.

UPDATE: On May 9th, Kickstarter posted staggering numbers demonstrating the positive effects celebrity campaigns have had on nobody projects…

The NO-BUDGET FILM SCHOOL will be held this weekend in LA. I have personally attended twice in the past and it is worth every penny. It is the single most effective event an aspiring filmmaker can attend.

And the following weekend, May 18th & 19th, No-Budget Film School presents CINEMA LANGUAGE, which I have also attended, twice! It will teach you to take the nuts-and-bolts of the No Budget weekend and apply it cinematically, with purpose and meaning.  Cinema Language is a visually driven seminar with a ton of movie clips and an amazing teacher.

Sign up here: http://nobudgetfilmschool.eventbrite.com/#

It takes a lot more people to make a film than almost any other art form. I often fantasize about being a lone poet or painter because of this harsh reality.

However, as I embark on my current feature film project, I am beginning to discover a hidden blessing within the taxing need for help. I have come to realize that asking for help often leads to receiving help, and receiving help comes with the blessing of knowing people care about you and your art.

Even if I don’t “make it” as a filmmaker, I will know one thing for certain: there are a lot of people out there who care about me, something I may never have known as a lone artist…

For my current feature film project, I am aiming to raise about $70,000 before July 2. It’s the biggest challenge of my life so far.

I’ve been spending a lot of time strategizing my fundraising approach, which will include a crowdfunding campaign and product placement.  My goal is to raise my minimum film budget by July 2, so I can then proceed to pre-production, which includes casting of talent and hiring of crew. If all goes well, we will begin filming in Indiana in mid-September.

I will now be posting my progress more frequently to share the ups and downs of fundraising an independent film!

Let me preface the article by saying that this year’s Academy Award winning director, Ang Lee, was in a long, long funk and seriously put in his dues.

From age 30 to 36, he’s living in an apartment in White Plains, NY trying to get something — anything — going, while his wife Jane supports the family of four (they also had two young children) on her modest salary as a microbiologist. He spends every day at home, working on scripts, raising the kids, doing the cooking. That’s a six-year span — six years! — filled with dashed hopes and

Enjoy the article, “Ang Lee and the Uncertainty of Success,” by Jeff J. Lin.

That phrase, “hurry up and wait,” has been haunting me all week.  It gets to the core of what I loathe about filmmaking: our immense dependency on others.  Even the smallest film projects rely on the commitment of others.  Like kids on a playground before a game of kickball, countless filmmakers in Los Angeles are waiting around hoping to be a part of a team.  It’s torture, discouraging, and demoralizing.

It really is a conundrum: while us filmmakers love to collaborate and need others to actualize our art, at the same time, we are at their mercy.  It’s in the nature of what we do.  I’ve often fantasized of being a lone pianist, photographer, painter, or poet, engaged in an art form where completion rests solely on my efforts, but I love to make films.

I’ve successfully counteracted the dependency dilemma by making short films that relied on a few people.  However, when one’s project inherently demands substantial help from others, well, it’s hurry up and wait!

But then again, I doubt Spielberg has to hurry up and wait.  Maybe that’s the key: the more of a success you are, the less you wait.

I’ll never forget the time I was in a mass of people swarming around the filmmaker, Werner Herzog.  In the midst of the chaos, a 20-something kid battled the mob and stepped up to Herzog, begging: “Please, please.  I’ll do anything you want, Mr. Herzog, if only I can have a chance to be on your set and learn.”  I didn’t hear the filmmaker’s response; I was too stupefied by the desperation before me…

Yesterday was a monumental day for independent film.  Over $2 million was raised in just ONE DAY on a Kickstarter campaign to fund The Veronica Mars Movie Project.

The movie will be based on the original Veronica Mars television show, starring Kristen Bell.  Apparently the show’s creator, Rob Thomas and Bell herself, have tried to produce the feature film spin-off for years; however, Warner Bros., who owns the Veronica Mars brand, was not keen on the idea.  So Thomas and Bell took matters into their own hands and with WB’s blessing, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $2 million to produce their feature.  (No independent film had ever attempted to raise so much.)

Why is this HUGE for independent film?  Because it legitimizes crowdfunding as a viable and professional form of financing a film project.  Sure, crowdfunding has been around a while now, but no film has ever raised this much money and not with a celebrity like Bell.  Hollywood and news agencies are abuzz today with this incredible feat…

Independent filmmakers can now approach major Hollywood players with crowdfunding as part of the “deal.”  Having an IndieGoGo or Kickstarter campaign to raise funds won’t sound so amateurish anymore.  Remember, I’m talking about Hollywood folks here: agents, casting directors, A-list actors, etc..  They operate within an old investor/studio-based protocol.  But now, with $2 million raised in one day with a celebrity like Bell, they’ll be taking crowdfunding much more seriously.

Even more important, Kristen Bell comes across as downright cool and kind in her fundraising video.  Participating in the campaign not only helped her raise money, but it skyrockets public opinion of her.  Taking her lead, other celebrities will come to realize that it’s not desperate nor “below them” to participate in a crowdfunding campaign, in fact, it’s public relations done right!

Unfortunately, the Mars success does not change much for a no-name crowdfunding campaign, which is primarily dependent on support from friends and family.  It does, however, legitimize crowdfunding as an integral part of one’s strategy when approaching and negotiating with reputable talent and/or a popular brand.  As an independent filmmaker, you better believe I will be citing The Veronica Mars Kickstarter success as an example of what is possible when crowdfunding with a celebrity and/or a popular brand.

Encouragement literally means to fill someone with courage, hope, confidence; to hearten.  Encouragement is spiritual defibrillation; a positive shock to the soul, a revival, a jolt of energy onward.

A friend encouraged me this morning at this very taxing time in my life.  He didn’t need to do it, but he did.  He chose to transcend his ego, denying the commonly held, unconscious belief that encouragement is a limited good.  No – he shared selflessly.

Encouragement is electric.  Like receiving a shock to the system with electronically charged paddles; shivers ran through my body as I read my friend’s generous email.

Encouragement is life-giving.  Imagine a world with more of it: more people heartened to do what they need to do.

Fortunately, there is an infinite surplus of encouragement to freely share with others…

That said, I will be posting portraits in the coming weeks of friends, family, perhaps even strangers.  Again, my ultimate goal is to hone in on my photographic craft.

I’m excited to share with you!

The very next day I bought a manual Vivitar 35mm film camera with a 50mm lens for $150.

Though cinema is a form of photography, it differs greatly from its static predecessor. With the inclusion of sound, performance, narrative, and all its other elements, cinema is arguably more “dynamic” than still photography; nonetheless, the latter has a power of its own – it’s ability to bring focus to one millisecond in time, one emotion, one expression, one…

I will be launching a still photography business in the coming months. My emphasis will be portraiture; however, I will be open to where the venture leads me in terms of style and content. But first thing, first: I need to hone in on my still photography skills. Though I processed negatives and made prints in my own darkroom for years, digital photography is a much different beast which I need to tame before working for hire.

In the month of February, I am going to post one image per day. Each image will be of something we take for granted in life, like a fork or a hand. And each image will be stylistically and technically different. I will include brief notes with each image for those interested in my stylistic and technical approach.

Looking forward to sharing this project with you!!! In the meantime, here’s a still photo I recently took of my son, Simon…

While developing a title for my current feature-length script, I came up with a haiku that captures its story rather well:

Love comes quietly,

“I love you” in a whisper.

Listen.  Listen.  Shh….

In the coming months, I will be considering various online distribution options for Girlfriend 19.  Because of its brevity, 78 minutes, I believe it will appeal to online and cable viewers. 

I decided to take a bold approach and highlight the film’s intensity with this trailer!

As a result of this resistance toward artistic aspiration, most striving artists suffer socially, economically, emotionally, and spiritually, which typically leads to an abandonment of dreams.  I used to think this is tragic and unjust; it upset me and made me mad.  However, the more I give filmmaking a go, the more I realize this resistance is a good thing.

When I decided to go to law school in 2003, I was socially, economically, emotionally, and spiritually supported.  It was easy; everything fell into place.  All I had to do was sign-off on student loans and show up to class.  People were proud of me and encouraged me.  And I felt spiritually grounded because I was comfortable.  However, when I decided to drop-out and pursue a more personal passion, filmmaking, the support pretty much dissipated.  I went from a top-tier law school student to a 31-year-old substitute teacher who wants to make movies.  I was questioned, mocked, and humiliated.

Most people lack vision, so they will attack, criticize, and ridicule artistic aspiration.  Rather than focus on the honesty and courage it takes to create, most look at the imperfect final product and devalue its creator.  This is immature, selfish, and hateful.  It’s a form of emotional and spiritual murder.  But that’s how it goes and I doubt I’m going to change that.  Rather, I have learned to embrace this injustice and see its benefits.

Resistance towards artistic aspiration has many latent benefits.  First, it weeds out the hacks.  Many dream of being a famous artist, but few really have the talent and the discipline, so they give up.  Most are not called to be an artist to begin with and it’s a good thing that they give up; it’s good for us and for them.

Second, resistance builds character.  Hate, discouragement, and indifference are like weights; you are forced to muscle them, which can build you up or kill you.  If you keep on pumping those weights, you will become stronger and more resilient yourself.  In fact, the more “famous” you become as an artist, the more resistance you will face, so the weights just get heavier, hopefully leading to greater character and better work.

Third, resistance forces you to become a better artist.  Although it may be deeply painful, you are challenged to improve your work.  In most cases, an artist is ignored because his/her work is not good, full of cliche, cheap mimicry.  A mature artist will acknowledge this reality and strive to improve, to be more personal.  Sure, even great art is often ignored due to subjectivity, ignorance, and fear; however, there will always be appreciation somewhere for good art if the artist continues to persevere.

Most importantly, resistance toward artistic aspiration leads to more authentic relationships.  As the aspiring artist evolves, so to will his/her priorities, values, and perspectives.  Superficial, vain, and unhealthy elements in life will no longer matter to the artist, thus, they will be drawn to and attract similar folks.  The artist will be inspired by their new community of courageous, bold, and beautiful human beings.  And though it may be painful, some people in the artist’s life will reject them and ostracize them, but that’s okay because these people are toxic and need to be distanced if the artist is to thrive.

Resistance sucks.  It is often brutal, unjust, and, at times, evil.  But if it is embraced, resistance can lead to beautiful things.

As you can imagine, the sharks proceeded to give Mr. Smith a big fat piece of humble pie.

“You haven’t proven yourself,” Barbara Corcoran simply put it.  “It takes 10-15 years to be an ‘overnight’ success,” said Robert Herjavec.  And billionaire Mark Cuban added, “You set your sights high, but you set them too high.”

And as soon as Mr. Smith began to argue, the most ruthless of all sharks, Kevin O’Leary bluntly shouted, “The guy who has the money makes the rules.  That’s how it works!”

Independent filmmakers have a lot to learn from these sharks.

We need to prove ourselves before claiming to be worth millions and it takes many years to do that.  And it’s great to set your sights high, but be reasonable and honest, access your gifts, talents, resources and connections.  Don’t set them so high that you look like a fool while reaching, destined to fail.

And how true is Mr. O’Leary’s comment to us indie filmmakers?  If you want folks to give you big bucks to make your film, be prepared to play by their rules!

Life has been rather taxing lately, emotionally and, therefore, physically.  It’s mostly personal, a combination of artistic angst and relational growth; however, enough encouragement and wise counsel has come my way to keep me going!

Going against the norm, doing what one feels they need to do, despite a more “secure” way, is not only difficult, it is exhausting.  And I’ve come to a place of peace with this fact.

Believe me, this isn’t some kind of romanticizing the “artist’s life.”  Rather, it simply is an acceptance of my inherent challenges and disappointments.  

I’ve come to appreciate that gratitude begins with an embrace, even of those things that hurt us most…