I’ve got a love/hate feeling toward crowdfunding, which stems from the recent VERONICA MARS movie being funded when the studio easily could’ve footed the bill. I feel that places like Kickstarter are best served to the independent filmmakers who want to make a film outside of the studio system and don’t have the Hollywood resources to do so. Now, my views are being challenged, as Zach Braff of Scrubs and GARDEN STATE fame, has taken to the venue to fund his sophomore effort, I WISH I WAS HERE.
I am a Zach Braff fan. Plain and simple. I’ve seen every episode of Scrubs and I love the quirky, offbeat GARDEN STATE to this day. In short, Braff is a talented guy and the one major thing that makes me feel differently about his Kickstarter effort is that it’s not backed, mandated, or in any way studio controlled. This is Braff trying to make his second feature off the Hollywood leash and I respect the hell out of that.
I WISH I WAS HERE is written by Braff and his brother, Adam, and sounds like a fun, imaginitive indie flick that fits squarely within the actor/director’s sensibilities.
Here’s Zach (and friends):
Here’s the story:
“Wish I Was Here” is the story of Aidan Bloom (played by me), a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he’d always dreamed he’d be as a little kid.
When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids (ages 5 and 12) and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them.
The result is some funny chaos, until Aidan decides to scrap the traditional academic curriculum and come up with his own. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.
So, if you’re a fan of Braff’s, a fan of the premise, or want to support a more expensive indie pic, then check out his Kickstarter page and pledge a few bucks. Just like VERONICA MARS, the beauty of it all is that it’s up to you, like it or not. Now, for some jiggly ball…