New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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‘Veronica Mars’ film successfully funded by fanbase

via facebook.com

For die-hard television viewers, nothing is more emotionally trying than when a favorite television show gets canceled. Although it can be difficult to cope, we’ve accepted that for shows we love, cancellation is just a part of a show’s cycle — one that we have no control over. “Veronica Mars” creator Rob Thomas is television one geek who begs to differ.

When “Veronica Mars” was canceled in 2007, fans thought it would be the end, even though a fervent group of fans never stopped bombarding Warner Brothers with calls, letters and emails begging them to put the show back on the air. Warner Brothers even created an email account specifically dedicated to dealing with “Veronica Mars” fans who wouldn’t stop harassing them about the series.

Since 2008, Thomas has attempted to persuade Warner Brothers that Veronica Mars film would offer some closure for the series, and finally in March of this year, he and star Kristen Bell began a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money for the film. Thomas and Warner Brothers agreed that if he could raise at least $2 million for production costs in 30 days, Warner Brothers would front the rest of the money needed for marketing, promotion and distribution. Three weeks later, the Kickstarter had $4 million worth of donations.

Despite the success, some are finding fault with Thomas’ method, saying that it is wrong of him to ask fans to give money to finance a studio film. Warner Brothers has more than enough money to finance the film, so why should people have to give them even more money to get the film made when there is clearly a very high demand for it? After years of calls and emails, Warner Brother must understand the level of interest prior to fans donating an average of $60 each to the Kickstarter.

That said, many donors found satisfaction in actually being a part of the process and contributing to something that they loved so much. Additionally, the fans will receive specific rewards based on how much they donate, ranging from a PDF of the movie script to a signed poster to a walk-on role in the film. Surely the perks are a big part of why the project has been such a huge success, and with success comes pressure — Thomas will have to make the film with fans expectations at the forefront of his mind.

The Veronica Mars Kickstarter has given hope to many other show creators and fans who want to revive axed favorites. However, when TechCrunch asked Thomas if this model was the future of film funding, he replied that the process he went through for the Veronica Mars film was “labor intensive” and that “to pitch a movie to a studio that buys it is clearly the simpler way.” That may be true, but just by virtue of the popularity and large number of contributions to Thomas’ endeavor, there are sure to be more fan-funded projects in the future.

Ife Olujobi is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].

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