When Rob Thomas found success funding his Veronica Mars movie via Kickstarter, it was inevitable that other filmmakers would follow. Now Garden State writer/director/actor Zach Braff has decided to take a crack at the idea. Take a look at his pitch video.
Braff, who hasn’t made a movie since the 2004 drama, is back with Wish I Was Here, and had been trying to drum up the money through traditional channels, but faced losing final cut and making other compromises. So now he’s asking for truly independent financial support.
Wish I Was Here follows Aidan Bloom (Braff), 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 fantasising 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 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.
Braff has Jim Parsons lined up to co-star (and best pal Donald Faison likely to cameo), and he’s already asked Garden State cinematographer Larry Sher to work on the new movie, with a plan to shoot in August.
Like the Mars campaign before it, Braff’s attempt has sparked discussion about bigger name filmmakers sapping resources from projects that could genuinely use them, but if you’re a Braff fan who wants to see his next project made, then feel free to head over and donate…