“The time is meow.”
If that tagline makes you laugh, then you probably want to drop a bit of money on Broken Lizard over at their IndieGoGo page.
Remember when “Veronica Mars” asked for money and people gave “Veronica Mars” money and then everyone else went insane? Remember when people piled onto Zach Braff and freaked out about him asking for money? Well, is it just me, or does it seem like people are getting used to the idea of recognizable brands asking for crowd-funding help?
As I've watched the news about “Super Troopers 2” spread on Twitter, the response has been pretty solid. They've raised about 3% of their budget in the last hour, and they've got 32 days left. I'm guessing they will make the goal, and they've already got an agreement in place from 20th Century Fox to release the film. They need at least $2 million to make the film they've written, but would obviously like to raise more so they can do more than the bare minimum.
I am still of very mixed mind over this sort of thing. As a journalist/blogger/whatever you want to call me, I don't cover these things because I feel it's inappropriate. If I post a story about one but not about another, I'm lending support to something at a nascent stage, and I'm possibly causing one thing to get financed over another. I don't think that's the stage where we should be covering things, and so we've gone out of our way not to cover crowd-funding campaigns.
When the first “Super Troopers” was in production, I was dating one of the film's producers. I watched dailies and heard stories about the production as they struggled to finish, and when it went to Sundance, I was there for my first time covering it as a critic for Ain't It Cool News. The night the film sold to Fox, I was at the condo with the guys from Broken Lizard, celebrating and enjoying the energy. I've stayed in touch with Broken Lizard over the years, and I think they're all smart and funny guys. So, yes, I'd very much like to see a “Super Troopers 2,” and I don't begrudge them doing it this way. After all, they hear from fans every day who quote lines at them. Why not reach out to those people and ask them to help get the project off the ground finally?
I hope they make it. I hope to see it. I just find myself deeply conflicted about a system that makes this the best possible option for a team of filmmakers who have a track record and a fan base already in place.