Zach Braff's been in the news quite a bit over the past two weeks. The actor/director's Kickstarter campaign for his newest film project, Wish I Was Here, has already collected more than $2 million and 35,000 backers from across the world.
It's a great step toward what promises to be a genuine and intimate art film, but a handful of critics, like Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Levine, are saying the crowdfunding platform should be left for smaller, lesser-known filmmakers trying to finance their projects:
"The idea – and it’s a great one – is that Kickstarter allows filmmakers who otherwise would have NO access to Hollywood and NO access to serious investors to scrounge up enough money to make their movies. Zach Braff has contacts. Zach Braff has a name. Zach Braff has a track record."
In the above interview, shot by film group KickStarted, Braff addresses the criticism he's received and talks about the benefits -- for both his team and fan base -- that the project has sparked.
"This isn't a money-making endeavor ... Making a tiny art film is not where people go to to make money. This is a passion project," he says. "I'm making this movie for you and, ostensibly, with you. You're coming along on the ride, you're going to be a little GoPro camera on my shoulder experiencing how an independent movie is made ... I owe [the fans] everything."
While the project has raised more than $2 million, Braff says he's still contributing a lot -- an "ass-ton," he says jokingly -- of his own money to the film. He adds that the donations he's received, either small or large, have also helped open up a community of engagement for all those interested. Braff has long been extremely interactive with his fan base, through Facebook and Reddit AMAs, and he says Kickstarter has increased that discussion even more. Plus, he says, the engagement will only grow as the filming process begins.
"It's a sense of community; it's a club," he says, "and it's a club of like-minded people who are interested in the same thing."
KickStarted, headed by filmmakers Jason Cooper and Jay Armitage, is an upcoming documentary project that will focus on crowdfunding and the creators behind it. The group will launch its own Kickstarter campaign for the film on May 21.
Watch the full interview above. You can stay up-to-date with Kickstarted and the documentary on the group's website and on Twitter.