A money clip autographed by Robert De Niro and given to Paul Schrader on the set of Taxi Driver. A pitch meeting with the producer currently making a Schrader feature penned by Bret Easton Ellis. An autographed hardcover copy of every Ellis book. I’m sorry, are you some Hollyhood hot shot? No? Just a Kickstarter backer? Sure.
We’ve written plenty about the Schrader-directed and Ellis-penned The Canyons, thanks to its inventive use of participatory cinema (including casting for roles on Facebook) and our exclusive debut of the film’s poster, but now the team behind the film (including producer Braxton Pope) have gone one step further when it comes to making a crowd-influenced film: they’re going for crowd-funding. Per the film’s new Kickstarter page, “Pope, Ellis and Schrader are partly financing the film themselves through Pope’s new company Sodium Fox in order to maintain complete creative control of the distinct source material…The Canyons team has realized the Kickstarter is indeed a part of this new independent change, and is seeking to connect with our fan base even further with this campaign.” The Canyons team is currently looking to raise $100,000, and to meet that end, they’re offering some of the most jaw-dropping backer rewards that I’ve ever seen for this type of campaign (you know, like those I listed up top).
After the break, check out twelve unbelievable items currently available as backer rewards on The Canyons‘ Kickstarter page. If financing indie films means that Bret Easton Ellis will review your novel or Paul Schrader will give you his shooting script for Taxi Driver, well, that’s one hell of a win-win situation.
1. A money clip that was autographed by Robert De Niro and given to Paul Schrader on the set of Taxi Driver.
2. Paul Schrader’s shooting script for Taxi Driver at the end of filming.
3. Dinner with Paul Schrader.
4. Paul Schrader will cover your script – with notes delivered in person if you live in NY or LA.
5. Five autographed copies of any script Paul Schrader has written.
6. Bret Easton Ellis will read and review your novel and have that review appear on an international blog or website.
7. An autographed hardcover of every novel in Bret Easton Ellis’ canon.
8. A special framed commemorative photos from Last Temptation of Christ signed by Martin Scorsese (to Paul) given to you at a personal lunch with Paul Schrader in NY or LA.
9. Bret Easton Ellis and Braxton Pope will livetweet (approximately 20 tweets) their honest thoughts on your film at the time of your choosing to their 390,000 followers/fans.
10. A choice of one framed autographed photo of a legendary film director from Paul Schrader’s personal collection (Truffaut, Kazan, Coppola, Lucas, Wilder, Bergman, Allen, Stone, Polanski, Cassavettes, Capra, Forman, Huston, and more to choose from).
11. Braxton Pope will meet you in LA and bring you an exclusive autographed script with a 1 of 1 cover created from an on set photograph nobody else in the world will have.
12. Bret Easton Ellis and Braxton Pope will watch your short film, tweet their honest thoughts and a link to the film to their combined 390,000 followers/fans.
Will you donate to this Kickstarter? Do you think rewards like this are a good idea for independent features?