Help save Film Threat and bring back 30 years of stories documenting the world of independent film.
Last year I launched a Kickstarter to bring Film Threat back. The campaign did not reach its funding goal, which was very ambitious. Every day since the campaign ended, I have received emails, tweets, Facebook messages and met people at comic cons and film festivals telling me how much they miss Film Threat.
With so much encouragement and lessons learned, I am launching a new Kickstarter to bringFilm Threat back but this time, we’ll begin in stages. We’ll start with a newly redesigned website that will make 30 years of Film Threat content accessible and we’ll launch an app along with a podcast. Our first goal of $37,500 will help us revive Film Threat and if you donate early, you’ll have the opportunity to get special limited edition rewards.
Film Threat started as a fanzine I created in high school and later became a print magazine sold on newsstands. The magazine covered people like Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith and many others who began their careers in indie film. Film Threat built a reputation for telling it like it is and pulling no punches. Movies that were ignored by the mainstream media outlets, could always count on Film Threat for coverage. And when the Film Threat website launched in 1996, that tradition of championing independents continued. FilmThreat.com became one of the most respected sources online covering indie film, while also giving the middle finger to Hollywood. (But in a fun way.)
Film Threat was also partially funded by my personal finances and I spent a significant amount each year to support the site. I believed very strongly in Film Threat’s mission to support up and coming indies. So while it is difficult for me to ask, I need your help to bring Film Threat back.
This is a new golden age of indie film with social media, crowd-funding and affordable lo-fi filmmaking on the rise. More than ever, indie films need a place where they can be thrust into the spotlight and find a fan base. My commitment to you is that Film Threat will provide a unique voice and once again support a new generation of up and coming filmmakers.
Film Threat magazine was first published in 1985 and the web site was launched in 1996. That’s 30 years worth of content making up more than 80,000 stories on a site that has to be redesigned and reformatted. Relaunching a site of this size with so much content is costly. The funds raised will allow me to hire programmers, designers, and I’ll need a new server along with a budget for an editorial team.
The amount I’ve budgeted covers the costs of the site relaunch, the podcast, and the app. All of this covers phase one of Film Threat‘s return.
We’ll also launch a Film Threat Podcast Network featuring a variety of podcasts from the writers on the site. In addition, we’ll create a Film Threat App for IOS and Android available for free.
The reality is that if I don’t reach the initial goal of $37,500, I will have no choice but to shut down the Film Threat website and the content will be lost. All of the stories that are in the archives will be wiped off the Internet forever. This thought makes me truly sad but with all the folks like you who enjoyed Film Threat, I am optimistic that it will relaunch and continue to provide the high-quality content that you have come to know, expect and love.
If we exceed our funding goal, we’ll be able to do more Film Threat projects the first of which is a documentary about Film Threat magazine in the 90s. I’ve been working with a group of talented filmmakers who want to tell our story. Over the past year, we have digitized over 100 hours of VHS footage and scanned 5,000 photos from our archives. I will release the three-minute sizzle reel for the documentary once we get close to our first funding goal. If we can raise an additional $12,500, it will be used for travel and to shoot interviews for the doc. Other stretch goals include a weekly show where I’ll bring back DVDuesday, my popular segment from G4TV’s Attack of the Show. I’ll detail these stretch goals once we reach 50% of our funding.
So, if you were a reader of Film Threat and it inspired you in some way, please help. Contribute whatever you can afford. And then please encourage your friends to do so too. We’ll also continue to add exclusive items throughout the campaign, so keep checking back.
If you’re a filmmaker and Film Threat was supportive in some way, please consider contributing. There are rewards specifically designed to help filmmakers and film festivals get exposure with our audience on social media, who never abandoned us.
In addition to contributing, spreading the word online is a great way to help, so be sure to tell your friends by tweeting about it or posting on social media, remember to tag @FilmThreatand/or @ThatChrisGore. If all goes well and we reach our funding goal, the Film Threat site will return before the end of 2016 and I’ll announce the schedule for the launch of our new podcast and app. All donors will get early access to the beta version of the website so that you can offer feedback as we build our new foundation for the future. I hope you choose to supportFilm Threat so that we can continue our mission.
Thank you!
P.S. UPDATE! We have added some new limited edition rewards and here are some pictures of these rare, exclusive and one-of-a-kind items from the Film Threat archives.
When it comes to relaunching the Film Threat site, I’ve already received estimates on the costs and can move forward as soon as the Kickstarter ends. After a short testing period, we’ll be live before the end of 2016. And donors will be the first to gain access to a beta version of the site.
As for fulfilling rewards, I’ll get into production on items for shipping right after the Kickstarter ends. I’ll document their production with updates so you can see as those rewards get fulfilled. Some items are larger and may require special shipping needs, but that only applies to the contributors of higher rewards. When it comes to fulfilling shout outs and whatnot, that will be arranged on an individual basis. I expect to have all rewards requiring shipping fulfilled by November. Any problems we may encounter as we go will be documented here so that contributors will be aware of any scheduling pitfalls, but I don’t foresee any major challenges.
And whatever the challenges, when I run into any contributor at a film festival or a comic con, I will thank you personally. And if the setting is right, I’m sure we’ll be able to celebrate together. (Though I’m sure that last sentence violates something on Kickstarter. I don’t think I can offer you a free drink, but if I could, I would.)