Caffeinated Clint
A magazine, and now website, that many of us grew up with might fade like Burt Reynolds’ hair… unless you’re willing to help pay for it. Film Threat, the leading voice in independent film (it’s still a big presence on the web), have launched a crowd-funding campaign to help them remain in existence. Before you ignore the request, ponder a future where you can’t sit on the throne, scrolling and flicking through various reviews, and discovering independent gems you weren’t previously aware of? Without Film Threat, I personally might never have discovered genre classics like “The Prophecy” (then known as “God’s Army”) or “Serial Mom”. Get involved!
LOS ANGELES – After 30 years of being the champion for the independent film world, Film Threat is seeking a little help from its friends to go forward. Founder and publisher Chris Gore is now hosting a Kickstarter campaign that will run through April 21, with the goal of raising $125,000 to present an upgraded version of the influential film resource. The funding is crucial to the life of Film Threat. If the Kickstarter campaign misses its goal, Film Threat will shut down permanently.
Film Threat began life as a webzine in 1985 before growing into an influential magazine that offered movie lovers their first view of up-and-coming talent including Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith. The Film Threat site went online in 1996 and grew to encompass more than 80,000 reviews, interviews, essays and features that helped to launch scores of filmmakers’ careers and reshape the depth and scope of film criticism and appreciation.
“The truth is that the Film Threat website was actually supported by my television career,” said Gore on his Kickstarter page. “At the time, I was willing to spend $25,000 or more each year out of my own pocket to support the site. I believed very strongly in Film Threat’s mission to help up-and-coming indies. But, let’s be honest, I don’t have a TV career anymore. And convention appearances only go so far. So, it’s really difficult for me to ask, but right now I need your help.”
As part of the campaign, Gore will also relaunch his popular DVDuesday segment from G4’s “Attack of the Show” as a new weekly web series. Gore is also planning a new Film Threat app and a podcast network starring the site’s writers.
“Relaunching a site of this size, with this massive amount of content, is costly and I can’t afford to fund it alone this time,” Gore added. “I’ll need money for programmers, designers, and for a new server along with a budget for writers and an editorial team to keep it going. My hope is that people still have an interest in reading about challenging films made by up-and-coming filmmakers.”
More information on the Kickstarter campaign can be found online: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thatchrisgore/save-film-threat-and-bring-back-dvduesday
