Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi need your help to take their vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows to the United States.
It's not your blood they want to suck – but your cash. The pair, who jointly directed and starred in the critically acclaimed horror comedy, say they need $400,000 to take the film across the States without the help of a distributor.
"We want to bring our film ALL across America – but that's expensive!" reads their Kickstarter page.
"There's posters, trailers, advertising, publicity – the list is endless… Oh, and we will need something to project in every theatre.
"We have put together a plan with some of the best independent film minds around to reach as many cities and towns as possible, but we cannot achieve our goal without your support, enthusiasm, and generosity."
The Wellington-set film, which won four gongs at the Rialto New Zealand Film Awards in December, has already screened overseas at the Sundance, SXSW, Berlin and Toronto film festivals.
Its unconventional bid for an American release continues Clement and Waititi's DIY approach, which has seen them turn up fan events, sell props on Trade Me and try internet dating – all in character.
Under the Kickstarter model, the more you pledge, the more you get in return. For example, you can give as little as $10, which will get you the script in PDF format.
If you're feeling more generous though, $40 will get you a What We Do in the Shadows baby onesie, while for $50 you could be wearing a themed cooking apron.
Five hundred dollars will see Clement and Waititi record you a personal answerphone message, $600 a meet-and-greet, $1000 the chance to party with the duo, $1500 lunch, and for $3000 you get to be an extra in their next project.
And if you can afford to pitch in $10,000 they'll give you 'the works', which is far too detailed to go into here, but includes Skype chats, parties, clothes, video messages, posters and digital goodies.
"Immortality comes at a steep price – but not as steep as the price of releasing and distributing a film in America," they say on Kickstarter.
"If we are ever to combat the cruel and vicious rumours surrounding vampires, we must bring their story out of the darkness. It's time Americans learn the truth about the vampire community.
"Help us release What We Do in the Shadows in the USA. Vampires all over the world will love you forever (literally)."
Read more:
- Kate Rodger's review of What We Do in the Shadows
- What We Do In The Shadows: a masterclass in viral marketing
3 News
source: newshub archive
