THE POWER OF INTERNET COMMUNITIES!
I recently learned about two cool things online: first there is a Flying Disc Documentary coming out this year, 2011, and second that there is this great website called KickStarter which is helping to make it a reality. Let me tell you about both!
THE INVISIBLE STRING – a Flying Disc Documentary
Picture by Invisible String
So, how did I come across this? I was on Facebook the other night writing a note on a friend’s wall when I saw that he had posted a video about The Invisible String, an upcoming 2011 documentary. The friend was a teammate of mine when I was playing disc in Denmark, so I imagined that it would be Ultimate or disc related. From the first image (Fred Morrison in his space suit) I knew I was going to need to learn more about it.
The documentary, the Invisible String, created by Michael Osterhoff, Jan Baess and Greg Marter from Berlin, Germany, will include interviews with prominent players from Europe, Japan and the United States, early footage from games and disc events, historical photos and attempt to answer what it is about flying plastic that so enthralls those that chase it. From the information I’ve read so far, they plan to showcase the movie at upcoming 2011 film festivals and, with luck, theaters around the world once the post-production is complete.
You can find out more information on their Facebook page, Website and/or pledge any amount on their KickStarter page to help with the post-production of the movie to make it a reality. If you are reading this within 26 days of the time of my post (18 January 2011), than you can still donate. I plan on pledging what I can, and can’t wait to see the film!
KICKSTARTER – a funding platform
So, what is KickStarter and how is it helping this project? KickStarter is “the largest funding platform for creative projects around the world”. I might be a little behind on learning about the awesomeness of this site, but I hadn’t heard about it till a week ago–even though it has been featured on CNN, Wired, NPR, NY Times, etc. So, if you already knew about it, great! If not, check it out.
The basic idea is as follows: you have a creative endeavor, but need funding. All you need to do is come up with a short video explaining your idea and incentives to promote the project and post it on the site. Visitors of KickStarter can check it out, and if they like what you’re doing they can help fund the project. The “kicker” is, if the fund raising doesn’t reach the goal set by the creator, then no money changes hands. So, there is a huge incentive to publicize each project. This is where we all come in….
As a tangential side note, KickStarter sort of reminds me of Kiva in the way it uses an internet based community to gather capitol from multiple sources to fund a project. Though, there are quite a few differences… pledges verses loans, any creative project verses mostly philanthropic pursuits, etc. You get the picture.
Anyway, check out the Invisible String documentary project.
Thanks for reading the post!