No, question: When it comes to raising funds for film projects, crowd-sourcing is hot.
Bret Easton Ellis exceeded his $100,000 goal on Kickstarter for "The Canyons," starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen, by more than $59,000.
See the world's next huge crowdfunding successes in film >
Russell Crowe donated $25,000 through Kickstarter to fund screenwriter Mark Staufer's "The Numinous Place," a transmedia, "cosmic detective story" that even, to its credit, features an app that induces lucid dreaming.
Even folk-punk starlet Amanda Palmer is financing her next album, tour and art book with the—are you sitting down?—$1.2 million she raised in a month on the site.
Also read: Kickstarter: the Indie Filmmaker's New Best Friend
Indeed, crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, which allow anyone to post a project or donate money to someone else's, have democratized the financial backing of all kinds of projects. From films to publication launches, the campaigns typically last a month and include donor rewards and fresh updates from the artists.
And after starting out as a means for indie and student ventures to get off the ground, the allure of cutting out the studio middlemen has drawn industry heavyweights, too.
TheWrap has curated a list of 12 film-related projects that we believe have a shot at success. Some are close to their fundraising goals, others have just begun their campaigns.
See the world's next huge crowdfunding successes in film >
1. An actor documents his post-'Star Trek' career troubles in "Through The Fire: Life After 'Star Trek.'"
Filmmaker: Michael Dorn, "Through The Fire: Life After Star Trek"
Where to Find It: Kickstarter
Goal: $750,000
What's the Deal?: Rallying his career post-"Star Trek" was no easy task for actor Dorn, who's been plagued by simple question of semantics: Was he Michael Dorn, the actor with 133 titles on his IMDb page? Or was he the Klingon Worf, a ridged-headed warrior aboard the Starship Enterprise?
Dorn hopes to document the experience in a memoir documentary starring a few of his fellow 'Star Trek" alumni, such as Marina Sirtis and Nana Visitor.
He has so far raised about $45,000 of the $750,000 goal since Aug. 6. It's a lofty target. But with big names and a loyal, if obsessive, fanbase to draw from, the documentary could really take off.
A fanboy of Japanese Manga 'Akira' wants to do it cinematic justice in 'The Akira Project'
Filmmaker: Nguyen-Anh Nguyen, "The Akira Project"
Where to Find It: Indiegogo
Goal: $7,500
What's the Deal?: In 2002, Warner Bros. acquired the rights to make a live-action film of the acclaimed Japanese Manga "Akira." They've made four attempts and turned up nothing. Most recently, in January 2011, they even shifted the story location from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-Manhattan. But the studio canned the project, set to star Garrett Hedlund, in January due to casting, scripting and budget issues.
Nguyen-Anh, a longtime "Akira" fanboy, is now leading a project separate from Warner's with his Montreal-based production company, CineGround. He told TheWrap that he believes the studio's copyright won't be violated, as he plans to release his fan film online for free.
And he hopes to create a film that is as true to the original source material as possible, he said.
So far, it has raised about $1,800 of its $7,500 goal. With two weeks left to go, it may be time to start posting links to the IndieGogo site on 4Chan's Manga message board.
A film about legendary British music producer Joe Meek gets featured in 'A Life In The Death Of Joe Meek."
Filmmaker: PalmDoorFilms' Susan Stahman and Howard S. Berger
Where to Find It: Kickstarter
Goal: $40,000
What's the Deal?: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, as shown in the Kickstarter video, thinks you should donate to this film, produced and directed by former MTV videographers Susan Stahman and Howard S. Berger.
That's because he, like many other British rock stars, was influenced by Joe Meek, one of the U.K.'s first independent music producers. An unsung hero of the British Invasion, Meek nurtured hundreds of artists' careers, including Page and Steve Howe of Yes.
It has only begun raising money—it has nearly two months to close the gap between its current $3,000 and its $40,000 goal.
Hopefully for the filmmakers, if audiences don't cough it up, the aging rock gods they interviewed might share some of their spoils.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider