Directors: Timon Birkhofer, Jørg M. Kundinger
MPAA Rating: NR
Run Time: 87 min.
Ever since the emergence of sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, I’ve been a huge supporter of the concept of crowdfunding, wherein creators can have their projects funded directly from the fans and consumers without a “middleman.” It’s allowed artists, inventors and even people who just want to make a good batch of potato salad a new outlet to get their work out there without having to go through the arduous process of finding investors or selling their souls to corporate overlords.
In Timon Birkhofer and Jørg M. Kundinger’s documentary Capital C, we take a look at the crowdfunding phenomena and how this revolutionary platform is changing people’s lives every day. The film, which in itself was crowdfunded through Kickstarter, follows the lives of three main entrepreneurs as they navigate the sometimes-treacherous waters of Kickstarter in order to realize their dreams.
It is centered around Brian Fargo, a name that video gamers of my generation may know from his company, Interplay, and his game, Wasteland 2, which at the time shattered Kickstarter records; Zach Crain, creator of the Freaker beer koozie; and Jackson Robinson, an artist designing money-themed playing cards.
While jumping back and forth between the three men’s stories, the filmmakers interweave various experts on how crowdfunding works, what makes a successful crowdfunding campaign and the ever-present risks involved in making the decision to crowdfund a project.
If you’ve seen Indie Game: The Movie, you’ll notice a similar structure and visual aesthetic with this film, which isn’t a bad thing. The filmmakers use various filters and framing techniques to give each subject his own look and feel that matches his project and personality. The scenes involving Zach Crain, for instance, use a lot of warm lighting, giving everything a yellowish tint, accentuating the hipster vibe of his home and office. This was a nice touch and added some always-welcome visual flair to a fairly straightforward documentary.
One thing that’s touched on but that could have used a bit more exploration is the more negative side of crowdfunding. As it happens, all three of the main subjects in this film have wildly successful Kickstarter campaigns, effectively changing their lives for the better, but it doesn’t delve into the negative ramifications that can happen as a result of a failed campaign.
Granted, no one wants to see someone’s hopes and dream get crushed, but many of these campaigns don’t end successfully and there are also more than a few that are successful but never deliver on their promises. Again, this is mentioned (almost in passing) in the film, but while I enjoyed the overall inspirational tone as a whole, showing examples of the darker side of crowdfunding could have painted a more complete picture.
This film focuses only on Kickstarter projects, but there are other avenues out there for crowdfunding that I believe the film should have touched on as well, such as GoFundMe or Patreon for instance. (Full disclosure, Film Pulse is dabbling in a Patreon campaign at the moment.)
Crowdfunding isn’t just for artists trying to see their dreams realized, it’s also a resource for people in need to reach out to their community for help when they need it the most. From collecting money for students trying to get a higher education to people needing help with medical bills, crowdfunding is making a huge impact on not just those selling a product, but also everyday people in need.
Speaking as someone whose company works closely with people who regularly use crowdfunding to get their film projects off the ground, I can say that it is an amazing concept that helps creators collaborate with their fans and bring some truly great things into this world. Any film that helps promote this concept gets a recommend from me, especially if it happens to be as well made as this one.
