The independent film group, Laser Unicorns, successfully fund raised over $600 thousand towards their project, “Kung Fury,” an action comedy about an 80’s cop who must travel back in time to defeat the most evil villain of all time, Adolf Hitler. As outrageous the plot may sound, Laser Unicorns were able to establish Kung Fury as the first successful film project gaining complete funding and support through Kickstarter. With only a brief synopsis of their film and a trailer, hundreds of thousands signed on to make their vision a reality.
Watch Kung Fury's Official Trailer Here
With 17,713 backers, $630,000 in donations, and 13 million views of the film on Youtube, this Indi-film company epitomizes the shifting trend, enabled by technology, empowering smaller, more independent artists to have an impact on a global scale. Youtube, Kickstarter, and cinematographic equipment available to the average consumer for the first time, all provide independent film makers with the tools to create audio-visual masterpieces that are able to compete with more expensive and conventional productions, like summer blockbusters.
What I find even more beautiful than hundreds of thousands of strangers all donating towards this film purely out of sheer interest, is that Lazer Unicorns did not aim to make a profit off their film. Just as thousands generously donated towards this project, the director gave back to the public by making the entire film free to view through Youtube.
After hearing about it from a close friend and avid Kickstarter, I chose to sit down and dedicate a half hour of my life to absorbing every piece of this film. While the production value and special effects were not the standard of a Spielberg or JJ Abrams film, it most definitely compensates for this gap with a ridiculous plot and limitless entertainment. As hard as it is to categorize this film, I would classify this film as a mixture of Scarface, Hot Rod, and Tim and Eric. At every turn of the film, action-packed fight scenes and hilarious commentary go hand in hand. I can undoubtedly say that this free, half-hour film was immensely more entertaining than the numerous shallow, high concept films coming out this summer.
A sequel is already expected, and will probably gain funding through Kickstarter again. Concurrently, Kung Fury has inspired other independent filmmakers to hop on the bandwagon and begin fundraising in a similar fashion, rather than compromise creative control through merging with larger production studios that have previously been the primary source of funding for smaller independent films. Regardless of anyone’s opinion of this film, it represents a microcosm of how technology has empowered the individual, and decentralizes power.
Hollywood now only has a select few studios that control almost all of film production in the U.S. Thus, profit often surpasses creativity and artistic value as the main motive in film making. Other applications and websites such as Soundcloud, Vimeo, and Bandcamp have further decentralized the stranglehold over music, video, and other artistic mediums. While these movements will probably never cripple the already dominant and profitable film industry, it may affect how both filmmakers and viewers perceive amateur and professional works, with this technology bridging the gap and defying the need for unrealistically high budgets to create summer blockbusters. Perhaps many hardworking filmmakers who reject the idea of profit driven motive may gain more attention and respect, once more viewers have witnessed the success and entertainment of Kung Fury, and other completely independent projects.
