British Indie Horror Film Creates Controversy Over Graphic Crowdfunding Appeal

The term Crowdfunding is defined as;

noun

[mass noun]

• the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet:musicians, filmmakers, and artists have successfully raised funds and fostered awareness through crowdfunding.

Some argue this new form of fund sourcing has forever changed the landscape of art, by shifting the decision making power from a handful of studio elites to the public-at-large. The downside to crowdfunding is that there is no guarantee a project will come to fruition, which in many ways is no different from the studio model, except instead of losing millions, as is the case of studios, the crowdfunder stands to lose anywhere from one dollar to thousands, depending on the amount one chooses to contribute.

Crowdfunding’s mass popularity has added an element of competiveness to the process, with the ability to attract and hook potential funder’s becoming an art form unto itself. One simply needs to visit sites like Kickstarter.com, and Crowdfunding.com to see the plethora of projects waiting for your monetary contribution in order to spring-to-life.

Some crowdfunding appeals even manage to attract controversy, as is the case of, indie horror film, BackTrack, due to its dramatic promo video featuring a tortured young woman pleading for your funds followed by the tagline…

“Either I get the money to make a brilliant British horror film, or my production assistant gets tortured.”

However, the films producer Haydn West a veteran film-maker welcomes the controversy stating, “Art is something that should regenerate culture, something akin to a primal scream from the subconscious. If you are true to your inspiration I think it is impossible for art not to shock.”  He goes on to mention, “All controversy aside the film is in fact a clever story with multiple layers,  that deal with complicated social issues such as; mental illness, war and retribution and is not simply a base hack-and-slash.” The project will be directed by up-and-coming filmmaker, Tom Sands, and shot primarily in the South Downs.

“Backtrack follows Ralph – a twenty-something Brightonian – and three of his friends who visit a village on the South Downs following a past-life regression in which he sees flashes of himself as a Nazi spy, operating in wartime Britain. “

With just under one week left in their Kickstarter campaign, and filming set to begin this May, Backtrack, is on the verge of becoming reality. And as crowdfunding gains momentum, it is unlikely that the controversy and mass appeal associated with the movement will cease anytime soon.

Source:
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/crowdfunding

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomsands/finance-the-backtrack-horror-film-or-else

http://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/lifestyle/disgust-over-film-makers-torture-promotion-video-1-4835536