Kickstarter

Multiplex 10: The Web Series is FUNDED! (Officially!)

Thanks to 322 backers, after a rollercoaster few days with far bigger pledge adjustments than I’ve ever had in a crowdfunding campaign, we’ve ended the campaign with $20,261—thankfully above the goal.

The final tally of new Multiplex 10 content funded by this project, then, stands at:

FIVE (or more) episodes of Multiplex 10: The Web Series
FIVE (or more) movie reviews (similar to, but not necessarily, Multiplex 10 Movie Minutes reviews)
FOUR one-minute animated movie reviews with Jason (rewards for Co-Producer level backers and up)
a digital comic incorporating reviews of the Middle-Earth movies, the Harry Potter movies, and ten Star Wars movies (the $16,000 milestone goal)
plus SIX “regular” movie review comics (rewards for Cinephile level backers and up)
and the production of Multiplex 10: The Web Series USB cards

At just barely over the goal, quite honestly, we’re most likely only going to be able to produce that minimum of ten web series episodes and movie reviews… but we’ll see. It depends, of course, on the length and complexity of the scripts we come up with, whether I can fit in a freelance project here and there to help cover my non-Multiplex 10-related expenses, etc.

The digital comic of movie reviews will be the lowest priority of all this, but I’ll try to start on them soon and release one every week or two until they’re complete. These comics will almost certainly stretch on after the last of the funded videos is released.

I will try to have something new—a comic, a review, a web series episode—every single week (after this week). And, of course, you will get updates on the project the whole way.

Next steps!

The writers’ room will be re-convening TOMORROW, to figure out the first couple of web series episodes and reviews, and to brainstorm some ideas for any more complex and/or less timely episodes that we want to do, such as the Melissa/Becky spotlight episode or a Halloween episode, so that we can get ahead on those—designing any new characters or backgrounds we might need, casting new characters, etc.

As the project page describes, we’re hoping to get the funded videos completed by October, but if the episodes require more time, that may stretch on a month or two longer. (That will delay the USB cards, of course, as well, since the funded videos need to be complete before that can be distributed.)

I’ll distribute some of your digital rewards (like the digital download of the animated short) as soon as all of the payments have been processed, which might take about a week.

My heads a little spinny right now, as you might be able to imagine! If I haven’t explained something, please ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Talk to you soon!
Gordon

If you missed the funding period but still want to help, you can still get access to the behind-the-scenes updates, get early access, and some similar rewards by supporting Multiplex 10 through Patreon!

Six Days Remaining! We’ve Passed $17,000!!!

There are SIX DAYS LEFT in the funding period! After a veeerrry slow week, we’ve finally passed $17,000! Thank you for your support so far—but this still isn’t a sure thing yet.

We’ll almost certainly a late surge as the Kickstarter gets close to its funding deadline, but the question is how soon will it start, and will it be enough? I would love to add more milestone goals to help move things along faster, but honestly, after hitting the totally unexpected review comic milestone (which is already a lot of extra work on top of the videos), I can’t bribe you guys by taking on even more work until we start talking about stretch goals. I’ve gotten pretty good at stretching budgets, but I’m not to only person who needs to get paid from this project.

I posted last night about everything that this Kickstarter will fund — six web series episodes, EIGHT animated movie reviews, and an entire digital comic’s worth of comics-form reviews. None of that gets made if we don’t hit that base goal first! The most heart-breaking part of it is that Multiplex 10 won’t be able to continue. I can’t self-fund the web series any longer; I’m actually long past the point of being able to do so comfortably.

We’ve had some big-ticket producers step up and raise over half the money to date, but we can’t count on more jumping in. And we can’t assume that nobody is going to back out before the end of the funding period. Even just $1 truly does help—and you get all kinds of stuff in return. Learn more on the project page or…

Pledge your support to Multiplex 10 today!

The Multiplex 10: The Web Series Kickstarter ends in ONE WEEK

As of the RIGHT NOW — 10pm on Tuesday, July 10 — there are exactly seven days remaining in the Multiplex 10: The Web Series Kickstarter project! We’ve raised over 83% of our funding goal, putting us well within striking distance of the base goal for the upcoming final push!

Thanks to hitting a $16,000 milestone goal really early, the Kickstarter campaign funds more than just additional web series episodes and animated movie reviews:

There will be three shorter movie reviews with Jason (rewards for our Co-Executive Producer backers).
It will also fund a series of strips where Kurt and Jason “review” (from a certain point of view) the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) movies — twenty-four of the nerdiest movies you all know and love. I’m going to have a little fun with the format, and while the animation deadlines will take precedence, I’m hoping to make them one a fairly regular basis — so the Multiplex 10 Cinemas staff (or two of them) will be in a webcomic again.
AND while this is an unofficial reward, Joe Dunn has threatened to feature the Multiplex 10 cast in two strips a week for three months. Here’s one of his recent misappropriations of these characters:

I can’t believe Joe doesn’t know how to spell my name right by now.

But none of this happens unless we hit that base goal, so don’t wait! No matter how good things look right now, the sooner we hit the base goal, the better. Funded projects always see a big boost in pledges — people just love “betting” on a sure thing.

Other News & Updates

Animation for Adults interviewed me about Multiplex and Multiplex 10! Most of you already know the origins of the comic strip, but we talked a little about my influences and my goofy ass elevator pitch for a Multiplex 10 TV series.
Multiplex 10: The Animated Short has been officially selected by the Independent Cinema Summer Showcase! It will screen at the event in Los Angeles, CA, on July 29th, but I don’t have any more details beyond that right now.
Leigh Lahav (who will be writing an upcoming Multiplex 10 episode provided the project gets successfully funded) just posted a new video TODAY — “The Infinite Place.” Check out that shirt, because it’s funny as fork!

9 Days Remaining! + The second cameo giveaway is closing off fast!

We’re at 82% of the goal with NINE DAYS left in the funding period! We’re in really shape to pass that and start funding even more videos than the “at least ten videos” that the base goal covers!

Don’t forget that we’re giving away one cameo given away per 100 backers — and we’re fast approaching the 200th backer, which will close off the eligibility for that cameo. Pledge soon so you don’t miss your chance!

10 Days Remaining! We’ve passed $16,000!!!

We passed the $16,000 milestone last night (or 80% of our base goal) — in large part due to our new Co-Executive Producers, ReKindle Studios and some guy named… Lawrence McAlpin? (It’s my brother. He’s the smart one in the family; he’s not a professional artist.)

That means all the Co-Executive Producer reward levels are CLAIMED — for now. If/when we pass the base goal, I will open up more producer level rewards afterward. (After that point, a new Co-Executive Producer level reward would fund additional videos. I’ll talk more about stretch goals later.)

What passing $16,000 on Friday night ALSO meant is that I am also going to write and draw movie review comics with Kurt and Jason reviewing twenty-three nerd movies: the first nine Star Wars features — wait, technically the Clone Wars movie counts, so I guess that should be ten.

Shit.

What passing $16,000 on Friday night ALSO meant is that I am also going to write and draw movie review comics with Kurt and Jason reviewing twenty-four nerd movies: the first TEN Star Wars features; the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions; and the Harry Potter movies.

These review comics will be posted in the Kickstarter backer updates, on Patreon, and here on the Multiplex 10 website. They will be collected into the Art of Multiplex 10 ebook — and, because there are so many of them, possibly into a separate ebook that will be for available for purchase — UNLIKE the Art of Multiplex 10 ebook.

I am going to aim to release one every week, but the deadlines on the videos will come first, so it may be slower than that. Also, note that these comics can only get produced IF we actually make it to the funding goal… but that seems pretty like a pretty good bet at this point.

So it looks like I’m going to be doing a (semi-)regular webcomic for a little while, too, in addition to the animation. Even though a review comic isn’t QUITE the same as the old webcomic, it’ll be interesting to see where this goes. I hope. I’ve had a little fun with the comic strip review format in the past, and I’ve been tossing around some ideas so all I can really promise is that they will be roughly twenty-two pages of comics, and they will be movie reviews… from a certain point of view.

11 Days Remaining! The Multiplex 10 Cinemas needs your help!

We’re about half-way through the funding period and at 68% of our funding goal. This is okay shape to hit the goal, but even though people are still recovering from the Fourth of July (in the US, anyway), I’m still hoping to cross the 15,000 (75%) milestone as early as possible; the sooner that happens, the better chance we have of exceeding the goal and being able to make longer, more character-driven videos—or just more videos!

A couple of large pledges could get us there and unlock a whoooole bunch of nerdy movie review comics—so if any of you have entertained the idea of being a film producer, this is your chance!

ALSO! The Multiplex 10 short was recently selected to screen at the Palm Springs International Animation Festival in August, where it will compete in the 2D Comedy Short category! Cross your fingers for us, and if you can make it there, cheer us on!