It's an Indiegogo crowdsource-funded project. Perhaps the very first relating directly to EVE Online. (Indiegogo is similar to the more famous Kickstarter.) They're not looking for much money, $6000, to fund equipment and equipment operators. Which is promising. These are not dudes trying to pay themselves a year's salary through crowdsourcing. It's a not-for-profit project.
It appeared to be a half-decent idea. Until I watched their funding introduction video.
Yeah. That video. Turned me off the project immediately. I'm not the type of person to throw money at a project simply because it sounds cool. I think the people that want funding have to demonstrate that they deserve it in their plea for funding.
I wrote to the documentary team in the comments:
How do we know you’re capable of a documentary? The campaign starter video you’ve put up is pretty terrible. Shaky camera. Three static talking heads. If you want to show us what you’re capable of, demonstrate it with the video that introduces us to the project.I think it's a fair statement, if rather blunt. If I'm going to throw $50 at a project, I'd like to know that their project is not going to consist of some dude wandering the convention floor with a handheld camcorder, asking questions, and getting some answers in glorious shitty audio.
One of the three people in the video did give a promising reply:
That’s a fair question. In a way, as with many of these kinds of projects, it’s a matter of trust. The shaky camera was a result of not having rented the tech yet. We’ll be posting a new video blog soon, hopefully it will help answering any questions you might have.So I'll wait to see what they can offer that better demonstrates their skills as documentarians. I'm not expecting Albert and David Maysles, but I am expecting something demonstrating any level of craft.
This is just my opinion on the matter. My fiduciary disposition. I don't throw money at a hope and a prayer. Certainly, if you're comfortable with the project, as presented, then toss them however much you want.
Again, sounds like a cool project. I simply need to see that they're capable of following through effectively on it.
As a member of goonswarm federation, I know a scam when I see one.
ReplyDeleteI'm not suggesting it's a scam.
DeleteJust wondering if the result will be complete shit. Given the video they use to introduce the project, if that's the quality of their work, they'd end up putting out a truly terrible documentary. Which would do more harm to EVE than good.
As a fellow goon, a scam for $6000? Those crazy Swedes...
DeleteFirst, if you are going to be asking me for money at least look like you took the time to plan things out, and didn't just hop out of bed, throw on the nearest clothes you found, and shoot a video....in other words look like you give a damn about what your doing.
ReplyDeleteHmm, think I'm in the same boat. I like the "idea" of having a eve documentary, but have my doubts these are the people capable of doing it.
ReplyDeleteI mean they very well could make a decent product. On paper they seem to have a nice team. Some relevant credentials, someone who has actually played the game for a bittervet amount of years, etc..
But dat introduction video. Not just talking heads, but talking heads sticking out above laptop screens. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure a full minute of monologue without anything visually interesting happening is a bit of a no-no. For fucks sake, with their background one would expect they knew better. The introduction video should be a teaser of what a final product could look like, it should show off skills. Not look like they put a camera on a stack of wobbly books and read out some statements.
Now this might just be me. But if I have some cool idea and want to get it crowedfunded because I can't pay for it myself, then I'd bloody well look at what the successful campaigns did and what the not-so successful campaigns did.
It's not like there aren't dozens of well crafted introduction video's that have in-directly gotten potential products hundreds of thousands of dollars. And more importantly perhaps, those early ones like the double fine one set the standard for what I as a consumer expect. Sure, they are 3 people not a professional studio. But they are 3 people with exactly the skillset needed to make that introduction movie.
And not having the tools yet is such a copout, are they even serious about their profession if they don't have at least the essentials to muck about as a hobby.
So either they don't have the skills their resume hints at or they are not taking this as serious as I as a consumer would like.
Either option sucks. No money from me. He should run for CSM if he wants a free trip to iceland.
I'll be helping out with this project and there's a little more info here: Capturing EVE History: A Tale of Internet Spaceships
ReplyDeleteSeismic Stan/Freebooted
[Apologies, second attempt at a comment - this time with what is hopefully a working link.]
What you wrote in your blog actually does change my view of them in some ways.
DeleteDo you know why they did such a (in my eyes) botched up job on the indiegogo page?
I mean I would Love to sponsor someone to make an eve documentary, but that page literally destroys any faith I could have in them.
I'm guessing they couldn't be bothered to put more effort in. And they may have figured EVE players are generally such fanboys, that people would jump all over the idea no matter the presentation.
DeleteAt least the dude on the right has a CCP Soundwave beard, thats gotta count for something.
ReplyDelete