My Z News

Spike Lee is hopping on the Kickstarter bandwagon to finance his next film.

Following the likes of Scrubs star Zach Braff and the creators of Veronica Mars, the acclaimed director is developing an untitled project that will look at humans addicted to blood. Lee calls it “funny, sexy and bloody (and it’s not ‘Blacula’).”

“It’s a very different climate now, and the only way to ensure, as an independent filmmaker, that your vision gets on screen, is when you bring the money to the table,” he says in the video, above.

On his Kickstarter page, Lee addresses the “faithful” with a long, persuasive letter that describes his love for filmmaking, as well as the troubles that come along with it.

“The catch is Filmmaking is an Artform that costs M-O-N-E-Y,” he writes, throwing standard writing conventions out the window. “That is why I’m appealing to the Kindness in your Hearts, to the Faithful who have given me the much needed Love and Support over my 3 decades of Spike Lee Joints.”

Present-day Hollywood does not support independent filmmakers, Lee says, adding that the studio-system model discourages creative liberty:

I’m not hating, just stating the facts. Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang. To me it’s not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made. To The Studios it seems like every Film must be a Home run on a Global scale, a Tent Pole Enterprise, able to spin off Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel.

I have a different vision of what Cinema can be, a different vision of what some under-served Audiences might want to see.

Lee vows — “on my Mother’s Grave and Right Hand to the Almighty” — that every donated dollar will go towards funding the film and not into his pocket. He’s also promising some pretty enticing rewards as incentives to support the project, including autographed items and thank-you tweets.

At the time of writing, Lee’s campaign just surpassed the $100,000 mark; he has 28 days left to raise his entire goal of $1.25 million or receive nothing. The filmmaker, renowned for such iconic flicks as Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, is also getting ready to debut his latest project, Oldboy, a remake of the 2003 Korean thriller of the same name.

Will you support Lee? Tell us in the comments, below.

Image: Al Bello/Getty Images

Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/07/23/spike-lee-kickstarter/