New Season of MST3k Crowdfunding

[JusSonic]

Time is running out and we're not close to the big goal. How about you folks give in some dough?

[ageekyguy]

Joel just sent an update out. He's sounding pretty pessimistic at this point. He even tried to shave some money off the budget by doing stuff in LA instead of where he lives, but it sounds like it won't be enough.

Here's the full update:
https://showmaker.mst3k.com/stories/dKlXs6

[WakkoBlues]

Joel just sent an update out. He's sounding pretty pessimistic at this point. He even tried to shave some money off the budget by doing stuff in LA instead of where he lives, but it sounds like it won't be enough.

Here's the full update:
https://showmaker.mst3k.com/stories/dKlXs6

I'm genuinely bummed out even though I suspected it would end like this. I absolutely love this show, and while I definitely have a laundry list of issues around the revival and fundraising campaigns, I can't help but feel like we're all losing out massively because of this failing to raise the funds. I don't blame any fans, and thanks to all who pledged. I wish things were different.

[inelegy]

Joel doesn't seem to understand any longer what the charm of the original show was. Perhaps it was lightning in a bottle, but throwing money at a show like this does not make it work. For me, Joel seems very much like the BBC trying like hell to keep Top Gear going after firing/losing Clarkson, May, and Hammond. There's a "feel" that all of the money and effort in the world sometimes simply can't recapture.

MST worked best when it was a smart, no-budget affair run by a very small group of dedicated people, most of whom were friends with one another. IMO, nothing Joel has done Netflix-onward has worked well at all. It has seemed forced at best, and sad and tedious at worst.

[NotRichBatman]

I'm sure for those of us in the U.S., on this day of thanks; everyone carved out a little time to be grateful for the gizmoplex
In all seriousness: I'm disappointed and saddened for everyone that was looking forward to more MST3k

[ageekyguy]

Joel just sent an update out. He's sounding pretty pessimistic at this point. He even tried to shave some money off the budget by doing stuff in LA instead of where he lives, but it sounds like it won't be enough.

Here's the full update:
https://showmaker.mst3k.com/stories/dKlXs6

I'm genuinely bummed out even though I suspected it would end like this. I absolutely love this show, and while I definitely have a laundry list of issues around the revival and fundraising campaigns, I can't help but feel like we're all losing out massively because of this failing to raise the funds. I don't blame any fans, and thanks to all who pledged. I wish things were different.

I'm disappointed too, but not really surprised. I've enjoyed the revival seasons alright, but things were going to come to a head eventually with relying on crowdfunding each year. I give Joel all the credit in the world for creating MST, but I really don't think he's good on the business side of things at all. There were a number of things wrong with this campaign: launching it during two strikes, launching it on not-Kickstarter, basically phoning in Turkey Day since he probably assumed the funding would be in the bag at this point, etc.

I think the biggest problem of all is the budget. $4 mil (originally $4.8M) for six episodes? 90% of which is just a fixed shot in front of a bluescreen? While I do love all of the talent involved, it needs to be seriously streamlined. Pick a crew, Jonah or Emily, cut the writers room staff in half, film in one location where most of the people already are, and cut the big name talent. As much as I love both Felicia and Patton, go back to having all the writers/cast pull double duty. The Gizmoplex itself is a boondoggle. Just cut bait on the interactive theater at this point and maybe just roll the episode libraries into Vimeo itself. Either that, or commit to live events of some sort outside of just when a new season is airing. If you want a dedicated platform, you gotta use it for something year-round.

[JusSonic]

Well, I guess we won't make Season 14 this time and it's all because of bad timing.

Still, even if or when we don't make it, we gave it our best shot, right? I know when to fold them.

[ageekyguy]

Well, I guess we won't make Season 14 this time and it's all because of bad timing.

Still, even if or when we don't make it, we gave it our best shot, right? I know when to fold them.

I'm sure there will be another attempt. Maybe a year from now, maybe a couple, but I'm sure it will happen.

[Sampo!]

If Joel doesn't get his latest request for millions of more dollars, perhaps he will make new episodes the old fashioned way, make the entertainment, and then ask if people want to see it, via a "pay per view" system. Sort of like, all the other alum do.

That would also be a great way to truly measure what the FANS really want, i.e. which version of the crew is most favored.

01. That first incredible round of funding was from fans who actually thought we were "Bringing Back" MST3K, the original. Everyone who was needed to bring back the show was already touring together at that time as Cinematic Titanic. That amazing ground swell was for the obvious thought that the original cast would be reunited, in some form. It never occurred to anyone, but Joel, that we were getting all new people. After that huge disappointment, people were kind about Jonah and that crew, and I agree with others who "got used" to that first Netflix season, and I actually, reluctantly, grew to like many of those episodes as well. Many are excellent. They were something new, and the new high joke ratio needed adjusting to, but once you were able to forgive and forget that the original cast were not there, the majority of the humor was very funny. Setting aside the atrocious things done to our poor Gypsy, and that the new Mads were also flawed.

02. Then we were asked to "Bring Back" Jonah! Even after the much lesser "Gauntlet" season, which still had its moments. Such a shame a full second season wasn't made in a timely fashion to keep the momentum going so that crew could find their rhythm and grow. FU-Netflix. This time we knew for sure what we were all donating for! Along with promises that this would be the last time our help would be needed. That was the whole point of the Gizmoplex, a venue in the future for people to pay as they go to support the movies! Movies would be made on a timely basis, no more delays, no more evil overseers, if they (Joel) could just amass this second HUGE amount of money, everything would be right in the MST3K world! Then, once again, like a pet cemetery, what came back wasn't exactly what we had hoped for. Only half of the episodes were made with the crew we thought we were supporting, and those were half assed like the Gauntlet, presented by a mostly disinterested crew, and, like Gilligan's Island, "the rest" of the season. Made with newbies, I assume random people found wandering around the studio and placed in front of the cameras.

03. After this mixed bag of lame, the powers on high, so far above we who put them up there, generously bestowed upon us; a year of absolute SILENCE! So rude. I for one had expected a new movie a month starting a month after the last season ended. Some form of a sustainable model to be supported by fans on the Gizmoplex platform paid for as it went along. A reasonable parallel to what RiffTrax and now the MADs are basically doing. (Both of those groups would LOVE Millions of dollars by the way, really.) How was Joel not planning for new content as the year went along during season 13? and what were they doing this past year? Frankly I was surprised he was still in the country.

Even if they get their new millions, it will take them another year from this point, to actually produce any new content. WTF?

It is not surprising enthusiasm is SO low this time around after two prior "bait and switch" rounds of fund raising. What are we even supposed to be buying into this time? Who will be around in a year to be the crew for new episodes, maybe it will be a complete season of brand new untalented (cheap) amateurs taking over? Maybe it will just be stock footage of Chimps smashing things, dubbed over like Lancelot Link? One thing is certain, Joel has made no promises, so there are none to break...

Joel's era is my favorite. They all made it great, they all made it great fun, but even there it is not Joel, but Trace who is the anchor that makes that era so good, Mike's era is also at its best while Trace is still there. How did the original crew not get invited back from the start???

I hope they pull it out in the end, I guess, but if they don't, maybe they could make 3 more episodes in the pay per view fashion:

Ep01. Reunite the Cinematic Titanic crew for a movie.
Ep02. Jonah and his crew.
Ep03. Emily, I guess, and do her the minimum kindness of giving her her own robots. The new Gypsy could stay just with her.

Charge people for viewing each individual episode, and see what fans are actually willing to pay for, and what they want more of.

And get that damn Sampo fixed!

[mst3k4ever]

....

And get that damn Sampo fixed!

Fantastic post Sampo!  Know that there are others out there that are 100% with you on your thoughts.